Field experiments were conducted from June to October during 2010 and 2011 cropping seasons at the Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria, to evaluate the yield performance of okra-maize mixture as affected by time of planting maize. The experiment consisted of three maize planting dates (maize planted at the same time as okra in mid-June, maize planted 2 and 4 weeks later, respectively, in late June and early July) to okra plots. Monocropped okra and maize constituted the control plots. The five treatments were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. The results obtained showed that the greatest intercrop yield of okra was obtained when maize was planted 4 weeks later (in early July), while the greatest intercrop yield of maize was produced when planted at the same time as okra in mid-June. Planting okra and maize at the same time in mid-June not only recorded the lowest competitive pressure, but also gave the highest land equivalent ratio (LER) values of 1.78 and 1.75, respectively, in years 2010 and 2011, indicating that greater productivity per unit area was achieved by growing the two crops together than by growing them separately. With these LER values, 43.8% and 42.9% of land were saved, respectively, in 2010 and 2011. Both crops were found most suitable in mixture when planting was done at the same time in mid-June. This should be recommended for Makurdi location, Nigeria.

Field experiments were conducted from June to August, during the years 2008 and 2009 planting seasons at the University of Agriculture Research Farm Makurdi, Nigeria, to evaluate the response of 'NH47-4' variety of okra to different intra-row spacing and to determine the optimal intra-row spacing that would maximize yield under Makurdi conditions. The treatments consisted of three intra-row spacing (30 cm, 25 cm and 20 cm), replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Results of the study showed that while the tallest okra height was produced from the intra-row spacing of 25 cm, the number of branches per plant, leaf area, pod length, pod diameter, number of pods per plant, pod weight and yield decreased as intra-row spacing reduced. The greatest yield was obtained from the intra-row spacing of 30 cm. The yield produced from the intra-row spacing of 30 cm was significantly (P<0.05) greater by 21.9 % and 8.9 % respectively, in the year 2008 and 2009 compared to that obtained from the intra-row spacing of 25 cm and by 34.4 % and 12.5 % respectively, in the year 2008 and 2009 compared to that produced from the intra-row spacing of 20 cm. The implication of this study showed that to maximize okra yield for variety 'NH47-4', the optimal intra-row spacing was found to be 30 cm and could therefore be recommended for Makurdi location, Nigeria.

Field experiments were conducted between April and September, 2003 and 2004 at the Vegetable Evaluation and Research Station, Anse Boileau, Seychelles to assess the effects of different levels of decomposed poultry manure and to determine the optimal rate that would maximize cabbage yield under Seychelles conditions. The treatment consists of five levels of decomposed poultry manure (DPM) at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 t/ha. It was replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Results of the study showed that all DPM treatments significantly improved head length, head width, head weight per plant and yield than the 0 t/ha DPM, however the best yield was obtained from the 30 t/ha DPM. The application of 30 t/ha DPM significantly (P≤0.05) increased cabbage yield by 31.7 % and 26.4 % in the year 2003 and 2004 respectively compared to the 0 t/ha DPM treatment. The application of 30 t/ha DPM was therefore recommended.

INTRODUCTION Onion (Allium cepa L.) belongs to the family Liliaceae, an important group of crops worldwide (Best, 2000). The crop is a biennial herb of Central Asian origin and used in soups, salads and in canning industries (Tindal, 1983). The crop nutritional composition includes 2.0 g protein, 70 mg calcium and 53 mg phosphorus (Ado, 2001). It also contains the vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin and is used for its medicinal value especially in the case of heart problems (Mettananda and Fordham, 2001).

Field experiments were conducted from June to September, 2005 and 2006 at the Vegetable Evaluation and Research Station, Anse Boileau, Seychelles to evaluate the yield performance of four beetroot varieties, 'Moronia', 'Lola', 'Crosby' and 'Detroit-243' against the commonly grown variety 'Detroit' under open field conditions. The experiment consisted of five treatments laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The results obtained showed that while variety 'Moronia' was the earliest to maturity, the longest root length and largest root width were produced by variety 'Crosby'. Similarly, the same variety 'Crosby' gave the highest root yield with root yield being 39.7 % and 33.1 % higher than the popular variety 'Detroit' in both years, respectively. Hence the variety 'Crosby' was recommended as a potential replacement for 'Detroit'.