Oil palm is cultivated by agro-industries and smallholders for vegetable oil production. Good farm management practices with balanced soil and plant macronutrients are needed to attain optimum yields. Smallholder oil ...Oil palm is cultivated by agro-industries and smallholders for vegetable oil production. Good farm management practices with balanced soil and plant macronutrients are needed to attain optimum yields. Smallholder oil palm farmers of Dibombari Sub-Division, Cameroon, suffer from low on farm yields which could emanate from the agronomic practices implemented, which also has an influence on the soil and plant macronutrient status. This study provides information on the agronomic practices, soil and plant macronutrients status in smallholder oil palm fields. Structured questionnaires were administered to 200 farmers to collect data on their agronomic practices, using a stratified random sampling design. Soil and plants were sampled from plantations of different age groups (control, >0 - 4 years, >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations) in four locations of the Sub-Division (i.e. Dibombari-central, Bonamateke, Bomono and Nkapa) using a randomized complete block design. Data collected, was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 65% of farmers planted Tenera variety, with majority of them below the standards for weeding (81%), fertilizer use (100%), pruning (62%), pest/disease control (90.5%) and harvesting (96%) practices. Soil macronutrients were low across the different plantations except P which was optimal at >0 - 4 years and >4 - 8 years’ plantations but low at >8 - 15 years’ plantation. Similarly, for plant macronutrients, N and P were optimal across the different plantations, while K and Mg were optimal at >0 - 4 years’ plantation but low at >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations. Thus, agronomic practices and macronutrient status of soil and plants were below standards in smallholder oil palm plantations of Dibombari, leading to low yields of fresh fruit bunches.展开更多
Agrochemicals are contemporary, omnipresent tool used in vegetable cultivation. Farmers’ knowledge and awareness of the proper usage of agrochemicals are critical for mitigating the negative effects on human health. ...Agrochemicals are contemporary, omnipresent tool used in vegetable cultivation. Farmers’ knowledge and awareness of the proper usage of agrochemicals are critical for mitigating the negative effects on human health. This cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the usage knowledge, risk awareness of toxicological and chemical classes, proper handling and use practices for agrochemicals homologated for use in vegetable farming, and the occurrence of health-related symptoms as a result of exposure among these farmers. The study included 93 vegetable growers from agricultural hotspot towns in Fako, southwest Cameroon. The field study, ran from November 2021 to December 2023, using a questionnaire to collect information on farmers demographic, and their knowledge of pesticide classes, and the related risk of associated with the handling of agrochemicals. Results show that all vegetable farmers, particularly those engaged in agribusiness, employ pesticide inputs to maximize production. Six pesticides, two fertilizer types, and one unknown substance were identified. While 23 active compounds were found, the most utilized were abamectin, emamectin (10.46%), dimethoate (9.30%,) and ethoprophos (8.13%). Two active chemicals, dimethoate and methalaxyl, are illegal yet remain in circulation. Toxicological classes I and II, with the greatest harmful effect on human health, were the most commonly utilized (64.27%). Thirty-nine percent of farmers never use personal protection equipment when working with agrochemicals, demonstrating a significant gap in knowledge and awareness of agrochemicals and their various applications and handling procedures in the field. The government should implement an intensive specialized educational program for on-field farmers with incentives in order to promote sustainable agriculture methods that ensure environmental and human safety.展开更多
This work investigated the land-use/land-cover and some physico-chemical properties of the soils of Mt Cameroon and presented same in maps. ArcGIS Pro mapping software, Landsat images, Global Positioning Systems (GPS)...This work investigated the land-use/land-cover and some physico-chemical properties of the soils of Mt Cameroon and presented same in maps. ArcGIS Pro mapping software, Landsat images, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) coordinates collected from the field combined with updated shape files from competent services were used to produce the location and land-use/land-cover maps. Sixteen topsoil samples (0 - 20 cm) were collected, 4 from each land use/cover category: farmland, forest, plantation and settlement, and analysed for soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density, moisture content and soil texture, in the laboratory using standard analytical procedures. This data was used to produce spatial distribution maps using ordinary kriging, in ArcGIS Pro. The main terrestrial land use/cover categories comprised of the forest (mangrove, lowland, montane and sub-montane), agroforestry, plantations, grassland, settlement, cropland, shrubby savannah, and bare lava. Bulk density showed the highest values in settlement areas and least values under forest land-use categories. Soil moisture content exhibited a reverse trend compared to that of soil bulk density. Forest soils were the sandiest while soils in plantation agricultural land were the most clayey. The soils were slightly acidic to neutral with soils from agricultural land being more acidic (pH<sub>(water)</sub> = 5.43). It is discernible from the results that the conversion from forest to other land use/cover classes enhances soil degradation and that soil physico-chemical properties adequately serve as indicators of soil quality in the Mt Cameroon area.展开更多
文摘Oil palm is cultivated by agro-industries and smallholders for vegetable oil production. Good farm management practices with balanced soil and plant macronutrients are needed to attain optimum yields. Smallholder oil palm farmers of Dibombari Sub-Division, Cameroon, suffer from low on farm yields which could emanate from the agronomic practices implemented, which also has an influence on the soil and plant macronutrient status. This study provides information on the agronomic practices, soil and plant macronutrients status in smallholder oil palm fields. Structured questionnaires were administered to 200 farmers to collect data on their agronomic practices, using a stratified random sampling design. Soil and plants were sampled from plantations of different age groups (control, >0 - 4 years, >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations) in four locations of the Sub-Division (i.e. Dibombari-central, Bonamateke, Bomono and Nkapa) using a randomized complete block design. Data collected, was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 65% of farmers planted Tenera variety, with majority of them below the standards for weeding (81%), fertilizer use (100%), pruning (62%), pest/disease control (90.5%) and harvesting (96%) practices. Soil macronutrients were low across the different plantations except P which was optimal at >0 - 4 years and >4 - 8 years’ plantations but low at >8 - 15 years’ plantation. Similarly, for plant macronutrients, N and P were optimal across the different plantations, while K and Mg were optimal at >0 - 4 years’ plantation but low at >4 - 8 years and >8 - 15 years’ plantations. Thus, agronomic practices and macronutrient status of soil and plants were below standards in smallholder oil palm plantations of Dibombari, leading to low yields of fresh fruit bunches.
文摘Agrochemicals are contemporary, omnipresent tool used in vegetable cultivation. Farmers’ knowledge and awareness of the proper usage of agrochemicals are critical for mitigating the negative effects on human health. This cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the usage knowledge, risk awareness of toxicological and chemical classes, proper handling and use practices for agrochemicals homologated for use in vegetable farming, and the occurrence of health-related symptoms as a result of exposure among these farmers. The study included 93 vegetable growers from agricultural hotspot towns in Fako, southwest Cameroon. The field study, ran from November 2021 to December 2023, using a questionnaire to collect information on farmers demographic, and their knowledge of pesticide classes, and the related risk of associated with the handling of agrochemicals. Results show that all vegetable farmers, particularly those engaged in agribusiness, employ pesticide inputs to maximize production. Six pesticides, two fertilizer types, and one unknown substance were identified. While 23 active compounds were found, the most utilized were abamectin, emamectin (10.46%), dimethoate (9.30%,) and ethoprophos (8.13%). Two active chemicals, dimethoate and methalaxyl, are illegal yet remain in circulation. Toxicological classes I and II, with the greatest harmful effect on human health, were the most commonly utilized (64.27%). Thirty-nine percent of farmers never use personal protection equipment when working with agrochemicals, demonstrating a significant gap in knowledge and awareness of agrochemicals and their various applications and handling procedures in the field. The government should implement an intensive specialized educational program for on-field farmers with incentives in order to promote sustainable agriculture methods that ensure environmental and human safety.
文摘This work investigated the land-use/land-cover and some physico-chemical properties of the soils of Mt Cameroon and presented same in maps. ArcGIS Pro mapping software, Landsat images, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) coordinates collected from the field combined with updated shape files from competent services were used to produce the location and land-use/land-cover maps. Sixteen topsoil samples (0 - 20 cm) were collected, 4 from each land use/cover category: farmland, forest, plantation and settlement, and analysed for soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density, moisture content and soil texture, in the laboratory using standard analytical procedures. This data was used to produce spatial distribution maps using ordinary kriging, in ArcGIS Pro. The main terrestrial land use/cover categories comprised of the forest (mangrove, lowland, montane and sub-montane), agroforestry, plantations, grassland, settlement, cropland, shrubby savannah, and bare lava. Bulk density showed the highest values in settlement areas and least values under forest land-use categories. Soil moisture content exhibited a reverse trend compared to that of soil bulk density. Forest soils were the sandiest while soils in plantation agricultural land were the most clayey. The soils were slightly acidic to neutral with soils from agricultural land being more acidic (pH<sub>(water)</sub> = 5.43). It is discernible from the results that the conversion from forest to other land use/cover classes enhances soil degradation and that soil physico-chemical properties adequately serve as indicators of soil quality in the Mt Cameroon area.
