Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International

Assessing the Economic Impact of Climate Change on Cocoa Production in Osun State, Nigeria

F. S. Omotayo, F. F. Akinola, M. O. Lasisi — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Nigeria ranked among the world's four leading cocoa producers in 2021, with estimated output of between 250,000 and 300,000 metric tonnes, which contributed significantly to the country's non-oil export earnings. The southern states of Ondo, Cross River, Osun, Ekiti, Edo and Oyo are the main production areas. However, the sector has faced challenges such as low productivity, ageing trees and declining yields relative to those of regional peers. Among the effects of climate change experienced by Nigerian cocoa farmers are irregular rainfall, prolonged dry periods and greater pest and disease pressure on cocoa trees. These pressures have contributed to lower yields and deterioration in bean quality. Multiple linear regression was employed to identify climatic variables showing significant associations with cocoa yield. To investigate climate-related changes in cocoa production in the study area, downscaled outputs from six global circulation models (GCMs) were used. Climate and crop-yield simulations covered three periods: 1976–2005 (historical), 2021–2050 (mid-term) and 2071–2100 (long-term), under the RCP 4.5 emissions scenario. Fig. 5 illustrates the projected future changes in cocoa yield under RCP 4.5. For the study area, the GCM ensemble indicated annual yield reductions of 13,696 tonnes/year by 2050 and 20,004 tonnes/year by 2100. If these ensemble projections materialise, the resulting losses are estimated at approximately US$60,947,200 in 2050 and US$89,017,800 in 2100, respectively, on the assumption of a cocoa price of US$4,450 per tonne. Farmers should implement effective adaptation measures to limit the effects of future climate change on cocoa yield, with necessary inputs, including fungicides and pesticides, supplied to control cocoa black pod disease.

Assessment of Water Quality of the Gomti River in Sultanpur District during the Post-Monsoon Season

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study characterises reported physicochemical water-quality measurements at five Gomti River locations in Sultanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, during a post-monsoon sampling period. At Kudwar, Gola, Dhobi, Papar and Dhopap Ghats, pH ranged from 8.39 to 8.78, electrical conductivity from 537.4 to 575.4 µS/cm, total dissolved solids from 263.2 to 278.0 mg/L, hardness from 354 to 380 mg/L and alkalinity from 303 to 330 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 10.16 to 12.40 mg/L, five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) from 6.88 to 8.48 mg/L, and chemical oxygen demand from 43.2 to 62.4 mg/L. All five BOD₅ values exceeded the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Class B criterion of 3 mg/L; pH exceeded 8.5 at two stations. Phosphate ranged from 1.91 to 14.51 mg/L, but its analytical reporting basis is not sufficiently documented for quantitative interpretation alongside phosphorus. The observations support a preliminary site-level description, not assignment of drinking-water suitability, long-term bathing-water classification or pollution-source attribution. Interpretation is constrained by unavailable sampling dates and replication information and unresolved quality-control questions concerning dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide and phosphorus reporting.

Effects of Different Growth Regulators on the Physicochemical Quality and Short-Term Storage Characteristics of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An experiment was performed in 2024-25 at K.L. Chadha Farm, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, to evaluate the impact of exogenous growth regulators on physico-chemical properties and shelf-life of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn. Nine combinations of salicylic acid (2.0 and 4.0 mM), triacontanol (5 and 10 μM), ascorbic acid (50 and 100 ppm), humic acid (0.2 and 0.4%), and control were investigated in a randomized block design having three replications. Application of growth regulators significantly affected the quality and storage performance of fruits. The highest juice content (68.14%), total soluble solids (9.13 °Brix), TSS:acid ratio (18.26), total sugars (9.83%), reducing sugars (5.62%), non-reducing sugars (4.21%), pectin (0.89%), ascorbic acid (38.67 mg 100 g⁻¹ pulp) and anthocyanin content (54.51 mg 100 g⁻¹) were recorded in humic acid at 0.4%, while the lowest acidity (0.47%) was observed. In storage, TSS increased in all the treatments, where the maximum TSS (12.63 °Brix) was recorded for humic acid at 0.4% within 48 h, while the minimum was 11.60 °Brix in control treatment. There was progressive increase in weight loss and spoilage in physiological loss, but their rates were considerably lower for growth regulators treated fruits. Humic acid at 0.4% produced the lowest rate of physiological weight loss (2.24%) and spoilage (4.58%) at 48 hours when compared to 20.25% and 48.48% in control, respectively. Therefore, pre-harvest treatment with 0.4% of humic acid proved to be most efficient in the maintenance of physicochemical quality and shelf life of strawberries cv. Winter Dawn.

Bio-intensive and Chemical Management Strategies for Leaf Blight in Maize (Zea mays L.)

K. Lakshmana, M. Swathi, K. Tejeswara Rao, M. M. V. Srinivasa Rao — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Leaf blight is an important constraint to maize production in the rainfed farming systems of Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh. This study compared farmer's practice, conventional chemical management and an integrated bio-intensive management module through on-farm trials conducted during the Kharif seasons of 2024 and 2025 in Badangi mandal. The conventional module involved Mancozeb seed treatment and foliar application, whereas the integrated module combined seed treatment with Trichoderma viride at 6 g/kg seed and foliar application of azoxystrobin 11% + tebuconazole 18.3% SC at 1 ml/L water. Disease levels, grain yields and economic returns were assessed across three participating farms in 2024 and four in 2025. The integrated module recorded mean leaf blight indices of 1.50% in 2024 and 1.03% in 2025, compared with 3.17% and 3.25%, respectively, under conventional chemical management. The corresponding reported grain yields were 6,125 and 6,006 kg/ha, representing increases of 32.78% and 33.82% over farmer's practice. The integrated treatment also recorded the highest net returns in each season, at ₹78,985/ha in 2024 and ₹77,152/ha in 2025. These findings indicate that the combined management package was associated with lower reported leaf blight levels, higher grain yields and improved net returns under the evaluated on-farm conditions. Further validation is needed before wider recommendations can be made.

Integrated Approaches to Soybean Seed Health Management: Effects of Bio-agents, Fungicides, and Hot-Water Treatment

Suresh Kumar Sahu — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seed health and seedling vigour are important determinants of successful crop establishment. The present study evaluated biological and chemical seed treatments for improving seedling vigour and assessed hot-water treatment for reducing seed-associated mycoflora in six soybean varieties. Five biological agents, namely Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis, and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and six fungicides were evaluated under pot conditions. Seedling vigour index was assessed 21 days after sowing. Hot-water treatment at 50°C for 10 min was evaluated using the blotter method, with fungal growth and germination assessed after incubation. Among the biological agents, Trichoderma viride recorded the highest mean increase in seedling vigour index over the untreated control (61.31%), followed by Trichoderma harzianum (57.85%). Among the fungicides, copper hydroxide produced the highest mean increase (52.98%), followed by copper oxychloride (47.25%). Treatment responses varied among soybean varieties, indicating differences in treatment compatibility. Hot-water treatment reduced the reported cumulative frequency of seed-associated mycoflora from 586.86 to 366.57, representing a numerical reduction of 37.54%. CG Soya-1 recorded the highest germination after hot-water treatment (90.00%) and the lowest reported fungal frequency (46.65). These findings identify promising seed-treatment approaches for improving soybean seedling vigour and seed health under the experimental conditions.

Mechanization and Agronomic Approaches for Reducing Farm Drudgery and Labour Requirement in Agriculture: A Critical Narrative Review

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Agricultural work remains physically demanding and strongly seasonal in many production systems, while labour scarcity, rising wages, ageing farm populations, and competing non-farm employment are increasing pressure to complete operations with less human effort. This critical narrative review evaluates how mechanization and agronomic redesign can reduce farm drudgery and labour requirement without assuming that labour saved at an individual task is equivalent to labour displaced from agriculture. Literature published from 1 January 1990 to 6 August 2026 was identified through accessible scholarly databases and indexes, supplemented by citation searching and authoritative institutional sources. Evidence was appraised for study design, measurement of labour and ergonomic outcomes, external validity, treatment of confounding, duration, and attention to gender, safety, and implementation conditions. The strongest evidence indicates that mechanization can markedly reduce time and physiological burden in power-intensive and repetitive operations, but whole-farm labour effects vary because mechanization also changes cultivated area, input intensity, timeliness, and the allocation of family and hired labour. Ergonomic hand tools and scale-appropriate machines are especially important where capital-intensive mechanization is infeasible. Agronomic approaches such as zero or reduced tillage and direct-seeded rice can remove labour-intensive operations, yet their labour-saving value is conditional on weed control, crop establishment, residue management, and access to compatible equipment. Conservation agriculture illustrates this conditionality: manual planting basins or increased hand weeding can offset labour savings, whereas mechanized establishment and effective weed management can reduce peak labour demand. Gendered task allocation, machinery access, custom hiring services, occupational safety, and rural employment transitions determine who benefits and who bears adjustment costs. Robotics and autonomous equipment may address labour shortages in selected systems, but economic feasibility, field reliability, supervision, and human-machine safety remain important constraints. The review concludes that drudgery reduction is best pursued through integrated mechanization-agronomy packages evaluated with task-specific ergonomic measures and whole-household, whole-season labour accounting.

Carbon Credits in Agriculture for Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects in Northeast India: A Critical Narrative Review

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Agricultural carbon markets are increasingly proposed as instruments for financing greenhouse gas mitigation while supporting climate-resilient rural livelihoods. Their relevance to Northeast India is complicated by steep ecological gradients, flood-prone valleys, shifting-cultivation mosaics, community-governed forests and uneven access to measurement and market institutions. This critical narrative review examines whether locally plausible mitigation pathways can be translated into additional, durable and equitably distributed carbon credits, and distinguishes measured ecosystem carbon stocks from verifiable emission reductions or removals. Peer-reviewed studies and authoritative institutional records published up to 23 August 2026 were critically examined across agronomy, soil science, forest ecology, governance and environmental economics. Regional field studies indicate substantial variation in biomass recovery, soil carbon and agroforestry performance, but predominantly use cross-sectional comparisons or chronosequences that cannot independently establish project-level additionality. International evidence shows that sampling depth, counterfactual choice, climatic variability, leakage and reversal can materially distort credit estimates. Indian field evidence raises concerns about inclusion, payment timing and continued practice adoption. As documented in the national approved-methodology list updated in July 2026, the agriculture-specific method under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme concerns methane recovery from livestock and manure management; it does not establish immediate eligibility for ordinary soil-carbon or upland agroforestry activities. The review proposes a tiered pathway linking locally legitimate land rights and baseline evidence to conservative monitoring, independent verification and transparent benefit-sharing. For the region, restoration and low-emission agriculture may offer genuine mitigation and adaptation gains, but creditable outcomes remain conditional on methodology eligibility, reliable counterfactuals, transaction economics and community consent. Better carbon data alone will not resolve institutional and distributive risks.