-
Association of Aeschynomene histrix with Andropogon gayanus or Panicum maximun: A Comparative Study of Pasture Quality
Yapo Magloire Yapi,
Moussa Kimse
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
36-43
Received:
5 September 2018
Accepted:
30 October 2018
Published:
13 April 2019
Abstract: Forage crops are essential for developing ruminant livestock farming. The combination of grasses and legumes in the same pasture provides a forage with more balanced nutritional value which enhances animal performance. In sub-Saharan africa, forage crops are very rarely practiced. The objective of this study was to improve the quality of the forage given to ruminants, by growing together, grasses and legumes in the same pasture. A legume (Aeschynomene histrix) has been studied in association with two grasses (Andropogon gayanus, Panicum maximum). The study was carried out to evaluate the competitiveness of the legume forage according to different grass establishment densities in order to identify the mixture that offers a better compromise between productivity, forage quality and pasture stability. The evolution of the forage biomass and its nutritional value were evaluated over three years. The results obtained shown that the legume grows better in the presence of one of the two grasses studied. The forage from one grass had on average higher energy and nitrogen values that the other. However, the method of mowing used in this study was not sufficient to make a complete judgment on the stability of the two types of associations. The associations studied will have to be grazed by the cattle before concluding definitively.
Abstract: Forage crops are essential for developing ruminant livestock farming. The combination of grasses and legumes in the same pasture provides a forage with more balanced nutritional value which enhances animal performance. In sub-Saharan africa, forage crops are very rarely practiced. The objective of this study was to improve the quality of the forage...
Show More
-
Woody Species Richness and Diversity at Ades Dry Afromontane Forest of South Eastern Ethiopia
Muktar Reshad,
Alemayehu Beyene,
Muktar Mohammed
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
44-52
Received:
12 January 2019
Accepted:
22 March 2019
Published:
18 April 2019
Abstract: The study was conducted at Ades Dry Afromontane Forest at 407 km Southeast of Addis Ababa to assess the diversity and composition of woody plant species. The sampling design was based on a US Forest Service model for the indigenous forests. A total of 60 circular plots each with an area of 0.017 ha were arranged in groups of four where a central plot is surrounded by three plots that are each at 36.6m from the central plot. In each plot, all woody plants that were ≥10cm in DBH were sampled for floristic diversity. Biodiversity analyses were accomplished using the Shannon-Weaver’s Index (H’) to assess the tree species diversity and Shannon Equitability (H’E) was calculated to assess the evenness values of species while the Importance Value Index (IVI) of each woody species was analyzed to see the Importance of individual tree and shrub species at the site. A total of 65 trees and shrub species belonging to 38 families had been recorded in this study. Rosaceae was a family with the highest number of species comprising about 9.23 % of the total number of species. The H’ ranged between 0.004 to 0. 362 with the overall H’ of 2.82. The H’E values ranged between 0.001 to 0.087 with a mean value of 0.01. A mean H’E value of 0.01 indicates that the relative homogeneity of woody plant species of the sampled plots was 1% of the maximum possible even population. The evenness values are not enough to justify uniformity in composition of tree species. The mean IVI value ranged between 0.36 to 49.06 with mean IVI value of 6.0. In this study only 15% of the recorded species were found with IVI values > 10 and the rest of 85% have IVI values < 10. The variation in survival mechanisms of species made some species to be dominant and most species to be lower in number in a given ecosystem. Tree species with high IVI were also found to have higher H’ of diversity. The spatial distribution and dominance of species can be affected both by the properties of the species themselves and the environmental factors. The diversity of woody species observed in the Ades dry afromontane is encouraging since, among other reasons, it is useful for conservation strategy.
Abstract: The study was conducted at Ades Dry Afromontane Forest at 407 km Southeast of Addis Ababa to assess the diversity and composition of woody plant species. The sampling design was based on a US Forest Service model for the indigenous forests. A total of 60 circular plots each with an area of 0.017 ha were arranged in groups of four where a central pl...
Show More
-
Urban Forestry and Ecosystem Services in the City of Dolisie (Congo)
Victor Kimpouni,
Jean De Dieu Nzila,
Hervé Fortuné Kaya
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
53-65
Received:
14 January 2019
Accepted:
24 March 2019
Published:
29 April 2019
Abstract: The study, conducted in the city of Dolisie, provides an overview of plant diversity, ethnobotanical and ecosystem services, people's expectations and perceptions of urban forestry. It is based on the botanical inventory and interviews involving city managers and populations. A total of 34 species belonging to 26 genera and 17 families have been recorded with a fruit tree dominance. The role and importance of trees in urban areas is well perceived by the population. Gender and education level influence urban forestry preferences and expectations. Men with at least a secondary level of education exploit the aesthetic aspects of the environment, while women and individuals with at most a primary level like food, phytotherapeutic and financial aspects. The 10 urban forestry properties identified constitute three categories whose ethnobotanical use values stand out: supply services with 1.96 and regulation services with 1.97. A gender and educational level analysis reveals differences, sometimes significant, in the ethnobotanical use value of a property. As for the level of fidelity, it is carried by the same taxa, especially fruit trees, both in food and phytotherapy. At a time when humanity is suffering from the harmful effects of climate change, the value of urban forestry is undeniable in mitigating the heat islands generated by our cities.
Abstract: The study, conducted in the city of Dolisie, provides an overview of plant diversity, ethnobotanical and ecosystem services, people's expectations and perceptions of urban forestry. It is based on the botanical inventory and interviews involving city managers and populations. A total of 34 species belonging to 26 genera and 17 families have been re...
Show More
-
Tree Cover on Cattle Farms in the Southeast Region of Guatemala
Jennifer Solis,
Cristóbal Villanueva,
Guillermo Detlefsen,
Christian Brenes,
Sergio Vilchez
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
66-77
Received:
26 February 2019
Accepted:
9 April 2019
Published:
7 May 2019
Abstract: Often livestock activity is related to deforestation and loss of natural resources such as soil and water quality and quantity. The strategies that come from this perception seek the minimization of livestock effect of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Silvopastoral systems is been used as an alternative to increase tree cover on livestock farms, mitigate the effects of climate change, and make farmers more resilient to these. Tree cover plays an important role inside of this system, they can help with the optimization of the land use on the farm and it provides socioeconomical and environmental benefits to the farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize livestock farms and the floristic composition of tree cover in the southeast region of Guatemala. This region belongs to the dry corridor of Central America and present high vulnerability to drought. Thirty farms were selected using seven criteria, on each farms a socioeconomical survey was applied to recollect biophysical, socioeconomical and productive information. Two groups of farms were identified: 1) farms with high level technological innovation (HLTI) and 2) farms with low level of technological innovation (LLTI). Tree data were obtained from individuals with diameter above breast height (DBH) of >5 cm. Composition, richness and abundance of tree species were evaluated using Q-Hill Diversity Index. Seven land uses were identified: scattered trees in paddocks, natural forest, agrisilvicultural systems, fodder banks, forest plantations, riparian forest and living fences. Study area were 790 ha in which there were 143 plots distributed randomly, living fences were present in 1.691 km (169.1 ha) with 44 transects. A total of 4,678 trees, from 37 families and 83 species, were found in the area. The most abundant families were Fabaceae and Pinaceae. The most common tree species for timber were Pinus spp and Quercus spp and for non-timber were Gliricidia sepium and Acacia pennatula. It was found that 77.27% of the total inventory is dominated by ten species. We conclude that farmers consider tree cover of importance, this is reflected in the 29% of tree cover found inside of natural forests, 26.2% in scattered trees in paddocks and 7.9% in forest plantations. There were marked differences of richness by individuals, density of species accumulated by land use and diametrical class.
Abstract: Often livestock activity is related to deforestation and loss of natural resources such as soil and water quality and quantity. The strategies that come from this perception seek the minimization of livestock effect of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Silvopastoral systems is been used as an alternative to increase tree cover on lives...
Show More
-
Effects of Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici) on Yield, Physical and Chemical Quality of Durum Wheat Varieties in East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia
Ashenafi Gemechu Degete,
Alemayehu Chala
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2019
Pages:
78-83
Received:
2 January 2019
Accepted:
7 February 2019
Published:
17 May 2019
Abstract: Stem rust or black rust caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici is one of the major biotic constraints of wheat production in Ethiopia. The disease may cause substantial quantitative and qualitative yield losses but much of the work in Ethiopia on this pathosystem focuses on quantitative yield loss and qualitative losses are often overlooked. As the result, the current research was designed with the objective of elucidating the effect of wheat stem rust on yield, physical and processing quality of durum wheat. For this purpose, a factorial field experiment involving three durum wheat varieties (Ude, Denbi and Hitosa) were selected and Tilt application was conducted at Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre for two cropping seasons (2016-2017). The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications and untreated checks were included for comparison purpose. Results revealed significant variations in disease parameters and crop performance of treated plots, wheat varieties and their interactions. Stem rust severity was significantly reduced by the application of Tilt across all wheat varieties, and the highest decrease in disease level (8.9 and 15.2%) was achieved by Tilt application in 2017 and 2016 cropping seasons, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed negative relationship between stem rust and durum wheat grain yield and quality parameters, which was highly significant in most cases. However, there was highly significantly positive correlation (r=0.31** and r = 0.39***) between stem rust and grain protein content during the year of 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons, respectively. The results confirmed the economic importance of stem rust to food industry for its effect on grain yield, physical and processing quality of durum wheat in Ethiopia.
Abstract: Stem rust or black rust caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici is one of the major biotic constraints of wheat production in Ethiopia. The disease may cause substantial quantitative and qualitative yield losses but much of the work in Ethiopia on this pathosystem focuses on quantitative yield loss and qualitative losses are often overlooked. As ...
Show More
