Browsing by Author "Okiror, Paul"

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    Local knowledge of maturity indicators for priority fruits and vegetables in Uganda
    (Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 2017) Okiror, Paul; Balitta, Paul; Agea, Jacob Godfrey; Ocan, Jolly Joe; Lejju, Julius Bunny; Bahati, Joseph; Kagoro Rugunda, Grace; Sebuuwufu, Collins Inno
    Local knowledge on maturity indicators is important in determining optimal time of harvesting fruits and vegetables. These farm products are increasingly becoming a valuable source of livelihood for many rural families through household consumption and trade. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of literature on the integration of local knowledge and practices in improving maturity assessment techniques with the view of promoting optimal harvesting and consumer acceptability of fruits and vegetables in Uganda. A study was undertaken between April and September 2014 to prioritize viable fruits and vegetables, ascertain socio-economic characteristics influencing maturity assessments, assess local knowledge on maturity indicators and document maturity assessment challenges faced by fruit and vegetable farmers, transporters and traders in Kampala, Rubirizi and Sheema districts. A total of 102 respondents were interviewed as corroborative measure to field visits and focused group discussions involving 27 participants. The findings indicate that passion fruit, watermelon and pineapple were the most preferred fruits while tomato, cabbage and eggplant were highly ranked among vegetables
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    Maturity indices for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), cv. Ghalia 281 in Central Uganda
    (African Journal of Agricultural Research, 2017) Okiror, Paul; Lejju, Julius Bunny; Bahati, Joseph; Kagoro Rugunda, Grace; Sebuuwufu, Collins Inno
    Application of maturity indices and optimal harvest time improves handling and marketing operations and minimizes pre and postharvest losses for tomato products. Growth patterns of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), cv. Ghalia 281, were therefore analyzed to determine nondestructive maturity indices for optimal harvest regimes. Propagation experiments were run in central Uganda in 2015. A total of 216 tomato fruits were tagged and their diameter, height and color recorded daily prior to physico-chemical and nutritional analyses at Makerere University Food Science and Technology laboratory. The longest fruit (5.55 cm) was from breaker, while the shortest (4.95 cm) was in light red samples. Total soluble solids were highest at breaker (5.40 °Brix) and red (6.00 °Brix) and was lowest at turning stage (4.00 °Brix). Green tomatoes had the highest carbohydrate content of 5.99 g/100 g, followed by breaker tomatoes with 5.71 g/100 g, while the lowest CHO (4.17 g/100 g) was observed from tomatoes at turning stage. The pH decreased from 4.98 (green) to 4.60 (light red). Protein content was highest (13.05%) from red tomatoes and lowest in pink samples (10.22%). Fruit diameter was negatively correlated with fruit color (r = -0.748, P≤0.05) and °Brix (r = -0.787, P≤0.05). A highly negative correlation occurred between fruit age and pH (r = -0.949, P≤0.05). There was a high positive correlation between fruit diameter and total titrable acidity (r = 0.959, P≤0.05). Optimal harvesting should occur at breaker for distant markets and fruit with red outer colour be proposed for local consumers. Maturity indices for determining harvest time of tomato is a combination of fruit age, diameter and color, because these correlate significantly with physico-chemical and nutritional characteristics including total soluble solids (TSS), total titrable acidity (TTA) and protein content.
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    Nondestructive maturity assessment tools for commercially viable fruits and vegetables in Uganda
    (African Journal of Plant Science, 2017) Okiror, Paul; Lejju, Julius Bunny; Bahati, Joseph; Kagoro Rugunda, Grace; Sebuuwufu, Collins Inno
    Fruit and vegetable maturity at harvest influences transportation and storage requirements as well as market value. However, small scale farmers in Uganda lack technologies for maturity assessment leading to high pre- and post-harvest losses and low financial returns from fruit and vegetable farms. This study, therefore, assessed the development of fruits (pineapple, passion fruit, watermelon) and vegetables (cabbage, egg plant, pumpkin and tomato), determined optimal maturity indices and fabricated and tested nondestructive tools for maturity assessment. Propagation trials and testing of tools were undertaken at Nangabo and Kangulumira sub counties in central Uganda. The findings show that eggplant, passion fruit, pineapple and pumpkin underwent 3 distinct development stages during which their diameter, length and outer colour changed. Cabbage remained green, but its bulb diameter and length varied with maturity. Watermelon had 4 development stages with significant (P≤0.05) changes in morphology and outer colour. Tomato fruits had 6 distinct outer colour changes. Age and colour were maturity indices for passion fruit. Fruit age and diameter were the maturity indices for watermelon. Age, diameter, length and colour were the maturity indices for pineapple, tomato and eggplant
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    On-Farm Management of Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn. in Amuria District, Eastern Uganda
    (International Journal of Forestry Research, 2012) Okiror, Paul; Agea, Jacob G.; Okia, Clement A.; Okullo, John B. L.
    The population of shea butter tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn.)—a priority tree with enormous economic and cultural values to the parkland communities in Uganda, is rapidly declining due to rapid human population growth, increasing land fragmentation, and high demand for woodfuel especially charcoal. Reversing this trend will depend on the rural community involvement in the planting, facilitating natural regeneration, and tending of shea trees on farm. As such a survey was conducted in Amuria district, eastern Uganda, to assess local strategies and constraints to on-farm management of shea trees, and document socio-demographic factors influencing the on-farm conservation. About 93% of the households protected naturally regenerated V. paradoxa trees mainly on farms. V. paradoxa was mostly propagated through coppices and seedlings. Although insecure land tenure, insecurity, pests, disease, and shortage of planting materials were reported as major hindrances, farmsize, family size, and gender significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced people’s willingness to conserve V. paradoxa. Byelaws and policies on shea conservation need to be properly enforced, and further propagation research is required especially towards shortening the juvenile period of V. paradoxa so that more farmers can start propagating the tree other than relying on its natural regeneration.
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    Variation in Woody Species Abundance and Distribution in and around Kibale National Park, Uganda
    (International Scholarly Research Notices, 2012) Okiror, Paul; Chono, Jane; Nyamukuru, Antonia; Lwanga, Jeremiah S.; Sasira, Phionah; Diogo, Paul
    Several protected areas in Uganda are increasingly facing encroachment making farmlands indispensable hubs for biodiversity conservation. A comparative study was conducted comprising a protected area in Kibale National Park and surrounding farmlands to establish how farmlands mimic the forest floristic structure. Study results show very low similarity between the forest and farmland ecosystems (CCj = 0.11). A total of 50 and 29 species were identified in the forest and, farmland, respectively; 8 were shared. Importance value indices of woody species in the forest ranged from 0.3 to 29.9 with Celtis durandii being the most important while those in the farmland were 1.9–79.2, Eucalyptus grandis, having the highest index. Woody species diversity and evenness were higher in the forest ecosystem (H = 3.46, J = 0.85) compared to the farmland (H = 2.72, J = 0.79). The 10– <20 cm diameter class was the lowest in both ecosystems. Communities adjacent to the park should be educated about the value of the park and conservation in general. Since adjacent farmlands provide important ecotones to the park, on-farm indigenous tree retention and planting are required. Further research on threatened species is needed to enhance conservation in and around KNP.