Journal of Scientific Agriculture

Economic and financial viability of wheat production in Cameroon

2025-01-06T18:52:16+0530

This study evaluated the economic and financial profitability of wheat production in Cameroon using data from 300 individuals in Adamawa, North-West, and West regions. Key factors influencing profitability were identified through correlation heatmaps, pair-plot diagrams, and modeling algorithms (Generalized Least Squares, Random Forest, and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator). Positive factors included production volume, packaging, and transportation costs, while negative factors included production workforce, experience, and fertilizer costs. The net margin for wheat production was positive at 76,691,000 FCFA, but financial profitability was low, with an import-to-export ratio of 0.16. The study highlights the need to enhance wheat production to reduce importation.

Leveraging deep learning for plant disease identification: a bibliometric analysis in SCOPUS from 2018 to 2024

2025-01-06T18:54:24+0530

This work aimed to present a bibliometric analysis of deep learning research for plant disease identification, with a special focus on generative modeling. A thorough analysis of SCOPUS-sourced bibliometric data from 253 documents was performed. Key performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were analyzed for generative modeling. The findings highlighted significant contributions from some authors Too and Arnal Barbedo, whose works had notable citation counts, suggesting their influence on the academic community. Co-authorship networks revealed strong collaborative clusters, while keyword analysis identified emerging research gaps. This study highlights the role of collaboration and citation metrics in shaping research directions and enhancing the impact of scholarly work in applications of deep learning to plant disease identification. Future research should explore the methodologies of highly cited studies to inform best practices and policy-making.

Estimation of water stress in maize hybrid PMH-13 from stress degree days measurements

2024-10-22T10:53:28+0530

A split-plot field experiment was performed to estimate water stress in maize cultivar PMH-13 which was grown using two different nitrogen levels: N1=150 kg ha^-1 and N2=120 kg ha^-1, each having four irrigation treatments based on IW/CPE ratios of 2.0 (I₁), 1.5 (I₂), 1.2 (I₃) and 1.0 (I₄), respectively. In the present study, three replications for each treatment have been employed to examine the impact of various irrigation treatments and nitrogen application on crop stress and yield. Among the four irrigation treatments, I₄ exhibited the highest SDD, whereas I₂ had the lowest value. Higher frequency of irrigation in I₁ and I₂ resulted in a reduction of crop stress due to the maintenance of higher soil moisture. Nitrogen application increased yield and reduced SDD. Thus, the irrigation strategy with IW/CPE ratio of 2.0 with nitrogen application of 150 kg ha^-1 is observed to be most appropriate to reduce stress and maximize the yield of PMH-13.

Exploring the constraints of jute cultivation and analysis of market value: A case study in Bhugroil, Paba Upazilla, Rajshahi

2025-03-02T08:44:41+0530

As one of Bangladesh’s main cash crops, jute was known by many as the golden fiber. It has an important role in the economy. However, the existing conditions of the producer and trader of this cash crop are facing various problems and future advancement and economic growth are at risk. The study was conducted at Bhugroil in Paba Upazila of Rajshahi district. The researchers used both primary and secondary sources for data collection. The whole field survey was conducted using the PRA method and for primary data collection, different PRA tools were used. They selected some people for focus group discussion and collected information from key informants. In the study area, the researchers found out that the main problems of jute cultivation were less market value of jute fibers, water scarcity and insufficient rotten place, high production cost, lack of technological knowledge, plastic overtaking jute market, lack of subsidies and training, closing jute industries, pest attack, etc. The market analysis revealed that the market faced problems such as market syndicate, market price fluctuation, high transport cost, plastic overtaking jute market, closing of jute industries, low-quality jute fiber, unskilled labor force, less variety of jute products, no local market incentives for jute products, lack of market information, exporting only raw fiber and few products, etc. Considering the current situation, the researchers identified a few solutions and provided some recommendations like creating a government purchase center, price-determining policy, using modern technology and machinery, providing training and knowledge, discouraging plastic, creating new jute mills, credit facilities, skilled labor, improved transportation, versatile jute products, etc. The mentioned solution and recommendation can solve the problem of jute farmers and trades in selected areas and can be applied in areas facing similar problems.

Comparative study on fruit development of four cultivars of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) in River Nile State, Sudan

2024-09-10T10:59:03+0530

An experiment was carried out to investigate mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit development by recording the rate of increase of fruit size and fruit characteristics during the season (2017-2018) of the study. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete design. Four cultivars (Kitchener, Alphonse, Mabroka and Naylum) were used in the investigation. From each cultivar three trees were selected. Seventy two fruits were labelled. Each one was measured every 2 weeks and for ten consecutive weeks. This was done to determine the rate of fruit development under the prevailing conditions. The results of the experiment showed that the highest values of development of mango fruits and the highest mean of fruit size occurred during the period of development of the fruits from the second week through the tenth week. The results showed that there was a significant increase in the size of the fruit during the first four weeks and a non-significant increase in the following weeks. This is in addition to the physical analysis which included dimensions and weights of fruits during the different stages of maturity. The results showed that there was superposition and difference between the four cultivars during different maturity stages. The Naylum cultivar gave the highest length or longest fruits at the full ripe stage, whereas the shortest fruit exhibited by the Alphonse cultivar at the full ripe stage. The Naylum cultivar gave the highest width at the green stage, where the shortest width was given by the Kitchener cultivar at the full ripe stage, the Naylum cultivar gave the highest weight at the full ripe stage where the shortest weight was given by the Kitchener cultivar at the green stage. The results showed that there was superposition between Kitchener and Alphonse cultivars at the semi ripe stage.