Fibre crops
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Item Kenya Agricultural Research Institute 1st Adaptive Research Conference Programe and Abstracts(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, 2003) Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteMacadamia has been grown commercially in Kenya for about 40 years, however, selection and introduction of superior trees was embarked on during the last 25 years. From 300 mother trees that were previously selected only 17 superior clones are currently under investigation in four agro-ecological zones. Currently 4 of 17 clones have been recommended for commercial production in the central, eastern, and western highlands. Local adaptability tests show that there are no significant differences in age to bearing, yield and kernel quality of the majority of the macadamia (M. intergrifolia) clones in Kenya. Amongst the M. integrifolia clones evaluated, EMB-l, MRG-20, and KRG-15 had acceptable yields (55 to 80 kg) and kernel recovery (31.3 to 33.7%) in three agro-ecological zones (main coffee, marginal coffee, and coffee/tea zones. However, MRG-20 was considered the clone with a wide adaptability. KRG-15 has excellent yields (80 kg, 92 % grade 1 nuts, 32.4% kernel recovery) and is recommended for growth in the main coffee zone, marginal coffee zone and sunflower maize zone. KMB-3 (macadamia hybrid) performs particularly well in the coffee/tea zone (yield – 60 kg; 90 % grade 1, 35.3% kernel recovery). Seven new clones from Meru, (MRV-24 and MRV-25), Wondanyi (TTW-2), Embu (EMB-H and EMB-2) and Kiambu (KMB-4 and KMB-25) are been evaluated for adaptation in the main coffee or coffee/tea zone.Item A Feeding Trial with Sisal Waste(1956/1957) Frank, P.J.During the past few years the price of sisal fibre has dropped so steeply that the sisal industry is looking for means to increase the financial return from its estates. At present, only 4 percent of the leaf is recovered as fibre, and to improve this extraction rate some estates are using a machine for the secondary removal of fibre, in addition to the preliminary decortication. The material produced after this second removal is known as Sisal waste, and consists mainly of the leaf pulp together with a small amount of fibre.Item Progress Report on the Transgenic Bt-cotton Research at KARl Mwea(Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, 2007) Waturu C.N.; Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteThe collapse of cotton production from an all time high of 70,000 bales in 1985/86 to 20,000 bales by 2001 prompted the Government to institute measures to revitalize the industry. Poor agronomic practices, particularly pest control, contributed to the collapse of cotton production. Pest control and related activities take up about 32% of the production costs of cotton. The African bollworm is the most important pest of cotton in Kenya and alone can cause up to 100% yield loss, if unchecked. Other important pests include the cotton stainer (Oysdercus spp.), cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), and cotton red spider mite (Tetranychus tera/ius). The introduction of transgenic Bt-cotton expressing Bt-toxins in cotton plants would greatly reduce the need for the application of broad-spectrum insecticides greatly cutting on the cost of pesticides hence increasing returns to the cotton producer. This would also minimize the negative effect of the insecticides on the natural enemies of cotton pests promoting their activity on cotton pests.Item Factors affecting the adoption of selected wheat (triticum aestivum) production technologies by farmers in Njoro and Rongai Divisions of Nakuru Districts, Kenya(Ndiema, A.C., 2001) Ndiema, A.C.Despite the of continuous generation of new technologies from agricultural research stations for wheat production among the farming communities in Kenya, adoption of the same has been very low. Wheat is usually grown for commercial purpose and its production over the years has not been able to meet the country's demand. The shortfall is supplemented by imports that can be reduced by farmers ' adoption of recommended wheat production technologies. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe factors affecting the adoption of selected wheat production technologies by farmers in Njoro and Rongai divisions ofNakuru district. The factors, derived from previous studies and observations, included high yielding varieties, land preparation, fertilizer application, improved seed, pests, disease and weed control. The design was Ex-Post facto with a population of (273) wheat farmers. A sample size of (150) wheat farmers was selected from Njoro and Rongai divisions using stratified proportional random sampling technique. The data was collected using a validated questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypotheses were tested using Chi-square at a=0.05. Based on the results, it is concluded that an average level of20.02% adoption of wheat production technologies was very low with 10% of the sampled farmers having adopted the use of high yielding varieties. The most constraining factors were delay in distribution (98.7%), and unaccessibility of the technologies (96.7%). Access to credit was possible only to 7.3% of the farmers. The Common source of information to the wheat farmers was their fellow farmer (52%) and only 38.7% could purchase seed from authorised dealers, on perception, the farmers in Rongai had a higher mean score (1.90%) than that of Njoro mean (1.68%). Chi-square test showed that independent variables, namely, education level, kind of land ownership and farm size significantly affectedItem Production Of Kenaf and other Soft Fibres in Kenya(1967) Peeler, C.H.; National Agricultural Laboratories, KenyaSoft fibres (ie jute and jute substitutes) are at present imported into Kenya for the manufacture of bags. It is reckoned that by 1970 annual imports will be about 6,000 tons (worth L500, 000). For some time attempts have been made to grow soft fibres in this country. Of the various plants available, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) has been the most promising but even this crop has failed to be an economic success. The principal reason for this has been the short days here which induce early flowering and hence lower yield. The introduction of a photoinsensitive variety (Guatemala 4= G4) has transformed the situation. It has now been conclusively demonstrated that reasonable yields of kenaf can be produced in this country and that it is a feasible crop. Soft fibres are now a recommended crop for the Tana Basin Irrigation Scheme. This article is intended to deal with the growing and processing of kenaf and to give an account of the progress that has been made so far in Kenya with kenaf and other soft fibre crops. The word" kenaf" is sometimes used to refer to other species but in this article it refers solely to Hibiscus can-Item The Utilization of Sisal Waste in Java and Sumatra-Part V(January 1940) den Doop, J. E. A; Bandoeng, Java.,In Parts III and IV of this series of articles the complete exhaustion history of the red soil of Soekamandi estate has been discussed. It was shown that the order of exhaustion of the three chief plant-food substances in this soil is: potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. Furthermore, it appeared that if this soil is completely exhausted as regards potassium by sisal growing, soil phosphorus becomes unavailable as the result of exhaustion of decomposable organic matter in the soil.Item The Conservation of the Nitrogen of Cotton Seed(November 1939) ap Griffith, G; Chandler, P.; A.I.C.T.A., A.I.C., ChemistIn seasons when the price is favorable a considerable proportion of the cotton seed produced in Uganda is exported as such. In districts remote from railhead export is rarely profitable, and again in years of low prices none except the most favourably situated ginneries can dispose of their seed at an economic price.Item The Utilization of Sisal Waste in Java and Sumatra-Part IV(1939) Den Doop, J.E.A.; Bandoeng, JavaAfter the findings, as described in Part III of this article, the author designed in 1928 a field experiment, S.93, in the old red-soil area with a view to finding out the effect of green manure (Tephrosia candida D.C.), with and without various combinations of artificial manures, on sisal yield. The green manure was planted in 1928, worked into the soil in various ways in 1929, and the sisal was planted thereafter, at the end of the latter year. This experiment, S.93, has been reported upon from the point of view of green manuring in a Dutch journal. 1 Some of the yield data, as relevant to the present subject, are to be found in Table I, together with some other data.Item Standard Variety Trials 1964-65 Season (Cotton Research Corporation)(1964-65) Coffee Research Corporation; Coffee Research CorporationCorporation staff are invited to send in their comments on the results of the standard, variety trials summarized below and to suggest alternative interpretations of the data. The attention of staff is particularly drawn to 'the proposal made by Professor Bunting at the Summer Meeting: that stations should pool all available information on factors determining yields and this should be checked by a programme of physiological observations.Item The Vegetative and Nitrogen Efficiency of the Cotton Plant in Uganda(1937) Hosking, H. R.; Department of Agriculture, Uganda ProtectorateDuring the 1935'36 season a comprehensive trial on cotton was conducted at the Serere Experiment Station in Uganda. The treatments consisted of six varieties combined with four sowing dates and three spacings. The whole trial consisted of 288 sub,plots.Item Hand Spinning and Weaving in Nyanza Province, Kenya(1944) Smith, D. G.A year ago the crafts of spinning and weaving were very nearly unknown in the Nyanza Province. A little spindling had been taught by one or two public-spirited women in their very limited spare time, but a wheel and a loom were still the" unknown quantity". During a rather hurried tour of the Province early in July, I made a point of finding out how the craft was being received by the Africans. Everywhere it was the same story—" we like this work—we want to learn more". At Mumias I was told the little children make themselves a spindle with a lump of clay on the end of a stick, pick up the waste bits of wool, teach themselves to spin a thread and then take it to the Sisters at the Convent saying" now you see we can spin let us join your class". Other Missions tell me they have had to forbid the girls taking their spindles to class, and that every available moment between other work is given to spindling.Item Cotton Research at Barberton(July, 1938) Gaddum, E. W.; Department of Agriculture, Kenya ColonyThe writer spent six months of 1937 studying cotton problems at the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation's Station at Barberton, in the Transvaal, South Africa. As many of the problems which are being investigated there are identical with, or similar to, those affecting the cotton grower in East Africa, it was thought that a brief account of the work at Barberton would be of interest.Item Experimental Breeding of Fibre Agaves in East Africa Part I-the Materials and the Methods of the Breeder(November, 1937) Doughty, L. R.; N.D.A., East African Agricultural Research Station, Amani, Tanganyika TerritoryArtificial pollination results in a much greater set of fruits than open pollination, but even so the number of seeds obtained is usually only a small proportion of the possible maximum; counts of the number of ovules in a fruit give totals in excess of three hundred and it is very rarely that more than 150 viable seeds are obtained from a fruit.Item Suggestions to Managers of Ginneries(1936) Field, N.; Briggs, P.W.Before lighting the fire a responsible per seen should make sure that the 1evel 0f water in the boiler is not below the low level mark dangerous and must have immediate. When raising steam from cold slow fire only should be made and a period of time not less than 5 to 6 hours should be allowed to reach full pressureItem Notes on Trials of Ramie in Tanganyika Territory(1937) Eyre, J.C; Department of Agriculture, Tanganyika TerritoryRamie was introduced many years ago into Tanganyika Territory. There are now a number of small acreages in the Tanga and Moshi districts, but the only planting of any size is one of some thirty acres near Pongwe in the Tanga district, and a smaller one on an estate in the Nguu Hills of Handeni. There has been no recent extension of planting in the Tanga area, and the planter who laid down the large area now considers conditions on his estate to be unsuitable for this crop. The variety mainly planted was Boehmeria nivea; B. utilis is only being grown on a very small scale owing to lack of planting material.: There is no very noticeable difference in the response of these two species; B. utilis produces a somewhat longer but proportionately thinner stem. Observations have been made on the crop planted in both good and bad situations. It usually flourishes during the first year or two, providing there is sufficient rain, after which it very rapidly deteriorates. The stems become progressively shorter and thinner, and harden up very much more quickly, while at the same time the number of stems on a given area rapidly increases. Often, however, ramie shows poor growth even in the first year or two, like that on the Sisal Experiment Station at Ngomeni. From observations it appears that to make an economic success of the crop—apart from marketing considerations—it will be necessary to find some means of controlling the increase in the number of stems aridprobably also to manure. The cost of establishing 36 acres in the Tanga district amounted to Sh. 5,323/50, which included the cost of clearing the land of fairly heavy rubber and also of cleaning a part of the area for three years. On another estate the cost of clearing, planting and cultivating up to the time of the first cutting was said to be approximately Sh. 50 an acre. The accuracy of the figures is, however, doubtful. The cost of maintaining a plantation is not available, since both estates have allowed their areas to revert partly to, bush. It is thought, however, that the cost of upkeep, even without manuring, would be high, since the land would have to be clean cultivated and the number of growing stems controlled. No accurate figures of yield are available, since on each occasion that any quantity of material was harvested the area had to be searched for sufficiently long stems and only these were cut. On a good site and under favourable conditions, stems up to six and seven feet high are Obtained in the first year, but in, the third year or when the rainfall is insufficient the average height is not moze than three and a half feet..Item The Sisal Weevil(London, UK, Longman, 1936) Harris, W. V.;This paper amplifies a previous circular [R.A.E., A 23 67] on Scyphophorus acupunctatus, Gyll., attacking sisal (Agave sisalana) in Tanganyika Territory, and embodies the results of the author's observations to date. The most obvious symptom of attack is the presence in the leaves of holes 1 cm. in diameter. These are the result of the weevil boring into the hearts of plants under 2 years old when the young leaves are still unfolded. When the plants are healthy the injury does not develop further, but when growth is not vigourous, the reaction of the tissue around the perforations is not sufficiently active to prevent the entrance of rot-causing organisms. These infect the central shoot, which becomes red and soft, and the plant dies. Large suckers used for planting are more liable to serious injury than bulbils, which are damaged by the weevil penetrating between the bases of the outer leaves into the bulb, or small suckers with newly cut bases, which also attract it. Deep planting and injury to the leaf bases are, however, the primary causes of the death of the plants in many cases, and the weevil is then only a secondary pest. Large healthy sisal plants are sometimes attacked by the adults when the leaves are still more or less part of the heart or central shoot. When cut, the leaves are found to have areas of brown dried-out epidermis about 8 ins. from the base. This causes discoloration of the fibres, but actual damage to them is not considerable. This type of injury is exceptional in that it appears to depend on the population density of the weevils and not on the health of the plants. There is, however, evident varietal susceptibility to weevil injury; Agave amaniensis and Furcraea gigantea (Mauritius hemp) growing in small plots on sisal plantations, particularly near the coast, are severely attacked, and at Amani, 2, 500 to 3, 000 feet higher than the sisal plantations, injury to A. sisalana and A. amaniensis is negligible, damage to A. ingens is more noticeable, while Furcraea gigantea is disfigured by large holes in nearly all the leaves. When eggs are laid in the base of young bulbils or suckers, or in the hole made by the adult weevil in the central shoot of a larger plant, usually only one or two larvae develop, but numbers do so in plants of which the pole has been cut or in dead stumps. The eggs survive only if there is a certain amount of moisture, and the larvae also die if exposed to dry conditions. The egg, larval and pupal stages last 3-4, 28-55 and 19-36 days, respectively; the larvae bore through the central shoot or make irregular tunnels through the tissues till full-grown, and pupate in cocoons made from fibre and leaf debris. Larvae and pupae both develop most rapidly during the rains. The adult female appears to take a minimum period of 25 days after emerging to reach sexual maturity, so that 11 weeks are needed to complete the life-cycle and there is a possibility of 4 generations a year. The length of life of the adults is not known, nor is the reproductive capacity, but 3 females averaged 62 eggs each over a period of 3 months. The general distribution of the weevil is discussed. In Tanganyika it has now been recorded as far west as Lambeni, but the average population is greatest in the coastal belt from Moa to the Pangani River. It is least in the estates at the foot of the Usambara Mountains, where the soil is of a red lateritic type. Here termites are numerous and are active in destroying the sisal stumps. There are indications that relatively dry seasons are also periods of increased activity of the weevils, but a low average rainfall is not in itself conducive to weevil attack. The control measures recommended are similar to those already noticed [loc. cit.]; attempts to render stumps innocuous by pouring a solution of sodium arsenite into holes made in the tops were unsuccessful as the penetration was not sufficient to render the whole stump poisonous.Item Factors Affecting the Attacks of Sucking Insects on Cotton(1938) Gwynn, A.M.; Department of Agriculture, Uganda ProtectorateIt is often convenient to distinguish between insect pests with biting mouthparts (locusts, caterpillars, beetles, etc.) and those with sucking mouth-parts (Thrips, and the many divisions of the Hemiptera, such as Aphids, scales, Capsid bugs, etc.). The cotton crop is attacked by a large variety of pests of both groups, but in the present article attention is confined to the latter. In a sense the biting insects are more straightforward to deal with, since the result of their feeding is usually obvious; the amount of damage done is correspondingly easy to assess, and often their activities are little affected by the health of the plant. On the other hand, with sucking insects it is frequently necessary to do experiments to determine the effect of their feeding; it is usually difficult to assess even roughly the amount of damage they cause, and any estimate of loss is almost bound to be speculative and open to controversy; finally, they may be much influenced by the health of their host plants, so that it is nearly always a matter for argument whether they are doing any damage at all. It is sometimes maintained that the presence of sucking insects is always a symptom of ill-health in a crop, and that any loss incurred is in fact due to the ill-health of the plants, or at least that the only way to reduce insect damage is to improve the health of the plants.'In answer to this it may be said that. while the health of the plant undoubtedly influences the degree of insect attack in many cases, it is by no means the only factor involved; that, even where the degree of insect attack is largely governed by factors operating through their effect on the health of the plant, the pests concerned often cause severe damage to crops which woulo otherwise have produced fair yields in spite of somewhat adverse conditions; and lastly that it is frequently easier to control such pests by direct methods than by treating the plants. It is worth examining the effect of plant health on insect attack in some detail. The first point which arises is whether the health of the plant affects the insects feeding on it as much as is often made out. Often the severity of insect attack may be correlated with poor soil, waterlogging, or other unfavourable factors which would be reflected in yield, even in the absence of insects. Here it seems legitimate to say that the health of the plant does influence the amount of insect attack. On the other hand there are cases where the extent of insect'attack may be correlated with other factors, such as varietal susceptibility, climate, or other ecological circumstances, which may not be connected with the health of the plant. Examples of both sorts are discussed below, under the individual pests. Secondly, it is necessary to distinguish between the effect of climate and weather, and the effect of plant health, on the insect population. It is of course obvious that climate has a profound effect on the health of the plant. At the same time it has an equally great effect on insect population, having a direct influence on the activities of the insects, on their reproduction, on their natural enemies.Item Irrigation And Drainage Research Project Possible Alternatives for sugarcane in the West Kenya(Ministry Of Agriculture, 1979) Houtman, C.B. Van der Wal, O.A.The West Kano Pilot Irrigation Project faces problems as not enough cane can be cut and transported in time. Since it is questionable, due to several circumstances discussed in this report, whether this situation will improve, NIB requested the services of the IDRP's Agronomist and Agroeconomist to look into the matter and to come with alternatives, if any, for the sugarcane production.Item Introducing BT Cotton - Policy Lessons for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya, 2004.(African Center for Technology Studies Acts Press, P.O. Box 45917, Nairobi, Kenya ICRAF Complex, United Nations Avenue, Gigiri Tel.: (254-2) 524700 or 524000 Fax: 524701 or 524001: E-mail:acts@cgiar.org, 2004) Wakhungu, J.W.; Judi, W.W.; Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteThis study investigates the extent to which Bt. cotton can address production constraints facing smallholder cotton farmers in Kenya. A historical overview of the decline in cotton production in Kenya is presented. It unravels the various causes of the decline, including the economic, institutional and technological facets. Evidence and lessons are drawn from China, India, South Africa and Mexico to give an account of the extent and circumstances under which Bt. cotton can be harnessed in Kenya to address causes of this decline. The study is driven by the premises that the policy, institutional and regulatory context in which the technology has been introduced is extremely fundamental and will to a large extent determine whether cotton farmers will reap the benefits or not. The study is structured as follows: The first chapter comprises of the introduction, background to the study sites and the cotton industry in Kenya, overview of the problem, justification and methodology. The second chapter locates the theoretical framework and conceptual lens of the study. The third chapter identifies various constraints facing the cotton sector in Kenya. Empirical data on cotton production and marketing in the study sites is presented. This chapter examines the intricacies of cotton trade from the broader global perspective and how a few countries determine cotton supply and demand and consequently producer prices. The opportunities and challenges that AGOA offers are analysed from an institutional perspective. This chapter also reflects on farmers' assessment of the AGOA initiative. The fourth chapter is dedicated to biotechnology and agrarian change. It focuses on the current status and trends in biotechnology at the global, regional and national levels. The state of biotechnology in Kenya is reviewed. The position of Bt. cotton vis-a-vis other genetically modified crops is discerned. Evidence on Bt. cotton from case study countries and the conditions under which Bt. cotton has been introduced and commercialised in those countries is examined in chapter five. Issues emerging from the previous chapters feed into the last chapter on analysis and implications for Kenya. It isolates the conditions required for harnessing Bt. cotton for smallholder farmers in Kenya. The understanding of biotechnology in general and perceptions on Bt. cotton in particular, are enunciated from the standpoint of farmers, ginners and government agricultural officers. Recommendations and conclusions are given based on issues emerging from and cutting across the entire study.Item The Root-System of Agave Sisalana in Certain East African Soils(1939) Glover J.; East African Agricultural Research Station, AmaniThe results of root investigations of Agave sisalana in various soils are given. Excavation was carried out by the water method since this was the most suitable for use with only African assistants. A triangular prism with apex at the base of the plant and base about 18 in. wide at 10 or more feet away was excavated mainly by washing and it was found that such a section gave an accurate picture of the root system. The size of the root system of the average 5-year-old sisal plant was shown to be larger in the soils examined than might have been expected from the scanty literature consisting in the main of a few generalizations. The plants examined had many roots over 5 ft. in length, with a maximum radial spread of bearers (i.e. main suberized roots carrying feeders) to at least 10 ft. from the base. The main concentration is usually in the top 24 in. but roots have been found at 6 ft. down, the water-retaining properties of the soil largely influencing the depth of distribution. There is thus considerable root competition, especially in dry soils, under the spacing used in East African planting (8 x31/2 ft.) which is intensified when weeds are allowed to grow. Surface clean weeding only is advocated since deep cultivation injures the sisal roots. Roots grow well on soils with a pH 9.15 to at least pH 4.75. A high concentration of alkali is shown to upset the plant nutrient balance. A badly drained soil is fatal and in certain soils the presence of a water table has caused the death of roots even when a height of 12-18 inches above it.
