Wetland Farmers and Conflict Indices in Oyo State Fadama II Project

Fadama land is otherwise called wetland. The land is characterized by the presence of water in the most parts of the year. One hundred and fifty wetland farmers were randomly selected for study between September 2004 and October 2005. The selection was done in such a way that all local government areas were represented. The study basically was on identifiable indices of conflicts and frequency of occurrence within and between groups. The causes of conflict were observed in the following decreasing order of occurrence; Trespassing, nomadic activities, land tenure, lack of adequate knowledge about the use of wetlands (LAK), inheritance. It was also notedthat WITHIN group conflicts were far less in occurrence compared to BETWEEN group conflicts. It was also discovered that environmental conflict is highly indicative of social conflicts

Preparation of Dye Using Selected Local Materials

Many plant species in Ogbomoso area of Oyo Stale. Nigeria produce juice that can permanently stick to clothing materials. A few of such plants were selected, namely Kola nitida. Cmelina arhorca. Prosopis africana. Tcctona grandis. Pteleopsis habeensis. Khaya scnegalensis. Azanza garkeana andLamea liumilis. Juice from these plants were extracted and found to be useful dye agents for fabrics such as calico. Dyeing with Pteleopsis habeensis produced a peach-coloured fabric; Khaya scnegalensis gave a pinecolouredfabric while a combination of the juices of Pteleopsis habeensis and Kola nitida gave an Ivorycoloured fabric. These locally available dyes, if improved upon would be a basis for the development of a dye-producing industry, small or large scale that may also assist in alleviating poverty in Nigeria

Influence of Biofertilizer-Fortified Organic and Inorganic Nitrogenous Fertilizers on Performance of Sesame (Sesamum indicum Linn.) and Soil Properties Under Savanna Ecoregion

Application of chemical fertilizers as supplement to the pre-existing soil nutrients has become inevitable for obtaining optimum crop performance in the tropics. However, persistent application of inorganic fertilizers affects soil physicochemical conditions and reduces crop productivity. Integration of mycorrhizal inoculum as biofertilizer and organic manure with little inorganic fertilizer input could improve crop performance and soil quality. However, there is little information on response of crops particularly Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) to such integrated nutrient management approach. Two greenhouse experiments were carried out at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Nigeria and Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (I.A.R&T), Moor plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria to assess response of sesame to integrated nutrient management approach. Twelve factorial combinations each of integrated green tithonia biomass and urea, with and without Glomus clarum mycorrhizal inoculum were investigated. Trials were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters and analysed using ANOVA at p < 0.05. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly enhanced sesame growth (except number of branches) and yield with or without applied N-source(s), compared to their non-inoculated counterparts. Sesame responded best to inoculation of 75% tithonia + 25 % Urea + Glomus clarum which significantly enhanced plant height, stem circumference, number of leaves, biomass yield and seed yield. Soil physical and chemical properties significantly improved with increasing application of green Tithonia-biomass. At above 50 % of urea integration, values of growth and yield parameters were statistically similar but significantly higher than the control. Thus, green Tithonia-biomass integration at 75 % level with urea at 25 % level to meet up N-requirement of sesame + mycorrhizal inoculum is suitable for optimum growth and yield of sesame and improved soil quality under savanna ecoregion