Effect of Some Agronomic Practices to Increase Maize Yield in Ghana
Low plant densities of maize are often observed in fields of farmers practising no-till agriculture which causes low grain yield in Ghana. With the increasing population and consumption of maize in the country, research must be directed to solve this problem to enhance maize production. In this paper, a 2x3 factorial experiment in randomized complete block design with 4 replications was carried out at Wioso in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana during the major season of 2007 in order to come out with the best practices in maize production. The objectives of the study were to determine the right period of refilling maize field and the comparative effect of refilling with seed and seedling on the growth, optimum population density, and yield of maize. The factors were material for refill, which was either seeds or seedlings, and time of refilling either at 5, 10, and 15 days after planting. The results showed that refilling with seedlings produced the greatest positive effect in the number of leaves per plant, leaf length, leaf diameter, plant height and stem girth. Furthermore, refilling with seedlings contributed more to the optimum plant population density. Total grain yield when seedlings were used as refill was 967kg per hectare more than when seeds were used as refill material. On the other hand, plants from seeds refill were weak, lodged more and allowed much solar radiation penetration to the ground. Grain yield from seed refill plants was 6%, whilst seedling refill plants contributed 34% to the total grain yield. Refilling at 5 days after planting induced greater growth than 10 or 15 days after planting. The results indicate that it is possible to do refilling in maize field by using seedling as this contributes more than the traditional method of using seeds.
Impact of no-till technologies in Ghana
In the 1990s, no-till with mulch, a sustainable agricultural alternative, was introduced to Ghanaian farmers through a joint program between the Crops Research Institute in Kusami, Ghana, Sasakawa Global 2000, and the Monsanto Company. The package was disseminated to farmers in the Forest, Transition, and Guinea Savannah Zones, and rapidly adopted. In 2000, it was estimated that 100,000 small-scale farmers practiced no-till on 45,000 hectares of land. This study examines the impact of no-till on farmers who adopted the technology in the three zones, and to a lesser extent, the reasons for non-adoption. The impact of no-till among agrochemical dealers was also evaluated. The report found that no-till brought important changes to farmers using the technology and expanded the market for agrochemicals. It calls for more research on machinery for the technology, crop rotations, and the dynamics of diseases and weed and pest populations. More research on the organization and performance of agrochemical markets is also needed to identify bottlenecks that hamper the dissemination of no-till.
Analisis del sistema paraguayo de investigación agropecuaria
Panama tiene una economia dual con unas pocas actividades altamente competitivas y otras que se desarrollaron gracias a politicas de sustitucion de importaciones. Estas politicas influyeron sobre el sistema publico de investigacion. Durante 15 anos, los objetivos mas importantes de este sistema fueron el apoyo a productores que vendian en el mercado interno y el fomento de las actividades tradicionales de exportacion. La competitividad y la comercializacion no eran relevantes. Asi, las instituciones de investigacion desarrollaron programas para los productos tradicionales de los pequenos y medianos productores (granos basicos y ganaderia). La estabilidad de las politicas proteccionistas y el deficiente control de la calidad de la investigacion permitieron el mantenimiento de programas de trabajo poco relevantes. Al mismo tiempo, las instituciones de investigacion y transferencia se organizaron en base a la concepcion lineal de la ciencia, que desincentivaba interacciones fuera de las instituciones. Estas politicas se agotaron en la decada del 80 y forzaron la implementacion de programas de ajuste estructural. En el nuevo entorno las exportaciones se diversificaron gracias a una activa participacion del sector privado. La mayor parte de las tecnologias para los productos no tradicionales fue importada. Las instituciones publicas de investigacion tuvieron una participacion limitada en el desarrollo de tecnologias para estos productos, limitandose a investigaciones relativamente sencillas. Las transformaciones de la economia indujeron la aparicion de nuevos agentes innovadores, nuevas fuentes de financiamiento de la investigacion y nuevas demandas. En general, las instituciones publicas no han podido adaptarse al entorno mas dinamico por la falta de experiencia en la interaccion con otros agentes (privados o publicos), por dificultades para adaptarse a cambios externos y porque las modificaciones en los incentivos ofrecidos a investigadores y administradores se han limitado a aspectos de financiamiento, sin considerar el resto de los estimulos, especialmente la calidad de las investigaciones y las interacciones con otros agentes del sistema de innovacion. El futuro de las exportaciones agropecuarias esta comprometido por la creciente competencia internacional, por la vulnerabilidad de la produccion agropecuaria a la aparicion de nuevos problemas tecnicos, por problemas en las estructuras de comercializacion y por la debilidad del sistema nacional de innovacion. El fortalecimiento del sistema de innovacion requiere redisenar los sistemas de investigacion y extension, para crear nuevas interacciones con otros agentes e introducir nuevos incentivos a los investigadores y administradores de la investigacion.