Browsing by Author "Ayarna, A.W."
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Item Avocado germplasm conservation and improvement in Ghana(2011) Nkansah, G.O.; Ofosu-Budu, K.G.; Ayarna, A.W.Avocado research and improvement in Ghana has the potential of contributing to the agricultural export diversification programme. Genetic diversity exits with the potential for improved yield of landraces. Notwithstanding, efforts to conserve, introduce, evaluate, characterize, select and improve on these local landraces and introductions to widen the genetic base has been inadequate. The objectives of these studies were to; 1) collect both local and leading world avocado varieties and establish them in a museum, 2) conserve, characterise and select desirable genotypes 3) multiply selected genotypes by vegetative propagation and release to farmers and 4) in addition use detailed trait characteristics of genotypes in the museum for varietal improvement and other agronomic purposes. Twenty five (25) local landraces collected from different ecozones of Ghana and five (5) world leading varieties obtained from South Africa have been established in a germplasm museum at the University of Ghana Agricultural Research Centre – Kade in Ghana. The five exportable varieties are ‘Hass’, ‘Fuerte’, ‘Ryan’, ‘Ettinger’ and ‘Nabal’ Morphological characterization of the germplasm using the plant descriptors outlined in the IPGRI publication, Descriptors for Avocado (Persea spp.) have been described. Research in other areas of this program focusing on nutrient management, pest and disease incidence is also in progressItem Effect of Root Restriction on the Performance of Three-Truss Cultivated Tomato in the Low-Node Pinching Order at High-Density Cultivation System(MDPI, 2021) Ayarna, A.W.; Tsukagoshi, S.; Nkansah, G.O.The low-node pinching order at a high-density plant cultivation system (LN&HD) is now widely adopted for increasing tomato yield and fruit quality. The LN&HD cultivation period spans 70–120 days, employs the use of a small amount of substrate (low substrate volume), and plants are usually topped between the first and the fourth truss. Using a small amount of substrate in cultivation induces root restriction. Increasing the extent of root restriction in small pots has been adopted for increasing the fruit quality of tomato in some advanced countries. However, improving fruit quality at the expense of yield becomes a major drawback for adopting the LN&HD in Ghana. The LN&HD was introduced into Ghana mainly to increase tomato yield sustainably at a cost-effective level. This study aimed to manipulate or reduce the extent of root restriction to increase tomato yield. Information related to manipulating or reducing the extent of root restriction has not been extensively reported. Thus, an experiment was conducted (between 21 April 2019 and 11 August 2019) in the greenhouse of the University of Ghana Forest and Horticultural Research Centre, Kade-Ghana. Plants of two tomato cultivars (Jaguar and Momotaro York) were subjected to four root restriction conditions. The extent of root restriction were (1) complete root restriction in a 1.0 L volume capacity pot, (2) complete root restriction in a 1.5 L volume capacity pot, (3) partial root restriction in Rockwool-like cultivation, otherwise referred to as Cocowool, and (4) No root restriction in a trough containing 1.5 L of the substrate. The experiment was laid out in a 2 x 4 factorial in a randomized complete block. Results showed that partial root restriction in Cocowool and unrestricted roots in the trough produced the highest tomato yield and total dry matter compared to the plants that received complete root restrictions in the 1.0 and 1.5 L pots. However, the tomato’s total soluble solids increased with a complete root restriction in the 1.0 L pot. Reducing the extent of root restriction increased the yield and total dry matter of tomato. With the LN&HD, a small amount of substrate could be used (at a reduced cost) with a partial root restriction to increase the yield of tropical tomato cultivars grown in Ghana.Item Grafting onto African eggplant enhances growth, yield and fruit quality of tomatoes in tropical Forest ecozones(Journal of Applied Horticulture, 2013-01) Nkansah, G.O.; Ahwireng, A.K.; Amoatey, C.; Ayarna, A.W.Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of the University of Ghana Forest and Horticultural Crop Research Centre (FOHCREC), Okumaning-Kade to investigate the effect of grafting on growth, yield, disease resistance and fruit quality of tomatoes grafted onto two different African eggplant rootstocks. Two commercial tomato varieties ('Tropimech' and 'Roma') were used as scions and two African eggplant varieties ('Aworoworo' and 'Green') were used as rootstocks. The scion/rootstock combinations or treatments were 'Roma/Green', 'Tropimech/Green', 'Roma/Aworoworo', 'Tropimech/Aworoworo', 'Roma/Roma', 'Tropimech/Tropimech', and Roma non-grafted (control) and Tropimech nongrafted (control). The results indicated that, grafted tomatoes on African eggplant rootstocks performed better in terms of growth, yield, earliness, disease incidence and shelf life than non-grafted or control plants. Pooled mean data indicated significant differences in terms of percent fruit set, fruit number and weight among the treatments. Percent fruit set was higher for tomato on Africa eggplant (67.9) compared to the self grafted (58.7) and the control (52.6). Fruit number/plant and yield of tomato on the African eggplant was 16.2 and 1120.7g/plant compared to the control (10.8 and 916g/plant) while the self grafted had 13.2 and 1064.9g/plant, respectively. The shelf life of grafted tomatoes onto egg plant was significantly higher (25.4 days) compared to control (13.6 days). Grafting did not significantly affect Brix (%), pH and acidity of tomato. Grafted plants significantly recorded low disease incidence compared to non-grafted ones. The study indicated that the use of grafting on eggplant in the humid forest zone of Ghana can boost tomato production considerably.Item Growth and yield performance of Bird Eye pepper in the forest ecological zone of Ghana(2011) Nkansah, G.O.; Ofosu-Budu, K.G.; Ayarna, A.W.Objective: To evaluate the growth and yield performance of Bird Eye pepper (Capsicum frutescence) in the forest ecological zone of Ghana. Methodology and results: Field experiments were conducted at the teaching and research farm of the University of Ghana Forest and Horticultural Crops Research Centre, Kade during the rainy seasons of 2009 and 2010. The treatments were randomized in complete block design and replicated three times. The parameters assessed were: plant height, number of leaves/plant, number of branches/plant, stem girth, shoot, fruit number, fruit weight and yield as well as quantitative characters. Results showed that there were significant differences in growth parameters as well as in the yield and yield components of the four cultivars and in both seasons. Plant heights were highest in cultivar 7777 and local in both seasons. Cultivar 7777 had significantly higher number of branches, canopy girth, fruit number and weight compared to the other cultivars. In terms of fruit colour, cultivar 7777 had dark green colour, a characteristics required in the export industry. Based on the results, cultivar 7777 is recommended for release to farmers and stakeholders in the vegetable industry in Ghana due to its colour, yield and consumer preference on the export and local market. Conclusion and application: The use of this cultivar will increase the foreign exchange earnings of Ghana and well-being of farmers not forgetting that it is going to be a good material for breeding purposes.