Browsing by Author "Murongo, Marius"

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Assessing the effectiveness of ethnomedicinal products on banana weevils using REML
(Science Publishing Group, 2014) Bwogi, Godfrey; Mwine, Julius; Jumba, Francis; Murongo, Marius; Njoroge, Grace Njeri; Kabango, Freddie; Mutumba, Pross Mutumba Nakulima
This study investigated the effect of applying selected banana pest control treatments on management of banana weevils. The data was collected on 283 banana plants picked at random; from 29 farmers selected using a snowball sampling technique. Treatments used were ethnomedicinal products, synthetic chemicals, cultural practices in plantation planted from suckers and those planted from tissue culture. Since data was spatially collected, it was analyzed using Restricted Maximum likelihood Estimator (REML). REML was used to estimate the PCI after a square root transformation. The statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between plantations where synthetic chemicals, clean planting materials (tissue culture), cultural practices and ethnomedicinal products were used. There was also significant variation resulting from different varieties grown. However, there was no significant variation resulting from the response of different varieties to the different treatments. Results also indicated that garden where the cleaning materials had been used had the least percentage of banana weevil infection. This study found out that there was no significant difference in damage caused by banana weevils in banana plantations where synthetic chemicals and ethnomedicinal extracts were applied. Thus given the results, the study concluded that ethnomedicinal products can be used by farmers to manage banana weevils. The study recommends that further studies should be carried out to assess efficacy of the identified potential plants with pesticidal properties under controlled experiment.
Assessing the effectiveness of ethnomedicinal products on banana weevils using REML
(Science Publishing Group, 2014) Bwogi, Godfrey; Mwine, Julius; Jumba, Francis; Murongo, Marius; Njoroge, Njeri Grace; Kabango, Freddie; Mutumba, Nakulima Kyeswa Pross
This study investigated the effect of applying selected banana pest control treatments on management of banana weevils. The data was collected on 283 banana plants picked at random; from 29 farmers selected using a snowball sampling technique. Treatments used were ethnomedicinal products, synthetic chemicals, cultural practices in plantation planted from suckers and those planted from tissue culture. Since data was spatially collected, it was analyzed using Restricted Maximum likelihood Estimator (REML). REML was used to estimate the PCI after a square root transformation. The statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between plantations where synthetic chemicals, clean planting materials (tissue culture), cultural practices and ethnomedicinal products were used. There was also significant variation resulting from different varieties grown. However, there was no significant variation resulting from the response of different varieties to the different treatments. Results also indicated that garden where the cleaning materials had been used had the least percentage of banana weevil infection. This study found out that there was no significant difference in damage caused by banana weevils in banana plantations where synthetic chemicals and ethnomedicinal extracts were applied. Thus given the results, the study concluded that ethnomedicinal products can be used by farmers to manage banana weevils. The study recommends that further studies should be carried out to assess efficacy of the identified potential plants with pesticidal properties under controlled experiment.
Effect of Co-applied Corncob Biochar with Farmyard Manure and NPK Fertilizer on Tropical Soil
(Science Direct, 2021-09) Aporia, Samuel Obeng; Byalebeka, John; Murongo, Marius; Ssekandi, Joseph; Noel, Gordon Logura
Biochar has shown a positive impact on degraded soils. However, the effect of co-applied biochar with farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizer on soil chemical characteristics, yield, nutrient constituent and economic analysis of cucumber did not receive adequate research attention in sub-Saharan Africa. A field experiment was conducted on sandy clay loam soil with biochar at 10 t/ha individually or combined with farmyard manure and NPK using cucumber as a test crop. The co-applied biochar with the 5t/ha farmyard manure and NPK significantly increased soil pH, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, total organic carbon and effective cation exchangeable capacity than the sole application of the NPK fertilizer and the farmyard manure. Cucumber yield, net income, nutrient content such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were significantly higher in the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure and NPK than the sole application of the NPK and the manure. Co-applied biochar with inorganic NPK showed higher soil available phosphorus, nitrogen, cucumber yield and net income than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure. Similarly, co-applied biochar with NPK plots observed higher macronutrient constituents than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure. These findings revealed that combined biochar with NPK proved to be an effective reclamation strategy to improve low fertile soils in the tropics than the co-applied biochar with farmyard manure.
Effect of linear view approach of weed management in agro-ecosystem: A review
(Academic Journals, 2020-12-18) Muli, K. Gideon; Apori, O. Samuel; Ssekandi, Joseph; Murongo, Marius; Hanyabui, Emmanuel
Weeds are considered a pest that is detrimental to human interest. Weeds compete with cultivated and desirable plants for space, soil nutrient, and sunlight and soil moisture thereby reducing crop productivity. Weeds also serve as a host for pests and pathogens that cause plant diseases. Weeds typically produce large numbers of seeds, assisting their spread, and rapidly invade disturbed sites. Seeds spread into natural and disturbed environments, via wind, waterways, people, vehicles, machinery, birds and other animals. To prevent the effect of weeds on crop productivity, farmers mostly use a linear approach for weed management. The linear view approach aims at eradicating weeds without concern about the environment. This paper reviews the effects of the linear view approach of weed management in the agro-ecosystem. A review using forty-one articles reveals that herbicides application, bush burning and soil tillage are the most often used linear view approach for controlling weeds in the farm ecosystem. The paper highlights the contribution of these weed control methods to climate change through loss of biodiversity, pollution of water bodies, soil degradation, deterioration of fruit quality and release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Evaluation of Soil Fertility Status in Oil Palm Plantations in the Western Region of Ghana
(AIMS Press, 2020-11-20) Apori, Samuel Obeng; Adams, Sadick; Hanyabui, Emmanuel; Mohammed, Musah; Murongo, Marius; Kwasi Acheampong, Mark
Oil palm is regarded as one of the tree crops that utilize a high amount of soil nutrients for optimum growth and development. Farmers in the western region of Ghana have complained immensely of small fruit bunch of their oil palm, but in oil palm plantation, nutrient management is the key to higher fruit bunch of crops hence this study was carried out to evaluate the fertility status of selected oil palm plantations in the Mpohor district in the Western Region of Ghana. Two farming communities namely Odumase and Edum Banso were selected for soil sampling. Farmers in the Odumase community have been applying fertilizer and organic manure while farmers in Edum Banso hardly do. Soil samples from Odumase (A) and Edum Banso (B) showed mean pH values of 5.45 and 5.03, respectively. Odumase (A) recorded high nitrogen, phosphorus and Potassium content of 0.07%, 7.69 mg kg-1 and 0.4 cmol kg -1 , respectively exceeding the critical nutrient (NPK) content for the oil palm tree. Soil samples from Edum Banso (B) recorded N, P and K contents below the critical nutrient (NPK) content for oil palm tree. The nutrient availability index indicated a low nutrient availability of TN, OM, P and Mg for soil samples from Edum Banso (B). Therefore proper nutrient management approaches such as the application of inorganic fertilizer should be adopted especially for nutrients that are deficient and low from Edum Banso (B).
Potential of coffee grounds as a sandy soil amendment and its effect on growth and fruit quality of strawberry
(International Scientific Research and Researchers Association, 2023-11-03) Nababi, Joyce; Murongo, Marius; Obeng Apori, Samuel; Balde, Issa; Ssemakula, Joseph
Coffee grounds are discarded as solid waste in landfills which makes them an environmental hazard since it contains great quantities of caffeine and tannins. The efficiency of coffee grounds use in sandy soils is still scientifically unsupported and still lacks confirmation on its effect on fruit crops. The study aimed at assessing the potential of Coffee grounds (fresh FCG vs. composted CCG) as a sandy soil amendment and its effect on strawberry growth and fruit quality. The experimental design was a two factorial design conducted in a green house in a Randomized Block Design. Treatment ratios were 3kg of sandy soil as constant mixture with 1kg and 2kg of Coffee Grounds (composted and fresh) and control (Co), replicated 16 times for each treatment. The sandy soil nutrient content (N, P, K, Mg and Ca levels) were significantly high (P-value < 0.05) in CCG (2kg) and FCG (2kg) than in the FCG (1kg), CCG (1kg) and control (Co) at post-harvest analysis. Both CCG treatments produced strawberry plants with highest germination percentage and seed vigour indexat 14 days after planting. FCG treatments inhibited plant growth in the first 2 weeks after planting which improved greatly thereafter with no significant difference with the CCG treatments in plant vegetative growth by week 12. CCG (2kg) produced the best significant value for total number of fruits at 86.33 and fruit weight at 7.907. The FCG (2kg) and CCG (2kg) had the highest titratable acidity, soluble sugars and total soluble solids. CCG (2kg) had the highest mean value at 64.61 of ascorbic acid. This study delivered new understanding that experimental treatment of composted coffee grounds in rates of (2kg) gave significantly better results for strawberry in sandy soils compared to the lower rates of (1kg) and the control treatments.
Potential of Termite Mounds and its Surrounding Soils as Soil Amendments in Smallholder Farms in Central Uganda
(BMC Research Notes, 2020) Obeng Apori, Samuel; Murongo, Marius; Hanyabui, Emmanuel; Atiah, Kofi; Byalebeka, John
The low fertility of highly weathered soils has been a major problem for resource-constrained small-holder farmers. In central Uganda, smallholder farmers have been collecting termite mound soils anywhere around the termite mound to improve their soil fertility. However, no studies have been conducted on which sections of the termite mounds consist of high soil nutrients. This study was conducted to assess selected major soil essential plant nutrients of soils collected from the top of the mound (TPMS), and the basal part of the mound (BPMS). The surrounding soil samples were collected from five, fifteen, and thirty meters away from the mound (TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3 respectively), covering ten termite mounds in five different maize fields in central Uganda.Results:TPMS and BPMS had significant (P-value < 0.05) higher N, P, K, OC, Ca and Mg levels than TMSS1, TMSS2, and TMSS3. However, OC levels in BPMS was higher than TPMS. On the whole, termite mounds are beneficial as a source for essential plant nutrients. It will be best if smallholder farmers could collect the termite mound soils from the top and the basal part of the mound to improve the fertility of their soil.