Few studies have been carried out on Yam (Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea rotundata) in relation with the conservation agriculture in CAR. Yam is cultivated in limited quantities despite its role in improving food security. In order to increase Yam production in the smallholder farms in CAR, the potential effect of crop management practices like nutrient application, mulching and minimum tillage on Yam crop yield and household financial returns, needs to be understood. A questionnaire was prepared and used as a tool for the collection of information from 100 producers of Yam without distinction of ages and sexes. In order to determinate the agronomical performance of Yam, two plots were explored. The first plot with 625m² (12.5m ×50m), known as the improved plot, is a plot on which all conservation agriculture practices were applied. The second plot, known as the traditional plot, is one on which traditional farming techniques were applied. The results of the survey show that 32% of the farmers are in favor for CA practice nevertheless 68% are not favor, which shows that a large proportion of farmers in Kalangoé are not aware of the benefits of this technique. The most widely cultivated variety is D. rotundata, because of its taste qualities. Some producers also grow both varieties at the same time. Some producers (28%) clear their plots by cutting down all the trees to leave the field bare, while a large number (72%) practice partial cutting by removing the shrubs to keep the large trees in order to protect the forest. A large number of producers (62%) also burn their plots for various reasons, including freeing up space and making it easier to move around the field because the plant debris from clearing prevents them from working properly. A small proportion of producers (26%) practice ploughing against 74% who do not practice this technique. The conservation agriculture practice applied to Yam gave interesting agronomic performances (growth and production parameters) than the farmers practices.
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important subsistence food crop in Central African Republic. Data collections for the agronomical and morphological characterization provided 59 accessions of Cassava and were subjected to multivariate analysis to discriminate groups of accessions according to their morphological features. The Eigenvalues of the principal axes extracted from the multivariate analysis indicated that the first two factors explained 7% of the total variability. Generally, morphological variation of the pool of accessions grown in different cassava production sites largely covers the overall variability and therefore there is no structuring in relation to agro-morphological characters from the sites. The dendrogram established on 59 accessions in relation to agronomical and morphological character is divided into two groups. Group A is the smallest with 12 accessions, while Group B has 47. Most of 59 accessions were different on all 44 descriptors. However, some accessions reported under different names, such as "ICRA and six months", "Boots and Assa", were identical on all the characters. In addition, some accessions collected in different places under one name, such as "Six months," have a likeness of all phenotypic traits.
Coprophagous and Xylophagous Coleopterans are equally impacted by the fragmentation of ecosystems and are recognized for their character as indicators of certain ecosystem functions, such as the recycling of organic matter and pollination. Thus, as part of the program to restore degraded ecosystems in protected areas and others sectors of the Bamingui-Bangoran Prefecture in the Central African Republic (CAR), an inventory of insect species according to their ecological profile is needed. Insects were collected over 8 hectares corresponding to 6 different habitats in the Bamingui-Bangoran park. Sixty different traps were installed in each habitat with 100 meters of distance between the traps. The measured parameters are the number of individuals collected per week. As results, 8 coleopteran families (4 Coprophagous families and 4 Xylophagous families) were identified. The Coprophagous and Xylophagous Coleopterans were much abounded in grassy savannahs with much mixing trees with Imperata cylindrica and in grassy and shrubby savannas with many flowering plants (Melliferous) and less abounded in grassy and shrubby savannahs domined by Imperata cylindrica. However, repartitions of individuals fit uniform distribution in all coleopteran families belonging to Xylophagous group whereas in Coprophagous, uniform distribution fit was established only for one family.
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the main legumes produced and consumed in the Central African Republic (CAR). But in CAR, the common bean production is constrained by certain biotic and abiotic stress which severely impacts the quantity and quality available in the value chain. To compensate this loss of the production, the Central African Institute for Agronomic Research (ICRA) had introduced in CAR ten varieties of common bean from Rwanda and Cameroon. A four-repeat randomized full-block device was used for testing the performances of these ten varieties of common bean. The measured variables were the vegetative growth, the production, and the sensibility to plant diseases. Overall, the different varieties exhibited a high germination rate (88.6%). The highest rate is observed in variety RWR2245 from Rwanda (100%). Varieties from Rwanda, RWR3194 with 1000 kg ha-1 and BOA5M1-6 with 916.66 kg ha-1 gave better yields followed by varieties Ecapan 025 from Cameroon with 833.33 kg ha-1 and RWR2245 with 833.33 kg ha-1. The yields obtained are roughly referred to the agronomical standard. The varieties NITOU and NUA566 from Rwanda were more susceptible to disease incidence and pest attacks compared to those from Cameroon.
The use of termite mounds as an alternative to chemical fertilizers has grown in tropical developing countries. Termite mounds also play an important role in ecology and these studies were conducted on dynamic of the reconstruction of termite mounds of the genus Cubitermes in the Bondoé savannah from Central African Republic (CAF). The focus on this particular group may be due to their abundance and conspicuous mounds, compared with the diffuse belowground nests inhabited by soldier less soil-feeding termites. The hypothesis of this work was that the termite mounds of Cubitermes (Cubitermes sankurensis and Cubitermes ugandensis) could be reconstructed after removal of hats, trunks at ground level or when termite mounds are dug up 10 cm below the ground. Five (5) experiments were set up to follow the dynamics of the reconstruction of termite mounds during the dry and rainy seasons. The results show that termite mounds with hats removed in one operation rebuild better the following year (25-30% in the rainy season, 50-60% in the dry season). When the removal was done at ground level, an average of 22.5% reconstruction was recorded in the rainy season and 25-30% reconstruction observed in the dry season after one year. Termite mounds dug 10 cm below the ground did not perform better. The removal of hats during the dry season is an option for the rational management of Cubitermes termite mounds in agriculture in CAR.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.