Purpose -African yam bean (Sphenotylis stenocarpa), bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and lima bean (Phaseolus luunatus) are some of the minor grain legumes found in Nigeria. Their utilization has been very limiting because little is known about their nutritive value. The proximate, minerals and antinutritional factors of two collections of African yam bean, lima beans and pigeon pea, and one collection of bambara groundnut seeds grown in south-western Nigeria were studied. Design/methodology/approach -Dry seeds of two collections of African yam bean, pigeon pea and lima beans, and a collection of bambara groundnut were collected from Oyo and Ondo States in south-western Nigeria. The legumes were sorted, milled and stored in polythene bags at 4˚C. Findings -The crude protein in the legumes was in the range of 22-37 per cent, crude fat 1.47-4.96 per cent, crude fibre 1.92-7.21 per cent and ash 3.33-5.61 per cent. K, Ca and P were in the range of 0.15-0.52 per cent. Iron content of the seeds was very low. The antinutrients, tannin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor were very high when compared to those of cowpea, groundnut and soybean. Originality/value -It therefore implies that consumption of these legumes will require processes that will reduce their antinutritional factors.
A socio-economic survey of production systems was carried out in four out of the eight states that make up the southwest agricultural zone of Nigeria. A total of 157 minor grain legume farmers selected by multi-stage sampling were interviewed using structured questionnaires. The study shows that lima bean, pigeon pea, African yam bean, and bambara groundnut are the prominent minor grain legumes grown on less than 10% of the total cultivated land area. The minor grain legumes are grown on an average land size ranging from 0.2 to 0.4ha and predominantly in mixture with crops like cassava, maize, yam, sorghum, cocoyam, etc. The use of modern inputs like herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and improved varieties is uncommon in minor legume production systems. The cultivation of these legumes is more popular among the older members of the farming communities, about 78% of which are
Seven early maturing open pollinated (OP) and five yellow hybrid maize varieties were evaluated in 1996 under the auspices of the Nationally Coordinated Research Project (NCRP) on Maize. The experiment was conducted in 22 locations representing the different agro-ecologies of Nigeria. Significant location effects were observed for grain yield in the two sets of maize varieties tested. Grain yield was significantly higher in the northedsouthern guinea savanna agro-ecologies when compared to the other agro-ecologies. Highly significant varietal differences were found among the OPs and the yellow hybrids. The highest yielding OP variety was TZE Comp.4 DMR BCI with an average grain yield of 2.43 t ha-' while the best yellow hybrid was 8522-2 with a mean grain yield of 2.82 t ha-'. Comparison of the results of the OPs and the hybrids showed that the hybrid had an average of 18.2% yield advantage over the OPs. The hybrid maize varieties and four of the seven OPs were found to be stable in grain production across the locations. Significant genotype x location interaction was also observed for both sets of maize varieties. The best hybrid (8522-2) combined stability with high grain yield and wide adaptability. This variety may thus be introduced to farmers throughout the country.
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.