African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6837

Table of Content: 2 March, 2017; 12(9)

February 2017

Impact of cassava starch-alginate based coatings added with ascorbic acid and elicitor on quality and sensory attributes during pineapple storage

Pineapple is a tropical fruit of great consume demand. However, due to its high perishability at room conditions, there is noticeable loss of quality postharvest in a short period. In this context, the use of biodegradable coatings is a promising alternative for maintaining postharvest quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of cassava starch-alginate based biodegradable coatings added with ascorbic...

Author(s): George Henrique Camêlo Guimarães, Renato Lima Dantas, Alex Sandro Bezerra de Sousa, Luciana Gomes Soares, Raylson de Sá Melo, Rosana Sousa da Silva, Renato Pereira Lima, Rejane Maria Nunes Mendonça, Randolph M. Beaudry and Silvanda de Melo Silva

March 2017

Postharvest diseases of tomato and natural products for disease management

Gray mold and soft rot are the most important postharvest diseases of tomato worldwide. A survey of fresh-market tomato fruit was conducted in Oahu to determine which fungal and bacterial pathogens were most commonly associated with postharvest disease. Alternaria, Botrytis, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Mucor, Stemphyllium, Rhizopus and Penicillium were the most frequently isolated fungi and Acetobacter,...

Author(s): Firas A. Ahmed, Brent S. Sipes and Anne M. Alvarez

March 2017

Determination of macaw fruit harvest period by biospeckle laser technique

Macaw palm has been stood out as a raw material for the production of bioenergy, because it has high productivity of oil and less emission of polluting waste during combustion, meeting the worldwide demand for sustainable energy sources. The aims of this research were the evaluation of response of the biologic activity measured by the optical technique of the biospeckle laser applied to macaw palm fruits at different...

Author(s): Anderson Gomide Costa, Francisco de Assis de Carvalho Pinto, Roberto Braga Alves Júnior, Sérgio Yoshimitsu Motoike and Luís Manuel Navas Gracia

March 2017

Analysis of the energetic dynamism between solar and wind energy available in the south of Brazil

Based on the concept of sustainability, which covers the energy issue as well as its rational use from natural resources, conventional sources do not meet the real requirements of the current production methods. In that context the west region of Paraná state in Brazil presents a vocation for developing projects that involve energy production from alternate sources such as biomass, water, wind energy and solar....

Author(s): Darlisson Bentes dos Santos, Jair Antonio Cruz Siqueira, Carlos Eduardo Camargo Nogueira, Magno Luiz Vidotto, Gilson Debastiani, Armin Feiden, Luiz Antônio Zanão and Flávio Gurgacz

March 2017

Effect of combined biotic and abiotic stress on some physiological aspects and antioxidant enzymatic activity in mungbean (Vigna radiate L.)

Stomata conductance (gs), Shoot water content (SWC), chlorophyll pigments (chl a,b) and enzymes involved in anti-oxidant photo-protection were determined in two mungbean genotypes (Kawmay-1 and VC2010) under greenhouse conditions. The two genotypes were subjected to water deficit stress (20, 40 and 80% of field capacity) and two root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) infection levels (non-infected and infected at...

Author(s): Ali A. Alderfasi, Areej A. Alzarqaa, Fahad A. AL-Yahya, Shahira S. Roushdy, Ahmed A. Dawabah and Bushra A. Alhammad

March 2017

Effect of pesticides and micro-organisms on earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826)

Earthworms might be limited in their activities on soil by pesticides used at important rates in agriculture and human pathogenic micro-organisms introduced in soil by excreta. This study using a modified toxicity filter paper contact test from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), aimed at assessing the toxicity of six pesticides formulations and six micro-organisms on the earthworm Eisenia...

Author(s): Toualy S. Ouina, Jean-Michel Panoff, Marina Koussémon and Tia J. Gonnety

March 2017

Economic viability of the canola crop with nitrogen applied in coverage in no-tillage system in Corbélia-PR, Brazil

It is essential for the farmer, to have information of cultural costs when deploying a new crop or new technology. The cost of the study allows decision making for new technologies and use of viable inputs in production (Richetti, 2011; Souza et al., 2012). Zimmermann (2005), when studying technical and economic viability of canola crops, stated that canola is economically viable. The aim of this work was to assess the...

Author(s): Reginaldo Ferreira Santos, Onóbio Vicente Werner, Luciene Kazue Tokura, Deonir Secco, Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza, Cristiano Fernando Lewandoski, Paulo de Lima Bueno and  Oswaldo Hideo Ando Junior

March 2017

Supplemental value of leaf based concentrates with Panicum maximum hay on performance of West African dwarf goats

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of a leaf based concentrate consisting of a 1:1 leaf mixture of Vernonia amygdalina and Tithonia diversifolia (VATD) as a direct replacement for brewers dried grains (BDG) on feed intake, growth performance and digestibility by West African Dwarf (WAD) goats on a basal diet of Panicum maximum hay. Twenty five growing WAD goats weighing between 8.07 - 9.60...

Author(s): Taye Olurotimi Abegunde, Festus Tope Ajayi, Joseph Folami Olona and Fatima Balogun

March 2017

Germination and seed traits variations among West African provenances of Moringa oleifera Lam. (Burkina Faso)

Moringa oleifera is a fruit species of economic interest to West African smallholder growers. To generate benefits to poor rural communities, improved knowledge is needed on plantation management and selection of the most reliable seed sources. The aim of the study was to investigate variation in seed traits and germination rates among 12 provenances of M. oleifera from West Africa in the women gardening center named...

Author(s): Madjelia Cangré Ebou Dao, Paulette Taita and Denis Walsh

March 2017

Quantification and conservation status of forest fragments in part of Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Forest fragments present shapes and sizes that become them more or less susceptible to external factors, which can be measured by means of ecological indexes. The aim of this research was to diagnose conservation status and to quantify forest fragments in part of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Forest fragments were mapped and landscape ecology metrics were calculated, including area size, fractal dimension index, and...

Author(s): Hassan Camil David, Gilson Fernandes da Silva, José Eduardo Macedo Pezzopane, Sylvio Péllico Netto, Leonardo Bergantini Pimentel, Emanuel José Gomes de Araújo and Allan Libanio Pelissari

March 2017

Assessment of post-harvest losses of Warqe food products along the supply chain in Central Ethiopia

Post-harvest food loss is a global problem but it is more critical in the food-insecure countries. Food waste occurs at different levels in the food supply chain from production through post-harvest handling to consumption. The presented paper aims at an assessment of post-harvest food loss of warqe foods along the supply chain and identified hot spots of the losses in the chain. Warqe (Ensete ventricosum (Welw)...

Author(s): Ashenafi Chaka Tuffa, Tadesse Kenea Amentae , Tesfaye Balemi and Girma Gebresenbet