FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

This research work was conducted in the University of Benin, Benin City, with the aim to determine plant nutrient status under different land use types within the Ugbowo campus of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from twelve (12) sites, (three each) from four (4) different land use types, namely: Arable land, Fallow land, Grazing land, and Forest land at depths of 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm. Soil samples from same land use and same depth were bulked to make composite samples which were taken to the laboratory for analysis using standard procedures. Some of the parameters analyzed for are, the Soil pH, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Nitrogen (N), Available Phosphorus (P), Exchangeable Acidity, Exchangeable Base (BS), particle size distribution, Electrical conductivity, Potassium (K) calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (ECEC). Results showed that the top soils belong to the textural class of loamy sand. Sand content decreased with depth in all land uses while clay content increased with depth. pH was least in arable land, having pH 4.93 and highest in grazing area, having pH 6.2. pH decreased with depth in all land uses except in grazing area, where it increased. TOC, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and sand content, all had their highest values in the top 15 cm of the soils but decreased down the profile while H, Al, and clay values increased with depth

This study evaluated the effects of snail-derived chitin and chitosan on the haematological, biochemical, and antioxidant responses of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. Eighteen weaner goats were assigned to six dietary treatments, including varying levels of snail chitin (3% and 6%), snail chitosan (0.5% and 1%), a control diet, and an oxytetracycline-supplemented diet. The diets consisted of 50% Guinea grass and 50% concentrate. Proximate composition of the diets showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in dry matter and crude protein, indicating that chitin and chitosan did not compromise nutrient adequacy.However, ash,ether extract, nitrogen- free extract, and ADF varied significantly (p < 0.05), reflecting the fibrous nature of the additives.Haematological and serum biochemical indices remained within normal physiological ranges across treatments, showing no adverse effects on erythropoiesis, immunity, liver function, or kidney function. Notably, goats fed 6% chitin and 0.5% chitosan exhibited slightly elevated total protein and globulin levels (p < 0.05), suggesting improved protein utilisation. Antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GSH) were enhanced in supplemented groups, while MDA remained stable, demonstrating reduced oxidative stress. Overall, the findings indicate that snail chitin (up to 6%) and chitosan (up to 1%) can be safely incorporated into goat diets as functional feed additives. Their inclusion supports healthy physiological functions, enhances antioxidant status, and offers a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to synthetic additives and antibiotics. Further studies are recommended to assess long-term effects, growth performance, carcass characteristics, and reproductive responses for wider commercial adoption.

The persistent challenge of feed scarcity, especially in regions with seasonal droughts, underscores the critical need to convert abundant agricultural residues into sustainable livestock feed. Despite being a widely accessible agricultural by-product, maize cobs are not very useful due to their high fiber content and poor digestion. This study sought to determine how the chemical and physical composition of the maize cobs were affected by ensiling with different volume of wood ash extract for 21 days. Four treatments were evaluated: T1 (UMC): Untreated maize cob (control); T2 (WMC): maize cob soaked in water; T3 (MCWAE250ml): maize cob ensiled with 250ml WAE; T4 (MCWAE500ml): maize cob ensiled with 500ml WAE. Results indicated that ensiling, particularly with WAE, significantly altered the nutritional profile. T2 showed the highest Crude Protein (CP=5.53%), a substantial increase from the control (T1, CP=3.21%). Fiber analysis revealed that the higher WAE volume in T4 effectively reduced Crude Fibre (CF=25.37%) compared to T1 (CF=30.42%) and T3 (CF=39.87%). Mineral analysis demonstrated that WAE enrichment significantly increased key minerals; T3 had the highest Calcium (Ca=128.30 mg/100g) and Zinc (Zn=2.05 mg/100g), while T2 recorded the highest Nitrogen (N=893.50 mg/100g). Physical properties improved, with T4 exhibiting a dark brown colour and less abrasive texture deemed desirable for silage. The study concludes that ensiling maize cobs with wood ash extract, particularly at 250ml (T3), optimally enhances the mineral profile (Ca, Zn) and at 500ml (T4) reduces fiber content, converting them into a digestible, nutrient-rich, and stable feed, thereby presenting a practical method for agricultural waste recycling

This study examined the acquisition and utilization of agricultural credits by poultry farmers in edo south agroecological zone of Edo state. The specific objectives were to examine the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents in the study area, to examine the major sources and amount of agricultural credit to poultry farmers in the study area, to ascertain the uses in which the accessed credit was put into in the study area, compare production level and profitability between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of credit in the study area. Other objectives were to identify the determinant to the access and utilization to credit of poultry farmers as well as to examine the constraints faced by poultry farmers in acquiring and utilizing
agricultural credit. A three stage selection technique was employed in this study. Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were obtained through the use of
structured questionnaire administered through interview schedule to one hundred and twenty (120) randomly selected respondents from the study area and ninety-six (96) were retrieved for analysis. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis and students' t-test. Results from the descriptive statistic showed that majority of the respondents were male (65.6%), and large percentage were married (53.1%). The mean age and mean household size were 42.0 years and 4.5 members respectively. The result also showed 95.9% of the respondents had between primary to tertiary education, while about 4.1% had no formal education. The result also
showed that majority (79.1%) of poultry farmers had other source of income. The result showed that 93.8% of the poultry farmers in the study area had years of experience between 0 to 10 years. The results showed that minority (31.3%) of the poultry farmers in the study have benefitted from agricultural credit at an average amount of N159,166.67, mostly from cooperatives and that credit acquired was used for agricultural production activities with feed being the most
utilized for at 63.5% with a mean amount of N109,600.00. The credit utilized had significant effect (difference is at a level of 5% using the t-test) on the production level and profitability of the beneficiaries. Result from the multiple regression analysis revealed that age, education level and marital status were significant predictors of farmers to acquire agricultural credit. The problems encountered by the farmers in acquiring credit included high interest rates, lack of collateral and demand for guarantor amongst others. The significance of acquired credit on the production level and profitability of beneficiaries of credits further reveals its importance in the production activities of small scale farmers and as such efforts should be made by the
government and non-institutional sources to ensure that rural farmers have access to adequate credit facilities in order to increase their farm income.

Fish seed production is a fundamental aspect of aquaculture, ensuring the continuous supply of high-quality fish seeds for commercial and subsistence fish farming. This study examined the fish seed production practices in Ovia North-East and Ovia South-West local government areas of Edo State, Nigeria. The objectives were to assess the socio-economic characteristics of fish seed producers, evaluate their management practices, analyze production output, and identify constraints affecting fish production in the study area. The non-probability chain referral sampling procedure was employed, with data collected from 100 fish hatchery operators using structured questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using S.P.S.S Version 15.0, and presented using descriptive statistics, including tables, charts, and percentages. The findings revealed that fish seed production is largely undertaken by middle-aged (51.9%), experienced (40.5%), and predominantly male operators (94.9%). Also, Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus bidorsalis (97.5%) were predominant species bred in hatcheries. Water quality management was a key concern, as many operators relied on basic flow-through systems (73.2%) and oxygenation methods (25.6%) to maintain optimal conditions. Broodstock reuse was common, with most operators (89.7%) allowing a recovery period of 3 – 4 months before reuse. The study identified poor water quality leading to fry mortality (55.7%), financial constraints (27.9%), feed availability and cost (13.9%), and theft (2.5%) as the major challenges faced by hatchery operators. Based on the findings, the study recommends enhanced training programs, targeted funding schemes, better water quality management strategies, and security measures to enhance efficiency and overall productivity of fish seeds in the study area. Also, further studies should be carried out on other aspects of the fish seed production value chain to enable a comprehensive understanding of the fish seed production in the study area.

This study investigated the growth performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus ) fry raised with a commercial feed (Coppens) and a farm made feed. Three treatments were used with three replicates per treatment. A total of 1800 fry were obtained and the experiment was conducted for a period of four weeks using experimental plastic bowls, with 200 fry per bowl. The water quality parameters (Temperature, pH, Ammonia content, Dissolved oxygen) were recorded and were within acceptable range. The effects of different diets on specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate (SR) and feed utilization were determined. Among the various experimental feeds, Treatment 1(Coppens) produced a better result compared to the others in terms of weight gained and specific growth rate. The lowest growth performance was with fry in Treatment II (Fry fed farm made feed). Estimated cost of feeding was higher in farm made feed and combined feed (N5,260), with lowest values occurring in fry fed with it Coppens (N4,600). During the experiment Coppens performed better than the other experimental feeds, it showed a higher survival rate and low pollution level. It also showed a better feed
utilization and the highest performance index..

The catfish industry in Nigeria faces significant challenges including high production cost, low productivity, and limited profitability. Despite its potential, the industry has not fully explored the use of concrete pond for catfish production which could improve efficiency and reduce costs. This study investigated the socio-economic characteristics, profitability, and technical and allocative efficiency of concrete pond catfish production in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, and identified key constraints faced by farmers. Data were collected from 113 concrete pond catfish farmers and analyzed using descriptive statistics, net profit analysis, and the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) model.

The soil is a major habitat for snails and a medium for crops to grow, but it is
sometimes limited in the required nutrient needed by crops for optimum growth. This study investigated the most effective soil fertility management practices that are harmless to the snails and that are needed by snail-friendly crops: plantain, banana, pawpaw, sweet potato, waterleaf and cocoyam to grow to their maximum potentials in a screen house system. These different practices were: cover cropping, weeding and mulching. The implementation of these practices at the right time and in the right proportion, enhances the performance of the crops which are important to the snails as source of nutrition, environment enrichment, shell formation and reproduction. The data collected were plant height, number of leaves, greenness of leaves, clutch size, incubation and hatching. The results demonstrated that good soil fertility management
enhances the performance of both the crops and the snails.

This study was conducted to assess the tolerance of maize genotypes from northwest, Nigeria in order to screen for the genotypes that could withstand waterlogging stress. The experiment was carried out in a screen house of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Nigeria. There were 6 genotypes from (Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto) states tested for waterlogging stress at 4 weeks after planting. There were three replications
The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD). Data were collected from 2 weeks after planting till 10 weeks. Key parameters measured included plant height, left length, leaf breath, number of leaves, chlorotic leaves and number of dead leaves. At the end of the experiment, few replications of Sokoto accession survived the
waterlogging stress but due to the high temperature of the screen at the time, the replications could not set seed. Overall, this study provided valuable insights into maize responses to waterlogging stress, which would aid breeding programme where genotypes that can be used for developing resilient maize varieties with improved tolerance to
waterlogging were identified.

This study investigated the chemical composition and some mineral properties of maize cobs ensiled with wood ash extract fortified with molasses. The study aimed to determine the effect of soaking durations and additive combination on the proximate and mineral composition of maize cob silage. Six treatments were used, comprising ordinary dried ground maize cobs (control), maize soaked in only water, maize soaked in 500 ml of wood ash for three days, maize soaked in 500 ml of wood ash for seven days, maize soaked in 500 ml of wood ash and molasses for three days, and maize soaked in 500 ml of wood ash and molasses for seven days. Samples of these differently treated maize cobs were analyzed for moisture content, dry matter content, crude protein, crude fat, ash, crude fiber, carbohydrate, and selected minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, and sodium. The results showed that the inclusion of wood ash extract and molasses, as well as prolonged soaking duration, had significant effects (p < 0.05) on the chemical and mineral composition of the maize cob silage. Moisture, ash, and mineral contents increased with the addition of wood ash extract and molasses, while crude protein, fat, and carbohydrate showed slight decreases as fermentation progressed. The highest ash (6.53%), calcium (188.30 mg/100g), potassium (578.10 mg/100g), and sodium (99.91 mg/100g) contents were recorded in maize soaked in 500 ml wood ash and molasses for seven days, while the control recorded the least mineral enrichment.