Global Research in Environment and Sustainability

Incidence of Maize Leaf Hopper (Cicadulina mbila Naude) and Its Management using Enhanced Efficiency Fertilization

2025-10-01T12:21:00+01:00

Maize leafhopper (Cicadulina mbila Naude), still remains a major yield-declining pest of maize in sub-Saharan Africa. Field experiment was conducted using nine varied regimes of fertilization to determine the results of enhanced efficiency fertilization on the c. mbila incidence and its influence on harvested output of maize. The abundance of c. mbila data were collected as well as damage cause and impact on productivity. The assessment was also done on the cost-effectiveness of the treatments on maize yield. Fertilization significantly influenced C. mbila abundance and incidence on maize. Unfertilized maize plants recorded significantly higher C. mbila populations and damages compared to the fertilized plots. Among the fertilizer treatments, T15-SUL and ACT-SOA recorded significantly higher C. mbila number and damage cause, respectively, whilst the Lowest invasion was recorded from T15-URE. All the fertilizer treatments recorded higher cereal productivity compared to non-fertilized plot. Though ACT-URE, ACT-NIT, T15-URE, ACT-SOA and T15-NIT yielded above all, there was no significant variation in yield among them. All the fertilization regimes produced more output compared to the no treatment plots. among the treatments, CLB-CLB gave lowest output and benefit-cost ratio whilst the biggest output and benefit-cost ratio was received from ACT-URE. application of ACT-URE is recommended for sound management of c. mbila for a towering yield and output in maize production in the savanna ecology of Ghana.

Participatory Variety Selection of Improved Noug (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass) Varieties in North Shewa Zone of Oromia, Ethiopia

2025-11-03T17:32:15+00:00

Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) is a significant oilseed crop in Ethiopia, known for its resilience in low-fertility soils and ability to thrive under moisture stress. Despite its economic importance, adoption of improved varieties has been slow in the North Shewa Zone, Oromia, where environmental conditions are favorable for its cultivation. This study aimed to evaluate and identify farmer-preferred noug varieties through Participatory Variety Selection (PVS). Five improved varieties (Shambu-1, Kuyu, Ginchi-1, Fogera, Esete-1) and a local variety were tested during the 2023/24 main cropping season in two districts, Kuyu and Wuchale Jarso. Trials were conducted using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) on research-managed plots and replicated on seven farmers’ fields in a baby trial setup. Farmers participated in setting selection criteria, focusing on traits such as plant height, branching, head number, seed yield, and disease resistance. The analysis showed significant differences in seed yield and flowering time among the varieties. The local variety outperformed others with the highest seed yield (626.62 kg/ha) and thousand seed weight (2.85g), while Kuyu and Ginchi-1 exhibited the lowest seed yield. Participatory evaluation results indicated that farmers favored the local variety and Esete-1 due to their superior performance in yield and disease resistance. The integration of farmers' preferences in variety selection demonstrates the potential for improving adoption rates and enhancing noug production in the region