Assesment of Pesticide Use on Cabbage
INTRODUCTION
The Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly is one of the twenty-seven administrative districts in the Ashanti region. The municipality is located in the central part of the region and shares boundaries with Kumasi metropolis and Kwabre District to the west, Sekyere East and
Ashanti Akim North Districts to the east and Bosomtwe Kwanwoma and Asante Akim South
Districts to the South. The Municipality covers a total land area of about 6374km2 forming about 2.6% of the entire area of the region.
The Municipality’s economy is dominated by the agriculture sector, absorbing about 59% of the labor force. The service sector (commerce, transportation and other tertiary activities) takes about 27%, industrial sector about 13%, and others (bakery and hospitality industries)
1%. The Agricultural sector is dominated by subsistence farmers with only a few engaged in commercial farming. Major food crops cultivated are cassava, maize, plantain, rice and vegetables. The youth are engaged in vegetable production of which cabbage cultivation predominates (MOFA, 2001).
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata) is a temperate vegetable crop which has become very popular in tropical Africa. Its origin and centre of differentiation is thought to be in the west of the Mediterranean basin or in the Asia Minor. Although, it is a biennial, it is cultivated as an annual. The leaves are undulating, broad, thick smooth or crinkled and covered with a waxy substance. These are clumped around a central bud on a short, stocky stem and form the head. The adult plant develops a root system with a secondary root branching out from the main roots between 45 and 60cm below the soil surface. Cabbage is not sensitive to photoperiod and flowering is triggered mainly by temperature below 10o C.
Because of this requirement for vernalization, seed production is difficult under tropical conditions. Depending on the growing season and the cultivar grown,
The Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly is one of the twenty-seven administrative districts in the Ashanti region. The municipality is located in the central part of the region and shares boundaries with Kumasi metropolis and Kwabre District to the west, Sekyere East and
Ashanti Akim North Districts to the east and Bosomtwe Kwanwoma and Asante Akim South
Districts to the South. The Municipality covers a total land area of about 6374km2 forming about 2.6% of the entire area of the region.
The Municipality’s economy is dominated by the agriculture sector, absorbing about 59% of the labor force. The service sector (commerce, transportation and other tertiary activities) takes about 27%, industrial sector about 13%, and others (bakery and hospitality industries)
1%. The Agricultural sector is dominated by subsistence farmers with only a few engaged in commercial farming. Major food crops cultivated are cassava, maize, plantain, rice and vegetables. The youth are engaged in vegetable production of which cabbage cultivation predominates (MOFA, 2001).
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata) is a temperate vegetable crop which has become very popular in tropical Africa. Its origin and centre of differentiation is thought to be in the west of the Mediterranean basin or in the Asia Minor. Although, it is a biennial, it is cultivated as an annual. The leaves are undulating, broad, thick smooth or crinkled and covered with a waxy substance. These are clumped around a central bud on a short, stocky stem and form the head. The adult plant develops a root system with a secondary root branching out from the main roots between 45 and 60cm below the soil surface. Cabbage is not sensitive to photoperiod and flowering is triggered mainly by temperature below 10o C.
Because of this requirement for vernalization, seed production is difficult under tropical conditions. Depending on the growing season and the cultivar grown,
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