Cereals
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Item Some Observations on Birds Raiding Rice Fields in Kilosa District, Tanganyika Territory(1936) Fuggles, N.R.; Tanganyika TerritoryAnyone who has been in a rice growing area when the rice is beginning to head and set grain will not have failed to come rapidly to the conclusion that birds are an important economic pest of the rice crop. This will have been impressed upon them by the number of natives who sit in their small rice fields from dawn to dusk, halloaing, cracking whips, or throwing mud pellets at the flocks of birds which are constantly in flight over the fields. For some two months of the year it is a full time occupation for any rice growing native to guard his crop against these marauding flocks, so that in a rice area the air is filled with a constant shouting and screaming as a flock approaches a series of shambas, to be scared to another area. there to give rise to further frenzied screams or whip cracking. It will be realized that the loss to the native is thus twofold: direct in regard to the grain actually eaten, and indirect in the hours of his time which must be spent in attempting to drive off the birds from the fields, hours which, if they could be saved, might be used in the planting and taking care of other crops. It is often stated that natives are on the average lazy, the areas of crops which they plant being considered much less than their strength would warrant. This may be true in many cases, but there must be taken into account such inroads into their time and strength as the scaring of birds, and the protection of their cultivations from game, which entails constant sleep~ less nights in their small huts among their crops. Under ideal conditions the native should be able to produce considerably more, in many cases even under present conditions but he is working against large odds in most areas.Item Storage of Foodstuffs Maize and other Cereals(1937) Imperial InstituteFor the safe storage of maize in bulk it is essential that the grain be thoroughly dried in order to prevent heating and mould and that the moisture content be less than 14 per cent. In addition. pre cautionary measures must be taken to dis courage insect pests of which the most destructive is the rice weevil (Calandr oryzae). Grain containing more than 20 per cent of moisture will not only begin to heat but is particularly favourable for the development of weevils the optimum moisture point for which is between 17 and 20 per cent. Weevils are unable to live in dry grain containing less than 8 per cent of moisture and are unable to carryon active life in the absence of air. These conditions must be aimed at as far as possible in storing the grain.Item Rice cultivation in hanging Swamps(1943/1944)In the Mumias area of the North Kavirondo District of Kenya rice has been grown on a comparatively small scale for many years. Seed was probably originally brought from the coast by the Swahili and Arab slave traders before the advent of the white man, and planted by those traders who eventually settled in the area. Later planting of rice has been continued by the indigenous population who are largely Muslims.Item Disinfection of Cereal Seed(1944/1945) Nattrass, R.M.; Department of Agriculture, KenyaWith the exception of the Loose Smuts of wheat and barley all the important seed-borne Diseases of cereals can be controlled by one or other of the chemical treatments which, in normal times, are available to the farmer. The cost is small compared with the benefits obtained. Routine seed disinfection is an in- surface with an absurdly low premiumItem Methods of Rice Milling in Tanganyika Together with Some Comments(1945) Butler, R. I.Hand hulling is usually only carried out in an area that produces small quantities, or not sufficient to maintain a mechanical unit. Hand hulling is chiefly the beating of paddy in, usually, a wooden receptacle, with a piece of wood, such as is used for beating the native food. The paddy is beaten for a short period of 10 to 15 minutes, then it is taken out of the receptacle and poured on to a piece of cloth on the ground from a height of five to six feet.(In some cases the natives avail themselves of a rock to stand on and then the height may be up to twenty feet.) By pouring the partly dehusking paddy through the air to the ground, the loose husks are carried some distance away by the breeze, and the dehusked and unhusked fall on to the cloth. The unhusked is picked out and returned for a further treatment, until it is all dehusked. After enough dehusked grains are produced, these are again put into the receptacle and beaten, the furtjhel beating together, causing the rubbing of the rice grains against each other, tends to rub off the bran and so produces partially polished rice. The amount of rice produced per hour is approximately 3 to 4 kilos, but varies according to the age of the paddy, and the energy of the operator. The mechanical" huller"(which is in my opinion misnamed, for the term" hulling" should apply only to dehusking paddy), also often erroneously referred to as" mills", combines in one composite machine the two processes or hulling and polishing. It is cheap in comparison with a proper milling unit; capacity for capacity, a milling unit costs about three times• that of a huller. The milling unit is, however, more economical in horse-power consumption, and has more adjustment. On account of their initial cheapness these hullers have been of value as pioneer units to test developing rice areas.Item Experiments on the Crib Storage of Maize in Uganda(1960/1961) Davies, J.C.Trials on the crib storage of maize in Uganda are described. 8 oz. of 0.5 per cent gamma-BHC gives excellent and economic control of storage pests for over 15 months.Item National Agricultural Research Station - Maize Research Station Annual Report 1967(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, 1967) Kenya Agricultural Research Institute; Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteIn Kenya rainfall is the most important climatic factor influencing the growing of the maize crop. Both the amounts and the distribution during the growing seasons influence the yields that can be expected from the crop. 1967 was another favorable year for maize and the yields were extremely good particularly in the main maize growing areas in Western Kenya.Item Sunning and Sieving of Beans(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, 1967) Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteOne of the major causes of bean loss in storage is damage by bruchids (grain weevils). Bruchids feed within the bean, leaving beans with many holes and low weight.Item Comparison of the yield, response of groundnuts to single and triple superphosphate in Uganda(1972) Foster, H.L.; Kawanda Research Station, UgandaSince 1963 more than a thousand fertilizer trials on small private farms in Uganda have been carried out to test the effect of single superphosphate on groundnuts. Many significant yield responses have been recorded [1, 2] and recommendations for the application of single superphosphate to groundnuts have been made for specific areas in Uganda [3]. It was generally assumed that the yield response was almost entirely due to the phosphate content of the fertilizer. However, analysis of soils from responsive trials in Ankole district revealed that some contained a high level of extractable phosphate, suggesting that yield response in these trials may infact have been due to the calcium or sulphur content of the fertilizer. To obtain a quick indication of which constituents of single superphosphate were indeed responsible for crop response in Ankole and also other districts of Uganda, pot tests on soil collected from different response areas were carried out. The results, which have been published [4], indicated that crop response to single superphosphate in all districts was mainly or entirely due to the phosphate content of the fertilizer. However, on very acid soils or low organic matter soils, calcium probably produced an extra response. The pot test results indicated that the sulphur content of single superphosphate had little or no effect on crop yields.Item Progress from Half-Sib Selection in Kitale Station Maize(1973) Harrison,M.N; Eberhart,S.AA strain of Kenya flat-white maize (Zea mays L.) had been maintained on the Agricultural Research Station at Kitale, Kenya for several years by visual selection of the ears at harvest (mass selection) to provide seed ·the following year. Since the Kenya flat-white complex apparently traces back to varieties from South Africa that originally came from the southern U.S.A such as "Hickory King". "White Horse tooth", "White Pearl", and others [6]. the late maturity and disease resistance of the Kenya strain suggests that mass selection has been effective in developing adapted varieties for Kenya conditions.Item The Effect of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Copper on Grain Yield of Wheat on a Copper-Deficient Soil(1973) Wapakala, W.W.; Ministry of Agriculture, Nairobi, KenyaThe effects of nitrogen, phosphate and copper on the grain yields of wheat on a copper deficient soil were studied in both greenhouse and field trials. Using the method of Systematic Variation in the greenhouse studies, it was found that the optimum ratio of phosphorus: copper for wheat production was 2: 1.Item Halo Blight of Oats in Kenya(1973) Harder, D.E.The discovery of a bacterial leaf blight of oats in Kenya, attributed to a strain of Pseudomonas coronafaciens (Elliott) Stevens, is reported. Symptoms, isolation and characters of the pathogen, and reproduction of the disease by inoculation are described. Symptomatically, ·the disease is inter.mediate between halo blight and stripe blight. Reasons are given for considering that halo blight and stripe are extremes of a spectrum of syndromes caused by variants of ,the same organism. The importance of the disease in Kenya and its control are also discussed.Item The Effect of Selection for Prolificacy in Two Composite Populations of Maize(Festus Ogada, 1975) Ogada, F.The past excellent work done on maize in Kenya necessitated continued effort to be put into the development of this important food crop. The comprehensive breeding system, used to improve the main maize breeding populations in Kenya, has proved to be a powerful tool. The main objective of this study was to find out the effect of breeding for prolificacy in KCE and KCB, the two broad-based maize populations in the Kitale applied maize breeding programme. It was expected, as has been hypothesized by many maize breeders that the subsequently changed populations would not only be more prolific but, as a result, also bring about stability in grain yield in different growing environments.Item Altitude and Environmental Responses of Entries in the 1972–73 Eastern African Maize Variety Trial(1976) Darrah, L.L.; East African Agriculture and Forestry Research OrganizationRegional maize (Zea mays L.) variety trials provide a means of assessing gains in yield potential and adaptation of breeding populations over a range of altitudes and environments. Such trials allow existing commercial hybrids and varieties to be compared with experimental. Results from past trials have showed that Kenya's hybrids 512 and 632 and Zambia's hybrid SR52 were well adapted to environments that ranged from 0.9 to 1.6 km above sea level. Kenya's hybrids 611C and 613B were superior at altitudes above 1.6 km. The mean response to altitude in the 1968-69 Eastern African Maize Variety Trial (EAMVT) [6] was 17 q/ha/km, whereas in the 1970-71 EAMVT it was 13 q/ha/km [I]. Adaptation was related to altitudinal and environmental responses that were greater for varieties and hybrids selected at or originating from high altitudes.Item Maize Agronomy Research Project Annual Report 1976(Ministry of Agriculture, 1976) Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of AgricultureDr. Richard Law and his daughter Caroline were killed in a car accident in March. Mrs. Susan Law survived the accident and has returned to England where she has taken up nursing again. Richard has been sadly missed as a friend ffi1d colleague, and inevitably the research programme of the project has suffered from his deathItem The Effect of Time of Seedbed Preparation on Conserved Soil Moisture and Grain Yield of Wheat at Njoro, Kenya(1978) Mulamula, H.A.; Olum, G.R.; Oggema, M.W.; Ministry of Agriculture ; National Plant Breeding StationThe effect of tillage implements and time of seedbed preparation on soil moisture status and grain yield of wheat at Njoro was determined over a period of four years. There were no significant differences in yield, soil moisture status and efficiency of operation among tillage implements tested. But there were significant differences in grain yield of wheat, soil moisture status due to the effect of time of seedbed preparation. Early seedbed preparation prevented regrowth of weeds and volunteer crop plants. This resulted in increased stored moisture and an increase in yields. Besides this early time of seedbed preparation appeared to –be related to some residual factors other than soil moisture which influenced yield but were not determined. The degree of yield reduction due to initial time of seedbed preparation depended on the amount of rainfall during crop life. The two were inversely related. From the results of study, early seedbed preparation was expected to be always beneficial at Njoro and probably all other areas with growing conditions similar or more adverse than Njoro. This includes all those areas which receive about 300 mm of rainfall before planting and significantly less than 1,000 mm of rainfall during crop life. In such areas stubble land must be cultivated within two months after harvesting for the next crop in order to avoid adverse moisture loss and yield reduction. These findings are of special importance to crop production in marginal rainfall areas.Item UK Ministry of Overseas Development and MoA Kenya Maize Agronomy Research Project Final Report Part III Vol I 1978-79(Ministry of Agriculture, 1979) Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of AgricultureParts one and two of this final report have already been printed and distributed, and those who have already read these, or who have access to them, will not need to read this general background introduction. It is expected, however, that due to the different areas of research concerned by this part of the report, it will be read by certain people who have not had access to the previous reports which were mainly concerned with research into fertilizer requirements, methods of weed control, insect control and other basic agronomic requirements of the maize crop in Kenya.Item A Preliminary Investigation of the Finger millet Growing Area of Kelelwa Farm Kabarak, Nakuru District, 1980(Ministry of Agriculture, 1980) Michieka, D.O.; Ministry of AgricultureThis site evaluation was carried out at the request of the Provincial Director of Agriculture (Nakuru.). The purpose was to visit the farm and advise on the soil conditions in the area where -finger millet (Eleusine corocana) is grown, investigate the cause of the failure of this crop and collect soil samples for laboratory analysis. The site evaluation of the area was conducted on 28th June, 1980.Item Relation Of maize kernel Breakage Susceptibility To Rice Weevil Damage(Joseph A. W. Ochieng, 1981) Ochieng, J.A.W.Maize (Zea mays L.) is the staple food crop for the majority of Kenya people. The crop is grown on large scale farms as well as in small-holdings. The latter category of farms accounts for the greater proportion of maize production. The Kenya government has a policy of self-sufficiency in maize production. Such a policy is economically sound as this saves the foreign exchange that would otherwise be spent on importation.Item Genotype Genotype X Environmental Interaction And Environmental Effects On Yield Yield Components Percent Seed Protein Protein Quality In Cowpeas(Musyoka S M, 1983) Musyoka, S.M.Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. is extensively grown in tropical and sub-tropical environments for leaf, immature and mature seeds. It is an important component in the diets of many people and in certain places, it may be the principal source of protein (33). A wide spectrum of local cultivars is grown throughout the producing regions, reflecting consumer preferences and natural selection for types that are comparatively successful under variable and, often adverse climatic and edaphic conditions. There is limited information concerning the genetic variability for yield, yield components and the nutritive value of the edible parts and much still needs to be done to elucidate the role of the genotype x environmental interaction on yield, yield components and quality of cowpea edible parts. Such information is crucial when one considers that production of most crop varieties has been pushed to less and less favorable environments following encroachment of hitherto unsettled areas as a result of population expansion i A need therefore exists for an evaluation of the interrelationships that may exist between yield and important agronomic and quality traits and how these vary with time and location.
