Working Document Series

M.W. Mucheru-Muna · W.E. Mugi

Climate change has been recognised as the most complex and challenging environmental problem facing crop production among most small holder farms today. Drought, a condition that has a negative impact on crop productivity is an indicator o…

RUF-31934 2012 CC BY 4.0 13 May 2014

F.C. Kahimba · J. Mthandi · B.A. Salim · A.K.P.R. Tarimo

Nitrogen (N) is the most important determinant of plant growth and crop yield. Plants lacking N show stunted growth and yellowish leaves. Plant growth and crop yield usually increase when N is added. However, too much N lead to weak stems …

RUF-31931 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

S.K. Mourice · A. Nyambilila · C.L. Rweyemamu · S. Tumbo

This research establishes observed data for validating an artificial neural network model for estimating the cultivar coefficients for the popular maize varieties in Tanzania. The genetic coefficients are fundamental in calibrating the DSS…

RUF-31925 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

N. Amuri · C.K.K. Gachene · A.N. Karuma · P.W. Mtakwa

Water is an important factor affecting plant growth especially in semi arid areas. A study to determine the effects of tillage and cropping systems on soil surface roughness, moisture storage and maize and bean yields was conducted in semi…

RUF-31920 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

H.N. Isaboke · P. Mshenga · B.K. Mutai · M. Saidi

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is an emerging economic crop in Kenya with ready market and high nutritional value. Despite this, its adoption as a major cash crop in Suba District has remained low. The aim of the study was to invest…

RUF-31915 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

Mustafa Hasabelrasoul Fadlelmula · Ali Rona Abdallah Bushra

Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) DC provokes contradictive allegations on its ecological significance. To contribute in elucidating the dispute on its allelopathic behaviour, leachate was extracted from the leaves of both P. juliflora and Acaci…

RUF-31910 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

J.K. Ogega · J.R. Okalebo · D.A. Onyango · B.A. Were

This study was carried out to find suitable strains of rhizobia for use in ground nut production under acid-aluminium soils. Thirty-six rhizobia isolates tolerant to high soil aluminium were identified.. The isolates were gram negative rod…

RUF-31909 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

Dominique Bordat · M.A. Elameen Eltoum · M. Elamin Elamin · E.E. Faiza Salah +1 more

Tomato crop in the central Sudan is liable to heavy infestation by the leaf miners, Liriomyza spp. Field experiments indicated significant differences in varietal susceptibility of varieties and tomato breeding lines to Liriomyza spp. The …

RUF-31902 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

Berihun Atakilt

Teff is a staple food crop in northern Ethiopia. The main limitation in stabilizing teff yield in northern Ethiopia is the dependency of the farming system on erratic rainfall. Usually, drought stress occurs in the region at the critical p…

RUF-31896 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

R. Merckx · J.K. Ogega · J.R. Okalebo · D.K. Okello +5 more

Groundnut is an important grain legume in the traditional cropping systems of western Kenya and eastern Uganda. This research focuses on assessing and utilising the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) potential of groundnut in alleviating s…

RUF-31894 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

A. Amoding · J.G.M. Majaliwa · M. Walangalulu

The aim of the project is to contribute to increasing rice (Oryza sativa) productivity by improving water management and expanding irrigated rice production in Eastern D.R. Congo. The study will identify potential rice production areas in …

RUF-31888 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

Tolera Abera

The role precursor crops significantly reflected on the preceding crops grown following them. Considering this a trial was conducted to asses the effects of haricot bean varieties grown as sole and intercropped on N/P rate response of succ…

RUF-31880 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

J.G.M. Majaliwa · R. Osaliya

In a field attachment to Kasese Cobalt Company Limited (KCCL), the communities of Kahendero and Hamukungu landing sites on Lake George shores were engaged in investigations of the impact of pollution and subsequent interventions by KCCL, a…

RUF-31878 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

G. Kironchi · L. MacOpiyo · M.G.J. Majaliwa · K. Mwetu +1 more

Kagera River is one of the most important incoming rivers to Lake Victoria with an annual inflow of about 7.5 km3 into the Lake and is also important to the River Nile which is the single outlet of Lake Victoria. The Kagera River is theref…

RUF-31875 2012 CC BY 4.0 12 May 2014

L.J. Chapman · W.N. Nkalubo

This research determined age and growth of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) from Lake Victoria commercial catches using transverse-sectioned sagittal otoliths. Marginal increment analysis of the otoliths indicated bimodal deposition of annuli …

RUF-31869 2012 CC BY 4.0 11 May 2014

K.D.S. Mutabazi · O.H. Zobida Habib

The street food trade is a growing sector in many developing countries today. Street foods have recently begun to attract the attention of governments and various international agencies because one of the features of urbanization in develo…

RUF-31866 2012 CC BY 4.0 11 May 2014

J.N. Aguyoh · A.M. Opiyo · C.I. Sibomana

Plants respond to reduced soil water availability without experiencing any detectable change in shoot-water relations. The tomato seedlings (cv. ‘Moneymaker’) were planted in plastic pots under greenhouse conditions under five different so…

RUF-31863 2012 CC BY 4.0 11 May 2014

E.K. Colecraft · A. Lartey · S. Oluka · O. Sakyi-Dawson

This cross sectional study, conducted in 2007 assessed household constraints to use of animal source foods (ASF) in diets of 2-5 year old children in rural Kamuli District in eastern Uganda. Assessments were made at food security levels on…

RUF-31859 2012 CC BY 4.0 11 May 2014

C. Kibunja · B.E. Mochoge · N. Ogucha

The inherent poor fertility of soils in Kenya constitute a major constrain to sustainable smallholders agriculture and more especially in arid and semi-arid parts of the country. The solution herein lies in the efficient use of nutrients a…

RUF-31846 2012 CC BY 4.0 8 May 2014

J.K. Ogega · J.R. Okalebo · D.A. Onyango · C. Othieno +2 more

Bradyrhizobia is the rhizobia species that fixes nitrogen in the groundnut crop. Soil acidity is a constraint to effective bradyrhizobia activity. Western Kenya is characterised by acid soils and thus unconducive for bradyrhizobia activity…

RUF-31842 2012 CC BY 4.0 8 May 2014

J.N. Mugwe · A. Nduwumuremyi · V. Ruganzu

This study was carried out at Rwerere Research Station located in the highlands of Buberuka, Rwanda. Three local limes (Musanze, Rusizi and Karongi) were evaluated in a randomized complete block design (RCBD)) experiment established in Sep…

RUF-31834 2012 CC BY 4.0 8 May 2014

B. Mochoge · F. Naramabuye · A. Ndoli · Rolf Nieder

The present study was conducted to evaluate the capacity of Tithonia diversifolia to mobilise nutrients and the ability of technosols to produce tithonia biomass for fertility restitution. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted and tith…

RUF-31830 2012 CC BY 4.0 8 May 2014

S.W. Kimaru · F.S. Mairura · M.W. Mucheru-Muna · D.N. Mugendi +1 more

Per capita food production in Africa has been declining over the last two decades, contrary to global trends due to soil fertility decline. The study sought to determine factors that influence adoption and utilization of integrated soil fe…

RUF-31824 2012 CC BY 4.0 8 May 2014

J. Alavalapati · J Lepetu · P.K. Nair

Conservation of biodiversity in protected areas will be more challenging if local communities are heavily dependent on them for various products and subsistence needs. This study estimated forest dependency and identified factors influenci…

RUF-31798 2012 CC BY 4.0 5 May 2014

F.M. Bagarama · A.L. Bilaro · A.M. Kalala · J.M.R. Semoka

An on-station experiment was conducted at ARI –Tumbi, Tabora, Tanzania during 2010/ 2011 cropping season to compare the effects of Minjingu Phosphate Rock (MPR) with various water soluble P fertilisers on maize response in sandy soils. Wat…

RUF-31793 2012 CC BY 4.0 5 May 2014