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- Malnutrition remains a main problem in sub-Saharan Africa regardless of the applied interventions to combat food and nutrition insecurity. Biofortication of staple crops has been regarded as the latest intervention strategy to combat micronutrient diseases such as vitamin A deficiency in developing countries in southern Africa. The aim of the study was to determine the response of provitamin A biofortified maize cultivars under different environmental conditions. A randomized complete block design with five cultivars, two provitamin A varieties and three common maize varieties were planted in two on farm trails located under different agro-ecological zones (Bulwer and KwaDlangezwa) of KwaZulu-Natal in a two-season period (2015/16 and 2016/17). The five cultivars namely Border king (BK), provitamin A biofortified maize (PVABM), local landrace (LL), SC 506 and SC510 recorded a highly significant (P<0.001) plant growth (height and leaf number) in both experimental sites across two seasons (2015/16 and 2016/17). Chlorophyll content showed no significant differences for both trial sites in both 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons. For the first season, no significant differences (P< 0.05) were observed for biomass among the maize varieties in both trial sites. However, it was observed that SC510 had higher biomass (2.33 t/ha), while BK recorded lowest biomass (0.66 t/ha) in Bulwer. In KwaDlangezwa, the biomass ranged from 0.713 t/ha (PVA) to 1.66 t/ha (SC510). For the second season (2016/17), Biomass in Bulwer ranged from 0.86 t/ha (LL) to 1.52 t/ha (SC510) and 0.94 t/ha (BK) to 1.44 (SC510) in KwaDlangezwa. The performance of the provitamin A biofortified varieties (SC510 and PVABM) showed that they can adapt and produce similarly to common varieties. It is noted that there is potential for these varieties to adapt under different environmental conditions of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The provitamin A biofortified varieties can be produced for human consumption at common smallholder farming systems
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- The lower yield of tomatoes grown in tunnels, due to the limited space, remains a challenge. Stem training has long been identified as one of the most important horticultural practices used to improve the yield and fruit quality of tomatoes grown in commercial tunnels; however, there is little information available on the domeshaped tunnels that are used, particularly by smallholder farmers. The common stem-training methods used in tunnels include the Single-Stem (SS), the Double-Stem (DS) and the Two-Plants-per-Pot (TPP) methods. Their effect on the plants’ growth, development and physiology varies significantly, and hence, it affects crop productivity. The experiment was conducted in an 8 m 30 m dome-shaped tunnel and the treatment included the single-stem, double-stem and two-plants-per-pot methods. A higher photosynthetic rate was observed in the SS treatment, followed by the DS treatment. Similar trends were found in the growth, yield and fruit quality parameters of the SS and DS treatments. However, the DS and TPP treatments exhibited, on average, a higher number of fruits, as well as a higher colour index, TSS, TA and Brima per harvest, than the SS treatment. The study indicated that the double-stem and two-plants-per-pot training methods are the best for farmers who seek to optimize their yields and maximize their profits for this cultivar.
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- Sesamum alatum Thonn., of the Pedaliaceae family is rich in nutrients and is also used for medicinal purposes, but it is still collected from the wild. It thrives well in sandy soils which are known for low fertility and moisture content. Rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal usually keep cows, goats, poultry and sheep as their livestock, where they also source organic manure for subsistence farming. Animal manure improves both plant and soil properties. Application of animal manure also results in an increase in growth, yield and nutrient content of leafy vegetables such as Amaranthus, Abelmoschus, and Corchorus species. In India, Sesamum indicum, a domesticated relative of S. alatum, also had its vegetative, reproductive and nutrient properties improved with the application of poultry manure. A selection of organic manure(s) for S. alatum domestication is possible by reviewing the use of various domesticated animal manures to improve morpho-agronomic traits and nutrient content of leafy vegetables. Therefore, determining an agronomic protocol for this species in South Africa is a priority for future research.
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- Lagenaria siceraria is one of the most important cucurbitaceous vegetables due to its prolific bearing habit, its edibility as a cooked vegetable, and its low cost of cultivation. The objective of this study was to evaluate variation in the morpho-agronomic traits among selected landraces and their F1 populations. The landraces were crossed based on the North Carolina II genetic design to develop F1 populations. The twelve F1 populations along with seven parental landraces were grown in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among quantitative traits suggesting considerable genetic variability. The genotypes displayed significant variation in most qualitative traits of fruits and seeds. The first five principal components of quantitative traits among the evaluated 19 genotypes contributed 74.84% of the variability. The biplot and dendrogram clustered the genotypes into five clusters according to their vegetative, fruit, and seed traits. The highest value for the broad-sense heritability estimate was recorded for days to edible harvest maturity trait. The F1 progenies were more variable than the landraces and can therefore be used for further Lagenaria siceraria genetic improvement.
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