The use of cassava for fuel ethanol production in Nigeria is supported by the Nigerian Biofuel Policy and Incentives (NBPI) of 2007. Because of its food, feed and industrial value, the need to replace cassava with crops/plants that are food and feeds neutral has motivated this research. Starch was extracted from forest anchomanes (FA) (Anchomanes difformis (Bl.) ENGL.) tubers and some of its physicochemical and elemental properties were determined. At present, the plant is uncultivated in Nigeria and other parts of Africa where it is found. Results showed that the starch content in FA tubers varied from 72.12 to 75.83%. Starch granules from all parts of the FA tubers had similar proximate, antinutrients and elemental properties and appeared usable for fuel ethanol production. However, to suggest its potential to sustainably replace cassava, further investigations are needed beyond these initial results.

The study focused on how farming communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, how farmers are affected by the pandemic, their coping strategies, contributions of extension service towards their adaptation, and the support they need to better adapt to the pandemic were examined. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 300 respondents across the agricultural zones in the study area. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data obtained from the respondents through a well-designed questionnaire. The majority of the respondents have experienced limited access to agricultural inputs (87.9%), limited access to the market (79.6%), unavailability of the labour force at critical times of agricultural production and harvesting (68.7%), health risk and fear (72.6%), increased transportation cost (87.4%), unavailability of facemasks and hand sanitizers (89.1%), dwindling and uncertain finances (92.4%). Majority of the farmers asserted that they had to rely more on the radio (87.6%), religious leaders (67.2%), community leaders (65.4%), and extension agents (45.3%) for COVID-19-related information. They depended more on herbs and traditional medications (72.4%) and had to trek long distances to market farm produce and get inputs (69.7%) to cope with the impact of the pandemic. Contributions from extension services reported by the respondents were majorly from text messages and phone calls. The majority of the respondents solicited regular assessment of COVID-19 impacts in their communities to identify other specific challenges and needs of farmers for a better and timely response.

Vegetables grown in mining areas can accumulate significant amounts of heavy metals (HMs), which can cause serious developmental disorders and have long-term negative effects on public health. In the present study, the HMs contamination level in vegetables grown around the Riruwai mining area in Kano State, Nigeria, was investigated. Fifteen (15) vegetable samples were collected, including lettuce (Lacuta sativa L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), as well as their corresponding soils. The levels of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in all the samples were determined using Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry, and the measured concentrations were used to calculate the bioaccumulation factor (BAF). The results of the study revealed that HMs concentrations in the investigated vegetables were found to be significantly high, with the majority of levels exceeding the WHO/FAO (2007) recommended limit, and the concentration of HMs in the soil decreased in the order of Zn > Mn > Cr > Pb > As > Ni > Cd > Hg, with As, Pb, and Zn exceeding the WHO/FAO (2001) recommended limit. Pollution levels were found to significantly differ between HMs and vegetable types. BAF results revealed that cadmium is an accumulator of all the studied vegetables (BAFs > 1), while mercury was found to be an accumulator of L. sativa. Higher concentrations of these metals in vegetables and soil, particularly arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc, necessitate immediate scientific attention and further research to determine the optimum concentration required for human health. Planting of vegetables for human and animal consumption should be stopped until this is accomplished.

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a global strategy for enhancing food productivity amidst climate change uncertainties in the 21st century. CSA improves farmers’ incomes, reduces greenhouse emissions, and farming systems become resilient to climate change. Despite the vital role that CSA plays in the development of the agricultural industry and the economy, the extent to which CSA is related to sustainable agriculture (SA) is not well documented. Is CSA the same as SA? If they are the same, do CSA practices impose mitigation requirements for developing countries like Uganda? Studies or research on CSA and SA unfortunately have certain shortcomings. Lack of this knowledge makes it difficult to plan investments and develop policies that will increase farmers’ resilience to climate change and variability to improve SA. This study is aimed at assessing how CSA links to SA and whether the two contribute to climate change mitigation requirements. It was found that CSA and SA are also related in a way that the latter leads to lowering greenhouse gas emissions hence mitigating climate change. CSA and SA share a common principal goal of achieving food security. It was concluded that developing countries are the worst affected by the negative impacts of climate change and don’t have the adaptive capacity to respond to climate change effects.

To increase meat production at a level parallel to meet the demand of the increasing world population in recent years, reproductive management in farm animals must be successful. In order to reach the desired level of fertility in sheep, particularly starting with the non-prolific breeds, anoestrus period applications should be carried out effectively. In this study, different doses of equine chorionic gonadotropin were applied to determine the effective eCG dose for underwent estrus synchronization with progesterone in anoestrus Kangal ewes whose milk and wool yield has been completely abandoned by the breeder for various reasons and whose only economic benefit is lamb production. A total of 225 Kangal Akkaraman Sheep breeds, 2 years old, with a body condition score of 2.5-3.5 and an average weight of 40-50 kg, were included in the study. In line with this purpose, ewes were divided into 3 groups, containing 75 primiparous sheep. A vaginal sponge containing progesterone was inserted into the animals in all groups on day 0. Seven days after this application (on the 7th day), vaginal sponges were removed and Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) was applied. When the vaginal sponge was removed and the PGF2α was administered, 400 IU of eCG was given to animals in Group 1 (n:75), 500 IU of eCG was administrated to animals in Group 2 (n:75), and 600 IU of eCG was injected to the ewes in Group 3. The effectiveness of different doses of eCG application on reproductive parameters such as estrous rate, pregnancy rate, multiple pregnancy rate, and the number of offspring was evaluated. While no statistical difference could be determined between the groups in terms of the stated reproductive parameters, numerically more offspring were obtained in the group in which eCG was applied at a low rate (Group 1). In the light of this information, it is concluded that 400 IU eCG can be as effective as 600 IU eCG in sexual stimulation of Kangal ewes in anestrus.

This study investigated how profitable and technically effective rice farming was in Quan’ Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Using a multistage sample method, 120 respondents were drawn. The study’s findings proved that the farmers were 40 years old on average. The men were higher in numbers constituting 81.0% of the study population. 83% of the people were married and a greater number (81%) of them had at least some form of formal education with a typical household size of 9 persons. Findings from the study also showed that the farmers owned an average of 2.0 hectares of farmland and had acquired an average farming experience of 12 years. For the most of them (78.0%), farming was their primary occupation. The result also demonstrated that 78.0% never accessed credit or bank loans for farming as majority (63%) of the respondents acquired their farmlands through inheritance. The entire cost (total cost) of farming operation/ha incurred by the farmers was 139733 while the average output obtained per hectare was 699kg at a prevailing market/selling price of 285/kg. The total revenue (TR) measured in naira value of 199, 215 was realized. Gross margin (GM) and net farm income (NFI) stood at 70932 and 59482 respectively. The return on investment (ROI) was 0.42 meaning that for every naira spent on rice production, a profit of 0.42 is made. Age, educational level, farm size, farming experience and extension contact all had positive direct relationship with net income from rice production at 1%. The rice growers’ mean technical efficiency score was 0.659. Major constraints to rice production were high fertilizer prices (72%), inadequate capital (53%), lack of improved seeds (47%). The research suggests that government should subsidize farming inputs like recommended fertilizer and herbicides so as to reduce the over bearing cost burden of these inputs on farmers. Financial institutions should make credit facilities available and affordable to the farmers.

This study used reports from various bodies to determine the competitiveness of some selected agricultural products between Kenya and other East African Community countries. Agriculture is an important sector in Kenya and the greater East African Community organization as it earns the country foreign exchange through exports. The sector possess considerable potential, and carrying out a competitive study would greatly inform the country’s efforts and policy making processes. The methods used were Market Share Index, Vollrath’s Relative Trade Advantage Indices, and Balassa’s Revealed Comparative Advantage Index. The various countries were compared using calculated indices and ranked accordingly based on their scores and market share percentages. Consequently, Kenya had a competitive advantage and dominated the international markets in tea and crude materials, whereas most East Africa Community member states had a strong comparative advantage in coffee. Generally, to stimulate the agricultural sector and diversify agricultural exports, the Kenyan government and private sector must increase high-level investments in agribusiness and transition from exporting raw materials to value-added products. Developing standard agricultural trade policies would benefit all East African Community member states, which is consistent with their goals.

Medicinal plants are quite popular in the medicine development process because they contain bioactive chemicals. Traditional medicine has made extensive use of Crataegus orientalis L., which also has significant biological effects. In this study, essential oils (EOs) of C. orientalis var. orientalis collected from Tokat-Türkiye were isolated by hydrodistillation. Chemical constituents were detected by GC-MS and benzaldehyde (%52.75), α-terpineol (%16.86), germacrene D (%7.03) and caryophyllene (%6.77) were determined as major components. Moreover, antioxidant analyses including DPPH•, ABTS+• and FRAP tests were carried out. EOs displayed good the DPPH activity (IC50, 12.21, µg/mL) in comparison to the standard BHT (IC50, 10.23 µg/mL). The same trend was observed for ABTS and FRAP assays.

Producing safe and high-quality food is increasingly important, and developing durum wheat varieties with low toxicity is crucial to meeting this demand. Durum wheat breeders can achieve this goal by developing new varieties that are either more resistant to arsenic uptake or better adapted to grow in areas with high arsenic levels. High levels of arsenic can pose serious health hazards, which makes it critical to evaluate the arsenic levels. Therefore, this study evaluated the arsenic levels in diverse durum wheat genotypes, including Turkish-released cultivars and local landraces. The results showed that all genotypes had significantly low and non-toxic levels of arsenic, with an average concentration of 5.24 μg/kg. These concentrations were much lower than the minimum reported in numerous published research studies and well below the risky international standard limits for durum wheat grain (0.1 mg/kg). The study also identified two significant marker-trait associations linked to arsenic contents located on chromosomes 4A and 7B, which explained 11-17% of the phenotypic variation. These findings provide valuable insights into the arsenic levels in durum wheat genotypes and highlight the need for ongoing monitoring to ensure safe and healthy food for consumers. By conducting collaborative genome-wide association studies and employing marker-assisted selection, durum wheat breeders can accelerate the creation of new varieties that have reduced arsenic levels by identifying alleles linked to arsenic content. This study emphasizes the importance of developing low-toxicity durum wheat varieties to ensure the safety and quality of our food supply. The findings can inform breeding programs to develop such varieties and contribute to sustainable agriculture. While the study’s methodology was robust, further research is necessary to confirm and validate the genetic factors contributing to variation in arsenic content among different durum wheat genotypes.

The aim of the experiment is to study in vitro regeneration efficiency of international potato center (CIP)-bred salt tolerant potato genotypes under salt stress condition and to identify effective potato genotype(s) for saline belt areas of Bangladesh. An in vitro shoot bioassay of eight CIP-bred potato genotypes viz. CIP 102, CIP 106, CIP 111, CIP 117, CIP 124, BARI Alu 72 (CIP 139), and BARI Alu 73 (CIP 127) and CIP 136 were used. In this study, single node of these genotypes was cultured in MS media supplemented with 0, 80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 mM NaCl. Among the eight genotypes, BARI Alu 72 (CIP 139) showed the highest tolerance against salinity up to 160 mM NaCl (14.61 dS/m) for all studied parameters (except shoot and root initiation) with the highest plant height (9.67 cm), leaves number (13.60), nodes number (9.50), root length (6.50 cm), roots number (7.80), fresh weight of shoot (536.1 mg) and root (205.60 mg). On the other hand, CIP 106 was found the most susceptible genotype against salinity showing its highest salinity tolerance up to 120 mM NaCl (10.96 dS/m) with maximum plant height (7.17 cm), leaves number (12.50), nodes number (6.50), root length (7.50 cm), roots number (9.7), fresh weight of shoot (572.3 mg) and root (250 mg). The experiment's findings corroborated CIP's findings that they were salt tolerant, as well as recommended for their cultivation suitability in saline-affected area in Bangladesh.