Abstract: In Nigeria, duck production is less favoured compared to other poultry species due to perceived economic unviability. This study examines the production patterns, socio-economic characteristics, and management practices of duck farming in southwestern Nigeria, including Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States, where poultry farming is prominent. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 60 respondents from each state’s eastern, western, and central senatorial districts, or northern, central and southern senatorial districts as the case may be, totaling 360 respondents, who are duck farmers. Primary data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics with frequency counts and percentages. The findings reveal a predominance of female farmers (80%), with most respondents being under 50 years of age. Additionally, 72.2% were married, and 82.6% were educated. The predominant flock size was 1-5 ducks (53.3%), with a significant reliance on household labour. Most farmers preferred local Muscovy ducks (92.2%) managed extensively (36.5%) due to their adaptability and lower maintenance costs. Most female ducks began laying eggs at 7 months of age (46.7%), with an incubation period of 30 days (35.6%). Most respondents provided feed for the ducks, primarily grains (18.9%), along with water. A significant proportion (65.6%) raised ducks for cash. The study highlights the untapped potential of duck farming in Nigeria due to limited awareness and cultural taboos, it recommended increased awareness, improved breeds, and better practices to boost productivity and food security.

Keywords: Adaptability, Demographics, Flock size, Food security, Indigenous breeds, Muscovy ducks, Scavenging, Small scale, Taboos, Veterinarians.

Title: STATUS OF DUCK PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH WEST NIGERIA

Author: Folorunso, O.R., Sule, K., Bakre, A.A.

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 40-47

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 15-August-2024

Abstract: Feed mills play a significant role in the success of the livestock industry. Nigeria’s animal feed sector remains under developed, largely due to high production costs. The South Western part of the country accounts for over 75 percent of feed mills in the country. However, very little information on the activities of the feed mills in the zone is available. This study was therefore carried out to elicit information on the activities of the feed mills in six states (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo) of the South Western part of Nigeria. A multistage sampling method was adopted for this study. In the first stage, feed mills in the aforementioned states were identified, in the second stage, three senatorial districts from each of these states were selected for the sampling and in the third stage, and communities were proportionally selected from each of the three senatorial districts for the sampling and distribution of the questionnaires. 20 questionnaires were administered to the feed mill managers in each of the 3 selected towns within each of the three senatorial districts of each state, making a total of 360 in all. However, only 151 questionnaires were recovered, processed and subjected to descriptive statistics using frequency counts and percentage. From the results obtained, 78.1% of the feed mill managers were male. The mean age of respondents (41-50 yrs.) was 37.3%. Eighty One (81) percent were married, the household size (1-5) was 66.9%, while 64.8% received tertiary formal education, twenty nine percent of the managers had 11-15 years feed milling experience, 39% of the managers were traders while the remaining claimed to diversify, 45% saw feed milling as investment opportunity, aggregation of livestock farms (39.2%) influenced siting of feed mill, 54.9% of respondents used personal savings to start the business, 41% of the respondents operate on medium scale, production capacity was less than 1 tonne per day (35.8%), semi-modern level of automation (51.9%), source of power was from the national grid (51.9%), and electric generator (48.5%), problems faced by feed mill industry in the study area include lack of capital, irregular supply of electricity, theft of produce and unavailability of feed ingredients. The study recommended that the feed millers should establish cooperative groups among themselves from which members could acquire loans at very low interest rates. Also, sophisticated tools and expensive machines could be jointly purchased by the group for the use of the members.

Keywords: Feedmill; operations; management; constraints; South-West Nigeria.

Title: FEED MILLS DISTRIBUTION, OPERATIONS, MANAGEMENT AND CONSTRAINTS IN SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Author: Folorunso, O.R., Sule, K., Bakre, A.A.

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 32-39

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 15-August-2024

Abstract: With the global population expected to rise from 6 billion to over 8.5 billion by 2025, the demand for animal protein could potentially double. Consequently, the production of day-old chicks presents a profitable opportunity in the poultry industry. For a nation with over 190 million people, reliance on imported day-old chicks is unsustainable. Hatcheries, or “poultry maternity centers,” play a crucial role in this industry by producing chicks for rearing.

This study assessed the status, operations, management, and constraints of hatcheries in the southwestern states of Nigeria (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo). Using a multi-stage random sampling technique, respondents were selected from three senatorial districts in each state, totaling 360 respondents. Descriptive statistics, including frequency counts and percentages, were employed for data analysis.

Findings indicated that hatchery owners were predominantly males (100%), aged 31-40 years (58.3%), married (51.6%), with 11-15 years of experience (60.0%), household sizes of 1-5 (73.3%), and tertiary education (80%). Many owners viewed hatcheries as an investment (66.7%), had access to commercial bank loans (66.7%), operated on a small scale (66.7%), and had production capacities of 1,000-10,000 chicks per day (66.7%). They used imported equipment (66.7%) and had hatchers and setters available (93.3%). Awareness of local fabricators of hatchers and setters was high (71.7%), with semi-automation (81.7%) and reliance on public power supply (66.7%) being significant factors (P>0.05).

Electricity supply (68.3%) and finance (65.7%) were major constraints. The study concluded that local machine fabrication, genuine spare parts, stable electricity, access to soft loans, and skilled manpower training are crucial to addressing hatchery challenges in the study area.

Keywords: Hatchery, status, operations, management, constraints.

Title: HATCHERY STATUS, OPERATIONS, MANAGEMENT AND CONSTRAINTS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Author: Folorunso O.R., Sule, K, Bakre, A.A

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 23-31

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 15-August-2024

Abstract: This study investigated the influence of different weeding treatments and herbicide applications on the growth and yield of two boro rice varieties, BRRI dhan84 and BRRI dhan96, at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, University of Rajshahi, from January to June 2022. The experimental design included four treatments: T₁=No hand weeding + No herbicide application, T₂ = One hand weeding at tillering stage, T₃ = One hand weeding at tillering stage+ Application of Butachlor at flowering stage, T₄ = One hand weeding at tillering stage + Application of Butabel 5g at flowering stage. Data on plant height, panicle length, grains per panicle, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, straw yield, biological yield, and harvest index were collected and analyzed using Duncan's multiple-range test. Results showed significant differences between the two rice varieties across treatments, with BRRI dhan96 consistently outperforming BRRI dhan84 in all measured parameters. The T₄ treatment exhibited the most favorable outcomes, producing the tallest plants, longest panicles, highest grains per panicle, and superior grain and straw yields compared to other treatments. These findings highlight the effectiveness of integrated weed management strategies, particularly the combination of hand weeding and herbicide application, in optimizing rice productivity. The study recommends the adoption of BRRI dhan96 along with the T₄ treatment for maximizing boro rice yields in similar agro-climatic conditions

Keywords: Boro rice, integrated weed management, herbicide application, growth parameters, yield optimization.

Title: THE COLLABORATIVE EFFECT OF HAND WEEDING AND HERBICIDE APPLICATION ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF BORO RICE

Author: Md.Tariful Alam Khan, Md. Billal Hossain Momen, Nilufar Yasmin, Md. Robiul Islam, Mesbaus Salahin

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 16-22

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 19-July-2024

Abstract: Ten barley genotypes were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications for their earliness in double cropping scheme under vertisol condition at three locations in Western Shoa, Central Ethiopia during 2022 and 2023 main cropping seasons. The objective of this experiment was to select early and superior barley varieties in the study area that can satisfy the double cropping practiced with residual moisture at the end of rainy season. The results of the combined analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences among genotypes for most of the traits tested at 1% and 0.1% probability level. The GXE interaction also showed highly significant differences for all characters at 1% probability except for the grain yield which was significantly different at 5% probability level. The highest mean grain yield was obtained from the genotype Gobe (2988.7Kg ha^-1) followed by Negelle (2922.6Kg ha-¹) whereas the lowest from the variety Miscal-21 (1419.4 Kg ha-¹).Regarding the stability, varieties 1, 9, 7, 5and 4 were seen to be stable. Therefore, the variety Gobe was chosen for its performance in the experimental field and also acceptable from farmers' preference point of view. Thus, based on the results of this study, the selected variety need to be popularized in the study areas and similar agro-ecologies

Keywords: Early maturity, barley genotypes, genotype by environment interaction.

Title: On Farm Evaluation of Early Maturing Barley Varieties Suiting Double Cropping Purpose

Author: Workineh Mekasa Buli

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 9-15

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 11-July-2024

Abstract: The experiment conducted at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, University of Rajshahi, from January to June 2022, investigated the effects of different doses of boron and magnesium on the growth and yield of boro rice. The study included two rice varieties (BRRI dhan29 and BRRI dhan58) and three treatment levels: control (only recommended NPK), low rate of boron and magnesium (8 kg/ha and 15 kg/ha), and high rate of boron and magnesium (15 kg/ha and 24 kg/ha), arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design. Results showed that BRRI dhan58 outperformed BRRI dhan29 across various growth parameters. BRRI dhan58 recorded the highest values for plant height (89.95 cm), total tillers per hill (17.29), effective tillers per hill (12.48), chlorophyll content (SPAD 46.08), panicle length (20.20 cm), total grains per panicle (164.11), effective grains per panicle (128.67), 1000-grains weight (23.10 g), grain yield (6.27 t/ha), straw yield (7.88 t/ha), and biological yield (14.15 t/ha).Among the treatments, the highest values for similar parameters were observed in the high rate of boron and magnesium treatment (T₃). For interaction effects, the combination of BRRI dhan58 and high rate of boron and magnesium (V₂T₃) yielded the best results, including highest plant height (93.54 cm), total tillers per hill (18.11), effective tillers per hill (13.67), chlorophyll content (SPAD 48.45), panicle length (20.65 cm), total grains per panicle (175.11), effective grains per panicle (142.45), 1000-grains weight (23.47 g), grain yield (6.56 t/ha), straw yield (8.24 t/ha), and biological yield (14.79 t/ha).The study concluded that BRRI dhan58, combined with the high rate of boron and magnesium, is the most effective for maximizing yield, recommending this combination for farmers.

Keywords: Boro rice, Boron and magnesium, chlorophyll content, Rice yield.

Title: INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF BORON AND MAGNESIUM ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF BORO RICE CULTIVARS

Author: Md. Billal Hossain Momen, S.M. Abidur Rahman, Most. Nahida Umme Tamim, Sakhawat Hossain, Md. Mominul Islam, Md. Robiul Islam, Md.Tariful Alam Khan

International Journal of Novel Research in Life Sciences                                                   

ISSN 2394-966X

Vol. 11, Issue 4, July 2024 - August 2024

Page No: 1-8

Novelty Journals

Website: www.noveltyjournals.com

Published Date: 05-July-2024