Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture (MJSA)

Purpose: is to enhance the nutrients use efficiency (NUE) along with the crop yield and quality by magnetic treatment (MT) of the groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds pre-sowing as well as the MT of water used to dissolve the nitrogen (N) fertilizer under sandy soil field conditions. Methods: Treatments were distributed in a split-plots design in triplicates. The control CL has received the recommended dose RD of the N-fertilizer while other treatments received a 50% of the RD applied to the surface soil 30 days after planting. The main factor (F1) was the N-application rates 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg kg-1 of urea dissolved in the magnetically treated water (MTW) then sprayed on the soil in the liquid form five times after planting. The sub-factor (F2) was the time of MT (15, 30, and 45 min) of the groundnut seeds exposed to a magnetic field MF 1.4 T intensity before planting. Results: The soil available N, P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn (mg kg-1) were increased significantly by 34.8%, 23.0%, 3.49%, 9.4%, 22.2%, and 23.2% respectively, at P ≤ 0.05 by the 45 min MT and 3000 mg kg-1 N relative to its corresponding control (CL). The MT has increased the seeds yield (kg ha-1) significantly in the order 45 min >30 min >15 min for the N-rates 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg kg-1. At the 45-min time, it was increased by 17.5, 15.3, and 14.8% for the N-rates, respectively. Conclusions: The 2000 mg kg-1 rate with MT of seeds for 15 min can be recommended for an acceptable nutrients use efficiency (NUE).

This research aimed to determine the best combination of nitrogen levels and hybrid varieties for optimal growth and yield of hybrid maize in Sundar bazar municipality, Lamjung, Nepal. The study used a two-factor factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 12 treatments and three replications. The treatments consisted of two hybrid maize varieties (Rampur Hybrid-10 and CP 808) and six different levels of nitrogen doses (control, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240 kg N ha-1). The results showed that the growth and yield parameters of hybrid maize varieties increased significantly with increasing nitrogen levels. The application of nitrogen at the rate of 240 kg N ha-1 produced the highest plant height, number of leaves, leaf area index (LAI), stem diameter, thousand grain test weight, grain per cob, grain yield, biological yield, and harvest index. Even a small difference of 30 kg of nitrogen ha-1 within a treatment showed a significant effect on the growth and yield parameters of hybrid maize. The control plot had the least growth and yield parameters. The hybrid maize variety CP 808 outperformed Rampur Hybrid-10 in terms of grain yield, thousand grain test weight, cob length, grain per cob, and LAI. In conclusion, this study suggests that cultivating hybrid maize variety CP-808 with the use of nitrogen at the rate of 240 kg ha-1 is optimal for maize production in Sundar bazar, Lamjung, and mid-hills of Nepal with similar altitude and climatic conditions. This information can assist maize farmers in achieving high yields and increasing their income.

Ten plant powders were tested at 2% on five legume seeds for their entomocidal effects against Callosobruchus maculatus. A completely randomized design (CRD) with five pairs of freshly emerged adult bruchids was used to treat 40g of disinfected legume seed types with 2g of the selected plant powders. An analysis of variance was performed on the data on the percentage of oviposition deterrence, hatchability, pest tolerance, and weight loss. Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (87.02%) P. guineense (77.36%) and E. aromatica (73%) significantly deterred oviposition. The maximum percentage egg hatched was recorded in G. max (94.71%) and significantly lower on C. cajan with P. guineense (2.33). Ife Brown (20.83%) recorded significantly lowest tolerance compared to M. pruriens (99.17%). Percentage weight loss was significantly reduced in G. max irrespective of treatment and M. pruriens suffer no weight loss. Incorporation of Z. zanthoxyloides, P. guineense and E. aromatica powder proved to be promising biopesticide.

This study examined factors influencing sorghum output in Ethiopia using ARDL model over the period 1981 to 2020. The elasticity coefficient of crop growing period mean temperature showed negatively significant impact on sorghum production in the long-run, aligning with theory. Conversely, main-season rainfall had positively significant impact on sorghum output, contrasting with the theory. Among non-climatic variables, sorghum price and area under sorghum had affirmatively considerable contribution to sorghum production as expected in theory. In the short-run, mean temperature revealed negatively significant impact on sorghum production, supporting the theory. Conversely, the main season rainfall and area under sorghum production demonstrated positively significant impact on sorghum production. Furthermore, sorghum output is positively responsive to own price during the second lag differences, implying that any price incentive strategy should be released before the last year. Equally, sorghum output is positively responsive to fertilizers applied in the first lag, which implies that fertilizers applied on sorghum cultivation during first lag difference have positive contribution to sorghum output supply. In view of the results of the current study, it is strongly recommended that the government should come up with strategies and policies that help sorghum farmers to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Intakes of adequate and quality food on sustainable basis are prerequisite for good health. However, food security cannot be achieved amidst security challenges. In the recent decade food production in Nigeria has been a challenge. This is owing to many reasons, including security challenges. The aim of this study was to provide information on the deplorable state of food production in Nigeria, as triggered by security challenges. This study also highlights impacts of the security challenges on food affordability, and consequently its effects on hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria. And by extension, this study conceptualized food production focus model (FPF) that if adopted, could improve rural food production in Nigeria. Databases such as Google Scholar, African Journals Online, Nigerian Journals Online, Scopus, Medline and Pubmed were used to search for relevant information on the impacts of the security challenges on farmers productivity. Findings from literature search revealed that access to sufficient, safe and quality food is now a serious concern in Nigeria in recent time due to the security challenges, coupled with increased population growth, rural-urban migration. Although migration may be multifaceted, however, security challenges play substantial roles, and have seriously affected the food production in several rural communities in Nigeria. And most worrisome is increased unemployment rate due to lost of jobs and investment phobia caused by the security challenges in Nigeria. Furthermore, the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic amidst the security challenges have further aggravated food and nutrition insecurity in Nigeria.

Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC) in association with small-scale farmers, has a vital role in fostering sustainable organic practices for sustainable agricultural development. A study was conducted to establish the alignment of sustainable agriculture practices at KATC, with that of the National agricultural policy and, how sustainable practices are implemented by the training institution. The qualitative case study involved seventeen (17) participants who were purposively selected from the target population. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and a focus group discussion. A document review on SNAP’s sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) was conducted, and data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The study showed that KATC’s sustainable organic practices such as soil fertility management, soil and water conservation, and pest and disease management were aligned with policy objectives of, increasing crop production, food security, and nutrition, promoting sustainable management and use of natural resources. An integrated approach is essential in implementing SAPs aligned with policy objectives, to enable the effective adoption of SAPs by small-scale farmers and agricultural development. The study recommended specific policies and legislation on sustainable agriculture to influence the implementation of sustainability practices.

Sugarcane is a cash crop typically cultivated for sugar. Due to climate change, there is a rise in temperature, disruption in the rainfall patterns and cycle of seasons. Such changes in weather parameters affect sugarcane production as well as sugar recovery from the canes. The study was conducted in Uttar Pradesh, India using GIS (Geographic Information System) based models and statistical multiple linear regression from districtwise data on yield and climatic parameters over the study period (1986 to 2015). The GIS models reveal that climatic factors like rainfall, temperature and evapotranspiration changed significantly throughout the study.The multiple linear regression model shows that such changes in climatic parameters have a significant impact on the yield of sugarcane. Graphical analysis of yearly data on temperature and sugar recovery (%) showed that temperature affects the amount of sugar recovered from the canes. The study aims to illustrate the evidence of climate change and its impact on sugarcane production in Uttar Pradesh.

Studies conducted regarding goods and services exhibit a low willingness to pay (WTP) in developing countries. However, many scholars found that this may not be the preference for the good but the result of the choice of payment vehicle. Thus, low WTP for ecosystem conservation may not indicate a low welfare for the ecosystem service. There’s the argument that the choice of the payment vehicles may be needed to obtain exact welfare estimates where there is imperfect substitutability between money and labor. Otherwise, there might occur underestimating of the welfare benefit of ecosystem services. Thus, the ultimate objective of this study is to investigate the labor-as a payment-vehicle by using a CV method and estimating the factors influencing pastoralists’ decision to contribute labor for the rangeland improvement. This study demonstrates it through a rural pastoralists’ choice to elicit their willingness to contribute a labor for the rangeland improvement in Yabello District, southern Ethiopia. A total of 228 sample respondents were selected randomly from the two adjacent Kebeles. Logit model was used to identify the factors that influence pastoralists’ willingness to contribute the labor for the rangeland improvement. The result shows that the endowment of household’s active labor highly influence respondents’ willingness to contribute. In addition to that, variables like sex, age, dominant livelihood activities, livestock holding, perception towards the rangeland improvement, dependency ratio, and initial bid value were significantly influence pastoralists’ willingness to contribute the labor for the rangeland improvement. To sum up, the findings of this study suggest that, just like the monetary value, the labor value can also be used to evaluate the demand of community for the ecosystem services improvement. Thus, employing the labor as a means of payment vehicle for accurate welfare estimations might be a practical alternative, and also giving a chance for the respondents to indicate their willingness to contribute for rehabilitation of degraded ecosystem in developing countries.

Four Bangladeshi villages were chosen at random to represent a total of 64 home gardens.The study’s objective was to evaluate the variety of tree species and the carbon store in the tree biomass on Char Island, both above and below groun. The Shannon Wiener index was used to evaluate the variety of tree species, and allometric equations were used to estimate the carbon stock, with the assumption that the stock represented 50% of the carbon in the tree biomass. The findings indicated that home garden ecosystems could store an average of 18.00 Mg of carbon per hectare, ranging from 1.66 Mg of carbon per hectare to 58.93 Mg per hectare and tree species diversity ranged from 0 to 1.84 with a mean value of 1.05 where most abundant was Eucalyptus camaldulensis (44.21%) which stored the most C (33.62Mg ha-1) followed by Moringa oleifera (29.37 Mg ha-1) in tree biomass. The study provides a evidence of tree diversity and carbon storage in char island.

The purpose of this study was to examine the climate and non-climatic inputs influencing barley yield in Ethiopia. The study employed an augmented Cobb-Douglas production functional approach to model factors influencing barley yield. The results revealed that short-season rainfall and temperature variables showed a positive relationship with barley yield, having minimal impact on barley yield. Conversely, long-season rainfall showed negative impact on barley yield, mainly due to extreme rain events such as high rainfall above optimum requirement of the crop as well as scarcity of rainfall in some pocket areas. The result infers that cultivation of barley moderately depends on rainfall. Subsequently, irrigated land, fertilizer and barley seed quantities used exhibited positive impact on barley yield. Fertilizer and barley seed inputs demonstrated positively significant influence on barley yield, implying that barley yield is highly responsive to application of fertilizer and barley seed inputs and moderately responsive to irrigation input.