Uganda Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Effect of dormancy breaking treatments on Corchorus olitorius L. accessions

2025-05-02T14:52:04+00:00

Corchorus olitorius is an indigenous leafy vegetable, which is rich in nutrients and is used for food preparations in low-income households in Africa. However, its cultivation is deterred by delayed seed germination, due to its hard seed coat. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different dormancy breaking methods on enhancing seed germination of Corchorus olitorius accessions. The experiment was conducted at the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, Bunso in the Eastern region, Ghana. Seeds of six Corchorus olitorius accessions were subjected to four dormancy breaking treatments, which include no soaking, soaking in pure water for 24 hours; and soaking in hot water for 30, or 60 seconds at 90 OC. Parameters measured include seed vigour, germination percentage, plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, pod length (cm) and number of seeds per pod. Significant differences (p<0.001) were observed in seed vigour and germination percentage among the six Corchorus olitorius accessions subjected to all dormancy breaking treatments. The highest seed vigour was observed in accession GH10126 soaked in hot water for 30 seconds. The no soaking treatment of accessions GH10070, GH10126 and GH10441 had the lowest vigour. The highest germination percentage was observed in accession GH10308 soaked in hot water for 60 seconds. Corchorus olitorious seeds treated with hot water at 90 OC for 30 or 60 seconds, performed normally with regards to growth and yield when established under field conditions.

Inheritance of multiple resistance to fungal diseases in tropical maize germplasm

2025-05-26T05:13:03+00:00

Maize (Zea mays L.) ear rots caused by Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium graminearum and Stenocarpella maydis affect grain quality and are associated with mycotoxins that pose precarious food and feed safety issues. The objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of multiple resistance to major fungal pathogens (Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium graminearum and Stenocarpella maydis) in maize in the tropical Africa. A total of 30 tropical inbred lines with varying resistance to A. flavus and both F. graminearum and S. maydis, were mated in a North Carolina II Design and the progeny consisting of single crosses, test crosses and their parents evaluated for single infection and yield performance. Resistance to the three ear rot pathogens and grain yield was found to be inherited independently. Therefore the three fungal infections had low or negligible effect on grain yield, though adversely reduced the grain quality. Multiple resistance to the three ear rot pathogens was majorly additive in nature. Some non-additive gene effects like dominance and epistasis could be contributing to multiple ear rot resistance. Maize hybrid vigour was found to enhance ear rot resistance.

Implications of farm succession plans on sustainable poultry productivity in Oyo State, Nigeria

2025-05-26T05:22:31+00:00

The significance of farm succession planning in sustaining smooth transitioning longevity of family farm operations, especially with the overly ageing farming population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), cannot be over-emphasised. The objective of this study was to examine the implications of farm succession plans on sustainable poultry productivity in Oyo state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 260 respondents (108 poultry farmers and 152 farmers’ children who were between 15 and 25 years old), for the purpose in Egbeda and Oluyole Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were obtained using a questionnaire, which was administered through interview schedules. Most (86%) of the farmers had at a point or the other considered the succession of their farm. Results of an Ordered Logistic Regression showed that poultry farmers’ succession plans were significantly influenced by farming status (part-time or full-time) (=1.455; z=1.95), stock size (=2.089; z=2.83), Generational Integration Process (=4.049; z=6.00), gender of farmer (=1.012; z=1.65) and profitability of farm over the last three years (=0.036; z=1.75). From the children (potential successors) stand point, personal interest (z = 1.71), number of siblings (z=-3.01) and farm profitability in the last three years (z=3.63), had significant influence on their disposition towards farm succession. Age (z= -0.45), gender (z= 1.01), birth order (z= -0.66), parent’s education level (z=0.38) of potential successors, did not have significant effects on their disposition towards farm succession. Profitability of the farm business was a major factor in farm succession on the part of both farmers and potential successors. Results suggest that more females should engage in poultry business and farmers should adopt GIP for farm succession.

Genetic variability in juvenile growth traits of Ugandan indigenous chicken populations raised under an intensive deep litter system

2025-05-26T05:29:28+00:00

Uganda’s indigenous chickens (IC) display significant phenotypic diversity in body weight (BW) and growth performance. However, there has been no study on the genetic diversity related to juvenile BW and growth performance in indigenous chicken populations (ICP), to support early selection of improved growth performance. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic variation in chicken juvenile BW and growth among selected ICP in Uganda. Three populations of IC were sourced from Apac, Lira and the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI), as founder populations. Chicks were hatched from founder eggs, wing-banded and reared under identical conditions, in a deep litter system. Body weight was recorded weekly from hatch to four weeks of age. Hatch weight was higher (P<0.01) for Apac and Lira birds compared to NaSARRI. Mean Daily gain (ADG) was greatest for Lira and lowest for NaSARRI birds. The mean relative Growth Rate (RG) of chicks from Lira and Apac was comparable, but both were greater (P<0.05) than for NaSARRI. Broad-sense heritability estimates for BW0, BW1, BW2, BW3, and BW4 were 0.35, 0.50, 0.54, 0.47, and 0.56, respectively. Genotypic variances for BW measurements varied (P<0.05) among the ICP. The heritability estimates for ADG and RG were 0.41 and 0.49, respectively, with genotype variances differing significantly (P<0.01) across the ICP for both ADG and RG. These results demonstrate both phenotypic and genotypic variability in juvenile BW and growth performance. Moderate heritability and positive phenotypic correlations suggest that these traits can be effectively improved through selective breeding.