FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY

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    Postharvest Practices among Grain Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2021) Omobowale M.O.
    The need for adequate postharvest crop management has come to the fore in sub-Saharan Africa. A survey was conducted in ten farm settlements in Oyo state, Nigeria, where 400 farmers w interviewed. Respondents were predominantly males (82%), and about 33% did not undergo any formal educa io ,. About 39% reported hardly ever seeing agricultural extension agents coming to train them on mitigation of po; uar est losses, while 87% of the farmers agreed that they experience significant postharvest losses. Observations revealed a low level of postharvest mechanization, while storage structures and processing equipment installed at the inc ption of the settlements were in a state of disrepair. Maize threshers were found in all settlements however, b1 owers, dryers and modern storage facilities which would ensure that grains are processed and stored properly were unavailable. Inability to effectively stop insect damage to stored grains makes over 80% of the farmers to apply unapproved chemicals such as DD—Force (Dichlorvos as active ingredient) on harvested crops despite the threat to human health. Moreover, about 60% of the farmers surveyed were unaware of aflatoxin related issues. An obv; ,us g p in information dissemination to farmers in hard-to-reach locations must be eradicated if sub-Saharan Africa will achieve food security
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    Evaluation of market-level storage structures and postharvest losses of selected fruits and vegetables: A case study of five markets in Ibadan
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2021) Omobowale M.O.
    . Although several measures have been adopted to enhance food storage in sub-Saharan Africa, postharvest losses continue to increase. Addressing the negative *re. , re quires up-to-date information on current practices by agroallied personnel involved in the postharvest handling oi perishables to proffer effective solutions. This study explored the level of postharvest losses in fruits and vegetables in five markets in Ibadan, Nigeria. The proportionate sampling technique was employed to collect data from 235 ellers in the markets using a questionnaire. The percentage of grade loss in the supply chain was classified as bruises, mold, and rot. It was revealed that the quality of about 89.2% of the fruits and vegetables degrade during and au'r transportation. Storage conditions which include keeping the produce on a wooden platform, on the bare floor in stalls, and storage in non-ventilated enclosed rooms remain crude and this also contributes to losses incurred. Imr-ov^ment and maintenance of road infrastructures, the establishment of improved storage facilities and the introduction of modern storage technologies would be recommended for reducing postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables i. mai. ets of Ibadan.
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    Performance evaluation of the DehytrayTM solar drying device using plantain, pepper and okra under the tropical conditions of Oyo State, Nigeria
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2021) Omobowale M.O.; Olenloa, A.E.; Okoro, N.E.
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    MAIZE STORAGE IN TERMITE MOUND CLAY, CONCRETE, AND STEEL SILOS IN THE HUMID TROPICS: COMPARISON AND EFFECT ON BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL COUNTS
    (2015) Omobowale M.O.
    Considering the inadequacy of grain storage structures in Nigeria, which has been partly attributed to high cost and unavailability of construction materials, this study investigated the suitability of using readily available termite mound clay (TMC) for grain silo construction in comparison to conventional reinforced conczu (RC) and galvanized steel (GS) silos for maize storage in the humid tropics. The extent to which temperature and relative humidity affected the quality of stored grain during 8-month unaerated storage, covering both dry and rainy seasons, was evaluated using bacterial and fungal counts as performance parameters. The initial bacterial count of3500 colony forming units (CFU) per gram (CFU g-1) increased to 120000, 11000, and 8800 CFU g-1 for TMC, RC, and GS silos, respectively. There was no fungal activity at the beginning of storage, but fungal activity increased to 1500, 5500, and 350 CFU g-1 in TMC, RC, and GS silos, respectively. Fungal activity was noticed in the TMC silo in the fourth month of storage, which coincided with the start of the rainy season. Fungal counts exceeded the acceptable threshold of 1000 CFU g-1 in the TMC and RC silos. Relative humidity was of greater significance than temperature in affecting all. maize quality parameters considered. TMC was found suitable for constructing silos for short-term grain storage under unaerated conditions. Modification of the current TMC silo design to address permeability issues is expected to improve its performance for longer-term maize storage.
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    Comparative Analysis Of Tomato Plant (Lycopersiconesculentum) And Stubborn Grass (Eleusineindica)In The Phyto-Remediation Of Soils Polluted With Heavy Metals
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2015) Omobowale M.O.
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    Performance evaluation of termite-mound clay, concrete and steel silos for the storage of maize grains in the humid tropics
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, 2016) Omobowale M.O.
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    An Investigation into the Thermal Properties of Termite Mound Clay Applicable to Grain Silo Construction
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, 2015) Omobowale M.O.
    Provision of suitable grain silos in humid tropical climates has generated research interests on the possibility of using local materials for construction. Termite mound clay (TMC), a material available in abundance was investigated as a potential construction material. A major factor determining the suitability of construction materials for grain silos is its thermal properties. Therefore, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity and thermal mass of TMC were determined and compared with those of concrete and stainless steel which are commonly used for silo construction. TMC was collected, crushed and sieved using a 500pm sieve to remove coarse particles and foreign materials. The TMC powder obtained was mixed with water using volumetric ratio of 1:5 (i.e. water to clay) after which the thoroughly mixed clay was carefully fed into the mould and left to air-dry for 5 days. The samples were dried in the oven at 105oC for about 48 hours to remove all the moisture. Results revealed that thermal conductivity ranged from 0.17 to 0.24 W/(mK) with an average value of 0.21 compared to concrete and steel which range between 0.8 - 1.28 and 16.3 - 16.7 W/(mK) respectively. Specific heat capacity had an average value of 2576.94 J/(kgK) compared with concrete and steel which had values of 960 and 490 J/(kgK) respectively. Thermal diffusivity had a mean value of 1.47*10-8 m2/s in comparison to concrete and steel whose calculated values were 6.63 ><10-7 and 4.18 ><10-6 kJ/(m3 K) respectively while thermal mass had a mean value of 4723.5 kJ/(m3 K) compared to 2112.0 and 3831.8 kJ/(m3K) for concrete and steel respectively. It was concluded that TMC offers a thermally suitable alternative to these two for grain silo construction in the humid tropics.
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    Problems facing Local Manufacturers in the Nigerian Agro-Allied Machine Fabrication Industry
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria., 2010) Omobowale M.O.
    This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of the local industries involved in the fabrication of agrorelated machinery in Nigeria. With the aid of personal interviews, on-spot assessment/visual inspection, a number of problems confronting these local industries were recorded. These include erratic power supply, cost of raw materials, level of automation, noise pollution, occupational hazards, instability in government policies, marketability and a general bias for machines fabricated locally. The government is currently making efforts at reviving the economy, yet the priorities set in addressing the problems of the local economy may not be aligned with the actual priority problems that local companies face in their daily business. The paper makes suggestions on how th e government could better address the primary concerns of the industry in areas like power supply, raw material pro - essing and sensitization of the Nigeria populac, towards appreciating and procuring locally made machines.
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    Problems facing Local Manufacturers in the Nigerian Agro-Allied Machine Fabrication Industry
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria., 2010) Omobowale M.O.
    This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of the local industries involved in the fabrication of agrorelated machinery in Nigeria. With the aid of personal interviews, on-spot assessment/visual inspection, a number of problems confronting these local industries were recorded. These include erratic power supply, cost of raw materials, level of automation, noise pollution, occupational hazards, instability in government policies, marketability and a general bias for machines fabricated locally. The government is currently making efforts at reviving the economy, yet the priorities set in addressing the problems of the local economy may not be aligned with the actual priority problems that local companies face in their daily business. The paper makes suggestions on how th e government could better address the primary concerns of the industry in areas like power supply, raw material pro - essing and sensitization of the Nigeria populac, towards appreciating and procuring locally made machines.
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    Trends in fiber characteristics of Nigerian grown bamboo and its effect on its impact and tensile strengths
    (Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2008) Omobowale M.O.
    Variations in impact bending and tensile strengths of Bambusa vulgaris (Schrad) with increasing culm height were studied considering its fiber characteristics at the nodes and internodes along the length of the culm. At the nodes, statistical analysis revealed a weak but direct correlation between fiber length and tensile strength while fiber diameter had a strong but inverse relationship with it. Impact bending showed a direct but weak relationship with fiber length while it had an inverse and weak correlation with fiber diameter. For the internodes, a st-'^gn inverse relationship was established between fiber length and tensile strength while fiber diameter showed a direct but weak relationship. Impact bending and fiber length had a strong but inverse correlation while fiber length and impact bending revealed a direct and significant correlation.