Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO) is a small size multipurpose tree of approximately 5 to 10 m in height which is cultivated all over the world. The study was conducted in the Guinea Savanna and the semideciduous forest zones of Ghana in December 2011 to compare the nutrient levels of MO leaves from the two agro-ecological zones. Leaf samples were collected from three randomly selected districts in each ecological zone for proximate and chemical analysis of some macro and micro nutrient. The results show no significant difference in crude protein and carbohydrate levels of MO leaves from the two ecological zones, however MO leaves from the semi-deciduous forest zone recorded a slightly higher mean crude protein value of 26.54% than the Guinea savanna value of 25.65%. MO leaves from the semi-deciduous forest and the Guinea Savanna recorded mean calcium values of 1880 and 1474.33 mg per 100 g of leaf powder, respectively. The comparison of mean values of potassium and iron of MO leaves showed no significant difference between MO leaves from the two ecological zones. The research concluded that agro ecological zonation had no significant effect on the levels of most nutrients in MO leaves.
Article history Tenure systems Land management Traditional areas Tree chiefs Ghana KeywordsParkia biglobosa is a multipurpose species found in Savannah agroforestry parklands of West Africa. The species is important as it prevents against land degradation while providing food and other products. This study focuses on how land and tree tenure arrangements affect tree populations in three traditional areas in the Northern Region of Ghana (Dagomba, Gonja and Mamprusi) and the implications that these arrangements have for sustainable land management. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were held in the three communities to provide information on the tenural arrangements of Parkia biglobosa. A tree census was conducted to estimate the densities of Parkia biglobosa in crop and fallow fields. The study shows that differences in tenure systems in the three traditional areas have implications for Parkia biglobosa populations and also for sustainable land management. It is concluded that traditional tenure systems along with regulation protect the trees from destruction as observed in the Dagomba and Gonja areas compared to the open access system identified in Kperiga in the Mamprusi area.
Detarium microcarpum Guill and Perr is a multipurpose tree species indigenous to semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is being exploited to local extinction due to high dependence for fuelwood and other uses. The present study explored different pre-treatment methods for enhancing seed germination and growth of D. microcarpum in the Guinea savanna zone of Ghana. The experiment employed a 4 × 4 factorial design with seeds subjected to four pre-treatments (50% sulphuric acid concentration, 98% sulphuric acid concentration, cold water and hot water) at four pre-treatment time durations. Percentage germination varied significantly between pre-treatments (p < 0.05) with cold water treatment recording the highest mean germination (73.06%) and the 98% sulphuric acid concentration recording the least (47.72%). Germination rate had a moderate positive relationship with plant height (r xy = 0.49) and collar diameter (r xy = 0.54). The study recommends seed immersion in cold water for 48 h as the most efficient pre-treatment for D. microcarpum.
Moringa oleifera is one of the important traditional multipurpose food plants that is produced and used in many African countries. However, the production capacity is low and therefore do not meet the ever growing demand for human and animal consumption. To solve the problem, this study was initiated to assess the effect of three different soil amendments on the initial growth performance of M. oleifera seedlings. Compost, poultry manure and rice husk were the soil amendment with top soil only used as a control. The experiment was conducted at the Farming for the Future Project site in Nyankpala, Northern region. The experimental design used was completely randomized design. Daily germination record of seedlings was kept for two weeks after sowing. Also, three destructive harvesting regimes at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after germination were used to measure parameters such as stem height, stem girth, number of leaves, fresh weight and dry weight of seedlings. Generally, germination was high for all treatment especially that of the poultry manure. Analysis of variance of the various parameters during each harvesting regime showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) among soil amendments at 8 and 12 weeks after germination. There was however no significant difference among soil amendments in growth performance at 4 weeks after germination. Generally, compost performed better than the other soil amendments, while control performed the least. Sustainable production of moringa seedlings may be achieved by adopting soil amendment practices, especially the use of compost.
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