Canadian Journal of Agriculture and Crops

Potato marketing channels in mozambique: A survey of tete province potato farmers and traders

2025-08-11T00:37:19-05:00

This study analyzes the potato marketing channels in Tete Province of Mozambique involving potato farmers and traders, to critically report the actual trend of potato marketing, by assessing mainly potato price spread and marketing channels of potato production and marketing, given that this province concentrates potato production in the country. In the province, the study primarily targeted the districts of Tsangano, Angonia, Moatize, and Tete town, focusing on farmers, who are the main suppliers of potatoes. Primary data were collected in February 2021 through a survey employing structured questionnaires administered to 453 farmers in Tsangano and Angónia, and 152 traders across ten potato markets located in Tsangano, Angónia, Moatize, and Tete town. A multistage sampling method was utilized to select the locations for data collection. Marketing margin equations were applied to identify potato marketing channels and assess the profitability of this activity. Therefore, the study identified five market channels. Hence, farmers received 100% of the consumers’ price when they sold directly to consumers, followed by 50.4% to retailers and 42.1% to wholesalers. The smallholder potato farmers attained good market prices since the breakeven price was found to be 7.6 MZM/kg, which was below the prevailing market price of 12.8 MZM/kg. This means potato farmers are not making losses under the prevailing market price; the business is profitable, and they are not exploited by potato traders. Policy recommendations that support channel 1 should be strengthened since it would assist farmers in marketing potatoes through economies of scale in Mozambique.

Thermal and growth indices of cayenne pepper (Nhsmb-F4) under optimal and limited water supply regimes

2025-08-25T04:19:09-05:00

Thermal indices are veritable tools to summarize thermal stress effects on plant growth and yield. This study assessed thermal and growth indices of screenhouse grown pepper under optimal (everyday-T1) and limited water supply regimes (3, 5 and 7 days; T2, T3 and T4 respectively). The study is a factorial experiment in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) in three replicates. The pepper specie used was Cayenne pepper. Data were collected on the soil, thermal indices: such as Growing Degree Days (GDD), growth parameters (Plant height), phenological events (Days to First Flowering - (DFFL) and Fruit yield. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of variance). Treatments means were separated using Least Significance Difference (LSD) at 95 % confidence level. Results of GDD varietal performance under T2 showed that Cayenne pepper accumulated highest GDD (784 °C/day) followed by T4 (495 °C/day) and the least value was observed under T3 (452 °C/day). The GDD values under T2, T3 and T4 were not significantly different (p>0.05) from those obtained under optimal water supply regime (T1). Cayenne pepper plant height under T2 was consistently higher than those under T3 and T4. Phenologically, Cayenne pepper under T3 showed the shortest DFFL. The yield of T2 and T3 were in order of Cayenne pepper (46 and 34 g/pot). The study concluded that, cultivation of Cayenne pepper adapted well to limited water supply regimes of 3, 5 and 7 days without negative effects on the growth and yield in the screenhouse.

Seed treatment with phytosanitary products and interaction with pre-inoculation in soybean

2025-09-02T04:57:22-05:00

Pre-inoculation offers logistical advantages for soybean cultivation by eliminating on-farm inoculation, but little is known about its interaction with phytosanitary products. This study evaluated the effect of seed treatment with pesticides combined with pre-inoculation performed 10 days before sowing, without bacterial protectant, on soybean nodulation and yield. Field trials were conducted in six locations in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul states using a randomized block design with five treatments: (1) absolute control (no inoculation or nitrogen fertilization); (2) mineral nitrogen control (200 kg N ha^-1); (3) standard inoculation with Bradyrhizobium spp. at sowing; (4) pre-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum + insecticides (imidacloprid + thiodicarb); and (5) pre-inoculation with B. japonicum + fungicide (fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M) + insecticide (thiamethoxam). Parameters assessed included nodulation, plant biomass, nitrogen accumulation in shoots and grains, and yield. Pre-inoculation with pesticides promoted nodulation and productivity comparable or superior to standard inoculation. Across all sites, pre-inoculated treatments outperformed the absolute control, and in most sites they also surpassed mineral nitrogen fertilization. The results demonstrate that pre-inoculation carried out 10 days before sowing, in combination with chemical seed treatment, is an effective strategy to enhance nodulation and yield in soybean cultivation.

Management approaches on maize (Zea Mays L.) Growth and yield using mesotrion and atrazine herbicides

2025-10-07T06:12:10-05:00

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital staple crop worldwide, but its productivity is often constrained by weed competition, particularly during early growth stages. This study evaluated the effectiveness of different weed management strategies using Mesotrione and Atrazine herbicides in combination with manual weeding across three maize varieties (MMRI Yellow, Pearl White, and Afghoiy). The experiment was conducted in summer 2019 under a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and five weed control treatments. Parameters recorded included weed density, biomass, plant height, ear height, stem diameter, leaf area, biological yield, and grain yield. Results indicated that both herbicide application and hand weeding significantly reduced weed density and biomass compared to untreated plots. The highest biological yield (18.28 t ha⁻¹) and grain yield (4.03 t ha⁻¹) were achieved with the recommended dose of Xiaowang (1X), which performed similarly to hand weeding. Moreover, a half dose of Xiaowang (½X) proved cost-effective while still delivering substantial weed suppression and yield improvements. These findings highlight the potential of integrated weed management strategies, where reduced herbicide doses combined with manual weeding can improve maize productivity while minimizing environmental and economic costs. The study suggests that herbicides, particularly at lower doses, can serve as an efficient and sustainable alternative to labor-intensive manual weeding in large-scale maize production systems.