Research Article
Pests, Diseases, Growth and Yield of Tomato as Influenced by Variety and Cultivation Technology
Issue:
Volume 12, Issue 5, October 2024
Pages:
122-137
Received:
6 August 2024
Accepted:
26 August 2024
Published:
6 September 2024
Abstract: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in the world. However, dearth of knowledge exists on cultivation technology that contributes to increased production of the crop. Meanwhile, low yielding varieties, high pests and diseases attacks, climate variability and poor soil fertility are among key production constraints that limit the increased production and productivity of tomato in Sierra Leone. A two-year field experiment was conducted at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences experimental site during 2022 and 2023 to evaluate the effects of variety and cultivation technology (CT) on pests, diseases, growth, yield and productivity of tomato. The experiment was laid in a 2 × 4 factorial (i.e. two varieties of tomato, and four treatments: CT 1, CT 2, CT 3 and CT 4 known as control) arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results showed that organic (CT 1 and CT 2) and inorganic (CT 3) treatments had a positive impact on growth parameters of tomato. The CT 1 (chicken dung, mulching, and neem extract biopesticide) was most effective in promoting vegetative growth and higher fruit yield, while CT 2 (NPK 15:15:15, urea, promethrin herbicide, and chlorpyrifos pesticide) exhibited highest potency in reducing population and damage caused by diseases and pests. Findings demonstrate that improved variety and cultivation technology boost tomato tolerance to pests and diseases, as well as its growth and yield performances that could be exploited for increased production and fruit quality of the crop. The CT1 was the most effective, followed by CT 2, while CT 4 or control plots had the lowest performance. The outperformance of the organic treatments relative to the inorganic and control is suggested to be attributable to its nitrogen-rich components. Weed control was also established to be effective in both inorganic and CT 2 treatments. The findings suggest that the CT 1 should be promoted for sustainable tomato cultivation, prioritizing environmentally friendly methods for long-term success.
Abstract: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in the world. However, dearth of knowledge exists on cultivation technology that contributes to increased production of the crop. Meanwhile, low yielding varieties, high pests and diseases attacks, climate variability and poor soil fertility are among key production constraint...
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Methodology Article
A Mathematical Model for Estimating the Area of a Large Leaf
Issue:
Volume 12, Issue 5, October 2024
Pages:
138-145
Received:
23 April 2024
Accepted:
27 August 2024
Published:
18 October 2024
DOI:
10.11648/j.jps.20241205.12
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Abstract: A mathematical model for estimating the area of large leaves was developed and validated with the leaves of plantain (Musa paradisiaca). The length of each plantain leaf was characterized by the mid-rib length which was divided into a certain number of equal parts of length. By this divisions, two major geometrical shapes were obtained, viz; trapezoidal shapes bounded by half elliptical shapes at the two ends of the leaf. In this work, the mathematical expression for the surface area of a plantain leaf was obtained by summing the areas of the trapeziums and the two half ellipses. The values of leaf areas as generated from this model for various seizes of plantain leaves converged reasonably well with true values obtained by the weighing method of same plantain leaf seizes. The correlation between these two values was carried out to ascertain the fitness of the mathematical model as developed here showed a linear relationship for the various mid-rib divisions tested in this study. It is thus concluded here that once the calculated area of the large leaf is known for a specific number of divisions with this model, the true area can be estimated. The main advantages of the new method are precision, accuracy, and applicability to determine the area of large leaves far out in the field where electrical weighing balance and large graph papers are not available.
Abstract: A mathematical model for estimating the area of large leaves was developed and validated with the leaves of plantain (Musa paradisiaca). The length of each plantain leaf was characterized by the mid-rib length which was divided into a certain number of equal parts of length. By this divisions, two major geometrical shapes were obtained, viz; trapez...
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Pricellia Nornor Watson
