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School of Science and Technology

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Welcome to School of Sciences and Technology collection.This collection contains Journal articles published by faculty affiliated to the school.

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Author: search.filters.author.Mugambi, MwaoriaHas files: Yes

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    Effect of spacing and number of plants per hill on growth and yield of Sc duma 43 in the coastal lowlands
    (International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 2021-09) Ochami, Fredrick; Mushimiyimana, David; Mugambi, Mwaoria
    Maize (zea mays L) is an important cereal grain globally as feed, and food for human and livestock respectively, rated third after wheat and rice in terms of production. The per capita consumption is 103 kg per person annually in Kenya, at the coastal lowlands it is rated first ahead of cassava and sweet potatoes. Maize is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals for the inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa. Maize production at coast is constrained by inadequate knowledge of agronomic practices such as spacing plants per hill, crop management, limited arable land and choice of suitable cultivar choice and climate change. This study was conducted at Sugar Research Institute farm, Kikambala sub-county, Kilifi County between May and November 2015 cropping season, to evaluate the effect of four inter row spacing S1 (60 cm), S2 (70 cm), S3 (80 cm) and S4 (90 cm) and the number of plants per hill of 1, 2 and 4 as a second factor tested for effect on the growth and yields of the hybrid maize variety SC DUMA 43. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a split – plot arrangement was used with 3 replicates. The parameters investigated were plant height, stem diameter, cob length, weight of 1000 seeds, and grain yields per hectare. The data was summarized in MS Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 20 for ANOVA and LSD. Spacing and interaction between spacing and number of plants per hill did not show a significant effect on plant height, plant diameter and cob length. However, an inter – row spacing of 70 cm gave a significantly lower mean weight of 1000 seeds (312.48 g) against a highest mean value of 342.60 g for 80 cm which was however, not significantly different from the means obtained with 60 and 90 cm. The number of plants per hill significantly affected all growth and yield parameters with the highest grain yield recorded for 2 plants per hill (6543 kgha-1) against a lowest mean value of 4575.4 kgha-1 obtained with 4 plants per hill. Stem diameter, cob length, weight of 1000 seeds decreased significantly as the number of plants per hill increased. Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that for higher grain yields with the variety SC DUMA 43, planting should be done at 2 plants per hill and a spacing 80 × 30 cm.
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    Effects of Intercropping Cowpeas with Maize and Phosphorous Levels on Growth and Yields of Cowpeas in Meru County, Kenya
    (Journal of Agriculture, 2020-10) Omundi, Joshua Marube; Mushimiyimana, David; Mugambi, Mwaoria
    Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a legume that is grown for various uses Humans consume it as grain or leaf vegetable and as fodder by livestock. It has high nutritive value and high palatability. It is widely produced in sub-Saharan Africa as a source of income. It is drought tolerant and can suitably be used as an intercrop in an intercropping system. The low yield of cowpea among smallholder farmers due to declining soil fertility has increased the need for site specific fertilizer recommendation. Land fragmentation and reduced arable land makes intercropping of cereals and legumes inevitable. A field experiment was conducted at Kianjai ward in Tigania West Sub County of Meru County during the March –May rain season of 2015 to investigate the effects of intercropping cowpeas with maize and four different levels of phosphorous on growth and yields of cowpeas. The treatments were sole cowpeas, sole maize, sole cowpeas planted with (0 kg/ha, 25 kg/ha, 50 kg/ha and 75 kg/ha SSP) and cowpeas intercropped with maize at (0 kg/ha, 25 kg/ha, 50 kg/ha and 75 kg /ha SSP). The design of the experiment was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates. The results show that with mean plant heights of 41.56 cm, 42.43 cm, 43.00 cm and 45.03 cm respectively for 0, 25, 50 and 75 kg/ha of SSP, plant height at maturity were significantly affected by both fertilizer levels and cropping system (p<0.05). The number of pods and cowpeas grain yields were significantly also significantly affected (p<0.05). Sole cowpeas recorded the tallest plants, highest number of pods. The mean grain yields for 0, 25, 50 and 75 kg/ha of SSP were 400 kg, 496.88 kg, 593 kg and 699.88 kg respectively with 75 kg/ha. All the Land Equivalent Ratios for intercropping system were greater than one (LER>1) thus showing that intercropping was beneficial. Intercropping cowpeas and maize at 75 kg/ha phosphorous gave the highest Land Equivalent Ratio. It is recommended that in a cowpeas-maize intercropping system application of 75 kg/ha should be adopted. More work should be done to determine effects of intercropping cowpeas with cereal crops other than maize.