Agronomic Traits Evaluation of Selected Oil Palm Genotypes for Yield Enhancement on Njala Upland Soil | Chapter 03 | Agricultural Sciences: Techniques and Innovations Vol. 6

 

This study was primarily undertaken to evaluate the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield performance among selected oil palm genotypes on Njala upland soil.  An Independent Complete Randomised Design (ICRD) was used to carry out this field research. This study was conducted at the Njala University oil palm clonal seed garden, and the experiment was undertaken from 2021 to 2024. To determine the FFB yield, field research was carried out using four oil palm genotypes in an independent complete randomised design in four replications on 160 experimental sample palms. Three years of data were collected on yield and fruit bunch components, and vegetative traits. In the current study, 23 quantitative variables were used to evaluate the performance of four genotypes of oil palm. Through the analysis of variance, the morphological features of the different variants showed a wide range of variation. The traits were found to be influenced by the environment. Genotype Y26666B had the highest FFB yield at 188.31 (kg/palm/year), followed by genotype Y26515A at 171.58 (kg/palm/year). It was further examined that the FFB yield gap exists among the genotypes and all of them [Y26515A, Y26456A, Y26666B and Y26520C (13.16, 17.86, 11.90 and 17.86 t/genotype/year)], respectively, proved to have a high FFB yield gap. This showed that among the elite genotypes (Y26666B and Y26515A), there is a significant opportunity to increase their FFB yield. Correlation (r) validated that fruit bunch number had a more positive impact on FFB yield than average bunch weight. Heritability result revealed that the average bunch weight had the highest heritability percentage value of 82.50%. The findings suggested an alternative method for future studies; hence, genotype Y26666B could be selected as a parent for future breeding programs. However, the results could have been more informative if additional genotypes were selected and the conventional method was concurrently done with molecular studies.

 

 

Author(s)details:-

 

SENESIE SWARAY
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone.

 

ANSUMANA JOSEPH MUSA
Department of Agribusiness and Economics, Faculty of Engineering and Innovation, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema City, Sierra Leone.

 

SHEKU ALHAJI KOROMA
Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema City, Sierra Leone.

 

MOHAMED SESAY
Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Innovation, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone.

 

MOHAMED MUSA
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone and National Fertilizer Regulatory Agency (NaFRA), 55 Wilkington Road, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

 

JOSEPH MUSA SAMAI
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone.

 

ALFRED FATORMA
Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone.

 

MOMODU JALLOH
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Development Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema, Sierra Leone and Tree Crops Unit, Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), P.M.B 1313 Freetown, Sierra Leone.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/asti/v6/6627

Phase Change of Low Grade Iron Ore during Sintering and Reduction with Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch | Chapter 3 | Advanced Aspects of Engineering Research Vol. 2

The iron and steel industry is one of the largest contributors to global emissions of carbon dioxide, especially in the sintering process. Biomass has been widely suggested as an alternative, safer and sustainable fuel in order to reduce pollutant emissions from the iron and steel industry. It is beneficial to replace coke with biochar in iron sintering, as this method provides a large amount of greenhouse gases. In this work, coke was substituted as an alternative fuel in the sintering of iron ore with biochar derived from the oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB). Biochar was developed at a heating rate of 10 °C/min from the EFB at 450 °C and kept for 30 minutes. Sinter was first prepared as the binding agent in a ceramic bowl by combining iron ore, biochar, and limestone with water to create a green sample with different ratios of biochar and iron ore with fixed 1% limestone. In terms of ability to extract the oxygen, the sinter was tested. The highest reducibility for sinter containing 5 percent of biochar content is apparently 77.77 percent. The phase change implied that the sinter could be reduced to metallic iron at a high temperature (1150 °C). The use of EFB biochar as an energy source for sintering Malaysian iron ore is feasible to generate metallic iron for the process of iron making. Thus, when the process is implemented industrially, by removing a portion of coke as an energy source, it can minimize CO2 emissions in the iron steel market.

Author (s) Details

Hadi Purwanto
International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia.

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/AAER-V2/issue/view/31

Indicators of the Biological Quality of the Soil in Agroforestry Systems: A Case Study in the AmazonBrazil | Chapter 14 | Current Research Trends in Biological Science Vol. 3

In Brazil, especially the Amazon region, it is characterized by presenting environments with natural
forests and extensive areas in agricultural use, with great concern about soil degradation due to
increased deforestation and inadequate management of pasture areas, causing changes in biological
properties from soil. AFS have been suggested as good alternatives because they promote greater
biological diversity with sustainability in the soil, due to the advantages of interleaving different
species in the same area. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the biological
attributes of the soil in the oil palm cultivation systems with intercropping. The experimental area is
located of São João da Baliza, Vicinal 26, km 12, with geographic coordinates of reference
00º.51'13.3''N and 60º00'19.8''W, the altitude of 100 masl and, distant to 352 km from the capital Boa
Vista, state of Roraima realized in 2016. The experimental design used was completely randomized
with four repetitions and six treatments: Oil palm (Elaeis guineense Jacq.) interspersed with pineapple
(OPi), bean (OBe), banana (OBa), yucca (OYu) and Brachiaria humidicola (OPa), as well as adjacent
area only with Brachiaria humidicola as a witness (Pa). The Tukey test was used at a level of 5%
probability in samples analyzed at a depth of 0-0.10 m, to compare the means of the variables
evaluated. The TOC presented values between 4.70 and 9.45 g kg-1, being the highest values found
in the interim systems OYu, Pa, OBa, highlighting the intermediate system OPi that presented the
lowest levels. The highest basal respiration values of the soil (RBS) (23.50 mg C-CO2 kg-1 soil h-1)
and carbon from microbial biomass (C-BMS) (116.0 mg C microbiano kg-1 soil) were verified in the
pasture system. Likewise, for the urease and acid phosphatase activity, the grass system stands out
as a control with values of (148.42 g NH4+ g-1 soil 2h-1) y (230 μg de p-nitrofenol g-1 soil h-1) followed
by palm with grass and yucca systems. However, the β-glucosidase activity (51.22 μg p-nitrofenol g-1
h-1) it was positively influenced by the oil palm system with yucca. On the other hand, the system
interspersed with pineapple showed a higher metabolic coefficient (qCO2) (0.36 mg C-CO2 g-1 C-BMS
h-1). It can be concluded that the pasture system (Pa) is presented as a more stable environment,
followed by interspersed systems of oil palm with grass (OPa) and yucca (OYu).

Author(s) Details
S. A. Saravia Maldonado
Faculty of Earth Sciences and Conservation, National University of Agriculture, Highway to Dulce Nombre de Culmi, Km 215,
Neighborhood El Espino, Catacamas-Olancho, Honduras.

I. Montero Fernández
Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Polytechnic School, University of Extremadura, University Avenue s/n,
Cáceres, Spain.

View Book :- http://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/216