Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research

Fertilization and Soil Fertility Management under Citrus Cultivation: A Global Review with Special Emphasis on Côte d'Ivoire

Kouame Konan, Kassi Koffi Fernand Jean-Martial — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Citrus is among the most widely cultivated fruit crops in the world, occupying diverse pedoclimatic zones ranging from Mediterranean and subtropical regions to humid and sub-humid tropical belts. Sustained productivity in citrus orchards depends heavily on balanced fertilization and sound soil fertility management, given the crop's substantial and continuous nutrient demand, its perennial rooting habit, and its sensitivity to soil acidity, salinity and micronutrient imbalance. This review synthesises the global literature on nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, secondary and micronutrient management in citrus, alongside organic and biological approaches such as composting, biochar amendment, arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation and cover cropping, and examines precision diagnostic tools including leaf and soil critical nutrient levels. Particular attention is given to the constraints of acidic, weathered tropical soils typical of West Africa, and the review draws together the sparse but growing evidence on citrus and associated tree-crop nutrient management in Côte d'Ivoire, situating it within the broader framework of integrated soil fertility management developed for sub-Saharan African smallholder systems. The review finds that while nutrient physiology and diagnostic thresholds are increasingly well characterised in major producing countries such as Brazil, China and the United States, citrus-specific agronomic research remains scarce in West Africa generally and in Côte d'Ivoire specifically, where citrus is grown predominantly as a secondary or shade crop within cocoa- and food-crop-dominated farming systems. Evidence from related tree crops and vegetable systems in the country indicates widespread soil fertility decline, limited fertilizer access and near-absence of leaf or soil diagnostic practice among smallholders. The review concludes by outlining priority research and extension needs for translating global citrus nutrition science into locally adapted, integrated fertility management recommendations for Ivorian growers.

Artificial Intelligence Applications in Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Critical Review of Evidence, Implementation and Responsible Innovation

Sonny Gad Attipoe — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Climate-smart agriculture seeks to increase agricultural productivity and livelihoods, strengthen adaptation and resilience, and reduce or remove greenhouse-gas emissions where feasible. Artificial intelligence is increasingly presented as a means of operationalising these aims through prediction, diagnosis, optimisation and automation. Yet the literature is fragmented across agronomy, remote sensing, engineering, computer science and rural social science, and technical accuracy is often treated as a proxy for climate-smart impact. This critical narrative review evaluates how artificial intelligence contributes to climate-smart agriculture, where the evidence is strongest, and which methodological and institutional constraints limit reliable translation. Publicly accessible scholarly indexes, repositories and verified DOI records were searched for literature published from 2010 to 30 May 2026, with selected foundational studies included. Evidence was synthesised across sensing infrastructures, yield and climate-risk prediction, crop and livestock health, irrigation and nutrient management, soil and carbon assessment, robotics, decision support, and governance. The evidence is strongest for well-bounded perception and prediction tasks with abundant labelled data, including image-based disease recognition, crop mapping and some yield-estimation applications. Confidence weakens when models are transferred across seasons, regions, cultivars and management systems, or when claimed benefits depend on unmeasured behavioural, economic or environmental responses. Many studies rely on random data splits, narrow benchmark datasets and retrospective accuracy metrics, while relatively few establish causal effects on water use, emissions, profitability, resilience or distributional outcomes. Hybrid approaches that combine process knowledge, spatially structured validation, uncertainty communication and human oversight are more defensible than unconstrained black-box deployment. Artificial intelligence can therefore support climate-smart agriculture, but it is not inherently climate-smart. Its contribution depends on data representativeness, agronomic validity, energy and material costs, interoperability, farmer agency, accountable governance and evaluation against all three climate-smart objectives. Future progress requires multi-location prospective trials, transparent reporting, locally governed data infrastructures and outcome-based assessment that treats equity and ecological effects as core performance criteria.

Impact of Germination Time on Nutritional Composition and Antinutritional Factors of Quality Protein Maize (QPM) (SAMMAZ 35)

T. K. Adebayo, A. S. Daramola, I. A. Abdulraheem, M. C. Ibrahim, K. A. Jimoh — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study evaluated the influence of germination time on the nutritional, functional, mineral, antinutritional, antioxidant, and vitamin properties of quality protein maize (QPM; SAMMAZ 35) flour. QPM grains were germinated for 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 days, dried, milled, and analysed using standard procedures. Germination significantly affected all measured attributes (p < 0.05). Moisture and protein contents increased from 7.79% and 8.46% in ungerminated flour to maxima of 9.35% and 10.71%, respectively, after 6 days. Fat content increased progressively to 9.51% after 8 days, whereas ash and crude fibre decreased to 2.74% and 1.03%, respectively. Water absorption capacity and solubility index peaked after 6 days at 3.95 g/mL and 10.21%, while oil absorption capacity and swelling power reached 2.13 g/mL and 12.67 g/mL after 8 days. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc increased throughout germination, reaching 24.90, 51.24, 32.58, 0.78, and 1.07 mg/100 g, respectively, after 8 days. Oxalate, phytate, tannin, and saponin decreased to 4.23, 5.88, 22.39, and 6.97 mg/100 g. DPPH activity was highest after 8 days, whereas ABTS activity declined with germination. Vitamins B12, C, D, and E generally increased, while vitamin A initially decreased and subsequently recovered. Overall, the preferred germination duration depends on the targeted flour property.

Performance Evaluation of Improved Motorised Dry Locust Bean (Parkia biglobosa) Seed Depulping Machine

M. K. Bello, B. N. Atsumbe, J. A. Oyedokun, O. W. Adelere, O. A. Ogunjirin — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seed processing involves the removal of pulp before further handling for traditional condiments such as iru and dawadawa. Conventional wet depulping is labour-intensive and requires considerable quantities of water, creating practical and hygienic limitations for small-scale processors. This study evaluated the performance of an improved motorised dry locust bean seed depulping machine designed to remove pulp without water use. The machine comprises a feed hopper, depulping chamber, cleaning chamber, rotating shaft fitted with a wire wheel brush, pulley-belt transmission system, and a 1.5 hp petrol engine. Performance evaluation was conducted using dried locust bean seeds with an average moisture content of 9.29%. The measured parameters were depulping efficiency, cleaning efficiency, throughput capacity, depulping time, cleaning time, and operating speed. The machine was tested at sample masses of 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 kg, with operating speeds ranging from 594 to 1290 rpm. The results showed a depulping efficiency of 100% for all test runs, while cleaning efficiency ranged from 91.63% to 94.36%. The throughput capacity ranged from 12.28 to 14.29 kg/hr, with an average value of 13.13 kg/hr. No seed breakage was reported during depulping. These results indicate that the machine can support water-free depulping with reduced processing time and labour demand for small- and medium-scale locust bean processing.

Effect of Different Mulch Materials and Fruit Thinning on Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Rock Melon

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Optimising mulch type and fruit load is essential for improving the productivity and fruit quality of rock melon (Cucumis melo L.). However, information on the combined effects of different mulch materials and fruit thinning levels under the agro-ecological conditions of Bangladesh is limited. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of different mulch materials and fruit thinning levels on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of rock melon. The experiment was conducted using a two-factor randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, comprising four mulch treatments (no mulch, black polythene, silver-black polythene, and rice straw) and three fruit-thinning levels (no thinning, one fruit per plant, and two fruits per plant). Data were analysed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were separated using at the 5% probability level. Both mulch materials and fruit thinning significantly affected flowering, fruit yield, and quality traits. Silver-black polythene mulch promoted flowering and improved fruit quality, producing the highest average fruit weight (621.70 g), fruit yield (10.04 t ha⁻¹), total soluble solids (14.36 °Brix), and vitamin C content (33.39 mg 100 g⁻¹). Retaining two fruits per plant resulted in the highest fruit yield (11.16 t ha⁻¹) and improved fruit quality compared with the other thinning treatments. A significant interaction between mulch materials and fruit thinning was observed, with silver-black polythene mulch combined with two fruits per plant producing the highest fruit yield (13.90 t ha⁻¹), average fruit weight (695.00 g), total soluble solids (15.57 °Brix), and vitamin C content (36.61 mg 100 g⁻¹). These findings indicate that integrating silver-black polythene mulch with optimum fruit thinning may improve rock melon productivity and fruit quality under Bangladeshi conditions.

Assessment of Soil and Ground Water Quality Parameters for the Advancement of Aquaculture

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study evaluated soil and groundwater quality parameters relevant to aquaculture development at Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden. Three soil samples were collected from three selected locations at a depth of 1 m, and three borehole-water samples were obtained from locations BH1, BH2, and BH3. Soil pH, organic matter, organic carbon, total alkalinity, texture, and permeability were analysed using standard methods. The water samples were analysed for temperature, pH, alkalinity, hardness, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. A weighted arithmetic water quality index was applied to assess the suitability of the groundwater for aquaculture production. Soil pH values of 5.03, 4.67, and 5.14 indicated acidic conditions at the three locations. The soils were classified as loamy sand, while the permeability assessment indicated limited suitability for pond construction. Groundwater pH values ranged from 5.15 to 5.31, and turbidity values ranged from 12 to 14 NTU. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 5 to 8 mg/L, nitrate from 0.43 to 0.55 mg/L, ammonia from 0.014 to 0.016 mg/L, and hardness from 31 to 34 mg/L. The reported water quality index values were 937.41, 865.634, and 900.73 for BH1, BH2, and BH3, respectively. Based on the reported classification, the groundwater was unsuitable for aquaculture development. The findings indicate that site-specific soil improvement and identification of alternative water sources or locations are necessary before aquaculture facilities are established.