Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana)

Clonal Propagation of Broussonetia Papyrifera by Stem and Root Cuttings

2025-01-21T15:39:57+00:00

Broussonetia papyrifera, locally known as ‘York’, is an introduced tree species in Ghana due to its potential for industrial cellulose, pulp, and paper production. Its unwanted spread in forest areas due to the introduction of both male and female plants has called for its control using approaches such as establishment of only male populations. This study assessed clonal propagation effects of cutting type and length on stem and root cuttings of male B. papyrifera plants. A factorial experiment comprising two factors: cutting type (leafy and non-leafy cuttings) and cutting length (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications was set up for stem cuttings. For root cuttings, a single factor experiment comprising cutting lenghts (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) in a RCBD was used. Non-leafy stem cuttings significantly (p < 0.01) produced longer (2.82 ± 0.34cm) and higher number of roots (1.67 ± 0.14) than leafy cuttings that had values of (2.00 ± 0.25 cm) and (1.16 ± 0.09) respectively 12 weeks after planting. Survival %, rooting %, number of leaves, dry root and shoot biomass were relatively higher for non-leafy but statistically similar to leafy cuttings. The 15 cm and 10 cm cuttings recorded significantly (p < 0.001) higher survival %, rooting %, number of leaves, number of roots, root length, dry root and shoot biomass than the 5cm cuttings. The interaction between cutting type and length significantly (p ≤ 0.01) influenced only root length and dry root biomass. The length of root cuttings had a significant (p ≤ 0.01) influence on the propagation ability of B. papyrifera 10 weeks after planting. The results indicate that B. papyrifera is amenable to clonal propagation but further studies are required to improve the rooting of cuttings using different leaf areas and growing media, rooting hormones, and different cuttings types or sizes.

Creative Upcycling of Plastic Waste Materials as An Innovative Artistic Technique for Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Aesthetics and Entrepreneurial Avenues in The Kokrobite and Bortianor Communities in Accra

2025-01-22T16:05:13+00:00

Plastic waste continues to be an environmental nuisance globally. In the case of Ghana, where only 5% of plastic waste is recycled, there is an urgent need for organizations and individuals to develop innovative strategies in creatively re-using plastic waste materials, and transforming them into valuable products. This exploratory qualitative study that utilizes a creative and arts-based research approach discusses the innovative artistic technique employed by one of the burgeoning contemporary Ghanaian artists, Samuel Prophask Asamoah who uses plastic waste materials that have been an age-long environmental challenge in the Kokrobite and Bortianor communities in Accra where he resides. The study reveals that the creative upcycling undertaken by Asamoah has opened another entrepreneurial opportunity and enriched his art practice. Interestingly, Asamoah has used his new innovative artistic technique to offer some of the local community members job avenues in the collection, cleaning, and cutting of plastic waste materials for his artistic productions. Through tactful exhibitions of his plastic waste innovative projects, Asamoah engages important stakeholders such as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, private and public schools in the vicinity, fisher-folks, market women, and Nature Conservation and Environmental sustainability NGOs to partake in the discourses on ways of arresting the canker of plastic pollution. An immersive community sensitization exhibition that attracted a large audience, devoid of binary distinctions, was organized at the Kokrobite plastic deposit center. An exhibition organized in a panoramic style provided egalitarian attention amongst the exhibits and a platform for diverse conversations that inspired new ideas from the audience. The study asserts that when artists and other individuals take up creative upcycling projects using plastic waste materials, it will offer another layer of employment for them and many others in their communities while protecting the environment and its rich biodiversity.

Effects Of Locust Bean (Parkia Biglobosa) Pod Extract on The Consistency Limits of Marginal Soils for Road Pavement Layer Construction

2025-01-22T16:30:52+00:00

Earthworks in road pavement layer construction present huge challenges with severe financial implications especially when suitable material for base course and subbase course are not found along the road corridor or within reasonable haulage distances. In most cases, it may be easy to find marginal materials or materials that need some form of stabilization. Chemical and mechanical stabilization is common but could be expensive. Plant extracts for stabilization hold promise but more research is required to identify locally available plants that can be cultivated or applied at scale if found useful. In this exploratory study, the potential effects of stabilization of marginal lateritic gravel soils using locust bean pod extract (LBPE) were studied for Consistency Limits of natural gravel materials for road pavement layer construction. The extract was prepared by pounding and soaking the locust bean pods in tap water for intervals of up to 28 days. The soil sample was obtained from Agyei-Ano South, Sunyani, and tested in the geotechnical laboratory of Sunyani Technical University (STU). The soil was analyzed for index properties and classified as Silt-Clay material (A-6(5)) and clayey gravels (GC) using the AASHTO and Unified Soil Classification Systems respectively. Consistency limit tests for the control and test specimens were determined using distilled water and LBPE respectively. The soils stabilized with LBPE were found to generally exhibit 3.5% – 7.1% higher Liquid Limit (LL), and 0.9% – 15.0% higher Plastic Limit (PL) than the control. Compared with the control, the Plasticity Index (PI) values were lower by up to 22%. Lower PI is desirable in road construction materials. Improvements of up to 20.2% in the Consistency Index and up to 55 % in the liquidity index of the LBPE samples over the control were observed. This is an indication that LBPE could improve the engineering properties and change the classification of the lateritic soil, in this instance, from G30 grading envelope plasticity index requirement to the G40 grading envelope plasticity index requirement. The optimum soaking duration was found to be 3 days.

Cattle Demography, Farm Operations and Challenges Faced by Herdsmen in The Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of The Ashanti Region of Ghana

2025-01-30T11:28:36+00:00

In Ghana, livestock production is largely managed by smallholding farmers. Many of the smallholder cattle farms are scattered in the country with varied challenges. This study was conducted to gather baseline data on cattle demography, characterize the farm operations, and identify the challenges faced by herdsmen on smallholder cattle farms in the Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti region of Ghana. The snowball method was used to identify 39 smallholder cattle farms and the purposive sampling method was used to administer a semi- structured questionnaire. Data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis using the SPSS version 22 (2013). In the study, all the herdsmen who responded to the questionnaire were men who practiced the Islamic religion. The nationalities of the herdsmen are Ghanaians (56.3%), Burkinabes (37.5%), Malian (3.1%), and Togolese (3.1%). About 65% of the herdsmen interviewed were between the ages of 16 and 45 years. Cow population per farm showed that about 81% of the farms had between 10 and 30 cows per farm. Destruction of crops (94%) by grazing cattle was the main challenge faced by the herdsmen. Followed by feed scarcity (90.6%). It was noted that some herdsmen (40.6%) could spend many hours in a day grazing and milking the cattle all year round without any day off for rest. Twelve and a half percent (12.5%) of the herdsmen also faced water problems. Apart from these challenges and the poor conditions of service for the herdsmen, the knowledge of the herdsmen in milk handling is also considered to be low.

Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Wastewater at A Polyethylene Bag Manufacturing Company in Bekwai Municipality, Ghana

2025-01-30T13:40:45+00:00

This study investigated heavy metals and other physico-chemical parameters in effluents at a plastic manufacturing company in Bekwai municipality. Wastewater was sampled at different points of wastewater production and storage to help understand how unit operations affected effluent quality. Sampling and determination of physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, alkalinity) were carried out as described by the American Public Health Association (APHA). Heavy metals (Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn)) were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) following standard protocol. The pH of the samples ranged from 7.59 – 8.1. The mean concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.069 mg/L, 0.001 – 0.037 mg/L and 0.013 – 0.017 mg/L for Pb, As and Cr respectively. Except for Pb and As, all physicochemical parameters and the remaining metals analysed values were below the permissible range for effluent discharge by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana. A one-way analysis of the variance of all the heavy metals in the water samples analysed revealed statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) The estimated daily intake of Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb and Zn contained in the water samples analysed did not exceeded their recommended daily intake for children, however, As exceeded their acceptable daily intake of 0.0003 mg/kg/day for children. All metals were below their acceptable daily limit for adults. This result indicates the presence of toxic metals in effluent from polyethylene bag manufacturing companies which is of concern since these metals tend to bioaccumulate and affect aquatic life.