Fodder shrubs provide a valuable feed supplement for dairy cows and goats, especially during the dry season. Their clear benefits have resulted in their widespread adoption in many parts of East Africa. These woody shrubs can be managed to provide nutritious fodder from their leaves, to supplement the diets of livestock, particularly dairy cows and goats. The leaves contain much more protein than the rest of the animals’ normal diet of grasses and crop residues, and this makes them able to produce more milk. Other types of livestock can also benefit from the extra protein, but it has the biggest effect on milk production. The fodder plants are usually managed by repeated pruning so that they are kept in the form of multi-stemmed shrubs, usually grown in rows to form a hedge about m high. This is not, of course, the only possible way of managing them, but it is a system that has been thoroughly researched and tested, and has proved to be very well suited to the mixed small-scale farming system found in many parts of East Africa (mainly Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda). This book focuses specifically on this system, and on the species that are commonly used in it.
Tag: seeds
Africa’s wooden elephant: the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) in Sudan and Kenya: a review
Wild edible fruits hold great potential for improving human diets, especially in agricultural societies of the developing world. In Africa, a well-known supplier of such fruits is the baobab (Adansonia digitata L., Malvaceae), one of the most remarkable trees of the world. Several studies in different African countries have highlighted this indigenous fruit tree as a priority species for domestication and expanded use. However, internationally available information on baobab in East Africa, particularly in Sudan and Kenya, remains scarce. This review aims to shed light on the ecology, diversity and current level of utilization of baobab in East Africa in order to facilitate domestication and conservation of the species. A list of priority research areas is provided at the end of the review to encourage further studies and investment in this unique plant taxon. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Cameroon in need of a coordinated agroforestry strategy and program
Nowadays there is worldwide recognition that agroforestry, the deliberate integration of trees in the farming landscape for social, economic and environmental benefits, can contribute in a significant way in meeting virtually all the millennium development goals. Although agroforestry is an age- old practice in Cameroon, farmers and society at large are not reaping its full potential because of a number of constraints, some clearly related to the policy environment, specifically the absence of a comprehensive agroforestry strategy. So far, tree planting activities have been carried by a number of ministries, for example agriculture, forestry and the environment but none has the responsibility to define and coordinate agroforestry activities. The outcome is that there is actually limited Government commitment and resources to develop the agroforestry sector. This policy brief describes the importance of agroforestry to farmers’ livelihoods in Cameroon and climate change mitigation in general and discusses policy related barriers and options to remove the barriers.
Agroforestree Database: A tree species reference and selection guide
The Agroforestree (AFT) Database is a species reference and selection guide for agroforestry trees. Agroforestry trees are those that are deliberately grown or kept in integrated land-use systems and are often managed for more than one output.
Inter- and intra-provenances variations in seed size and seedling characteristics of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss in Burkina Faso
Within- and between-provenance variations in seed and seedling traits of Khaya senegalensis A. Juss were studied at INERA in Burkina Faso. Nursery grown seedlings from four provenances in Burkina Faso were used for the study. The studies revealed significant variability in all traits evaluated. Seed length and weight significantly varied among provenances and families within provenances, where Bopiel and Koyenga had the highest mean values. Height and root collar diameter of 1 year old seedlings significantly varied among families within provenances. Except leaf biomass ratio and carbon isotope ratio which varied significantly among provenances but not among families within provenances, all other seedling biomass traits-total plant biomass, stem biomass ratio, leaf biomass ratio, root biomass ratio, root shoot ratio, specific leaf area, and leaf area ratio were significantly affected by provenances and families within provenances. The magnitude of variation due to family effect ranged from 65 to 93 % for seed size traits, and from 4.5 to 17.8 % for seedling characters. Estimates of family heritability were moderate to high (0.67-0.95) for seed traits, but low to moderate (0.19-0.59) for seedling characters, indicating that much of the total variation in seed traits is due to the genetic effect. The two most prominent provenances, Koyenga and Bopiel, with higher seed size and greater seedling growth could be considered for an eventual K. senegalensis improvement program in Burkina Faso.
Diagnosis of seeds supply of leafy vegetables in Yaoundé, Cameroon
The traditional leafy vegetables play a major role in the Cameroonian diet. In the metropolitan zone of Yaound_, these vegetables are produced year round in family and commercial exploitations. The quality of the seeds, their mode of production and their system of distribution are little known. With the aim to better understand the seed system of traditional vegetables, a study on the supply, the production and the quality of these seeds was carried out. The data were collected using questionnaires on a sample of 133 traditional leafy vegetable producers of the urban and peri-urban zone of Yaound_. The data were analyzed using SNAP 9 software. The study showed that the most produced species are amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), nightshade (Solanum scabrum) and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius). The market-gardeners are influenced in their choice of vegetable to cultivate by the preference of the customers (85.7% of the respondents) and the productivity of the cultivars (66.2% of the respondents). More than 40% of the respondents buy seeds in the markets while 7.5% buy seed from other producers and 10.5% in the agricultural inputs stores. About half (47.4%) of the respondents produce seeds by leaving plants in the field after the first or the second harvest while 36.8% of the market-gardeners select the most vigorous plants for seed production. On average, 58.7% of respondents preserve the seeds in hermetically closed bottles and plastic bag. Storage on field is practiced by a significant part of market-gardeners (41.4%). A total of 79.7% of the producers reported constraints with the produced seeds. Poor seed germination (81.1% of respondents) and the non uniformity of the seed (48.1% of the producers) were reported as the major constraints. The principal source of seed supply in the metropolitan zone of Yaound_ is the self production with rudimentary production and storage techniques subject to many qualitative constraints.
Better trees on-farm in Africa ii: how can the input supply of tree seed and planting material to the small scale African tree planters be improved?
Trees on farms are part of agriculture. Tree plant- ing by smallholders occurs as a mix of forestry, agriculture and horticulture, i.e. as part of agro- forestry in its broad sense. Although scientific documentation is still lacking, it is generally considered evident that tree planting on farm in Africa has been increasing rapidly for a while and is expected to continue so, for years to come (FAO 2001)
Agroforestry seed technology and nursery management: a training manual
The succes of agroforestry as a land-use management system depends, among other things, on quality planting materials for optimum production. Recent developments in technology present various alternatives to producing such planting materials. Of these, the combination of biotechnology with indigenous or traditional propagation techniques have gained wide aceptance and, through practice, have proven essential in seed technology, and nursery establishement and management.
Effect of tree age, scion source and grafting period on the grafting success of cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.)
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) can be propagated by seed or vegetative propagation. Grafting is the best method for large-scale asexual propagation of cashew. An assessment of grafting success of cashew nut was conducted at Chikwawa Estate nursery where graft-take was compared for scions obtained from different populations of different ages and then grafted from the month of August to October 2008. Mature and immature scions were collected from forty cashew accessions of age 12 and 20 years in Liwonde, Nkope, Kaputu and Chikwawa populations. Results show that scion source and tree age had no effect on grafting success. However, there were significant differences (p 0.05) for scion type. Immature scions performed better in August while mature scions did well in October. The differences are attributed to differences in temperature in the two months that further affect rate of healing of graft unions. There were significant differences (p 0.05) for graft take of mature scions as compared to immature scions with 57.5 and 72.5% in August and October respectively. There were no correlations between cashew tree age and scion type on the grafting success suggesting that cashew scions could be collected from trees of different ages to be used for grafting.
Effect of inoculating seeds with Bradyrhizobium japonicum on the agronomic performance of five varieties of soybean (Glycine max) in Côte d’Ivoire
Recent studies in the Nawa region of Côte d’Ivoire have indicated an acute malnutrition rate of 11.3% among cocoa producers. One of recommended actions from the studies was to diversify agriculture with nutrients rich crops. Introduction of soybean (Glycine max) cropping system could go a long way to ensure food and nutritional security in the region. The current study was conducted in two sites (Logboayo and Soubré) inthe south-west of Côte d’Ivoire, to evaluatetheeffect of IRAT-FA3 Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain inoculumon the agronomic performance of five varieties of soybean named Doko, Canarana, V3_2013,V6_2013 andIT_235. The experimental design was randomized complete block with a split plot withinoculation as the main factor and variety of soybean as subplot treatment replicated three times.Data were collected on some yield parameters and the grain yield. Results of yield showed a highly significant effect (P<0.0001) of the site and a significant effect (P=0.0316) of the variety x treatment interaction. Highest yield was recorded at Logboayo with 1838 kg ha-1 compared to 1220 kg ha-1 for Soubré. The variety V6_2013 with a yield of 1931 kg ha-1and good vegetative development could be recommended as elite variety for the farmers in the Nawa region.