Plants

The term cocoyams is used to refer collectively to members of the genus Colocasia and the genus Xanthosoma which are grown for food in many parts of Africa, especially the wetter parts. They are grown in small plots, often inter cropped with food food or cash crops. They are volunteer crops in many places and … Read more COCOYAMS (Colocasia esculenta (L.), Schott (Taro) (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.), Schott (Tannia)

Potato is a temperature crop which is being increasingly cultivated in the tropics in areas with high elevations and cool temperatures. It is referred to as Irish potato to differentiate it from the sweet potato though it did not originate from Ireland. It is regarded as a valuable vegetable and generally highly priced compared with … Read more IRISH POTATO (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Yams are grown throughout the wetter parts of the tropics. They are climbing monocotyledonous plants with opposite or alternate leaves and they produce large storage tubers. Yams are obtained from several species of the genus Dioscorea, a very large genus with about 600 tropical or subtropical species of which only a few are grown for … Read more YAMS (Dioscorea spp.) Family: Dioscoreaceae

Cassava is the major source of dietary energy for low-income consumers in many parts of tropical Africa. It has become the most important food crop of tropical Africa and had been aptly described as the ‘staff of life’. It is also known as Manioc or Tapioca.   Origin Cassava originated in parts of central and … Read more CASSAVA (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Pigeon pea is one of the most heat and drought resistant legumes as its root oils deep and extensive. India is the leading producers, accounting for about 90% of the total world population. It is an important legume of East Africa but not so important in West Africa. It’s lack of acceptance is due to … Read more PIGEON PEA (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp)

Soyabean is a crop that has great potentials as a source of inexpensive protein in human diets and many valuable use. It is fairly new crop in West Africa and has not been quite incorporated into the traditional foods of the people. Research efforts on the crop have been limited due to rapid loss of … Read more SOYABEAN (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Groundnut is also called peanut and can be grown as a grain legume as well as oil seed crop. It has the highest oil content (44-50% oil) among tropical grain legumes. It is a major cash crop, which is widely grown in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Africa, where 20% is … Read more GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Wheat is a temperate crop but is grown on a large scale in a sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world. Africa is however not important for wheat production. Origin Wheat is of Asian origin in areas around southern Turkey, Iraq and adjacent territories of Syria and Iran. The cultivation of wheat spread from its … Read more WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.)

There are many species of millet but the most important is Pennisetum typhoides which is known as Bulrush or Pearl millet. Among cereals, it is the crop of the driest region. It is very drought resistant and gives reasonable yields in infertile sandy soils, which would be unsuitable for other important cereal. The total production of … Read more MILLET (Pennisetum typhoides Burn .f.)

Blast Blast is caused by the fungus, Piricularia Oryzae. It is one of the most common and serious diseases of rice. It can attack the plant at all stages. if the plants are attacked in the early stages, the grains do not fill. High relative humidity (more than 90%) and high nitrogen application favor its … Read more Rice Diseases and How to Prevent/Control it for Higher Yield Advantage

Maize is also known as ‘Indian corn’ or simply ‘corn’. It is perhaps the most completely domesticated of all arable crops. It is widely grown because it is able to adapt to different ecological conditions. In some parts of Africa, especially, Nigeria, it constitutes the basic food of most states where sorghum and millet have … Read more MAIZE (Sea mays L.) Family: Poaceae

Most of the important diseases of maize are foliar and the more common ones are rusts, leaf blights, leaf spots, brown spots, downy mildew and maize streak virus (MSV). Most of these diseases are prevalent on maize in the humid coastal and rainforest areas if the tropics and are less troublesome in the drier areas … Read more Maize Diseases and Control Measures

LEGUME CROPS The grain legumes are members of the family Fabaceae (sub family Papilionoideae). They are mainly herbaceous plants although some are shrubs. They possess stems or vines that are upright, semi-prostrate or prostrate. They possess a taproot system with laterals. Many species of legumes have nodules in their roots containing bacteria which have the … Read more The Properties of Legume Crops