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Integrating forage legumes with maize has the potential to restore soil fertility and increase grain yield among smallholder farming systems. A study was conducted over two cropping seasons to determine the effect of intercropping maize with forage legumes on soil fertility restoration, weed biomass and maize yield. Treatments involved: four cropping systems (sole maize, maize-velvet bean, maize-silverleaf, maize-cowpeas) and four fertiliser regimes (no fertiliser, 150 kg ha−1 of compound D fertiliser (7% N: 14% P2O5: 7% K2O) + 150 kg ha−1 ammonium nitrate (34.5% N), 100 kg ha−1 single super phosphate (SSP, 17.5% P2O5) and 200 kg ha−1 SSP). Maize-velvet bean intercropping reduced weed biomass by 80% relative to sole maize and maize-silverleaf intercropping. Maize-cowpea and maize-velvet bean intercropping reduced maize grain yield by 25.9% and 64.7%, respectively, compared to sole maize and maize-silverleaf intercropping. In 2017/2018, maize-silverleaf intercropping increased resin-extractable P2O5 by 60.1% compared to other cropping systems while the three fertiliser treatments increased the levels of this nutrient by 41.9–100%. The results of this study show that intercropping maize with silverleaf has the potential to restore soil fertility and control weeds, without reducing maize grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

field study was carried out with the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) variety BP1 to determine the influence of plant population density and seed tuber size on the crop's physiological growth components and yield performance under optimal field conditions. Two factors considered were seed tuber size and population density. The first factor involved four seed sizes; S1 (small), 200-350 mm in diameter; S2 (medium), 350-450 mm in diameter; S3 (large), 450-550 mm in diameter and S4 (very large), greater than 550 mm in diameter. The second factor was population density (E) and it was at three levels; level 1 (E1) at 90 by 15 cm, level 2 (E2) at 90 by 30 cm, level 3 (E3) at 90 by 45 cm spacing. Parameters measured included shoot emergence (germination), haulm growth and yield. There were significant differences in mean percentage germination at 9, 10, 11 and 12 days after planting across the four seed sizes. Plants from larger seed potato tubers exhibited greater physiological growth and yield (kg/ha) compared to smaller seed tubers when the experiment was terminated at 95 days after emergence. Large and very large seed potato tubers exhibited greater overall resource use efficiency of allocation of metabolites as measured by growth components and yield at all plant density levels compared to small and medium sized seed tubers. This had implications on the duration of the bulking, physiological growth and consequently on yields obtained at harvest. At the same time, plant population density had no significant (p>0.05) effect on the number of days to emergence. From the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the optimum plant population density for good yield was 90 by 30 cm and that large and very large seed sets gave the best yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts, short growing seasons and poorly distributed rainfall are major constraints to maize production in eastern semi-arid region of Rwanda. In situ rain water harvesting offers an alternative option to reduce rainwater runoff, increase infiltration and storage of water in soil and reduce the effects of drought streβ on maize grain yield. The objective of the study was to aβeβ the effects of in situ water harvesting techniques on soil moisture content, maize growth and grain yield in Nyagatare, Rwanda in the 2011-2012 seasons. The study comprised of four treatments: pot holing, tied-ridging and mulching compared to control treatment of planting on the flat. The experimental design was randomized complete block with three replicates. Soil moisture content and maize plant dry weight were measured at 8, 11 and 14 weeks after emergence (WAE). There was a significant increase (P<0.001) in soil moisture content and maize plant dry weight from planting on the flat (control), pot hole, tied ridges to mulching at 8, 11 and 14 WAE. Yield components (ear maβ, number of grains per ear and 100 grain weight) and grain yield significantly increased (P<0.001) from planting on the flat, pot holes, tied ridges and were highest in the mulched treatment. Maize grain yield increased(P<0.001) by 49.6, 103 and 136% of the maize grain yield harvested from the flat planting(1593.36 kg ha-1) in the pot-holing, tied ridging and mulching treatments, respectively. The results of this study indicate that mulching, tied ridges and pot holes, in decreasing order of effectiveneβ, have potential to increase soil moisture content and reduce the damage caused by drought streβ to maize growth and grain yield and therefore recommended for farmers in Nyagatare and other drought prone regions. © 2014 Friends Science Publishers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased awareness of environmental pollution has changed focus to the use of biodegradable materials because they lack persistence in the environment. This article focused on the production of cellulose nanocrystals from Zhombwe, Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) CA Sm. bagasse using steam explosion, alkaline treatment, bleaching, purification, and acid hydrolysis. The chemical composition after the treatments was determined using TAPPI standards. Further characterization was done using x-ray Diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The nanoscale dimensions and morphology of the extracted nanocrystals was determined through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). FTIR spectroscopy and DSC confirmed the removal of noncellulosic compounds. XRD revealed that N. brachypus bagasse contained cellulose type I, which partly endured morphological change to polymorph II after purification and hydrolysis. FE-SEM revealed elliptical to rod-shaped structures after acid hydrolysis, which had a mean length and width of 1103 nm and 597 nm respectively. TAPPI tests revealed that successive chemical treatments increased crystallinity by 29.7%, enriched cellulose content by 74.2%, reduced lignin content by 21.7%, and reduced hemicellulose to less than 1%. The semicrystalline nature of the material produced in our work is a promising candidate for swelling hydrogel applications in areas such as wound dressing, heavy metal removal, controlled drug delivery, agriculture, and sanitary products. Future studies may focus on surface modification of nanocrystals to improve their thermal stability and therefore expand their range for potential industrial applications., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)