African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security

African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN 2375-1177 Vol. 7 (2), pp. 001-010, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Exploratory and multidisciplinary survey of the cowpea network in Tolon-Kumbungu district of Ghana: A food sovereignty perspective

Wilhemina Quaye¹*, Kwadwo Adofo², Yann Emeric Madode³ and Abdul-Razak Abizari ⁴

¹Food Research Institute (CSIR), Box M20, Accra, Ghana.

²Crop Research Institute (CSIR), Box 3785, Kumasi, Ghana.

³Université d’Abomey-calavi, 01BP526 Cotonou, Benin, Nigeria.

⁴University for Development Studies, Box 1350, Tamale, Ghana.

Accepted 15 December, 2018

Abstract

An exploratory survey of selected deprived communities in the Tolon-Kumbungu district of northern region of Ghana was conducted in August 2007 by a multi-disciplinary team of social scientist, food technologist, plant breeder and food nutritionist. The survey sought to identify with farmers their critical agronomic needs and production constraints in order to develop appropriate breeding strategies, as well as cowpea varietal preference for improved processing technology development. A rural participatory and conventional survey approaches were used. Close to half of the interviewed farmers cultivate both improved and local varieties. It was realized that 33 and 22% cultivated only local and improved varieties respectively. Generally, farmers indicated preference for improved varieties due to market value but rather preferred local varieties for household consumption and food sovereignty purposes. The top three most preferred varietal traits mentioned by farmers for breeding considerations included yield, tolerance to diseases and pests and seed colour. Processors preferred white seed coat varieties due to their good whipping ability and short cooking period. Farmers stressed the role of local varieties in food sovereignty with the early maturing ones being the most significant in household food provision.

Key words: Cowpea, varieties, food, sovereignty, Ghana.

African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN 2375-1177 Vol. 7 (2), pp. 302-307, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Sensitivity of Alternaria alternata; cause of foliar and seedling blight disease of Cassia fistula in Pakistan to fungicides and biological control agents

Romana Anjum¹, Safdar Ali², Khizar Razzaq², Wasima Kanwal³, Maryam Yousaf^1,4,  Muneeb Afzal¹

¹Department of Plant Pathology & Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food Security, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.

²Department of Plant Pathology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.

³Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.

⁴ University College of Sargodha, Pakistan.

Accepted 24 October, 2018                                                                                            

Abstract

Foliar blight disease is caused by Alternaria alternata, cosmopolitan saprophyte in nature, considered a virulent pathogen in different crops. Pathogens cause foliar and seedling blight of Cassia fistula, which is an important ornamental and timber tree plant grown on sidewalk, roads. pathogen infection resulted in timber deterioration and reduce esthetic value of tree. So, it’s very important to develop a cost-effective strategy to control this disease either by chemical and biological agents to save the C. fistula trees. For this purpose, different fungicides viz; Mancozeb 75% WP, Carbendazim 50% WP, Thiophanate methyl 70% WP, Copper oxy 50% WP, Difenoconazole 25% EC and Propiconazole 25% EC and biological agents viz; Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Trichoderma harzianum were used in vitro against A. alternata. Results of this experiment demonstrated that Propiconazole 25% EC and Difenoconazole 25% EC were found statistically significant in reducing mycelial growth of A. alternata (71.5%, 72.7%, 73.9%, 72.1%, 72.1%, and 73.0%) after 3, 6 and 9 days of incubation at various concentrations. On the other hand, Trichoderma harzianum was found to be most successful in inhibition (76%) of this pathogen. Therefore, we concluded that Propiconazole 25% EC, Difenoconazole 25% EC and T. harzianum are effective in managing this pathogen responsible for foliar and seedling blight in Cassia fistula.

Keywords: Seedling blight, Foliar blight, Trichoderma harzianum,Propiconazole, Alternaria alternata, Cassia fistula.

African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN 2375-1177 Vol. 7 (1), pp. 293-301, January, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Adoption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties by urban consumers in Maputo, Mozambique

Roland Brouwer

International Potato Center, Maputo, Mozambique. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 13 December, 2018

Abstract 

Biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) cultivars are being promoted in Sub-Saharan Africa as a strategy to reduce vitamin A deficiency among young children. Several studies have addressed the adoption of OFSP by farmers. This paper addresses the level of adoption of OFSP by urban consumers of Maputo in Mozambique by comparing survey data from 2014 and 2017. Adoption is analyzed in four steps: having knowledge about OFSP, consuming OFSP, consuming OFSP by choice and using it to feed young children. It assesses the role of social economic status, supply and quality changes in adoption and looks at the extent at which the promotion of OFSP for supplementary feeding has been successful. It concludes that the percentage of the population of Maputo who eat OFSP has increased significantly in particular in the city’s wealthier district, proving that OFSP is now an accepted source of vitamin A by all strata in society.

Keywords: Biofortification, sweetpotato, urban consumers, innovation, inequality, Maputo, Mozambique.

African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN 2375-1177 Vol. 7 (1), pp. 289-292, January, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Production and stabilization of coconut-carrot drink using gum Arabic as stabilizer

Alex Ogbodo, Nonso Okoroji and Nwosu Okoroji

Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.

Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted April 21 2018

Abstract

Beverages are consumed primarily for their thirst quenching and stimulating effects. Currently there is a growing awareness of the need to take beverages with high nutritional and health benefits. The aim of this research therefore is to produce a stable nutritious drink from coconut and carrot. Coconut (250 g) and carrot (250 g) were blended, the juice was extracted using different amounts of water (500, 600, 700, 800 and 900 ml) at 50^oC. The drink sample produced with 700ml of water was found most acceptable by the consumer panel. The sample was therefore selected for subsequent analysis and drink stabilization with different levels of gum arabic (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5%). The sample produced with4% gum arabic was significantly (p<0.05) more stable than the others with only 0.1% level of separation after 72 h. The vitamin C and β-carotene contents were 1164 mg/100g and 29 mg/100g respectively. These results suggest that gum arabiccan serve as a good stabilizer for the coconut:carrot drink.

Keywords: Coconut, Carrot, gum Arabic, nutritious drink, stability.

African Journal of Agriculture and Food Security ISSN 2375-1177 Vol. 7 (1), pp. 289-288, January, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Variation in food production and consumption pattern in Pakistan

Ahmed Wani, Azam Jafar and Khan Sadiq

Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 26 December, 2018

Abstract

The paper is about change in food production and consumption pattern in Pakistan. Food availability per capita per annum in Pakistan increased from 298.1 kg in 1979 to 1980 to 414.8 kg in 2007 to 2008 at a rate slower than Population growth (from 85.09 million to 163.8 million over the same period) (Government of Pakistan, 2010). Food consumption pattern in Pakistan are exception and changing by weight nearly three quarters of the diet is made up of cereals and milk product. In addition over half of the expenditure for major food items is on cereals, and milk products (Walters and Mehmood, 1990). The food production (Cereals, Gram, Pulses, Vegetables, Potatoes, and Fruits, Animal product Poultry Product, Sugar and Veg.Ghee) was increased by 52% in 1990 to 2000 over the 1979 to 1990 and by 34.9% in 2000 to 2010 over the 1990s. The annual rate of growth in overall food production rose to 3.9, 4.2 and 2.8% in the 1980s, 1990s and last recent decade against 3.1, 2.4 and 1.9% growth of population in same time period. Food grain production was increased by 32.8 to 29.5% during last thirty years.

Key words: Food production, food consumption, food consumption statistics, food grains, population growth, Cobb Douglas type production function.