appropriate breeding and production technologies for improving production and productivity of various cattle breeds in Uganda.The overall objective of the study was to evaluate and document the performance of existing breeds of cattle in the south western agro-ecological zone (SWAEZ) for improved livestock productivity. The specific objectives include: (i) to evaluate the growth performance of existing cattle breed under on-station and on-farm conditions.The study is meant to generate up to-date and accurate information on performance of selected cattle populations in the SWAEZ in terms of their growth, maturity and production parameters. This would help in packaging of appropriate information on better management practices to guide farmers in partnership with National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) and extension workers as conduits for effective uptake pathways for technology adoption.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is increasingly becoming an important crop inEast Africa due to its desirable attributes such as high drought tolerance, nitrogen fixation, grain/seed productivity, and market potential. Chickpea is a major source of high quality protein for human diets and has potential of bridging the nutritional gap among rural households during drought periods. With the aim of improving household income in South Western Uganda, National Agricultural Advisory Services introduced several chickpea varieties between 2004 and 2007 in the zone targeting a local agro-producer processor. However, due to the limited capacity of the processor to buy all chickpea produce, most farmers abandoned the crop since there was no other alternative use or markets known. Apart from lack of market, chickpea has the potential to improve nutrition among the vulnerable rural households if its production and consumption are enhanced. Due to chickpea ability to improve soil fertility, and survive under low moisture conditions where other common crops cannot survive, it can also be a source of food especially in period when there is food scarcity. Although, Chickpea had great potential of being adopted in the region, its agronomic performance (grain yields) and adaptability to the existing cropping systems in the semi-arid zone of South Western Uganda is not known. Therefore, this research was conducted to ascertain the potential yields and appropriate cropping method, which will result into higher productivity. Farmer participatory research was conducted to assess grain yields of five improved chickpea varieties (ICCV 96329, ICCV 00305, ICCV 97105, ICCV 92318 and ICCV 00108) using banana-intercrop and pure stand cropping methods. Eighty nine farmers hosted the experiment on behalf of the How to cite this paper: Muzira, R., Kankwatsa, P. and Byenkya, S. (2018) community. Results indicated that there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in grain yields among the chickpea varieties. However, grain yields from chickpea planted as pure stand were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that obtained from banana-intercrop. This implies that competition with banana for moisture, nutrient and light significantly suppressed the yielding potential of chickpea in the banana intercrop.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an under-utilised food legume in Uganda with great potential to contribute to household food, nutrition and income security. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of planting time on the agronomic performance of Desi and Kabuli chickpea genotypes. The study was conducted on-station in Mbarara district during the 2011A,B and 2012A seasons. In the 2011A season, the unusual shorter rainfall and high temperatures favoured high pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) infestation that resulted in low grain yields (347-521 kg ha-1). In the excessively rainy and cool long 2011B season, chickpea planted before and at the onset of rainfall had high Ascochyta blight plant infection. The highly wet and dry conditions significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the grain yields (400 t ha-1) of chickpea, to below its potential of 1000-3000 kg ha-1. Crops that coincided with well distributed rains alternating with sufficient sunshine (planted in late March 2012A) had higher yields (> 1200 kg ha-1). Yield losses associated with pests and diseases were managed when sowing was done after the peak of the rain season (end of March and October). Therefore, chickpea requires moderately low well distributed rains, with adequate sunny days during the vegetative and reproduction stages for higher grain yields. Integration proper planting time, variety and judicial pesticide application constituted the appropriate strategy for pod borer and Ascochyta blight management for the enhanced chickpea agronomic performance in the South Western Agro Ecological Zone of Uganda.
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