Search

Vegetables are crucial for a healthy diet; however, when not washed properly, they can act as carriers of protozoa cysts and helminth eggs/larvae, posing a risk of transmission. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of parasitic contamination of fluted pumpkin promoted by inadequate handling conditions in Delta State, Nigeria. Samples of Telfairia occidentalis (fluted pumpkin vegetables) were collected from Effurun town and Otokutu local markets in washed and unwashed conditions and examined for parasitic contamination. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on the socio-economic factors associated with parasitic contaminations on vegetables. The vegetable samples were examined using the simple sedimentation concentration method. The educational status of the vendors was ascertained, and 75% of the vendors had secondary school education, while 25% had primary school education. Four hundred seventyeight parasitic contaminants were recovered from the 48 vegetables samples. The species and stages of parasites detected were Trichuris spp, Moniezia spp, Enterobius vermicularis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides spp, Hookworm eggs, Strongyle eggs Strongyloides stercoralis larvae, Schistostoma spp, Platynosomum fastosum and Eimeria spp. Fifty per cent (50%) of the produce was not washed, while 50% of the produce was washed before displaying by the retailers. The result from the paired t-test revealed a significant difference (p<0.05) in total parasitic contamination between washed and unwashed vegetable samples from both Effurun and Otokutu markets. This study showed that handling conditions of washing and the environment where vegetables are sold can influence the amount of parasitic load. Therefore, adequate washing and proper handling of raw edible vegetables before consumption are recommended. The government must create awareness and educate vegetable vendors about the importance of proper handling and hygiene, as they can play a major role in mitigating public health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumpkin, a member of the Cucurbitaceae plant family is an underutilized crop in Nigeria. This plant requires minimal agronomic input to produce optimal yield and it is drought tolerant. However, due to preservation, the fruit does not remain biochemically the same. What happens to squash stored for months after harvesting at room temperature needs to be examined from nutritional point of view. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the effects of storage at ambient temperature and relative humidity on selected vitamins (A, C, and E), and the proximate (crude protein, crude fiber, crude ash, and carbohydrate) in the green and orange morphotypes of pumpkin fruit. Pumpkins harvested in 2015 were stored for 4 months (January to April) and nutritional parameters evaluated monthly using standard assays. The results showed that the vitamin A content did not change significantly (P<0.05) over the storage period and morphotypes while the vitamin C and vitamin E contents decreased by 15% and 18%, respectively, when comparing the 1st and 4th months of storage. Crude protein and fat content decreased significantly over the storage period. However, crude fiber and ash increased in storage time. Except for crude fiber, the two morphotypes behaved similarly over the storage period. Remarkably, vitamin A concentrations in squash did not change after harvest, and some of the nutrients studied were not significantly affected during the first 4 months of storage. This information is especially important for people in rural areas limited in modern ways of storing fruit vegetable after harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the magnitude and factors influencing agricultural income diversification among small-scale fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) farmers in Akwa Ibom State in the south-south region of Nigeria. The required information was collected from Telfairia farmers using a structured questionnaire. A regression analysis tool was used to analyse the specific objective. The finding revealed an average farm income diversification index of 2.29 suggesting that agricultural income diversification among small-scale Telfairia farmers is high and disturbing. The empirical results revealed that farmers' household size, hired labour, and educational qualification are the major “push factors” of agricultural income diversification. In contrast, “the pull factors” are farmers' age, extension visit, membership in a social group, land size, the quantity of fertilizer and manure, and household labour. To intensify farm income earnings among smallscale vegetable farmers, it is recommended that the government should encourage child spacing and family planning among fluted pumpkin farmers as these would reduce the household size and family burden always carried along with agricultural expenditures. Providing input subsidies to small-scale vegetable farmers is important to cushion the adverse effect of increased production costs. Agricultural extension services should be strengthened to render more effective services to vegetable farmers. The formation of social groups should be encouraged, primarily through cooperative farming. The government of Akwa Ibom State should set up tractor hiring centres in all the local government areas; these would help reduce the hard time vegetable farmers encounter hiring labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) is an underutilized indigenous leafy vegetable with enormous prospects for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, relatively little is known about genetic relationships and population structure in the species. In this study, 32 landraces of fluted pumpkin collected across three southern geographical regions in Nigeria were assessed for genetic diversity and population structure using 8 start codon-targeted (SCoT) makers. The polymorphic information content of the SCoT markers ranged from 0.48 in SCoT36 to 0.94 in SCoT28, with an average of 0.77. Hierarchical cluster dendrogram based on Ward's method and principal component analysis grouped the landraces into four clusters without affiliation to provenance. Overall, the mean values of the population genetic diversity parameters – Nei's gene diversity (H) and Shannon's information index (I) showed values of 0.28 ± 0.01 and 0.43 ± 0.02, respectively, implying a narrow genetic base for the landraces. The result was further corroborated by a very close Nei's genetic distance and identity among populations of the landraces. Furthermore, the south-west population exhibited the higher genetic diversity (H = 0.31 ± 0.02 and I = 0.45 ± 0.03). Population structure analysis inferred three subpopulations for the accessions with varying degrees of allelic admixture. An analysis of molecular variance revealed that almost all the genetic variation occurred within (99%) than between (1%) populations. The findings shed light on the genetic diversity of southern Nigerian fluted pumpkin and have significant implications for the characterisation, conservation, exploitation and improvement of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the adoption of organic farming practices by fluted pumpkin vegetable farmers in Ehugu state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 84 fluted pumpkin farmers, and data were collected through structured questionnaires that passed through Cronbach's Alpha test. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS software and presented in mean, adoption index, percentages and frequency distributions. Findings indicated that majority (65.5%) of fluted pumpkin farmers regularly acquire information about organic practices through fellow farmers. A higher proportion (70.2%) and (61.9%) of the respondents affirmed that animal manure andfarmyard manure practices were some of the organic farming practices disseminated in the zone. The adoption index for all the different organic farming practices examined was 0.516, but animal manure (M=3.94) was highly used. Result also revealed that production/supply constraints, economic/market constraints, institutional/technical constraints and environmental constraints affected adoption of organic farming practices. Furthermore, promoting government policy on organic farming (M=1.58; SD=0.564), increasing extension service deliveries on organic farming (M=1.55; SD=0.589) and establishing organic producing companies to supply adequate inputs (M=1.48; SD=0.564) were the major strategies suggested by farmers that will improve the adoption of organic farming on fluted pumpkin vegetable production. Therefore, government, through the ministry of agriculture should train extension agents and fluted pumpkin vegetable farmers on effective application of organic manures on crops so as to maximize yield. Also, government should bring up policies that would promote production, marketing and consumption of organically produced fluted pumpkin vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are diverse kinds of leafy vegetables in Nigeria, fluted pumpkin is one of the most consumed. However, the high perishability of its leaves has been a source of concern, of which mild processing has been suggested in the literature as a way out. Several studies have been done on the production and profitability of fluted pumpkins. However, none exist on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for processed fluted pumpkins based on sensory/organoleptic attributes in Nigeria. This study, therefore, fills this gap by investigating consumers' perception of processed fluted pumpkin leaves, their WTP for processed fluted pumpkin leaves and the amount they are willing to pay, and the factors affecting their WTP. Data used in the study were obtained using a set of pretested structured questionnaires in an interview schedule, and it was administered to 120 consumers in Ilorin, North-central Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The logistics regression checked the factors affecting the WTP for the processed leaves. The study found evidence that consumers have a high perception of the sensory/organoleptic attributes - general acceptability, texture, colour, general appearance, and aroma - of the processed fluted pumpkin leaves; with 92.3% of them willing to pay for the processed fluted pumpkin leaves while 34.2% of the consumers were willing to pay a premium which was more than the conventional price of fresh fluted pumpkin leaves. The study also revealed that the perception of consumers about the sensory attributes of the processed pumpkins and their preferences for the processed leaves positively influence their willingness to pay. This shows that there could be a market for this product. Based on the study's findings, it is therefore recommended that further studies be carried out on processed fluted pumpkins to ascertain their suitability for scaling their production for the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the perception of farmers on the contribution of vegetables to livelihoods in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. The study identified the socio-economic characteristics of farmers in the study area, perception of the contribution of vegetables to livelihoods and identified the factors affecting vegetable farming in the study area. Multi-stage sampling techniques were adopted in selecting 126 respondents for the study. Data were collected with the aid of a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequency, mean and ranks. The result of the study showed that majority (75.4%) of the respondents were females. Most of the farmers (41.3%) were aged between 36 and 45 years. Some (44.4%) were involved in the cultivation of only vegetables and had farm holdings of 1-2 hectares. Majority had monthly income of N71,000.00 to N90,000.00. The result of the type of vegetables grown by the respondents revealed that fluted pumpkin ranked 1st (x=2.68) while Utazi ranked 9th (x=1.93). Also the result of the perception of farmers on the contribution of vegetables to livelihoods of farmers showed that vegetables contributed to the income of respondents for training as fashion designers in the study area and were generally excellent. Factors affecting contribution of vegetables to livelihoods were inadequate land, inadequate finance, pests and diseases among others. Vegetables, therefore played a very important role in the livelihoods of farmers in the study area. The study concluded that vegetables are necessary for the improvement of livelihoods of farmers in Yakurr Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical and antimicrobial screening is the extraction, analysis and identification of the bioactive components found in plants and the effects of such bio-active components against bacterial species. The analysis were conducted on three plant samples: Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter leaf), Telfairia occidentalis (Pumpkin leaf) and Ocimum gratissimum (Scent leaf). The leaf samples were collected from the Botanical Garden of the department of Biological Sciences Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria. The bacterial isolate; Staphylococcus aureus was collected from the department of Microbiology, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria. The phytochemical screening of the plant samples was conducted using standard methods, where bio-active components such as saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, glycosides, phlobatannins and steroids were screened. The antimicrobial analysis was conducted using the Nutrient agar diffusion method. The bio-active components found from the phytochemical screening were saponins, tannins, glycosides, alkaloids and flavonoids. The antimicrobial activities showed the highest zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus in Vernonia amygdalina (7.5 mm) and lowest in Ocimum gratissimum (6.0 mm). These leaf samples are good source of bio-active components which are capable of suppressing bacterial infection that cause diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased productivity and participation of farmers in the market are pertinent for improved farm incomes. Factors affecting participation for Fluted Pumpkin (Telfaria occidentalis Hook F.) are lacking. Factors influencing productivity and market participation among 200 Fluted Pumpkin farmers were examined. An ordinary least squares regression model indicated farm size, use of seed of improved varieties, and years of education, positively influenced productivity; quantity of seed and fertilizer use negatively influenced productivity. Most farmers were productive. Fluted pumpkin farmers participated in the market to a high degree. Improved participation of farmers in the market appears to be based on gender, marital status, level of education and market experience. Drivers of productivity and participation of Fluted pumpkin farmers are important for enhanced, sustainable, production, to meet increasing demand and exploring the potential as an exportable crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global emphasis on organic farming and its importance, there is limited information on the financial benefits of organic production of fluted pumpkin in Nigeria. The study examines the financial benefits of organic farming of fluted pumpkin. Primary data collected in 2018 from randomly selected 60 organic pumpkin farmers were analysed with the aid of descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The result of the study shows that the net return to farmer was N188,450 for organic fluted pumpkin production per farmer per production cycle. The test of hypothesis shows that there is significant positive difference in the gap between costs incurred and farm income earned in organic fluted pumpkin production. Factor analysis indicated that cost of labor and transportation of materials were the major determinants of profitability of organic fluted pumpkin production. Further result shows that the most serious constraints in organic production of fluted pumpkin were inadequate finance and under developed transportation system. It was recommended that financial institutions including cooperative societies should make credit available to organic fluted pumpkin farmers at relatively low interest rate to boost organic fluted pumpkin production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there has been a growing interest in medicinal plants by researchers. Telfairia occidentalis Hook F. (Fluted pumpkin) is cucurbitaceous vegetable grown in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria for its leaves and seeds. The curative properties of fluted pumpkin are popular in Nigerian folklore medicine, and several investigators have validated these therapeutic effects using animal models. The aim of this work therefore, was to review publicly available literature on the pharmacotherapeutic activities of T. occidentalis. Searches were performed on PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for related studies, with search dates set between 1990 and 2018. A total of 499 articles were retrieved and analyzed, with 38 studies ultimately retained. Studies contained in this review were carried out in Nigeria, across different locations. 13 categories of pharmacological activities for fluted pumpkin were documented after analyzing full texts of the articles retained. T. occidentalis offers myriad of healing properties that can be explored by pharmaceutical industries. As the search for potent drugs from botanical sources continues, there is need for future investigations to isolate and characterize pharmacologically active agents that confer medicinal properties on fluted pumpkin, as well as elucidate the structures of these agents and pathways by which they exert their healing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analysed factors influencing information needs of fluted pumpkin farmers in Yola North Local Government, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristic of the respondents; identify the sources of information by the respondents; evaluate the relationship between socio economic characteristics of the respondents and information utilization as well as identify the constraints faced by the respondents in the study area. Three wards were purposively selected based on their high involvement in fluted pumpkin farming, 96 commercial fluted pumpkins farmers were identified using snowballing sampling technique and were used for the study. Interview schedule was used to collect data. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result shows that most (85.4%) of the respondents were male and 35.4% were between 30-39 years with mean age of 37 while 78.2% were educated as well as cultivated average of 1.6 hectares. The distribution of the respondents by source of information revealed that 80.3% sourced their information through friends and neighbours. The result of multiple regression showed that the coefficients of gender, household size and educational status were positive and significant. The study also revealed that inadequate fund (65.6%), poor provision of extension services (47.9%), poor access of irrigation facilities (40.6%) as the most serious constraints faced by the respondents. It was concluded that fluted pumpkin farmers had formal education which enable them utilized any available knowledge as information. The study recommended that farmers growing fluted pumpkin should be sensitized on how to borrow not only for production but for the value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo Linn.) is a vegetable crop often grown without fertilizer by peasant farmers in Nigeria. With the increased pressure on land resources for other competing uses, farmers have adopted the use of fertilizers to boost crop productivity. This study was carried out for the purpose of evaluating the influence of NPK fertilizer on fruit yield and fruit yield parameters of pumpkin. The experiment was carried out under open field conditions in 2010 for two seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The farm is located on latitude 07°28'N and longitude 04°33'E about 244-m above sea level. NPK 15:15:15 compound fertilizer was applied as ring/side dressing at the rates of (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 kg/ha). The experiment was a randomized complete block design and was replicated six times. Each plot size was10 m × 12 m and consisted of 7 rows. Alley was 3 m, while the plants were spaced 2 m × 2 m. Data were taken on yield and yield parameters such as: fruit height, fruit circumference, fruit fresh weight, fruit dry matter, fruit yield, seed number and seed weight. The fresh fruit yield was 21 t/ha and 7t//ha for early and late seasons, respectively. Fruits number/ha significantly (p=0.05) increased from 7000 in control to over 10,000/ha at fertilizer rates between 100 and 250 kg NPK/ha. Fruit weight also increased from 9 to 17t/ha between control and higher fertilizer rates. Seed yield from the application at 100 to 250 kg/ha were similar and significantly better than control and 50 kg/ha NPK application. Mean seed yield between 100-250 kg NPK was 460 kg/ha. The value was 37% higher than at 50 kg NPK and 57% higher than in control. Increasing fertilizer above 100 kg NPK/ha did not significantly (p=0.05) increase the fruit yield nor the seed yield [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to analyze the heavy metal in a selected vegetable in Lagos, Nigeria. Recently matured leafy vegetable (fluted-pumpkin) from ten (10) different markets were sampled, digested using 98% nitric acid (HN03) and analyzed with the aid of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) to determine heavy metals. The mean concentration for each heavy metal in the samples gotten from each market were calculated and the comparison of these data was done amongst the ten markets, and compared with the permissible levels set by the FAO and WHO. Results showed that the levels of Cadmium and Zinc for the leafy vegetables ranged from 0.028±0.003 to 0.091±0.103; 0.348±0.317 to 0.77±0.38mg/g respectively. Lead was not detected in all the samples .The results obtained were compared with standards were found to be within safe limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentale Hook. F.) and its cultivation are gaining popularity. Profitability and resource use efficiency of fluted pumpkin production was examined using data collected from 200 farmers. A budgetary technique and ordinary least squares regression analysis were used for analysis. The enterprise had annual profit of ₦116, 891.39 ha-1 (₦ is Nigerian currency) and return on investment of 1.43, but allocation of resources was inefficient among growers. Factors affecting production were fertilizer (α0.01) and seed (α0.01). Increased amounts of seed sown and fertilizer used would improve leaf yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient allocation of resources at the individual farm level has implications for investment and employment at the national level. It is also the indicator by which success of production units are evaluated. When measured correctly, it makes it easier to separate its effect from the effects of the production environment thereby enabling the enactment of sound policies by which farm level performance could be improved. The study examined the technical and allocative efficiency of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfaira occidentalis Hook F.) producers, along with socioeconomic variables affecting their performance. A random sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents from six of 18 Local Governments in Edo State, Nigeria. A modified cost route approach was used to collect primary data from producers. Descriptive statistics, as well as a stochastic frontier production function, were used to analyze the data, and estimate the efficiency of producers. None of the producers were technically efficient, and the technical efficiency estimates varied from 0.65 to 0.82, with a mean of 0,75. There is potential to increase yield by about 25% if producers were more efficient. Producers were efficient in allocation of resources for weeding, but underutilized labor especially in harvesting. Age, educational status, and farming experience influenced level of inefficiency among producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) is an important vegetable crop in southern Nigeria. Economic factors affecting its production were examined using a modified cost-route approach to collect data from small-scale monocrop producers between November 2002 and April 2003. Regression was used to analyze the data. Fluted pumpkin production was profitable under existing production systems with an average net income of ... 33,499.75 ha-1 (about US $260 ha-1), on a mean farm size of 0.301 ha. Cost of fertilizer was the most important variable, followed by farm size, in explaining the value of pumpkin output, both of which were underutilized. To increase yield access to fertilizers should be improved and land prices need to be more affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of five different weed control methods (hoe weeding, chemical weeding and intercrop with yellow pumpkin, white pumpkin and groundnut) were compared in papaya plots at Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. The aim was to find an organic weed control method as effective as chemical weed control (DelsateR). Among the treatments, only intercropping with yellow pumpkin significantly decreased leaf area of papaya. Chemical weeding gave significantly higher fruit yield than other weed control strategies. The effects of intercropping with yellow or white pumpkin did not differ significantly. They both gave higher fruit yield than hoe weeded plots. Chemical weeding gave significantly better weed control than any of the intercrops or hoe weeding. The efficacies of intercropping or hoe weeding often did not differ significantly. Productivity of the papaya plots chemically weeded, intercropped with white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, groundnuts or hoe weeded were ...4707500, ...4094070, ...3938020, ...3744900 and ...3200000, respectively. Since productivity of papaya plots intercropped with white pumpkin was only 13% lower than that of chemically weeded plots, intercropping with white pumpkin is recommended as a suitable strategy for organic weed control in papaya plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of a virus isolated from fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) was investigated. It produced symptoms in some members of the Solanaceae and Leguminosae, and was transmitted nonpersistently by the aphid, Aphis spiraecola. On the basis of these alone, it is distinct from another previously described virus, Telfairia mosaic virus, which neither caused symptoms in members of these families nor was it transmitted by insects. Furthermore, the virus in crude sap or purified preparations reacted with antiserum to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), but not with, antisera to several common viruses in Nigeria. Electron microscopic examination revealed isometric particles of 29 ± 1 nm in diameter. These properties confirmed that the virus is an isolate of CMV, and closely resembles the Y-strain in causing systemic mosaic symptoms in Vigna unguiculata. From infectivity and pathogenicity tests, it is concluded that it is the main cause of mosaic disease in fluted pumpkin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]