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JAMAICA

ANNUAL REPORT

2003

Improving Lives through Agricultural Research

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute

Jamaica Unit, 2 Belmopan Close, University Campus, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica

Telephone: (1-876) 927-1231, 927-0652 Fax: (1-876) 927-2099 Email: [email protected] Published: November 2004

ISSN 0799-1479


C A R D I JA M A I C A U N I T — A n n u a l Re p o r t 2 0 0 3

Contents ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................. ii FOREWORD .................................................................................................... 1 HIGHLIGHTS .......................................................................................................... 2 WEATHER ................................................................................................................ 12 COMMODITY PROGRAMME ........................................................................... 15

Integrated Pest Management Sub-programme .................................................... 15 IPM Systems Development for Callaloo .......................................................... 16 IPM Systems Development for Cabbage ......................................................... 16 IPM Systems Development on Hot Pepper .................................................... 18 IPM Systems Development on Sweet potato ................................................... 20 Citrus Replanting Project ................................................................................. 23 Biological control of the Coffee Boer ............................................................... 24

Livestock Sub-programme .................................................................................... 28 Breed Improvement ........................................................................................... 29 Feeding and Production Systems ...................................................................... 30 Technology Transfer and Outreach System .................................................... 40 Goat Commercialisation .................................................................................... 40 Community Buck Service ................................................................................... 40 Training and Field Days/Tours ......................................................................... 40 Validation and Monitoring of Improved Small Ruminant

Technologies ................................................................................................... 41 Linkages and Monitoring of Developments in the Industry .......................... 42

NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME ..................... 44 Mona DTC ........................................................................................................... 44 Demonstration of Organic Farming Techniques ............................................ 45 Caribbean Coastal Waters Improvement Project .......................................... 48 Application of GIS Technology.......................................................................... 49

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE .......................................................................... 50 Technical Assistance Given ............................................................................... 50 Boards and Committees Served ....................................................................... 52 Institutional Collaboration ............................................................................... 52 Collaboration Development .............................................................................. 52 Collaborators ...................................................................................................... 53

TAINING/MEETINGS/WOKSHOPS/SEMINARS ..................................... 55 PUBLICATIONS .............................................................................................. 57

Scientific Publications ....................................................................................... 57 Reports ................................................................................................................ 58

PROFESIONAL BODIES ............................................................................... 58 ADMINISTRTION AND PERSONNEL ....................................................... 59

Administrative Report ....................................................................................... 59 Staff List ............................................................................................................. 60 Visitors ................................................................................................................ 61

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Acronyms and Abbreviations ALPART Aluminium Partners of Jamaica ANOVA Analysis of Variance ASSP Agricultural Support Services Project of the Ministry of Agriculture BrCA Brown citrus aphid CABI Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International CAFP Caribbean Agriculture and Fisheries Programme CARDI Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute CARICOM Caribbean Community CARINET Caribbean Bio-systematic Network CARTF Caribbean Agriculture Research and Training Fund CASE College of Agriculture Science and Education CBB Coffee Berry Borer CDB Caribbean Development Bank CGA Citrus Growers Association CIAT International Centre for Tropical Agriculture CIB Coffee Industry Board CIEP Cooperate Internship Education Programme CIPMNET Caribbean Integrated Pest Management Network CIRAD Centre of International Cooperation in Agronomic Research and Devel-

opment CLARC Caribbean and Latin America Regional Centre CLM Citrus leafminer CMS Centre for Marine Science COLEACP Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee CPA Citrus Protection Agency CRP Citrus Replanting Programme CTA Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development ACP-EU CTV Citrus Tristeza Virus DFID Department for International Development (United Kingdom) DTC Demonstration and Training Centre EC CARIFORUM European Community Caribbean Forum EU European Union FAMU Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations FSPID Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation Division GBSJ Goat Breeders Society of Jamaica GIS Geographic Information System GLC Gas Liquid Chromatography GOJ Government of Jamaica GPS Geographic Positioning System HDTC Hounslow Demonstration and Training Centre IICA International Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture IPM Integrated Pest Management

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Acronyms and Abbreviations IPM CRSP Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program JAS Jamaica Agricultural Society JBI Jamaica Bauxite Institute JEA Jamaica Exporters Association JOAM Jamaica Organic Agricultural Movement MALMR Ministry of Agriculture Land and Marine Resources MINAG Ministry of Agriculture MRAG Marine Resources Assessment Group NCTVET National Council on Technical & Vocational Education & Training NRM Natural Resources Management OSU Ohio State University PCA Pesticide Control Authority (Jamaica) Penn State Pennsylvania State University PIP Programme Initiative Pesticides PIU Project Implementation Unit PMC Project Management Committee PMCU Project Management and Coordination Unit PPRG Pesticide and Pest Research Group PROCICARIBE Caribbean Agricultural Science and Technology Systems PVY Potato Virus Y RADA Rural Agricultural Development Agency RCB Randomized Complete Block SMDTC Sam Motta Sheep and Goat Demonstration Centre SPLB Sweetpotato Leaf Beetle TEV Tobacco Etch Virus TSP T riple Super Phosphate TSWV Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus TYLCV Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus UMES University of Maryland Eastern Shore USAID US Agency for International Development USDA United States Department of Agriculture UWI University of the West In VPI Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University WDS Wireworm-Diabrotica-Systena WINDALCO West Indies Aluminium Company WTO World Trade Organisation

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Foreword The medium term strategy of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute is to spearhead the development of the hot pepper, sweetpotato and small ruminant (sheep and goats) industries regionally and support the specific agricultural research and development needs of the host countries. Therefore, during 2003 the CARDI Jamaica Unit continued its leadership role in the development and transfer of appropriate and sustainable technologies to enhance the production and marketing of these commodities in Jamaica. In this penultimate year of the Second Phase of the IPM CRSP, the work programme focused principally on the consolidation of developmental work and wider dissemination, to farmers in Jamaica and the other Caribbean territories, of developed IPM technologies for callaloo, crucifers, hot pepper and sweetpotato . The Coffee Industry Board-sponsored project on the biological control of the coffee berry borer also entered the last phase of the two years exten-sion period and we took the opportunity, during the year, to refine the protocols we have de-veloped over the years. From the beginning of the reporting year, CARDI started providing Entomology Services to develop strategies for the management of the brown citrus aphid (BrCA) under the Citrus Re-planting Project. We viewed the awarded of this two-year contract by the Government of Ja-maica, through the Ministry of Agriculture as a further demonstration of confidence in the capabilities of the Institute; but more importantly it offered us the opportunity to make critical interventions in the development of the agricultural sector in the country. In the year in review, our Livestock Programme maintained its principal focus on the devel-opment of the small ruminant industry in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. To this end, we take pride in the assistance we offered to the Goat Breeders Society of Jamaica in the export of three locally bred Boer bucks to Antigua. Our Natural Resource Management Section successfully completed the three-year DFID-funded and MRAG-managed project on the review of soil management and farming practices in Jamaica and St Lucia. Under this Section, we also enhanced our capacity in the GIS tech-nology with a three-month training course. As we complete another year, we wish to thank the Government and people of Jamaica for the continued support. We are also thankful to our numerous donors and collaborators, especially ALPART Mining ventures, Coffee Industry Board, the Management Entity of the IPM CRSP and USAID the donor for the IPM programme.

Francis Asiedu, Ph.D. CARDI Representative

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Highlights 2003 Commodity Programme Integrated Pest Management The CARDI Jamaica Unit continues to be CARDI’s centre of excellence for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). In 2003, the Unit researched, deployed and validated the IPM-based strategies for the management of pests of vegetables (callaloo, cabbage and hot peppers), root crops (sweetpotato) and tree crops (citrus and coffee). Callaloo The results from our validation exercises confirmed the observations from previous years that the use of exclusion and biorationals based on threshold spray application guide gave significantly improved protection of the crop from insect damage when compared to farmer practice The threshold-based sampling plan demonstrated the po-tential to reduce the frequency of pesticide applications by 46-92 per cent. We con-cluded that exclusion can be a pesticide-free system that gives the produce a competi-tive advantage as it could fetch a higher price. Exclusion could further be enhanced by other compatible non-chemical tactics (sticky traps, soaps and oils and bio pesticides). The research model for low pesticide input vegetable systems which was developed on vegetable amaranth in Jamaica was disseminated to researchers in Barbados and Trini-dad and Tobago Cabbage A parallel research was initiated in Jamaica and Trinidad to test rational pesticide use strategies against the diamond-back moth in cabbage. The effects of different types of mulches on weed infestation in cabbage production were also researched. Weed infes-tation in plots mulched with Gliricidia sepium (quick stick), Mucuna pruriens (mucuna) and Panicum maximum (Guinea grass) was significantly lower than in un-mulched plots Hot pepper The research on incidence of broad mite and its predators in recent years has con-firmed that excessive use of pesticides, which kill its major predators, is a major fac-tor in the development of broad mite as a major pest of hot peppers. Field experi-ments we conducted identified abamectin and difenthiuron as excellent components of an IPM program.

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Other studies on hot pepper focused on the validation of integrated tactics identified to manage the virus complex and gall midge complex of at least 2 species. Efforts were initiated to develop molecular probes to identify and differentiate these two species. Monitoring and surveillance of the gall midge, which is a critical component of ad-dressing the USA’s quarantine issues with this hot pepper pest, continues to be a major emphasis. Consequently, hot pepper farms across the island were sampled to identify pest-free areas or periods. The pest infestation data were posted on the PestWatch GIS Website, towards integration of World-wide Web and GIS for real-time monitoring, communication and dissemination of pest management information on this pest. As a follow up, a software was developed under a project funded by the COLEACP. This will be populated with the farmer register compiled. Later a register of middle suppli-ers of fresh produce will be added. The lack of expertise in weed management in the Caribbean has been a major impedi-ment to the development of technology in this discipline. During the year, a student was identified to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Weed Science at UWI, Mona Campus. This training is being supported by IPM CRSP funding. The thesis would include studies on the effectiveness of different mulches on weed control. Sweetpotato The sweetpotato leaf beetle (SPLB), Typophorous viridicyaneus Crotch, continues to be a pest of major importance in the island. Therefore, we continued to develop man-agement tactics against this pest using environmentally friendly chemicals. We found a significant (P=0.038) difference in sweetpotato leaf beetle (SPLB) damage to leaves among the different sweetpotato varieties treated with either imidacloprid, gar-lic or neem extract. Imidacloprid and garlic were effective in reducing the damage to tubers from SPLB attack. The regionalisation component of the IPM CRSP for sweetpotato continued with varietal trials in St Kitts. In St Vincent, the survey for the detection of the sweetpotato weevil began and the baseline survey on sweetpotato production was also completed. Social and gender-related issues that affect IPM adoption Surveys were conducted in Barbados and Trinidad to determine the factors influencing IPM adoption. The key findings were as follows: • Commercial farmers’ perception was that reliance on chemical sprays was neces-

sary • There was widespread knowledge of IPM but little information about how to imple-

ment • Extension approach was too ‘top-down’ • Production for non-commercial target was most likely to be grown without the use

of chemicals

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• Women farmers employed men to spray pesticides • Choice of pesticides was based on information from a wide range of sources of

which commercial sales people and official information from the Ministries of Agri-culture were the main sources

Whitefly and whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses A CD ROM containing a database of research and development activities, and current recommendations in 15 CARIFORUM countries, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Martinique relevant to whitefly and whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses was produced . The database was derived from over 200 pieces of grey and published literature. From the information gathered it appeared that much of the required component re-search had been effected somewhere in the Caribbean, often with good results and some were ongoing. Additionally, the information analysed indicated that research activity was highest in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica followed by Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Guadeloupe. The literature also showed that the areas in which research and development efforts have been most sustained were vector/virus characterisation and distribution, docu-mentation of host range; screening for host plant resistance and biological control. Citrus Replanting Project The Citrus Replanting Project (CRP) is a national project aimed at reviving and ex-panding citrus production in the island. CARDI Jamaica Unit has a two-year contract with MINAG to provide Entomology Services that will contribute to the management of the Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) by developing strategies for the management of the brown citrus aphid (BrCA), its principal vector Field work for this contract started in the second quarter of the year and by the end of September 2003 the execution of the islandwide survey for BrCA was completed. A total of 126 farms in 13 parishes were surveyed. Detailed analyses of the data will be completed by the first quarter of 2004, but preliminary analyses showed that lowest aphid densities (1.3-1.5 aphids/cm flush) occurred in St James, Westmoreland, Hano-ver, Trelawny and Portland. The highest densities were recorded in St Thomas and Manchester (5 and 6.7 aphids/cm flush, respectively). St Catherine and Clarendon had relatively high densities too. St Elizabeth had the lowest infestation of all the parishes. Population monitoring for seasonal variation in BrCA started in two agroecological zones (wet and dry) and this will continue until November 2004.

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Biological control of the coffee berry borer The Coffee Berry Borer Project aimed at elucidating the effectiveness of biocontrol agents to manage the coffee berry borer (CBB) entered its fourth year (Year 1 of two years extension). During the year we consolidated the protocols for the mass rearing of the two parasitoids on which we have been working over the years - Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Phymastichus coffea - as well as the re-introduced parasitoids, Pro-rops nasuta. The successful establishment in the field once released, of the first two parasitoids, was also confirmed. The studies to determine the efficacy of the parasitoids to control CBB was continued for Cephalonomia stephanoderis and started for Phymastichus coffea. Encouraging results were observed for these studies. We also initiated work to garner information to demonstrate a whole integrated approach (use of biological, cultural, mechanical and chemical control tactics) to reduce CBB infestation. In October and November 2003, two persons received Level III training at the CARDI Rearing Facility as part of the on-going effort to scale-up the technology for the rear-ing, release and monitoring for the effectiveness of the biocontrol agents. Small Ruminants Activities for the continued development of the small ruminant industry were pursued at the Hounslow and Sam Motta Demonstration and Training Centre (HDTC and SMDTC), as well as on farmers properties. The critical areas for this industry contin-ued to be breed improvement, cost effective and sustainable feeding and production systems, the transfer of these technologies and the continuous monitoring of the over-all developments in the industry. Breed improvement In 2002, work was started to infuse the genes of the Boer and Spanish goat breeds into the Nubian/Native crossbreds at HDTC. As at the end of 2003, liveweight data up to 180 days had been collected and they showed that the kids of the Spanish buck had marginally lower liveweight up to 90 days than those of the Boer and the Nubian. Similar studies at SMDTC showed that 90-day weight was significantly higher for the kids of the Boer (13 kg) than for those of the Alpine (11 kg) and Nubian (9 kg) bucks. During the year, some 40 animals were distributed from the DTCs as improved breed-ing stock to producers.

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The six designated small breeders monitored sold over 400 animals, mostly Boers and Nubians with more than 50 per cent of parent buck genetics. The number of breeding stock distributed by these farmers between 2000 and 2003 totaled over 800. Feeding and production systems We continued our quest to develop sustainable feeding systems for small ruminant production by concluding, at HDTC, the agronomic and nutritive value evaluation of two locally adapted forage legume species, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and blue pea (Clitoria ternatea), as well as the trial on the evaluation of the levels of inclusion of legume (alfalfa) hay for growing small ruminants. We concluded from these trials that: • Pigeon pea does not adapt to repeated cutting regimes that are normally suited to

regular multi-purpose fodder trees such as leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) and, therefore, cannot be used as a regular fodder crop

• Blue pea, with its ability to maintain high non-stem to stem ratio, and hence high crude protein concentration even with 8-week cutting interval, has a potential as a regular fodder crop, especially when established during the major rainy season in October

• During the growing phase, increasing the levels of alfalfa hay (20-100%) reduced the intake of nutrients and hence led to lower weight gains and lower feed conver-sion efficiency, but the phenomenon of compensatory growth contributed to better performance during the finishing period and led ultimately to the similarities in the carcass characteristics which made the treatments with high proportions of alfalfa hay (75 and 100%) during the growing period more attractive economically.

Technology transfer and outreach systems

Goat Commercialisation Project Since its involvement in 2002 in the Government-sponsored Goat Commercialisation project, CARDI has facilitated the participation of eight farmers from the parishes of St Ann, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon. Another 15 farmers were recruited and recommended for participation in 2003 Community stud buck service At the SMDTC, 24 farmers from nine communities on the Manchester Plateau and having a total 41 does utilised the buck service during the year.

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Training/field days Sixteen activities, including training, field days/tours and appraisals were conducted in collaboration with the GBSJ, MINAG and ALPART Mining Ventures. Over 885 par-ticipants comprising farmers, extension officers, students and teachers benefited from these exercises. Validation and monitoring of transferred technologies Over the past two years selected farmers from the parishes of St Catherine, Clarendon and St Elizabeth have been monitored for the results of the application of the technolo-gies (housing, record keeping, improved forage and by-product feed) introduced by CARDI over the years. Using kid liveweight as a measure, it was shown that: • Generally the technologies performed equally well on all farms • The Boer x Nubians crosses were comparable to the Purebred Boer and Nubians in

terms of weight gains Linkages and monitoring of developments in the small ruminant industry In an effort to monitor the progress of the industry, linkages are developed and main-tained with different players that make up the industry. The collaborative effort of CARDI, MINAG Research and Development Division and the ASSP resulted in the initiation of a project to develop a Small Ruminants Develop-ment Plan for Jamaica. There was little change in 2003 in the price of local meat compared with 2002 but the price of imported goat meat increased slightly. Informal surveys of health food stores revealed that goat’s milk was available in Ja-maica at a price of .J$255-320 per litre. Goat’s cheese was also available in some stores in the major towns for J$2,350-2,600 per kg. Sixty-two goats mostly Boer does were imported form the USA and Canada by farm-ers in 2003. In July 2003, the GBSJ, for the first time shipped locally bred Boer breeding stock to a customer in Antigua. The CARDI Livestock Team facilitated the shipment.

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Natural Resource Management The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Programme of the CARDI Jamaica Unit seeks to contribute to the national effort of managing the land and water resources of Jamaica for sustainable development that takes cognisance of biosafety while mitigat-ing environmental degradation. During the year, the Programme refined some of the techniques for producing organically grown vegetables, completed the DFID-funded and MRAG-managed project on the review of soil management and farming practices in Jamaica and St Lucia, and deployed GIS technology to assist other CARDI projects. Demonstration of Organic Farming Techniques About 120 kg of vermi-compost was harvested from a new facility during the year. Validation of organic production of callaloo and hot pepper using cow manure, goat manure and vermi-compost confirmed the previous year’s results that cow manure was superior to goat manure and vermi-compost. The yield of hot pepper from the cow manure was also comparable to the standard yield expected for West Indies Red hot pepper grown under conventional conditions with inorganic fertilizers. Caribbean Coastal Waters Improvement Project The DFID-funded and MRAG-managed project on the review of soil management and farming practices in Jamaica and St Lucia was concluded successfully in 2003 with the completion of the final report. The highlights of the findings were: • Many of the farmers in both St Lucia and Jamaica were not aware of the environ-

mental impacts of using agro-chemicals on their farms • Most of their excess chemicals were stored for future use, applied to the soil or bur-

ied • The interval between spraying pesticides and harvesting of crops was between one

and two weeks in both islands • Respondents were mostly unaware of any incidences of persons health being af-

fected by chemical spraying Application of GIS to other Projects at CARDI The GIS technology was used to map the farms surveyed for the BrCA under the Ento-mology Service for the Citrus Replanting Project.

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Technical Assistance The provision of technical assistance to the agricultural sector in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean is one of the most important mandates of CARDI. During the year we provided technical assistance in various forms to stakeholders in the agricultural sector. Technical Assistance Given Technical assistance was provided to various institutions and agencies as follows: • Agricultural Support Services Project (Preparation of training media including, fact-

sheets, posters and pamphlets/handouts for the training of papaya, sweetpotato, gin-ger, escallion and hot pepper farmers)

• Faculty of Agriculture and Science, UWI, St Augustine (Internship attachment of Anice Thomas)

• College of Agriculture, Science and Education (Internship attachment of Gerald Bryan)

• CARTF Guyana project (Soil management project on the acid sands of the Soes-dyke, Linden Highway in Guyana)

• CAB International (Baseline survey of crop production and protection practices of farmers for Farmers Field School)

• Government of Belize [(1)Training of livestock technical staff in livestock research methodologies and data management and (2) Review and analysis of possible op-portunities for small ruminant production and marketing in Belize]

Boards and Committees Served We provided our services for seven local and one international committees. These were: • Caribbean Integrated Pest Management Network Committee • Executive Committee of the Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences • Executive Committee of the GBSJ • Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM) Programme Management Com-

mittee • Methyl Bromide Working Group • National Hot Pepper Task Force • Plant Health Coordination Committee • CTA Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Agricultural and Rural

Development

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Institutional Collaboration

Collaboration development During the year we initiated arrangements for collaboration with the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES) and the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical Univer-sity (FAMU).

Collaborators The institutions and agencies, both local and international, we collaborated with during the year included: • ALPART Mining Ventures • CARDI regional units, especially Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Kitts and Ne-

vis, St Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago • Coffee Industry Board • Food Storage & Prevention of Infestation Division, Ministry of Industry, Com-

merce & Technology • Goat Breeders Society of Jamaica • Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture • Jamaica 4-H Club • Jamaica Bauxite Institute • Jamaica Exporters Association • Ministries of Agriculture, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago • Ohio State University • Pennsylvania State University • Rural Agricultural Development Authority • University of the West Indies • USDA – Vegetable Laboratory, North Carolina • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Walkers Wood Caribbean Foods Limited Professional Development of Staff During the year staff received training in molecular biology tools, GIS technology, pest identification and team building and performance management systems. In addi-tion, they attended ten national and regional workshops, conferences and seminars.

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Exhibitions and Shows As part of the celebration of Science and Technology Month 2003 under the theme "Science and Technology for Economic Development: Technology Driven Agriculture and Agroprocessing", the CARDI Jamaica Unit hosted its Open Day on 26 November 2003. Representatives from the agricultural sector, including our collaborators and schools were specially invited to view exhibitions of CARDI’s contribution to agricul-tural development in Jamaica.

Publications Staff produced 13 publications of various types during the year.

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Weather

T otal rainfall in Jamaica in 2003 was less than in 2002 and the 30-year average. In 2003, the total

rainfall over the island, calculated as a mean of the total rainfall in the 13 par-ishes was 1,854 mm. In 2002, this figure was 2,159 mm and the 30-year mean is 1,949 mm. The mean annual rainfall for the 13 parishes is shown in Figure 1. Portland was the wettest parish with 4,051 mm of rainfall and Clarendon was the driest with 1,259 mm. Overall, all the parishes except St Ann, St Mary and Portland received less rainfall than the 30-year mean.

Figure 1 Mean annual rainfall for par-

ishes, Jamaica, 2003

Mean monthly rainfall for 2002, 2003 and the 30-year mean is given in Figure 2. In most parishes there were rainfall peaks in the April/May and Au-gust/September periods. In Portland and St Mary, in addition to these peaks, there was also very high rainfall in January and December. The other months had less than adequate rainfall in most of the parishes. Project activities carried out by CARDI in Jamaica were located in the parishes of Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Mary and Kingston and St Andrew. During the year all these parishes, except St Mary, experienced less than expected rainfall. The result was critical water

deficit conditions for experiments conducted during the year and in the production of for-age and orchard crop species in Manchester.

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Figure 2a Mean monthly rainfall for

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Figure 2b Mean monthly rainfall for 2002, 2003 and the 30-year mean for St James, St Ann, St Mary, Portland, St Thomas and Kingston and St Andrew

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Integrated Pest Man-agement Sub-programme

T he Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP) spon-

sored by the USAID has been the ma-jor vehicle through which CARDI has undertaken this important thematic sub-programme. In the penultimate year of the Second Phase of the IPM CRSP, the work programme focused principally on the consolidation of de-velopmental work and wider dissemi-nation of developed IPM technologies for callaloo, crucifers, hot pepper and sweetpotato to farmers in Jamaica and the other Caribbean territories with the assistance of the Caribbean Inte-grated Pest Management Network (CIPMNET) of PROCICARIBE. The project on the biological control of the coffee berry borer sponsored by the Coffee Industry Board also entered the

last phase of the two years extension period. During the year, in addition to refining the protocols developed for Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Phy-mastichus coffea the laboratory rearing and field release and determination of the establishment of Prorops nasuta were also pursued. In July 2000, the Government of Ja-maica (GOJ) and the Caribbean Devel-opment Bank (CDB) entered into a loan agreement for the replanting of citrus in parts of Jamaica affected by or susceptible to Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV). In December 2002, CARDI was awarded a two-year contract by GOJ, through the Ministry of Agricul-ture (MINAG), for Entomology Ser-vices to develop strategies for the man-agement of the brown citrus aphid (BrCA). In 2003, an islandwide survey for BrCA and natural enemies and vec-tors of economic importance was com-pleted. The monitoring for seasonal variation in BrCA population in two agroecological zones (wet and dry) was started.

Commodity Programme

The Commodity Programme of CARDI generates, for targeted commodities, scientific information and component technologies on production and post-production systems for selected crops and livestock. The Jamaica Unit of CARDI executes, under this programme, projects in integrated pest manage-ment for vegetables, hot pepper and sweetpotato, as well as coffee and in small ruminants

The Commodity Programme of CARDI generates, for targeted commodities, scientific information and component technologies on production and post-production systems for selected crops and livestock. The Jamaica Unit of CARDI executes, under this programme, projects in integrated pest manage-ment for vegetables, hot pepper and sweetpotato, as well as coffee and in small ruminants

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IPM Systems Development for Callaloo

Determination of the best IPM strategy for Lepidoptera complex on callaloo The two IPM strategies for Lepidoptera complex, namely, (1) exclusion of major pests using a row cover of 70 per cent light transmission in combination with cultural practices; and (2) the use of new biorational chemistries applied within the framework of a resistance management program (rotation of chemicals and the use of the threshold-based pesticide appli-cation guide in combination with cultural practices) were validated at Farm 5 in Thetford. Two seasons have been con-cluded at this last site and the third season would be concluded by February 2004. The two systems being tested continued to show the potential to reduce pesticide input (by 85% and 23%, respectively) in callaloo production compared to farmer practice of weekly sprays (lambda-cyhalothrin). Exclusion plots continued to provide superior crop protection, limit-ing insect-damaged losses to between 0-10.5 per cent compared to 0-50 per cent for the other two systems (Tables 1 and 2). Table 1 Mean larval frequency per crop under

three pest management systems at Farm 5 Thetford St Catherine, 2003

( ) SEM

Table 2 Differences in yields and insect dam-

aged losses under three different man-agement systems at Farm 5 Thetford, St Catherine, 2003

( ) SEM IPM Systems Development on Cabbage

In 2002, the focus of activities geared to-wards the development of IPM systems in vegetable crops was expanded to include cabbage (and other crucifers) This ex-pansion was to enable the classical re-search approach used in IPM systems de-velopment for vegetable amaranth (callaloo) to be extrapolated to address pesticide overuse against the diamond-back moth, which is a major priority issue among farmers throughout the Caribbean. Following a regionalisation workshop “Development of IPM in Leafy Vegeta-bles that Currently Experience High-pesticide Input”, held in Trinidad during 12-13 June 2002 in which 9 Caribbean researchers from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica participated, parallel research activities were established in Ja-maica and Trinidad in 2003 to evaluate the potential of biorational pesticides for the control of the diamond back moth.

SeasonExclusion Sampling

planWeeklyspray

1 21.8 (1.51) 30.9 (3.40) 20.0 (2.45)2 17.1 (1.77) 21.1 (2.71) 12.6 (1.31)

1 0.07 (0.073) 3.22 (1.835) 10.4 (2.99)2 0 4.94 (2.230) 12.8 (1.78)

Treatments

(b) Insect damage (%)

(a) Total yield, kg

SeasonExclusion Sampling

planWeeklyspray

1 0.77 (0.303) 7.23 (3.124) 12.77 (3.437)2 1.00 (0.494) 8.08 (3.189) 17.62 (4.809)

Treatments

16



Five experimental treatments were as-signed to five replicates in a randomised complete block (RCB) design. The five treatments were: a grower standard (Match®) and a microbial insecticide (Tracer ® - Trinidad, and Spinoace®) – Jamaica), each applied on either a weekly schedule or according to a threshold, and an untreated control. Plants were sam-pled weekly and the number of larvae per plant was recorded on ten sampled plants per plot. At harvest, 20 heads per plot were collected, weighed, graded for qual-ity, and dissected to determine total num-ber of larvae per head. Data were ana-lyzed by ANOVA using GENSTAT® (Jamaica) or MINITAB® (Trinidad) sta-tistical software, and means compared with Tukey’s HSD test. The results showed that in Jamaica plots sprayed weekly (both biorationals, see Figure 3) had significantly (P<0.05) lower percentage infestation levels, 1 and 7, (Spinoace® and Match®, respectively) than the other three treatments (Table 3).

Figure 3 Cabbage sprayed with biora-tional pesticide

Table 3 Mean weight, larval count and per cent infestation of cabbage heads, Jamaica 2003

In Trinidad, the number of lepidopteran pests was few. The percentage of mar-ketable heads, however, ranged from 66 in control plots to 93 in treated plots. The mean weight per head ranged from 653 g to 784 g (Table 4). Table 4 Mean percentage marketable heads and

mean weight per head of cabbage, Trini-dad 2003

Treatment Mean weight

(kg)

Mean larval count

Mean infesta-tion (%)

Spinoace, weekly 11.2 4.2 1Spinoace, threshold 15.8 17.2 24Match, weekly 16.2 3.2 7Match, threshold 17.2 8 14Control, untreated 15.1 10.4 17SED (d.f.=24) 5.29 7.21 6.93

Treatment Mean marketable heads (%)

Mean weight

(g)

Tracer, weekly 89 784Tracer, threshold 92 673Match, weekly 93 653Match, threshold 90 703Control, untreated 66 722Mean 86 707SEM (d.f.=24) 6.7 58.3

17



IPM Systems Development on Hot Pepper Jamaica has a viable hot pepper industry with the Scotch Bonnet cv. being the pre-ferred variety for cultivation. This indus-try is viable both on the local and export markets with a wide range of seasonings and sauces stemming from Scotch Bonnet production. The Scotch Bonnet cv. is, however, affected by numerous pests and diseases, which include broad mite, gall midge, viruses and their aphid vectors. Management of broad mite The effectiveness of selected pesticides for the management of broad mites was studied. Larger populations of broad mites (mean of 18.7 mites per leaf) were recovered in samples taken from six fields with high pesticide use, compared with those from six fields with no pesti-cide usage (8.4 mites per leaf). Con-versely, populations of predators were higher in fields with no pesticide usage (10.3 mites per leaf) than in fields with high pesticide usage (4.3 mites per leaf) Broad mites were confined mainly to the lower leaves of the plants whereas preda-tors were distributed more evenly over the plant, but the largest proportion (68-69%) were on the upper leaves in both the unsprayed and sprayed fields. Addi-tionally, it was noted that broad mites usually infest the upper parts of pepper plants and gradually move down the plants with time. These distributions on pepper plants suggest that it is predation at the early stages of infestation that is most important. The trial concluded that

abamectin, diafenthurion and hexathiazox provided the best combination of having maximum suppressive effects on broad mite populations and least on its preda-tors, which makes them very suitable to be used in integrated pest management programmes for broad mite on hot pep-pers Management of aphids/viruses A risk management model for reducing the impact and incidence of tobacco etch virus (TEV) and potato virus Y (PVY) in hot pepper was proposed based on gradu-ate studies conducted by an IPM CRSP-sponsored Jamaican student as part of a Ph.D. programme completed at VPI. This model involved the use of risk man-agement indices, which were subjective and, therefore, needed to be confirmed objectively. The proposed model was a modification of that developed for man-agement of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in peanuts in Georgia. An RCB trial was established towards the end of the year to develop a risk management model for TEV. Observations will be made over two seasons. Management of gall midges Several activities were pursued during the year in an effort to manage the gall midge problem in hot peppers. Field surveillance of gall midges Fifty-six hot pepper plots across the island were sampled for the as yet unidentified gall midge species complex, to identify pest-free areas or periods. Data collected

18



suggested the possibility of economically-significant pest-free periods in four grow-ing areas. This suggests focusing more detailed investigations in these areas. No area was free of the pest for the entire pe-riod. Pest infestation data were posted on the Pes tWatch GIS Websi te , http://radajamaica.com.jm/JamaicaPestWatch/, towards integration of World-wide Web and GIS for real-time monitoring, commu-nication and dissemination of pest man-agement information. Field extension workers’ surveillance capability has been enhanced through their participation in the project. This will strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to meet global sanitary and phy-tosanitary systems trading requirements. Fumigation to control gall midge larvae and effect on fruit shelf life Hot peppers were treated with phosphine gas released from magnesium phosphide formulation and five different exposure times to determine efficacy in controlling gall midge larvae infestation and effect on shelf life of the treated commodity. The results indicated a linear relationship between exposure time and gall midge larvae mortality. Shelf-life of the fruits was not adversely affected by fumigation. Development of molecular tools for identification of gall midge species Collections of two distinct gall midge species (one a fruit pest and the other a flower pest) were made from hot pepper fields in Jamaica and sent to Pennsyl-vania State University for identification. Hot peppers exported to USA from Ja-

maica require mandatory fumigation to prevent the entry of a Contarinia species which US taxonomist had indicated to be one of the species on the peppers col-lected from the hot pepper fields. How-ever, efforts to confirm their taxonomic classification through biosystematics failed. Therefore, the development of molecular tools to distinguish between species in the cryptic gall midge complex was initiated to facilitate rapid and confir-matory diagnosis of the presence of each species. This work will continue. In tandem with this effort to apply bio-technological methods to solve problems, two Caribbean scientists completed train-ing techniques in molecular biology dur-ing a two-week intensive course at the Pennsylvania State University. Topics included DNA/RNA purification, restric-tion enzymes, labelling probes, southern blotting and hybridisation, plasmid isola-tion and cloning, DNA sequencing, poly-merase chain reaction, and protein immu-nodetection by western blotting. Farmer database for trace-back monitoring As a follow-up to the activities started in June 2002 and which were geared to-wards web-based information on inter-ceptions at the port and trace-back moni-toring, a proposal was submitted to COLEACP. The proposal was approved and that enabled an appropriate software to be acquired. The software would be populated with the particulars of farmers from the farmer register compiled since 2000. A register of middle suppliers of fresh produce would be added later.

19



Weed management Weeds constitute a serious pest in crop production and, therefore, require serious attention just like the insect pests. Weed management in cabbage production During the year in review a trial was con-ducted to evaluate different organic mulches for weed management in cab-bage production. The mulches used were derived from the following plant species: Neem (Azadirachta indica [A. Juss]), Quick stick (Gliricidia sepium [Jacq.]), Leucaena (Leucaena sp. [Benth]), Velvet beans (Mucuna sp. [Adams]), and Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.). The experiment used an RCB design with four blocks, each of which contained six treat-ments as follows: control (not mulched), mulched with neem, mulched with leu-caena, mulched with Gliricidia, mulched with Mucuna and mulched with Guinea grass. Cabbage seedlings were planted in treat-ment plots measuring 1.5 m x 1.0 m. Mulching followed three weeks later. The weeds under assessment were classi-fied into three groups based on their mor-phological features, i.e. broad leaves, grasses and sedges. The results of the trial indicated that total weed growth (as percentage cover or density) in plots mulched with Gliricidia, Mucuna and Guinea grass was significantly lower (P<0.05) than the control at both five and seven weeks after mulching.

Weed management in hot pepper production A similar RCB experiment was under-taken to evaluate organic and inorganic mulches for weed management in hot pepper production. The treatments tested were: mulched with reflective mulch, mulched with Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) and uncovered soil that was sprayed with Gramoxone® once within the first three weeks after the other plots were mulched. Early results indi-cated that better levels of weed control were derived from the reflective mulch than both the grass mulch and the herbi-cide treatments. Weed control by the grass mulch appeared to be more effec-tive than by the herbicide treatment. The weed management studies were part of a Ph.D. programme (in Weed Science) of a Jamaican student sponsored by the IPM CRSP.

IPM Systems Development on Sweetpotato Assessment of environmentally-friendly insecticides in the manage-ment of the sweetpotato leaf beetle The sweetpotato leaf beetle (SPLB), Ty-pophorous viridicyaneus Crotch, was identified as a new pest of sweetpotato in Jamaica within the last five years. It con-tinues to be a pest of major importance, and increasingly so in certain parts of the island, with reports of over 80 per cent damage in harvested roots attributed to it.

20



The evaluation of management tactics that include alternatives to conventional synthetic insecticides, such as bioration-als, kairomones (floral components) and botanicals, have been shown to be effec-tive against these coleopterans on sweet-potato. Hence, the planting of selected varieties found to have some resis-tance/tolerance against the SPLB, to-gether with the judicious use of chemicals that are environmentally friendly (e.g. garlic) can provide a useful combination in the management of the sweetpotato leaf beetle that can be incorporated into a sweetpotato IPM strategy. In a replicated experiment three environ-mentally-friendly insecticides, imidaclo-prid, garlic or neem extract were tested for efficacy in the control of SPLB. The results indicated that there was a signifi-cant (P=0.038) difference in SPLB dam-age to leaves among the treatments. Both imidacloprid and garlic were effective in reducing the damage to tubers from SPLB attack. The neem formulation also was fairly effective in producing SPLB mortality, but it performed better in previ-ous trials. The trial now needs to be re-peated in other areas of Jamaica with dif-fering ecosystems, which can affect the efficacy of the chemicals. Dissemination of sweetpotato IPM technology The dissemination of the IPM technolo-gies to farmers in major sweetpotato-growing areas in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean continued during the year. One workshop was held on 06 May 2003 in Falmouth, western Jamaica for Rural Agricultural Development Authority

(RADA) officers from the parishes of Trelawny and Westmoreland. Thirteen participants attended the workshop which covered the major pests of sweetpotato, IPM principles and strategies used in the management of the sweetpotato weevil, the proper use of the sweetpotato weevil pheromone trap and the complementary practices that should be carried out by farmers to ensure its effectiveness. Regionalization of sweetpotato IPM technology The regionalisation component of the IPM CRSP continued with sweetpotato varietal trials in St Kitts. In St Vincent, the survey for the detection of Cylas for-micarius (Summers sweetpotato weevil) began. Preliminary results indicated that the weevil was still not present in the is-land. The baseline survey on sweetpotato production was also completed.

Social and Gender-related Issues in IPM Adoption

As part of the regionalisation efforts under the IPM CRSP, in August 2003 socio economic studies were conducted in Barbados and Trinidad. In Barbados, 135 farmers were surveyed to collect baseline data on farmer characteristics and farming practices. The average size of farms was 1.7 ha and the aver-age age of farmers 56.5 years. Several farms specialised in animal or fruit pro-duction, as well as vegetable production with only seven farms still growing sugar cane. On average, 37 per cent of income came from sale of farm pro-duce and 47 per cent from off-farm

21



work or pensions. Very few farmers re-ceived remittances. Pesticide and fertil-izer use among farmers was as follows: 51.9 per cent used chemical pesticides and 3.7 per cent used organic pesticides, 27.4 per cent used chemical fertilizer and 25.2 per cent used organic fertilizer. The source of information for farmers in their choice of pesticides varied widely. Where women farmers did utilise chemi-cal pesticides they normally had the spraying done by a man. For those farm-ers using pesticides, 29 or 42 per cent had heard about IPM and some 23.2 per cent used some form of non-chemical con-trols. These mainly took the form of use of soap sprays or ladybird beetles. In Trinidad, a wide range of vegetables are produced for export (hot pepper, pumpkin) and the domestic market (tomatoes, cabbages, sweet and hot pep-per, melongene, okra). Farmers cultivate plots varying from 0.2–1.0 ha up to larger plots of 2.0–5.0 ha. The majority of cabbage is produced by small-scale farmers on plots of less than 0.4 ha with plots 0.8-2 ha considered large. Smallholders produce a mix of crops throughout the year with production currently focused on the domestic market. Farmers monitor market changes very closely and use volume, area of existing production and each others investment and marketing activities as signals of when to produce and how much. Over the last decade cabbage acreage has declined while production has increased indicating that productivity gains have been achieved as farmers become more experienced in cabbage production.

Whitefly and Whitefly Transmitted Gemini-Viruses The IPM Specialists of the CARDI Ja-maica Unit successfully led the Institute to complete a project funded by the CAFP IPM, which involved the establish-ment of a whitefly, and whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses database for the Caribbean The goal of the project was to improve the access of National Co-ordinators CIPMNET of PROCICARIBE to infor-mation for making decisions related to co-ordinating research on whitefly and whitefly transmitted geminiviruses. The project involved data collection, data compilation and analysis and the produc-tion of the report. Many challenges were faced in obtain-ing information from some countries. Furthermore, selective translation of the copious non-English documents was necessary. However, over 200 pieces of grey and published literature were obtained during the data collection ex-ercise. From the information gathered it appeared that much of the required component research had been effected somewhere in the Caribbean, often with good results and some were ongoing. Additionally, the information analysed indicated that research activity was highest in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica followed by Martinique, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Guadeloupe. The literature also showed that the ar-eas in which research and development efforts have been most sustained were vector / virus characterisation

22



and distribution, documentation of host range; screening for host plant resistance and biological control. However, the need for the goals and objectives of all current regional initiatives to be rational-ised to form a fully coordinated Regional Whitefly and Whitefly-Transmitted Gem-iniviruses Management Programme was highlighted.

Citrus Replanting Project The presence of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in Jamaica has necessitated the replanting of Jamaican citrus onto resis-tant rootstock. The Ministry of Agricul-ture (MINAG) sought to support the re-planting project with research services in the disciplines of Agronomy, Entomology and Plant Pathology. CARDI success-fully tendered for the contract to provide research services in Entomology. The contract required CARDI to determine the seasonal and spatial distribution of the vector, Brown citrus aphid (BrCA); in-vestigate the importance of indigenous natural enemies of BrCA; investigate the potential use of chemical or biological control methods for BrCA; and determine the presence and significance of other in-sect vectors of CTV and other economic diseases. Field work commenced in the second quarter of the year which coincided with the major onset of flush on farms. The execution of the islandwide survey for BrCA was completed by the end of Sep-tember 2003. A total of 126 farms in 13 parishes was surveyed (Table 5). De-tailed analyses of the data will be com-pleted by the first quarter of 2004, but preliminary analyses showed that lowest

aphid densities (1.3-1.5 aphids/cm flush) occurred in St James, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny and Portland. The highest densities were recorded in St Thomas and Manchester of 5 and 6.7 aphids/cm flush, respectively. St Cath-erine and Clarendon had relatively high densities too. St Elizabeth had the lowest infestation of al the parishes. Table 5 Infestation parameters of

Brown Citrus Aphid (BrCA) in 126 citrus farms surveyed in Jamaica

Farm sizes: Small (S): 0-10 ha; Medium (M): 11-30 ha and Large (L): >30 ha Pearsons ranked correlation for data from 83 farms showed a significant (P<0.01) correlation between flush length and number of BrCA, as well as between the flush density and number of BrCA. The other possible factors (age, rainfall, va-riety etc.) influencing the variability in aphid densities will be examined in the

Parish No. of farms

sampled

No. of farms

infested

No. of BrCA

per cm flush

S M LSt Catherine 19 19 4.1 9 5 5Clarendon 39 33 3.3 34 2 3Manchester 15 11 6.7 15 0 0St Elizabeth 5 2 2.7 4 0 1Westmore-land

4 4 1.3 4 0 0

Hanover 7 7 1.4 6 0 1St James 4 4 1.3 3 0 1Trelawny 3 3 1.5 2 0 1St Ann 5 4 3 3 1 1St Mary 12 10 2.1 11 5 1Portland 3 3 1.5 2 1 0St Thomas 3 3 5 3 0 0St Andrew 2 1 3 2 0 0

Farm size

23



more detailed analyses. The other surveys for natural enemies and vectors of economic importance, respec-tively, were conducted concurrently with the BrCA survey. The same natural ene-mies continued to be observed on the farms visited, with coccinellids (eggs, lar-vae and adults) being the most wide-spread. Mummified aphids were ob-served on two farms only (one farm in Clarendon and one in St. Catherine) but no parasitoid was successfully reared out for identification. These experiences and field observations indicated the need for the introduction of natural enemies. This would be pursued through networking and collaboration with the University of Florida, which has expertise with parasi-toids of BrCA. Putative samples of the citrus psyllid, a vector of citrus greening disease, were collected and sent for confirmation through CARINET. This identification has since been confirmed. Population monitoring for seasonal varia-tion in BrCA started in two agroecologi-cal zones (wet and dry) and this will con-tinue until November 2004. The initiation of some activities was be-hind schedule, but plan has been put in place to fast track those activities. There was also a modification of the proposed work programme namely, the removal of the activity for determination of propor-tion viruliferous aphids. The decision followed discussions and expert advice as to the required components of such a study. The activity was proven infeasible with respect to time and cost under the

current project. Biological Control of the Coffee Berry Borer One of the major insect pests affecting coffee production in Jamaica is the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus ham-pei Ferrari (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), which is estimated to cause annual losses of US$2.0-3.0 million to the industry. Since 1978, control of the CBB in Ja-maica has been achieved mainly through the application of endosulfan, an or-ganochlorine insecticide and by utilising cultural practices such as the complete removal of berries from trees and ground at the end of the harvest period. The negative ecological and environmental repercussions of endosulfan use, such as contamination of river and coastal water and sediment, and accumulation in tissues of river and coastal fauna, and the devel-opment of resistance to endosulfan by CBB populations in different parts of the island, encouraged the Coffee Industry Board (CIB), in July 1999, to contract CARDI to initiate a biological control project for the CBB. Under the project CARDI was mandated to test the method-ology of using biological control agents as a tactic for reducing CBB infestation through the (i) development of protocols for mass rearing in the laboratory, (ii) de-termination of establishment in the field, (iii) determination of efficacy of the bio-logical agents against the CBB and (iv) train technical and field officers in mass rearing, release and monitoring the bio-control agents. The project was extended for two years in June 2003.

24



Rearing of the parasitoids During the year we consolidated the pro-tocols for the mass rearing of the two parasitoids on which we have been work-ing over the years - Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Phymastichus coffea - as well as the re-introduced parasitoids, Prorops nasuta. Cephalonomia stephanoderis - The mean monthly production in the laboratory of adult C. stephanoderis ranged between 22 and 182 ± 49.3 with greater production during the first half of the year than dur-ing the second half (Figure 4).

Figure 4 The monthly production of Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta in the laboratory, Mona 2003

Prorops nasuta - After an unsuccessful attempt to mass rear this parasitoid in the laboratory in Year 1 of the project, this activity was re-initiated in Year 4 and was met with greater success. A total of 22,385 adults was collected during the year. Apart from the low production dur-ing the months of December, January and February, and to a lesser extent in June, the production of P. nasuta was fairly well spread during the year (Figure 4). It is apparent that the experience of the Coffee Team ensured that the rearing of this parasitoid was successful this time and clearly indicates that P. nasuta can be successfully mass produced in Jamaica. Phymastichus coffea – Collaboration with Dr Maribel Portilla of USDA-ARS-MSA, Biological Control and Mass Rear-ing Research Unit in Mississippi State, USA, resulted in the receipt of two ship-ments of parasitized CBB (reared on an artificial diet) in March and May 2003. A total of 32,931 adults was collected over the March-June 2003 period, while 11,193 adults emerged from the second shipment. Collected adults were used to establish new cultures at the CARDI and Baronhall Rearing Facilities, while some were released in experimental plots at Flamstead, Maryland and Baronhall. Be-cause of the scarcity of CBB adults, the number of parasitoids in the lab was con-siderably less than what would be ex-pected and hence, only two cultures were established with 64 females and 14 males by the end of the reporting year.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

No.

C. s

teph

anod

eris

(x10

00)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

No.

P n

asut

a (x

1000

)

C. stephanoderis P. nasuta

25



Establishment of Prorops nasuta and Phymastichus coffea in the field P. nasuta – One larva and one adult were observed from dissected berries collected in August 2003 from a release site – Rose Hill. This suggested that P. nasuta had successfully found CBB on which to feed and lay eggs, and the offspring of the re-leased parasitoids were able to reproduce up to an F2 generation (assuming a 23-day life cycle for P. nasuta). Hence, the condi-tions present in the field at Rose Hill were suitable for establishment of this parasitoid for at least three generations. P. coffea - At the Rose Hill 2 site, 15 lar-vae, five pupae and one egg were dis-sected from coffee berries and adult CBB during the year. This was a clear indica-tion that the parasitoid had been able to successfully reproduce for several gen-erations, had become established in the field and was capable of successful CBB parasitism. Efficacy of Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Phymastichus coffea in the field C. stephanoderis – Adult C. stephano-deris were released in plots designated release and positive control plots at the Mountain Hill site in January and March 2003 and again in July and August 2003. The pattern of CBB infestation was simi-lar in both the release and positive control plots. However, in October 2003, the CBB infestation in the release plot de-clined by 20 per cent and remained rela-tively low (about 13-15%) in November-December 2003, while it actually in-creased in the control plot in October

2003. Only one larva was observed from dissected berries collected in May 2003. The parasitoid releases apparently did not have the expected effect on the CBB population. This may have been partly due to the timing of the releases (too few CBB in the field at times of releases, es-pecially in January and March 2003) and the presence of the fungus, Beauveria sp., in over 50 per cent of the adult CBB (observed during berry dissections in Oc-tober 2003). Nonetheless, the parasitoids must still have contributed to the general reduction in the level of CBB infestation observed in the release plot during the final quarter of the year. At Rose Hill 1, adults were released in March, June, August and September 2003. The CBB infestation for most of the year was low in both the release and control plots, averaging less than 30 per cent in both plots for the year. However, an almost 50 per cent decline in CBB infestation in the release plot in May 2003 (compared to <1% decline in the control plot) was probably due to the presence of the offspring of parasitoids released in the plot in March 2003. Sub-sequent parasitoid releases in this plot were believed to have resulted in the relatively steady CBB level observed for the remainder of the year. This is sup-ported by the presence of one parasitoid larva observed from dissection of berries collected in October 2003, which sug-gested a 4 per cent level of parasitism of CBB. P. coffea - Releases were made in the release plot at Flamstead during April, May and June 2003. The infestation

26



in the release plot fluctuated for the first three months of the year, increasing steadily after late January 2003 (from 32%) until the end of March 2003 (to 56%). The CBB infestation in the posi-tive control plot fluctuated in a similar fashion, eventually increasing to 22 per cent in March 2003. Even though a total of 15 larvae (10-13% CBB parasitism) were dissected from CBB samples taken in January 2003 from the release plot, the expected reduction in CBB infestation was relatively low and this could have been due to the harvesting of the crop during this period. CBB parasitism levels of 6.5-15 per cent between June and October 2003 were re-sponsible for the suppression of the CBB population to levels that were comparable to when endosulfan was used (as in the positive control plot). In fact, the marked decline in CBB infestation in late July 2003 (from 41 to 26%) occurred two weeks after observed parasitism level of 10.5 per cent. The smaller reductions in CBB infesta-tion in the positive control plot (e.g. from 20% to 14% during September-October 2003) were attributed to the absence of the parasitoids in this plot. Demonstration of total integrated tactics to reduce CBB infestation In November 2002 an IPM plot was es-tablished at the Maryland site to demon-strate the usefulness of total integrated tactics in pest management in coffee plantations. Two similar plots – positive control (spraying with endosulfan) and negative control (no treatment) were es-tablished for comparison. The integrated

tactics employed in the IPM plot included the release of parasitoids, the placement of CBB attractant traps (Brocap®) and the implementation of cultural practices, such as stripping. The pest complex tar-geted by the total integrated tactics in-cluded leaf miners, leaf spot, anthracnose, flatids and leaf rust, but the concentration was on the CBB. Monitoring of the three plots during the year showed that CBB levels in the IPM plot were generally much lower than in the control plots. In the IPM plot, CBB infestation level declined from 77 per cent at the beginning of the year to 29 per cent in late April 2003 and to 13 per cent in October 2003. The CBB infestation in the positive and negative control plots rose to as high as 94 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively, in October 2003. Also, the CBB parasitism levels in the IPM plot were 6-50 per cent in samples collected between June and October 2003. The reduction in CBB infestation and the comparatively high increases in CBB infestation in the control plots, must be attributed to the combination of pest management tactics carried out at the ap-propriate times in the release plot. The results clearly indicated that the com-bination of management tactics was suc-cessful in suppressing the CBB popula-tion to relatively low levels when com-pared to the application of endosulfan or the absence of any management strategy. Training of stakeholders In October and November 2003 two persons received Level III training at the CARDI Rearing Facility as part of the on-going effort to scale-up the

27



technology for the rearing, release and monitoring for the effectiveness of the biocontrol agents. A field day was held on 30 January 2003 at Flamstead. Approximately 13 farm supervisors, and workers from Blue Mountain Coffee Ventures and neighbouring farms were enlightened about the project and the mode of action of the parasitoids (C. stephanoderis and P. coffea), after which they were able to observe and take part in a field release of C. stephanoderis. Setting up cultures to rear parasitoids

of CBB in the laboratory

On-farm demonstration / validation of IPM strategies for cal laloo

Livestock Sub –Programme

C ARDI, along with its collabora-tors, including the Ministry of Agriculture Research and De-

velopment Division, RADA, the Goat Breeders Society of Jamaica (GBSJ), ALPART Mining Ventures, Jamaica 4-H Club, IICA/JBI, UNITAS and farm-ers continued the efforts to develop the small ruminant industry in Jamaica. The activities in these efforts were un-dertaken both on research stations (Hounslow and Sam Motta Goat and Sheep Demonstration and Training Centres—HDTC and SMDTC, respec-tively) and on producers properties. The provision of improved breeding stock continued through the multipli-cation and distribution programmes at both DTCs, the community buck ser-vice at SMDTC and the importation of additional improved breeding stock by producers. We continued our quest to develop sustainable production systems by evaluating three forage legumes in feeding systems. The outreach pro-gramme continued to provide an ave-nue to bring small ruminant produc-tion technologies to farmers and to monitor developments in the small ru-minant industry. Under an arrange-ment with MINAG, the Livestock Team recruit and recommend farmers from the central and western parishes for the Government-sponsored Goat Commercialisation Project. We also facilitated the export by farmers of three Boer breeding stock to Antigua.

28



Breed Improvement The national small ruminant improve-ment strategy enunciated by stakeholders is for the research/breeding stations and designated breeder stock producers to maintain purebred stock , multiply within the purebred stock and cross breed among the purebreds and the Native types up to the generation when the top-cross buck represents 87.5 per cent of the crossbred animal. The major goat breeds used for breed im-provement during the year included Nu-bian, Boer, Alpine, Spanish and the Na-tive type. Production of improved breeding stock At the HDTC, the work which started last year with the aim of infusing the Boer and Spanish genes into the Nubian/Native crossbreds continued. In the programme, purebred Boer (100B) and Spanish (100S) bucks were put on Nubian/Native crossbred (50N/50Na) does – PBBxNNa and PBSxNNa - and crossbred Boer (50B/25N/25Na) buck was put on Nu-bian/Native crossbred (50N/50Na) does - XBBxNNa. The control breeding group was purebred Nubian buck on crossbred Nubian/Native (50N/50Na) does – PBNxNNa. The expected breed compo-sition of the resulting offspring was:

B50N25Na25 S50N25Na25 B25N37.5Na37.5 N75Na25

As at the end of 2003, liveweight data up to 180 days had been collected (Tables 6). The kids of the Spanish buck had

marginally lower liveweight up to 90 days than those of the Boer and the Nu-bian. As expected, the males were mar-ginally better than the females, and the kids born as singles better than those born as twins and triplets for liveweight. Table 6 Effects of breed, sex and birth type on

kids and growers liveweight at HDTC, 2003

Goat breeds: B = Boer, N = Nubian, NA = Native At the SMDTC, the breeding of im-proved stock also continued. Alpine, Boer and Nubian bucks were used for the breeding programme. Table 7 shows the effects of these breeds, as well as sex and birth types on the liveweight of kids pro-duced in 2003. There were no significant (P>0.05) effects of breed, sex and type of

Birth 30-d 90-d 180-d

B50N25Na25 3.05 6.56 11.7 16.3S50N25Na25 2.30 6.11 10.7 17.6B25N37.5Na37.5 2.77 6.68 13.2 20.8N75Na25 2.82 6.00 11.8 17.9d.f. 230 230 215 175sd 0.60 1.76 3.02 4.26

Male 2.89 6.57 12.9 19.9Female 2.66 5.99 11.4 17.7d.f. 230 230 215 175sd 0.59 1.76 3.03 4.33

Single 2.85 6.86 13.2 20.5Twin 2.78 6.02 11.8 18Triplet 2.48 5.60 10 16.8d.f. 230 230 215 175sd 0.60 1.73 2.99 4.27

Liveweight, kg

Breed type

Sex

Birth type

29



birth on liveweight at birth and at 30 days old. The 90-day weight was significantly higher (P<0.001) for the kids of the Boer (13 kg) than for those of the Alpine (11 kg) and Nubian (9 kg) bucks. Again, sex and birth type had no significant (P>0.05) effects on 90-day weights (Table 7). Table 7 Effects of breed, sex and birth type on

kids liveweight at SMDTC, 2003

Distribution of improved breeding stock During the year, some 40 animals were distributed from the DTCs as improved breeding stock. The six designated small

breeders monitored also made significant contribution to the number improved breeding stock distributed. They sold over 400 animals, mostly Boers and Nu-bians with more 50 per cent of parent buck genetics. The number of breeding stock distributed by these farmers be-tween 2000 and 2003 totaled over 800. Development of Feeding and Production Systems Technologies Adaptability and yields of pigeon pea and blue pea Studies on the effects of (1) season of sowing (major rainy season, October 2001 vs. minor rainy season, March 2002, and (2) age of first cut (8 or 12 weeks post emergence clearing cut) on the bio-mass production and the segregated above-ground parts of two locally adapted forage legume species, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and blue pea (Clitoria ternatea) were successfully completed during the year. The trial was a 3 x 2 x 2 factorial design with four rep-lications on 2 m x 2 m plots. There were three cutting intervals, 4, 6 and 8 week. The data were analysed using GENSTAT statistical software and the means sepa-rated by LSD. The results for plant height, dry matter yield, ratio of non-stem to stem fractions and crude protein con-centration are summarised in Tables 8 to 11 and Figures 5 to 10. The two species have different growth growth habits and the more erect pigeon attained greater height

Birth 30-d 90-d

Alpine 3.30 5.79 11.42Boer 3.50 6.34 13.44Nubian 3.23 5.12 9.32F prob. 0.222 0.173 <.001sed 0.149 0.623 0.998d.f. 111 52 80

Male 3.43 5.71 11.59Female 3.22 6.04 11.60F prob. 0.081 0.442 0.993sed 0.118 0.433 0.848d.f. 111 52 80

Single 3.36 5.42 11.94Twin 3.32 5.97 11.67Triplet 3.10 6.73 9.86F prob. 0.644 0.192 0.381sed 0.271 0.693 1.465d.f. 111 52 80

Birth type

Breed type

Liveweight, kg

Sex

30



(P<0.001) irrespective of the season of sowing and age of first cut (Table 8). The plants that were first cut at eight weeks old, particularly the pigeon pea, tended to grow taller (P=0.013) than those first cut at 12 weeks old. Plant height increased linearly with increasing cutting interval for both species (Figure 5) Table 8 Effects of season of sowing and age of

first cut on plant height (cm) of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, Hounslow, 2001-2003

sed (d.f. 41) for comparing season of sowing means: Species = 2.86 (P<0.001), Season = 2.86 (P<0.001), Species x Season = 4.05 (P=0.076) sed (d.f. 41) for comparing age first cut means: Species = 3.57 (P<0.001), Age first cut = 3.57 (P<0.001), Species x Age first cut =5.05 (P=0.013) Herbage biomass yield of both species (Table 9) was affected similarly by sea-son and age of first cut. On average, the herbage biomass yield of the October 2001 sown crop was about twice (P<0.001) that of the March 2002 sown crop, however, there was no significant effect (P>0.05) of age of first cut on dry matter yield. Herbage biomass yield of

pigeon pea appeared to be higher, while that of blue pea appeared to be lower with decreasing cutting frequency, although the trends were not significant (P>0.05, Figure 6).

Figure 5 Effect of cutting interval on plant height of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, mean of season and age first cut

Table 9 Effects of season of sowing and age of

first cut on dry matter yield (t/ha/yr) of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, Hounslow, 2001-2003

sed (d.f. 41) for comparing season of sowing means: Species = 0.643 (P=0.248), Season =0.643 (P<0.001), Spe-cies x Season =0.91 (P=0.657) sed (d.f. 41) for comparing age first cut means: Species = 0.66 (P=0.250), Age first cut = 0.66 (P=0.221), Species x Age = 0.93 (P=0.438)

SpeciesOct-01 Mar-02 Mean

Cajanus cajan 71 76.7 73.9Clitoria ternatea 29.3 24.7 27Mean 50.2 50.7 50.5

8 wk old 12 wk old Mean

Cajanus cajan 100.2 77.9 89Clitoria ternatea 34.7 30 32.3Mean 67.4 53.9 60.7

Age first cut

Season of sowing0

102030405060708090

4 6 8 sed (39 d.f.)

Cutting interval (wk)

Plan

t hei

ght (

cm)

Cajanus cajan Clitoria ternatea


Cajanus cajan 10.53 5.67 8.1Clitoria ternatea 10.06 4.63 7.35Mean 10.3 5.15 7.72



Season of sowing

Age first cut

31



Figure 6 Effect of cutting interval on dry matter yield of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, mean of season and age first cut

The herbage dry matter production for the sequential cuts for the three cutting inter-vals is shown in Figures 7-9. For the Oc-tober 2001 sown crop herbage production increased up to about the fourth cut for both species and for all three cutting in-tervals. Thereafter, herbage yield de-clined; the rate of decline being faster for the pigeon pea than for the blue pea. For the March 2002 sown crop, herbage pro-duction started to decline from the first cut. For the pigeon pea subsequent re-generation was so slow that after the fourth cut all the plants had died or were almost dead. The herbage production of the blue pea declined up to about the fourth cut and then stabilised, particularly for the 6- and 8-week cutting interval treatments. On average, the blue pea had higher non-stem fractions (leaves, inflorescence and pods) relative to stem fractions than the pigeon pea when comparing season of sowing (P<0.001) and age of first cut (P=0.033), especially for the crop first

cut at 8 weeks of age (Table 10). Figure 7 Changes in dry matter yield

with sequential cutting at 4 weeks interval of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea

Figure 8 Changes in dry matter yield

with sequential cutting at 6 weeks interval of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea

The proportion of non-stem fraction in the pigeon pea declined with 8 week cut-ting interval and that of the blue pea in-creased with 6-8 week cutting intervals (Figure 10). The crude protein concentrations of the whole herbage, stem and non-stem frac-tions were higher for the blue pea than for the pigeon pea (Table 11). The blue pea also maintained relatively high

0123456789

4 6 8 sed (39 d.f.)Cutting interval (wk)

Dry

mat

ter y

ield

/ha

(t)


0

5

10

15

20

25

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12

Cut number

Dry

mat

ter y

ield

, t/h

a/yr

Cajanus cajan - Oct Cajanus cajan - MarClitoria ternatea - Oct Clitoria ternatea - Mar

02468

101214161820

1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8

Cut number

Dry

mat

ter y

ield

, t/h

a/yr


32



Figure 9 Changes in dry matter yield with sequential cutting at 8 weeks interval of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea

Table 10 Effects of season of sowing and age of

first cut on the ratio of non-stem to stem fractions of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, Hounslow, 2001-2003

sed (d.f. 41) for comparing season of sowing means: Species = 0.080 (P<0.001), Season = 0.080 (P=0.031), Spe-cies x Season = 0.114 (P=0.282) sed (d.f. 41) for comparing age first cut means: Species = 0.141 (P=0.033), Age first cut = 0.141 (P=0.850), Species x Age first cut = 0.201 (P=0.052) and particularly in the non-stem fractions at the 6 and 8 weeks cutting intervals. This is fairly consistent with the observa-

tion that the proportion of the non-stem fraction in the blue pea increased with 6-8 week cutting intervals (Figure 10).

Figure 10 Effect of cutting interval on the ratio of non-stem to stem fractions of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, mean of season and age first cut

It was concluded from the trial that: (1) pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) does not adapt to repeated cutting regimes that are normally suited to regular multi-purpose fodder trees such as leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) and, therefore, cannot be used as a regular fodder crop., (2) blue pea (Clitoria ternatea), with its ability to maintain high non-stem to stem ratio, and hence high crude protein concentration even with 8-week cutting interval, has a potential as a regular fodder crop, espe-cially when established during the major rainy season in October Comparative yield of Mucuna pruriens grown on reclaimed bauxite land In a 3 x 3 factorial experiment to inves-tigate the seed production, on reclaimed

0

5

10

15

20

25

1-2 3-4 5-6Cut number

Dry

mat

ter y

ield

, t/h

a/yr






Season of sowing

Age first cut

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

4 6 8 sed (39 d.f.)Cutting interval (wk)

Rat

io o

f non

-ste

m to

ste

m p

arts


33



Table 11 Effect of cutting interval on crude protein concentration (g/kg dry mat-ter) of Cajanus cajan and Clitoria ternatea, Hounslow 2001-03

sed (d.f. 15) for comparing whole herbage means: Species = 1.81 (P<0.001), Cutting interval = 2.14 (P<0.001), Species x Cutting interval = 3.02 (P<0.001) sed (d.f. 15) for comparing stem fractions means: Species = 3.47 (P=0.071), Cutting interval = 4.30 (P<0.001), Species x Cutting interval = 6.01 (P=0.002) sed (d.f. 15) for comparing non-stem fractions means: Species = 1.43 (P<0.001), Cutting interval = 1.72 (P<0.001), Species x Cutting interval = 2.43 (P=0.004) bauxite land, three varieties (white, black and mottled) of mucuna (Mucuna pru-riens) were grown under three fertilizer treatments along trellises 2 m in length. The three fertilizer treatments were: T1 — 50 g/linear m each of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) and Muriate of Potash (MoP), T2 — 0.38 kg/linear m of goat manure and T3 — No fertilizer or ma-nure. Fifteen seeds were sown in triplets along each trellis in five holes approxi-mately 0.35 m apart in March 2003. The nine treatment combinations were ran-domly assigned to nine trellises, which

were replicated four times. One-half of the fertilizer for T1 was applied four (TSP) and six (MoP) weeks after sowing. The other half was applied in July 2003. For T2, one-half of the goat manure was applied four weeks after sowing with similar subsequent application in July 2003. Mature pods were harvested and their weights taken to determine the total fresh matter yields of each variety. Sam-ples of the pods were dried in an oven at 65°C for 48 hours for the determination of pod dry matter yield. Data collection started in October 2003, and would con-tinue and be analysed in 2004. Validation of alfalfa production on reclaimed bauxite land During 2000-2001 five alfalfa cultivars were evaluated on unmined bauxite soils at the HDTC. The results suggested that on the whole the cultivars were adapted and had the potential for hay production in Jamaica. Reclaimed (mined out) baux-ite lands are now being used increasingly for goat production. The successful pro-duction of improved forages on such lands will greatly enhance the viability of the goat enterprises located on them. Therefore, in the last quarter of 2002 a trial was started at the SMDTC situated on reclaimed bauxite lands to validate the forage production potential of the five alfalfa cultivars tested at the HDTC, namely, Creoula, Florida 99, DK189, DK191 and CW89132. Five established 2 m x 2 m plots were cut to a height of 10 cm. After the clearing cut regrowths were cut at 6 week inter-val. At each cutting the total herbage was weighed and two sub-samples

4 6 8 Mean

Cajanus cajan 191.2 171.3 177.1 179.9Clitoria ternatea 251.1 204.0 203.3 219.5Mean 221.2 187.7 190.2



(c) Non-stem fraction

Cutting interval (wk)

(a) Whole herbage

(b) Stem fraction

34



drawn. One sub-sample was weighed and dried for total herbage yield determina-tion. The second sub-sample was sepa-rated into leaf, stem and reproductive fractions, weighed and dried. All sam-ples were dried in a forced draught oven at 65 ºC for 48 hours. The data were ana-lysed using GENSTAT statistical soft-ware. The evaluation was ongoing at the end of the year but preliminary results (Table 12) suggested that there were no statistical (P>0.05) differences in plant height, dry matter yield and non-stem to stem ratio among the five cultivars. Table 12 Height, dry matter yield per annum

and non-stem to stem ratio of five alfalfa cultivars, SMDTC, 2002/03

Evaluation of levels of inclusion of alfalfa hay in grower/finisher small ruminants feeding system An experiment was conducted to evalu-ate, in two phases, the weight gain poten-tial of alfalfa hay fed to sheep and goats at the HDTC. In phase 1 (grower phase)

twenty-four weaners each of lambs (St Elizabeth x Katahdin, mean body weight 14.0 kg, SE 0.15) and kids (Anglo-Nubian x Native, mean body weight 13.6 kg, SE 0.17) were assigned to four treat-ments in a randomised block design with three replications. Two lambs or kids constituted an experimental unit. The four treatments were: (1) – 100/0, (2) – 75/25, (3) – 60/40 and (4) – 20/80 alfalfa hay/by-product supplement. Ten per cent molasses (on dry matter basis) was sprin-kled on the alfalfa hay in Treatment 1. The composition of the by-product feed (g/kg dry matter) was: poultry litter – 50, leucaena leaf meal – 105, hominy feed – 320, wheat middlings – 410, molasses – 75, limestone – 30 and salt – 10. The nu-trient concentrations (g/kg dry matter) were: dry mater – 882.0, crude protein – 142.3, calcium – 15.8 and phosphorus – 5.3 and metabolisable energy (MJ/kg dry matter) – 10.5. The nutrient concentra-tions of the alfalfa hay (g/kg dry matter) were: dry mater – 852.2, crude protein – 187.5, calcium – 22.6 and phosphorus – 4.3 and metabolisable energy (MJ/kg dry matter) – 9.3. Data collection for Phase 1 lasted for 84 days. Thereafter, and for another 84 days data collection period, all animals were switched to a finishing feeding regime which involved 75 per cent of the by-product feed and 25 per cent leucaena leaf meal. The nutrient con-centrations of the leucaena leaf meal (g/kg dry matter) were: dry mater – 915.0, crude protein – 212.9, calcium – 19.9 and phosphorus – 2.8 and metabo-lisable energy (MJ/kg dry matter) – 9.2. During both phases the animals were weighed fortnightly and the amount of feed offered adjusted accordingly. The liveweights and feed intake records were summarised for the data collect-

Variety Height (cm)

Dry matter

yield/ha (kg)

Non-stem to

stem ratio

Creoula 61.8 8,335 1.40CW169132 60.8 6,066 1.42DK189 65.3 5,395 1.31DK191 65.6 5,525 1.34Florida 99 60.1 5,797 1.30Mean 62.7 6,224 1.35F prob. 0.808 0.159 0.806sed 5.79 1,256.7 0.117d.f. 20 20 20

35



ion periods. At the end of the finishing phase two animals each for the two spe-cies and from each treatment were slaugh-tered and carcass measurements taken. The results of the trials are presented in Tables 13 to 16. During the growing phase the daily liveweight gain of the lambs was about 80 per cent higher (P<0.001) than that of the kids (Table 13). Also, increasing the level of alfalfa hay in the diet significantly (P<0.001) reduced liveweight gain for both species. The rates of decline for the kids and lambs, respectively were -1.04 g (r2=0.992) and -1.19 g (r2=0.948) per unit increase in the level of alfalfa hay. The observed gaily liveweight gains were positively associated with the intake of nutrients. The correlation coefficients be-tween the combined (kids and lambs) daily gains and nutrients intake were: 0.861, 0.873 and 0.875 for the daily intake of dry matter, crude protein and metabo-lisable energy, respectively. Thus, in-creasing the levels of alfalfa hay reduced the intake of nutrients and hence lower weight gains and lower feed conversion efficiency (Table 13). During the finishing period lambs still had higher daily weight gains (37%, P<0.001) than the kids (Table 14). However, for both species the animals that previously grew on the diets with high proportions of alfalfa hay (100 and 75%) had signifi-cantly (P=0.001) higher daily weight gains than those previously on diets with low proportions of the hay (Table 14). These higher weight gains were not asso-ciated with nutrient intake (correlation co-efficients were: 0.0458, 0.0465 and 0.0470 for intake of dry matter, crude pro-tein and metabolisable energy, respec-tively).

Table 13 Weight gain, nutrient intake and feed conversion efficiency of kids and lambs on feeds of different proportions of alfalfa hay during growing phase, Hounslow 2003

sed (14 d.f.) for comparing daily gain means: Feed = 4.25 (P<0.001), Species = 3.01 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 6.01 (P=0.197) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing daily dry matter intake means: Feed = 55.93 (P<0.001), Species = 39.50 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 79.11 (P=0.178) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing crude protein intake means: Feed = 8.51 (P<0.001), Species = 6.02 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 12.03 (P=0.219) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing metabolisable energy intake means: Feed = 0.555 (P<0.001), Species = 0.393 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 0.785 (P=0.253) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing feed conversion means: Feed = 0.69 (P<0.001), Species = 0.49 (P=0.002), Feed x Species = 0.97 (P=0.329)

100 75 60 20 Mean

Kids 33.0 63.2 81.2 116.8 73.6Lambs 81.3 123.5 148.7 178.2 132.9Mean 57.2 93.4 115.0 147.5

Kids 384.3 628.1 596.5 878.0 621.7Lambs 802.0 805.9 822.9 1,217.1 912.0Mean 593.1 717.0 709.7 1,047.6

Kids 57.9 99.8 93.4 131.4 95.6Lambs 120.8 128.1 128.8 182.2 140.0Mean 89.4 114.0 111.1 156.8

Kids 3.40 5.94 5.74 8.87 5.99Lambs 7.09 7.62 7.92 12.30 8.73Mean 5.25 6.78 6.83 10.59

Kids 11.8 9.9 7.4 7.5 9.2Lambs 10.1 6.6 5.5 6.8 7.3Mean 11.0 8.3 6.5 7.2

(d) Daily metabolisable energy intake, MJ

(e) Feed conversion, g dry matter intake/g gain

(b) Daily dry matter intake, g

Proportion of alfalfa hay in dry matter

(c) Daily crude protein intake, g

(a) Daily gain, g

36



Table 14 Weight gain, nutrient intake and feed conversion efficiency of kids and lambs on feeds of different propor-tions of alfalfa hay during finishing phase at Hounslow, 2003

sed (14 d.f.) for comparing daily gain means: Feed = 4.88 (P<0.001), Species = 3.45 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 6.90 (P=0.001) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing daily dry matter intake means: Feed = 61.42 (P<0.001), Species = 43.40 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 86.84 (P=0.323 sed (14 d.f.) for comparing crude protein intake means: Feed = 9.87 (P<0.001), Species = 6.96 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 13.95 (P=0.323) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing metabolisable energy intake means: Feed = 0.623 (P<0.001), Species = 0.441 (P<0.001), Feed x Species = 0.882 (P=0.324) sed (14 d.f.) for comparing feed conversion means: Feed = 0.69 (P<0.001), Species = 0.48 (P=0.116), Feed x Species = 0.97 (P=0.229)

Rather, they were due to better utilisation of the nutrients as a result of compensa-tory growth by the animals that previ-ously grew on the diets with high propor-tions of alfalfa hay. This is evidenced by the high positive correlation between the combined (kids and lambs) daily gains and the inverse of the feed conversion ratios (r=0.964). The compensatory growth phenomenon also contributed ultimately to the similari-ties in the carcass characteristics and made the treatments with high propor-tions of alfalfa hay during the growing period more attractive economically. The mean carcass weight, dressing percent-age, carcass length and loin eye area were 14.5 kg, 48.1, 61.8 cm and 11.2 cm2, re-spectively (Table 15). The cost per unit gain was 39-52 per cent lower and the gross margin over feed cost 16-39 per cent higher for the high alfalfa hay-based diets than for the one with 20 per cent al-falfa hay (Table 16).

Comparison of hominy feed and cit-rus pulp as energy sources in by-product rations for sheep and goat feedlot production CARDI has demonstrated during the past several years the economic viability of agro and industrial by-product feeds for small ruminant production. Several feed formulations have produced liveweight gains of about 90 per cent those of com-mercial feeds but at about one-half the cost. However, because of the easy avail-ability of commercial by-product feed from the Content Agricultural Products Ltd., several farmers, especially those in the parishes of St Catherine and Clarendon opted to purchase the by-

100 75 60 20 Mean

Kids 125.0 115.9 105.2 96.4 110.6Lambs 194.0 160.7 128.0 123.2 151.5Mean 159.5 138.3 116.6 109.8

Kids 453.2 642.5 608.4 996.5 675.1Lambs 815.5 993.2 1,044.8 1,390.7 1,061.1 Mean 634.4 817.8 826.6 1,193.6

Kids 97.1 103.3 97.8 160.2 114.6Lambs 131.1 159.6 167.9 223.5 170.5Mean 114.1 131.5 132.9 191.9

Kids 6.13 6.51 6.17 10.10 7.23Lambs 8.27 10.07 10.59 14.10 10.76Mean 7.20 8.29 8.38 12.10

Kids 4.8 5.6 5.8 10.4 6.7Lambs 4.2 6.2 8.2 11.3 7.5Mean 4.5 5.9 7.0 10.9

(b) Daily dry matter intake, g

(c) Daily crude protein intake, g

(d) Daily metabolisable energy intake, MJ

(a) Daily gain, g

(e) Feed conversion, g dry matter intake/g gain


37



product feed rather than prepare their own using the formulations tested by CARDI. But of late Content Agricultural Products Ltd. has scaled down its opera-tions and a number of farmers have began to prepare their own by-product feeds, and have requested CARDI for formula-tion that could have long shelf life. Table 15 Carcass characteristics of kids and

lambs on feeds of different propor-tions of alfalfa hay, Hounslow 2003

sed (7 d.f.) for comparing carcass weight means: Feed = 1.66 (P=0.617), Species = 1.17 (P=0.139), Feed x Species = 2.35 (P=0.861) sed (7 d.f.) for comparing warm dressing % means: Feed = 0.68 (P=0.569), Species = 0.48 (P=0.210), Feed x Species = 0.96 (P=0.583) sed (7 d.f.) for comparing carcass length means: Feed =3.42 (P=0.616), Species = 2.42 (P=0.136), Feed x Species = 4.83 (P=0.870) sed (7 d.f.) for comparing loin eye area means: Feed =1.36 (P=0.611), Species = 0.96 (P=0.138), Feed x Species = 1.92 (P=0.807)

Table 16 Cost per gain and gross margin for feeding kids and lambs on feeds of different proportions of alfalfa hay at Hounslow, 2003

Besides, under the new collaboration of the Livestock Sections of CARDI and MINAG there are plans to establish a pi-lot feed processing to provide feed for the stock at Bodles, Hounslow and Sam Motta, and sell to other interested farm-ers. In light of this it became necessary to evaluate formulations of by-product feed that have the potential for long shelf life. Consequently we evaluated four ra-tion formulations with either wheat mid-dlings/hominy feed (corn offal) or wheat middlings/dried citrus pulp as the energy source and with or without non-protein nitrogen source (poultry litter). The for-mulations were iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric (Table 17). Additionally, they all had the same Ca:P ratio. The four rations were tested, as complete feed, using 16 Boer x Nubian/Native grower buck kids (mean body weight 13.8 kg, SE 0.98) in a cross-over design during four periods. Four animals constituted an experimental unit. Body weights and feed records, and dried feed samples were collected fortnightly for statistical and chemical analyses, respectively. Another trial with sheep was also conducted later us-ing the four rations and a commercial goat grower feed (control). Twenty each of male and female grower lambs

100 75 60 20 Mean

Kids 12.6 13.6 12.6 15.3 13.5Lambs 15.2 16.5 14.4 15.6 15.4Mean 13.9 15.0 13.5 15.4

Kids 47.2 47.9 47.5 48.4 47.8Lambs 48.7 49.1 47.7 48.2 48.4Mean 47.9 48.5 47.6 48.3

Kids 57.8 59.8 57.8 63.4 59.7Lambs 63.1 65.9 61.7 64.3 63.8Mean 60.5 62.9 59.8 63.9

Kids 9.6 10.4 9.6 11.8 10.4Lambs 11.7 12.8 11.2 12.2 12.0Mean 10.7 11.6 10.4 12.0


(a) Carcass weight, kg

(b) Warm dressing %

(c) Carcass length, cm

(d) Loin eye area, cm 2

Treatment(% alfalfa in diet)

Cost/kg gain(J$)

Gross marginover feed cost

(J$)

100 28.91 1,999.94 75 35.60 2,022.31 60 36.46 1,680.36 20 59.42 1,442.86

38



Table 17 Nutrient concentration of four by-product feeds and commercial goat grower

*DM: dry matter (St Elizabeth x Katahdin, mean body weight 15.4 kg, SE 0.84) were assigned, in two replicates, to the five treatments. Two animals constituted an experimental unit. Two 25 kg samples of each of the four feeds were kept in a store room at ambient conditions each time batches of the feeds were prepared for the trials. They were examined for texture, scent,

mouldiness and acceptability by stock each other day. The processing of data for the trial with lambs was incomplete at the end of the reporting period but a sum-mary of the results for the trial with the goats are presented in Table 18. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the rations for all pa-rameters measured. The mean daily weight gain was 126.6 g and intake of dry matter intake, crude protein and metabo-lisable energy was 43.4 g/kg body weight, 154.8 g and 11.9 MJ. The mean cost per unit gain was J$85.33 (Table 18). The shelf-life observations showed that up to 16-20 days the feed samples did not show any deterioration in texture, scent or mouldiness, and the animals accepted them readily. Table 18 Weight gain, nutrient intake and feed

conversion efficiency of grower kids on by-product feeds of different com-position at Hounslow, 2003

*I: wheat middling/hominy; II: wheat middlings/hominy with poultry litter; III: wheat middlings/citrus pulp; IV: wheat middlings/citrus pulp with poultry litter **DM: dry matter; ***CP: crude protein; §ME: metabolisable energy **DM: dry matter; ***CP: crude protein; §ME: metabolisable energy

Compositiong/kg DM*

I II III IV Goat grower

Poultry litter 0 51 0 55 0Leucaena leafmeal

104 104 103 103 0

Dried citrus pulp 0 0 203 223 0Hominy feed 319 319 0 0 0Wheat middlings 458 407 581 511 0Molasses 76 76 76 76 0Limestone 32 32 26 21 0Salt 11 11 11 11 0Commercial goat grower

0 0 0 0 1,000

Total 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000

Nutrient concentrationDry matter(g/kg DM)

887.8 880.0 894.1 888.2 900.1

Crude protein(g/kg DM)

135.5 134.3 131.1 135.2 139.0

Metabolisableenergy(MJ/kg DM)

10.9 10.5 10.8 10.6 10.0

Calcium(g/kg DM)

15.8 15.9 18.0 16.4 10.7

Phosporus(g/kg DM)

5.7 5.3 6.3 5.7 7.0

Ca:P 2.77 3.00 2.86 2.88 1.53

Feeds

I II III IV MeanDaily gain (g) 119.0 125.1 128.1 134.2 126.6

DM** intake (g/kg body wt)

45.1 45.7 40.9 41.9 43.4

Daily CP*** intake (g)

136.5 159.4 159.5 164 154.9

Daily ME§ intake(MJ)

10.6 12.2 12.2 12.6 11.9

Cost/kg gain(J$)

89.12 82.93 76.33 92.96 85.33

Rations*

39



Technology Transfer and Outreach Services The Technology Transfer and Outreach Programme is the mechanism through which transfer small ruminants produc-tion and marketing systems technologies are disseminated to small ruminant stake-holders. The activities carried out under the programme in 2003 are highlighted below. Goat Commercialisation Project The Government-sponsored Goat Com-mercialisation Project is a revolving doe project for small farmers. CARDI has facilitated the participation of eight farm-ers from the parishes of St Ann, West-moreland, St Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon since its involvement in 2002. Another 15 farmers were recruited and recommended for participation in the pro-ject in 2003. The project has shown some successes. The goats of four of the initial eight farmers have produced 26 offspring. Two farmers were earmarked to return a total of 5 offspring to the project as the year ended. Community stud buck service Two mature bucks (1 Nubian and 1 Boer) were specifically assigned for the stud buck service at the SMDTC and made available to the communities on the Man-chester Plateau. In the year in review 24 farmers having a total 41 does utilised the buck service.

Training, field tours, registration / appraisal and agricultural show The following is a selection of training, field tours, etc. conducted for the clien-tele in 2003. • 7 January 2003, General husbandry

practices – Conducted for the Retrieve, Ridge to Reef/GBSJ Goat Project. (Resource persons – Albert Fearon and Joel Barnes)

• 12 February 2003, Feeds and feeding and preventative health management for goats – Conducted for RADA at Berrydale, Manchester. (Resource per-sons Albert Fearon, Rufai Ahmed and Ralston Barnes)

• 18 February 2003, Registration for Herdbook entry and husbandry demon-stration – Franklyn Quarrie’s Farms – Rhymesbury, Clarendon. (Resource persons - Albert Fearon, Clovis Morri-son, Dwight Williams, Joel Barnes and Ralston Barnes

• 19 February 2003, Care and manage-ment of goats – Conducted for Jamaica 4H Clubs - Mile Gully, Manchester. (Resource person – Albert Fearon)

• 5 March 2003, Preparation of agro-industrial by product feeds for goats, and mounting poster display – Tre-lawny Annual Parish Agricultural Show, Hague, Trelawny (Resource persons Albert Fearon, Ralston Barnes, Joel Barnes)

• 18 March 2003, Production and feed-ing of molasses urea blocks. Con-ducted for farmers in Paul Mountains and BelleView Heights, St Catherine (Resource persons – Albert Fearon, Dwight Williams, Ralston Barnes and Joel Barnes)

40



• 20 March 2003, Field tour of the SMDTC for 35 students and one teacher from Gravey Maceo High School (Resource persons Albert Fearon, Dwight Williams, Joel Barnes & Norman Hanson)

• 24-25 March 2003, Field tour of the Bodles Research Station, SMDTC, HDTC and 2 producers’ farms for a group of scientists from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)

• 8 April 2003, Field tour of the DTC for 14 students and the Campus Manager from Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (Resource persons Albert Fearon, Dwight Williams, Joel Barnes & Norman Hanson)

• 15 April 2003, Training day at Meads-field District, Knockpatrick in con-junction with ALPART Mining Ven-tures on the nutrition and feeding of small ruminant with special emphasis on forages and agro-industrial by-products (Resource persons Erick Green, ALPART Mining Ventures, Ralston Barnes, Albert Fearon, Joel Barnes, Dwight Williams, CARDI and Earl Shakespeare RADA)

• May28 2003, Field tour of the SMDTC for a group of 9 students and 3 profes-sors from Florida A&M University

• 17 July 2003, Dealing with internal parasites in goats. A seminar hosted jointly by CARDI, the MINAG and the GBSJ and sponsored by Federated Pharmaceuticals of Jamaica. (Resource persons Cyril Bridge – Federated Phar-maceutical, David Miller – MINAG and Albert Fearon – CARDI).

• 21 July 2003, Field tour of HDTC for 16 students and 1 tutor from Ebony Park HEART Academy. A demonstra-tion on how to make silage was con-ducted by Dwight Williams and Ral-

ston Barnes • 18 November 2003, Field tour of the

SMDTC for 40 students and four teachers from St. Thomas High School and the CASE (Resource persons Al-bert Fearon, Norman Hanson & Erick Green, ALPART Mining Ventures)

• 19 November 2003, Silage production. Instruction and practical demonstration of silage production using King grass. Training conducted for Glencore Min-ing Company, Livestock Division (Resource persons Dwight Williams, Ralston Barnes and Joel Barnes).

• 25 November 2003, Field tour of SMDTC for 40 students and 4 instruc-tors from College of Agriculture Sci-ence and Education.

Validation and monitoring of improved small ruminant technologies Over the past two years selected farmers from the parishes of St Catherine, Claren-don and St Elizabeth have been moni-tored for the results of the application of the technologies (housing, record keep-ing, improved forage and by-product feed) introduced by CARDI over the years. All the farmers involved use for-age as their major feed base. The farmers previously used by-product feeds formu-lated by Content Agricultural Products Ltd. but since late 2002 all have switched to using by-product feeds developed from formulations provided by the Livestock Team. The farmers selected were also registered members of the GBSJ, four be-ing small enterprise breeders who supply breeding stock to other farmers. In 2003, some more data were col-lected from the farms (Figure 11). Some of the parameters examined were

41



kid liveweights at birth, 90 days and 180 days. The results of these are shown in Table 19. Figure 11 Joel Barnes (Technical

Assistant) and Anice Thomas (UWI student intern) collecting data on farm

The results seemed to indicate that except for farm number 4, where the full tech-nology package has recently been adopted, the performance of kids on farms adopting technologies were similar. The results also indicated that the Boer x Nubians crosses (BN) were comparable to the Purebred Boer and Nubians (PBB and PBN) in terms of weight gains. Linkages and monitoring of developments in the industry In an effort to monitor the progress of the industry linkages are developed and maintained with different players of the small ruminant industry. The strategic alliance between CARDI, Ministry of Agriculture R&D, RADA, the JAS, Ja-maica 4H, ADC, ASSP and the GBSJ was maintained and strengthened during

the period in review. Table 19 Liveweight of kids and growers

on five selected farms adopting improved goat production tech-nologies, 2003

Goat reeds: BN = Boer/Nubian crosses, GN = Graded Nu-bian, PBB = Purebred Boer, PBN = Purebred Nubian The collaborative effort of CARDI, MI-NAG R&D Division and the ASSP re-sulted in the initiation of a project to de-vise a Small Ruminants Development Plan for Jamaica. The monitoring of market prices for meat and breeding stock through informal surveys at meat shops, major markets, slaughter houses, roadside butchers, supermarkets, breeder stock producers and importers continued in the period. There was little change in 2003 in the price of local meat compared with 2002 but the price of imported goat meat increased slightly. However, this change was primarily due to a weakening of the Jamaican dollar against its US counter-part.

Birth 30-d 90-d 180-d

Farm 1 2.96 7.89 15.8 25.7Farm 2 3.12 9.10 18.5 27.8Farm 3 3.10 9.01 18.6 26.7Farm 4 2.70 6.83 12.8 20.7Farm 5 3.10 8.93 18.5 26.8d.f. 1,459 1,459 1,459 802sd 0.69 1.94 4.00 4.75

BN 3.06 8.28 16.5 25.8GN 2.90 8.03 16.4 25.5PBB 3.03 8.60 17.2 26.7PBN 2.95 8.31 17.1 26.2d.f. 1,459 1,459 1,459 802sd 0.70 2.04 4.32 5.05

Breed type

Liveweight, kg

Participating farms

42



Market prices Informal surveys of health food stores revealed that goat’s milk in liquid pas-teurized and powdered forms were avail-able in Jamaica. Goat’s cheese was also available in some stores in the major towns. The cost of the liquid milk ranged from J$255-320 per litre while the pow-dered milk was being sold at J$950 per kg. The cheeses which came in several different preparations were available at a cost of between J$2,350 and 2,600 per kg. The sources of the milk and milk products included France, Germany and the United States. The proprietors of these stores indicated that as soon as the products were displayed they were sold out as nursing mothers are now using the goat milk in baby feeds to treat lactose intolerance in their babies, while others are using the milk for various other health reasons. Imports The number of breeding stock imported during the year by farmers was 62 goats most of which were Boer does form the USA and Canada. The average cost to farmers for the animals imported form the USA was US$1,750 while the goats im-ported from Canada averaged US$1,250. The overall average price of imported animals during 2003 suggested a reverse in the trend of decreasing prices over the past two years. The situation, however, may be partly attributed to new agents and different sources coming into the market. The popularity of the Boers has made it difficult in recent times to source purebred Nubian stock as most of the lar-

ger farmers were phasing out their Nu-bian stock by crossbreeding them with Boers. The trend during the second half of the year, however, was that farmers were becoming aware of the situation and were making efforts to reintroduce the Nubian blood into their herds. Exports In July 2003, the GBSJ, for the first time shipped locally produced Boer breeding stock to a customer in Antigua. The CARDI Livestock Team facilitated the shipment

43



T he Natural Resource Manage-ment (NRM) Programme of the CARDI Jamaica Unit seeks to

contribute to the national effort of managing the land and water resources of Jamaica for sustainable develop-ment that takes cognisance of biosafety while mitigating environmental degra-dation. Against this background, the NRM Team of the CARDI Jamaica Unit con-centrated its effort during the year in review to refine some of the techniques for producing organically grown vege-table. We have also been involved, during the past three years, in the DFID-funded and MRAG-managed project on the review of soil manage-ment and farming practices in Jamaica and St Lucia. The project concluded successfully in 2003 with the comple-tion of the final report. Stakeholders’ workshops were held in both St Lucia and Jamaica to report on the findings and recommendations of the project. The NRM Programme supported the

other programmes of the CARDI Ja-maica Unit with the deployment of the GIS technology. The technology was used to map the farms surveyed for the BrCA under the Entomology Service for the Citrus Replanting Project. The system was also used to map the differ-ent activity sites at the Mona DTC. Mona Demonstration and Training Centre The Mona DTC is the locus for the or-ganic agriculture studies, as well as the various on-station activities of the IPM Programme (see pages 15-22) Addition-ally, the Centre serves as the site for the validation of the technologies developed for the production of vegetables The activities at the Centre depend on both rainfall and irrigation depending on the time of the year. In 2003, except for the periods May-June and October rain-fall was low (Figure 12) and, therefore, irrigation was used extensively.

Natural Resource Management Programme

44



Figure 12 Monthly rainfall at the Mona DTC in 2003 and the comparative amounts for the previous year

Demonstration of Organic Farming Techniques Vermi-compost production Vermi-compost production continued during the year. A new facility which allows for the collection of effluent from the vermi-composting process was con-structed (Figure 13) and put into use early in the year. About 120 kg of vermi-compost was harvested from the facility during the year.

Figure 13 New vermi-compost facility at

the CARDI Mona DTC

During the year, worms were given to the RADA Office in St James Parish and they created a small exhibit for the Den-bigh Agricultural Exhibition. Evaluation of organic farming technologies Callaloo and West Indies Red hot pepper were planted on the organic plots during the first quarter of the year. Three types of organic nutrient sources were used on the plots. These were goat manure, cow manure and vermi-compost from coffee pulp. On the callaloo plots, cow manure was applied at two rates, making a total of four treatments as follows. • T1: Cow manure at 0.25 kg per plant

hole (approx. 3,750 kg/ha • T2: Cow manure at 0.5 kg per plant

hole (approx. 7,500 kg/ha) • T3: Vermi-compost at 0.5 kg per plant

hole (approx. 7,500 kg/ha) • T4: Goat manure at 0.5 kg per plant

hole (approx. 7,500 kg/ha)

On the hot pepper plots, the three ma-nures were applied at 0.5 kg per plant hole or 5000 kg/ha and the treatments were as follows

• TI: Vermi-compost at 5,000kg/ha • T2: Goat manure at 5,000kg/ha • T3: Cow manure at 5,000kg/ha The results of the studies are presented below. Callaloo studies The results of the callaloo study indicated

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Jan

Feb Mar AprMay Ju

n Jul

AugSep

tOct

NovDec

Month

Rai

nfal

l (m

m)

2002 2003

45



that overall, cow manure at both levels and goat manure had a more beneficial effect on yield than did vermi-compost For specific weekly harvests, the total yield of the fifth harvest showed that the goat manure treated plots had signifi-cantly higher yields than the vermi-compost treated plots. There was no sig-nificant difference between the goat and cow manure treatments at this harvest (Table 20). Table 20 Total yields of callaloo grown under

four organic manure treatment levels at Mona DTC, 2003

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05); T1: Cow manure at 3,750 kg/ha; T2: Cow manure at 7,500 kg/ha; T3: Vermi-compost at 7,500 kg/ha; T4: Goat manure at 7,500 kg/ha At the third harvest, plots treated with cow manure at 7,500 kg/ha showed sig-nificantly higher marketable yields than plots treated with vermi-compost, there was no significant differences among the other treatments (Table 21). The unmarketable callaloo yield data indi-cated that plots treated with goat manure were significantly higher than plots treated with cow manure at 7,500 kg/ha and plots treated with vermi-compost at the fourth and fifth harvest respectively (Table 22). But the more important factor

pertaining to unmarketable yields is the fact that this component of yield steadily increased from zero in the first harvest to being the major part of the yield compo-nent in the fifth week. This is a direct in-dication of pest infestation of the crop by the fifth harvest. Table 21 Marketable yields of callaloo grown

under four organic manure treatment levels at Mona DTC, 2003

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05); T1: Cow manure at 3,750 kg/ha; T2: Cow manure at 7,500 kg/ha; T3: Vermi-compost at 7,500 kg/ha; T4: Goat manure at 7,500 kg/ha

Table 22 Unmarketable yields of callaloo grown

under four organic manure treatment levels at Mona DTC, 2003

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05); T1: Cow manure at 3,750 kg/ha; T2: Cow manure at 7,500 kg/ha; T3: Vermi-compost at 7,500 kg/ha; T4: Goat manure at 7,500 kg/ha

These results are quite similar to those obtained in the previous year, when cow

T1 T2 T3 T4Harvest 1 1.92 1.44 1.23 1.33Harvest 2 5.46 4.27 4.01 5.21Harvest 3 5.77ab 4.86ab 3.63b 6.53aHarvest 4 3.01 3.11 2.40 3.65Harvest 5 9.63ab 10.37ab 6.97b 12.11aTotal harvest 25.80 24.00 18.20 28.80

Time Total yields (kg)

T1 T2 T3 T4Harvest 1 1.92 1.44 1.23 1.33Harvest 2 5.08 4.1 3.8 4.93Harvest 3 2.93a 3.16a 1.74b 3.13aHarvest 4 1.73 2.18 1.18 1.61Harvest 5 1.95 1.97 1.2 2.25Total harvest 13.61 12.85 9.16 13.25

Time Marketable yields (kg)

T1 T2 T3 T4First harvest - - - -Second harvest 0.38 0.17 0.21 0.28Third harvest 2.83 1.7 1.88 3.4Fourth harvest 1.28ab 0.93b 1.22ab 2.03aFifth harvest 7.68ab 8.40ab 5.77b 9.87aTotal harvest 12.18 11.19 9.08 15.58

Time Unmarketable yields (kg)

46



manure was found to be superior to vermi-compost in the production of or-ganic callaloo. Hot pepper studies In the hot pepper studies, the plots treated with cow and goat manures had better growth and yield of fruits compared to those treated with vermi-compost. Figure 14 shows the height of the hot pepper plants between the ages 7 weeks after transplanting (WAT) and 23 WAT for the three treatments. Cow manure-treated plants showed continuously greater height than the other two treat-ments, while goat manure-treated plants were most time taller than the vermi-compost treated plants.

Figure 14 Height of hot pepper plants grown under three manure treatments

TI: Vermi-compost at 5,000kg/ha, T2: Goat manure at 5,000kg/ha, T3: Cow manure at 5,000kg/ha The number of fruits on the plant at 9, 12, 13 and 14 WAT showed that plots treated with cow manure had significantly (P<0.05) higher numbers than those treated with vermi-compost. There was

no significant difference (P>0.05) be-tween plots treated with cow and goat manures (Table 23). Table 23 Number of hot pepper fruits per

plant produced under three manure treatments

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05) The average number of fruits and weight of the fruits harvested in the first six har-vests are given in Tables 24 and 25. The results indicated that at the first harvest, plots treated with goat manure had sig-nificantly (P<0.05) more harvestable fruits than vermi-compost-treated plots. At the third harvest goat manure-treated plots had significantly (P<0.05) higher numbers of fruits compared to both vermi-compost- and cow manure-treatments. At the fourth harvest cow manure-treated plots had significantly (P<0.05) more harvestable fruits than both vermi-compost- and goat manure-treated plots. Table 26 gives the total number of

2025303540455055606570

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 23

Weeks after transplanting

Hei

ght o

f pla

nts (

cm)

T1 T2 T3

T1 T2 T37 0 2.33 3.338 4.5 6.92 9.589 10.58b 17.08ab 20.00a

10 14.25 25.33 25.1711 21.33 36.75 38.9212 17.33b 29.92ab 35.08a13 14.67b 30.92ab 40.92a14 20.25b 21.83ab 38.08a15 24.67 19.42 31.4216 20.42 20.83 27.4217 14.08 21.08 17.6723 28.92b 47.00ab 60.40a

Weeks after transplanting

Treatment

47



Table 24 Number of hot pepper fruits harvested per plant in the first six harvests at Mona DTC, 2003

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05) TI: Vermi-compost at 5,000kg/ha, T2: Goat manure at 5,000kg/ha, T3: Cow manure at 5,000kg/ha Table 25 Weight of hot pepper fruits harvested

per plant in the first six harvests at Mona DTC, 2003

Values in the same row followed by the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05) TI: Vermi-compost at 5,000kg/ha, T2: Goat manure at 5,000kg/ha, T3: Cow manure at 5,000kg/ha fruits and weight of fruits for the three treatments. This data was used to calcu-late the yield of pepper (kg/ha). This esti-mated yield indicated the superiority of cow manure over the other two manures. The yield of the cow manure-treated plots was also comparable to the standard yield expected for West Indies Red hot pepper

grown under conventional conditions with inorganic fertilizers. Table 26 Calculated yield of hot pepper

fruits per hectare under three manure treatments

Validation of vegetable production technologies The validation of the technologies for the production of vegetables continued dur-ing the year. Crops planted during in-cluded cabbage, callaloo, cauliflower, corn, ochro, pak-choi and tomato. As in previous years, praedial larceny was prevalent and an entire crop of cabbage was stolen, as well as portions of some of the other crops. Approximately 900 kg of vegetables was produced and this was sold to the canteens on the UWI campus and staff members. Caribbean Coastal Waters Improvement Project During the past three years, CARDI has been involved in executing the DFID-funded and MRAG-managed project on the review of soil management and farm-ing practices in Jamaica and St Lucia. The project concluded successfully in 2003 with the completion of the final re-port entitled:

T1 T2 T31 11 8.33b 14.42a 12.83ab2 12 5.25 5.75 8.173 13 7.25b 13.92a 6.83b4 14 7.08b 8.5b 18.17a5 15 7.42 8.5 116 16 13.08 9.83 15.92

Harvest Weeks after transplanting

Treatment

T1 T2 T31 11 114.8 174.1 164.882 12 66.52 65.93 89.253 13 75.75b 142.96 81.78ab4 14 70.86b 89.23b 197.76a5 15 62.08 75.69 107.136 16 68.3 104.6 122.53

Harvest Weeks after transplanting

Treatment

T1 T2 T3No. of fruits 1,477 1,864 2,577Weight of fruits (kg) 12.9 14.5 24.7Calculated yield 10,788 12,118 20,572

Parameter Treatment

48



Review of soil management and farming practices, including the use of agro-chemicals in the Caribbean, with particu-lar reference to St Lucia and Jamaica. This review discussed farming practices, soil management and the use of agro-chemicals in Jamaica and St Lucia. The research focussed on two watersheds (Rio Cobre and Wag Water) in Jamaica and three watersheds (Soufriere, Praslin and Rousseau) in St Lucia. General farming practices were described in each water-shed according to the literature and sur-vey results from 149 farms in Jamaica and 150 farms in St Lucia. Stakeholders’ workshops were held in both St Lucia (24 June 2003) and Jamaica (26 June 2003) to report on these findings and recommendations of the project The main findings of the study may be summarised as follows: • Many of the farmers in both St Lucia

and Jamaica were not aware of the en-vironmental impacts of using agro-chemicals on their farms.

• Farmers also indicated that most of their excess chemicals were stored for future use, applied to the soil or bur-ied.

• They disposed of containers by burn-ing and most used some sort of protec-tive clothing while spraying.

• The interval between spraying pesti-cides and harvesting of crops was be-tween one and two weeks in both is-lands, but surprisingly, a small number of farmers in St Lucia indicated that this interval could be less than one

day. • The farmers in both islands were

mostly unaware of any incidences of persons health being affected by chemical spraying although available hospital data from Jamaica had indi-cated such incidences, with children less than five years old being the main victims.

Application of GIS to other projects at CARDI During the year four staff members of the Unit were trained in the important tech-nology of GIS. This enhanced our capac-ity to use the technology in our pro-grammes. For example, The technology was used to map the farms surveyed for the BrCA under the Entomology Service for the Citrus Replanting Project (see pages 23). The system was also used to map the different activity sites at the Mona DTC.

49



Technical Assistance The provision of technical assistance to the agricultural sector in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean is one of the most im-portant mandates of the Institute. During the year we provided technical assistance in various forms to stakeholders in the agricultural sector. Technical assistance given The major technical assistance given in 2003 are highlighted below. Technical assistance to the Agri-cultural Support Services Project (ASSP) At the invitation of the Agricultural Sup-port Services Project (ASSP), of the Min-istry of Agriculture in Jamaica, the CARDI Jamaica Unit successfully bid for the preparation of training media includ-ing, factsheets, posters and pam-phlets/handouts for the training of pa-paya, sweetpotato, ginger, escallion and hot pepper farmers. Work began on the project immediately after the signing of the contract on 14 July 2003. By the end of September 2003, two factsheets, 10 pam-phlets/handouts and four posters required for hoot pepper and sweetpotato in the first instance were developed. These products were to be reviewed by a panel from ASSP before being finalised. The review process was continuing when the year came to an end.

Technical assistance to the Faculty of Agriculture and Science, UWI, St Augustine and College of Agricul-ture, Science and Education (CASE) Two final-year agricultural students, Anice Thomas of the Faculty of Agricul-ture and Science, UWI, St Augustine, Trinidad and Gerald Bryan of the Col-lege of Agriculture Science and Educa-tion (CASE), Jamaica were offered the opportunity to undertake their internship programmes at the CARDI Jamaica Unit during June–August 2003. Ms Thomas was attached primarily to the Livestock Section in Mandeville and was super-vised by Albert Fearon but she also spent some time at the IPM and NRM Sections at Mona. Mr Bryan’s focus was on natu-ral resource management (Figure 15) but he also spent time in all the sections at Mona office. He was supervised by Les-lie Simpson.

Figure 15 Gerald Bryn, a CASE intern examining organic pak-choi at the Mona DTC

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Technical assistance to CARTF Guyana project Just as in the previous year, Leslie Simp-son, a Soil Scientist, provide technical assistance on the CARTF projects. In 2003 he was a member of multi-disciplinary team that started to provide technical assistance to a soil management project on the acid sands of the Soesdyke, Linden Highway in Guyana. The other members of the team were: Joan Peter-son, Organic Agronomist, CARDI, Mau-rice Wilson, Head of the CARDI Agri-business Unit and Joseph Mc Allister and Kaye Mc Allister, Agronomist and Plant Protection specialist, respectively of Guy-ana. Technical assistance to CAB Inter-national Farmer Survey Project The concept of Farmer Field School for sustainable agricultural production was introduced in the region in 2002 under the EC-CARIFORUM CAFP-IPM Pro-ject. A successful pilot Farmer Field School project was executed in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2003, the project was extended to several other Caribbean terri-tories. During this expansion phase CAB International Caribbean and Latin Amer-ica Regional Centre (CABI-CLARC) was contracted to undertake several of the in-country activities, including the conduct of baseline surveys in collaboration with various partners in the participating countries. The purpose of the baseline surveys was to enable comparison of the current crop production and protection practices of farmers with similar prac-tices immediately, as well as several years after they had received training in the Farmer Field School. In Jamaica we undertook, on behalf of CABI, the base-

line survey on 21 farms in the Mafoota community of the St James parish. Technical assistance to Government of Belize At the request of the Government of Be-lize, through the CARDI Belize Unit, Francis Asiedu, Animal Scientist and CARDI Representative, Jamaica Unit undertook a technical assistance mission to Belize during 17-22 March 2003. The purpose of the mission was to (1) train livestock technical staff in livestock re-search methodologies and data manage-ment and (2) review and analyse possible opportunities for small ruminant produc-tion and marketing in Belize. Using a manual – Guidelines for Live-stock Experimentation and Data Man-agement – and a PowerPoint presenta-tion, eleven Livestock Technical staff from all six districts of Belize were trained, at the Central Farm, in the prin-ciples and practice of the subject matter (Figure 16).

Figure 16 Francis Asiedu delivering a training course for Livestock Technical staff, Belize

The second activity of the mission in-volved the review of documents, visits to sheep farms and discussions with offi-cials of the Ministry of Agriculture,

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Fisheries and Cooperatives in order to provide the analysis on the possible op-portunities for small ruminant production and marketing in Belize

Boards and Committees Served

• Caribbean Integrated Pest Manage-ment Network Committee (Dionne Clarke-Harris and Kathy Dalip)

• CTA Advisory Committee on Sci-ence and Technology for Agricul-tural and Rural Development (Francis Asiedu)

• Executive Committee of the Jamai-can Society for Agricultural Sci-ences (Francis Asiedu)

• Executive Committee of the GBSJ (Albert Fearon)

• Jamaica Organic Agriculture Move-ment (JOAM) Programme Manage-ment Committee (Leslie Simpson, Kathy Dalip)

• Methyl Bromide Working Group (Kathy Dalip)

• National Hot Pepper Task Force (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• Plant Health Coordination Commit-tee (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• Project Advisory Committee, Bio-logical Control of the Coffee Berry Borer project (Dionne Clarke-Harris and Kathy Dalip)

• Project Management Committee, SMDTC (Francis Asiedu, Albert Fearon, Leslie Simpson, Dwight Williams)

Institutional Collaboration Collaboration development • During 24-28 March 2003 Niki

Whitley a Professor of Livestock Re-search at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES) and her Ph.D. student, Daliah Jackson, visited Ja-maica to explore possible collabora-tive arrangement with CARDI and the Ministry of Agriculture in small ruminant research. They visited the BARS, HDTC, SMDTC and 5 farms to acquaint themselves with both on-station and on-farm facilities avail-able for small ruminant research (Figure 17). They also presented a seminar on the work being done at UMES on small ruminants.

Figure 17 (L-R) Daliah Jackson, Albert

Fearon, Ruth Simpson (owner of Forest View Farms) and Niki Whitley in discus-sion.

• The scientific staff of the Unit met

with Harriett Paul and Callister Gar-dener, Florida Agricultural and Me-chanical University (FAMU) on 23 April 2003 to discus possible areas of collaboration

• On 24 June 2003, we also met with the Country Representative of IICA Jamaica Office to discuss areas of

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possible collaboration. Collaborators The institutions and agencies, both local and international, we collaborated with during the year included, • ALPART Mining Ventures • CARDI regional units, especially An-

tigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago

• Coffee Industry Board • Food Storage & Prevention of Infesta-

tion Division, Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Technology

• Goat Breeders Society of Jamaica • Inter American Institute for Coopera-

tion on Agriculture • Jamaica 4-H Club • Jamaica Bauxite Institute • Jamaica Exporters Association • Ministries of Agriculture, Barbados,

Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago • Ohio State University • Pennsylvania State University • Rural Agricultural Development Au-

thority • University of the West Indies • USDA – Vegetable Laboratory North

Carolina • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and

State University • Walkers Wood Caribbean Foods Lim-

ited

Training, Meetings, Workshop/Seminar

Trainings Attended Molecular biology During 11-24 May, 2003, Kathy Dalip (CARDI) and Juliet Goldsmith (Ministry of Agriculture R & D Division) attended a two-week, intensive training workshop on techniques in Molecular Biology at Penn State University, Pennsylvania. The training was funded by the IPM CRSP. GIS applications Leslie Simpson, Soil Scientist and Head of the NRM Section, and Christopher Fuller, Francine Webb and Maxine Brown, Technical Assistants attended a three-month (July-September 2003) training course in GIS. The course was conducted by Glyniss Ford of the Rural Physical Planning Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and sponsored by CARDI under the staff training pro-gramme. Pest identification The Ministry of Agriculture sponsored a training workshop on the identification of mites and their natural enemies at the Bodles Research Station during 3-7 No-vember 2003. The course was con-ducted by CARINET and Anthony Trought, a Technical Assistant attended.

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Team building and performance management During 10-14 November 2003 Mrs Mar-garet Fook, Manager, CARDI Human Re-sources Unit conducted a workshop on Team Building and Performance Man-agement for all staff of the CARDI Ja-maica Unit. Meetings Attended • 10 January 2003, CAFP IPM Regional

Steering Committee Meeting to present an update on project achievements to date and follow up actions (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• 18 January 2003, The Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM) and Caribbean Regional HRD programme for Economic competitiveness spon-sored Certificate Presentation Cere-mony for recently trained Organic In-spectors at the Mona Visitor’s Lodge, UWI, Mona (Leslie Simpson)

• 30 January 2003, College of Agricul-ture Science and Education (CASE) launch of their Associate Degree pro-grammes in Agriculture and Environ-mental Management (Leslie Simpson)

• 07 February 2003, Biological Control of the Coffee Berry Borer- Manage-ment Committee Meeting (Kathy Dalip, Dionne Clarke-Harris, Leslie Simpson, Francis Asiedu)

• 13 February 2003, Meeting on the “Evaluation of IICA’s Agricultural Health and Food Safety Programme”, Knutsford Court Hotel (Leslie Simp-son)

• 17 February, 2 June and 1 September 2003, Project Management Committee

meetings of the Sam Motta Goat and Sheep Demonstration and Training Centre, Knockpatrick (Francis Asiedu, Leslie Simpson, Albert Fearon, Dwight Williams)

• 17 February 2003, Meeting of the Hot Pepper Task Force to update collabo-rators on the upcoming review of the IPM CRSP project (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• 21 February 2003, The Rotary Club of Kingston International Breakfast meeting, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel (Leslie Simpson)

• 10 March 2003, Meeting with Ester Bonitatibus and Cynthra Persad on the EC-CARIFORUM CAFP (Bruce Lauckner, Dionne Clarke-Harris, Jai-wante Samsoondar, Kelly Elcock- Belgrove, Candice Dubarry, Laticher Brathwaite)

• 11 and 12 March 2003, Meeting with IPM CRSP collaborators in Trinidad to define programme of work for Bar-bados and Trinidad and Tobago (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• 11 March 2003, Meeting of JOAM Programme Management Committee (Leslie Simpson)

• 13 March 2003, Jamaica Agricultural Society Manchester parish Branch So-cieties Meeting, Mandeville (Albert Fearon)

• 24-25 March 2003, Meeting of the stakeholders of the cassava and da-sheen industries in Jamaica, Kingston (Leslie Simpson)

• 12 May 2003, Quarterly Management meeting of Citrus Replanting Project at Bodles Research Station (Francis Asiedu, Dionne Clarke-Harris and Leslie Simpson)

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• 14 May 2003, Meeting of UWI col-laborators on the MRAG project, Mona (Leslie Simpson)

• 9-10 June 2003, Management meeting of CRP at MINAG, Hope Gardens (Dionne Clarke-Harris, Llewellyn Rhodes)

• 13 June 2003, Roundtable meeting of all the collaborators on the MRAG project to discuss the “Agro-chemical pollution guidelines development and dissemination”, UWI (Leslie Simpson)

• 10 July, 20 August, 4 and 17 Septem-ber, and 28 October, 2003, Meetings of the planning committee of the Scien-tific Research Council seventeenth an-nual national conference on science and technology, Office of the Prime Minister (Leslie Simpson)

• 22 October 2003, General Manage-ment Meeting of the Research Entities of Citrus Replanting Project, Bodles Research Station (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• 30 October 2003, Proclamation cere-mony for November as National Sci-ence and Technology month, King’s House (Francis Asiedu)

• 11-19 November 2003, Series of EC-CARIFORUM CAFP workshops, IPM-FFS, Trinidad (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• 26 November-3 December 2003, The 2nd Meeting of the ACP Informal Working Group on Science and Tech-nology, The Netherlands (Francis Asiedu)

• 27 November 2003, College of Agri-culture Science and Education (CASE) graduation exercise (Leslie Simpson)

• 1 and 5 December 2003, Series of meetings of the National Task Force of the PIP of the COLEACP, Kingston

(Dionne Clarke-Harris) • 8-9 December 2003, Meetings with

Janet Momsen IPM CRSP collabora-tor, UC-Davis to discuss implementa-tion of activities within the Sociologi-cal component of the IPM CRSP (Dionne Clarke-Harris, Kathy Dalip, Phillip Chung)

Workshops / Seminars Attended • 22 January 2003, Jamaica Agricultural

Development Foundation (JADF)-sponsored “Agribusiness cluster work-shop”, Knutsford Court Hotel (Leslie Simpson)

• 21 February 2003, Seminar by Prof. Clive Edwards on vermi-composting, CARDI (Kathy Dalip, Dionne Clarke-Harris, Leslie Simpson)

• 7 April 2003, Science Symposium 2003, Northern Caribbean University (Albert Fearon)

• 8-12 April 2003, the IPM National Symposium and Annual Planning Meeting, Westin Indianapolis Hotel, Indianapolis, Indiana (Dionne Clarke-Harris, Kathy Dalip, Phillip Chung (Regional Coordinator, PROCI-CARIBE CIPMNET)

• 11 April 2003, CASE Career Day for graduating students, Port Antonio (Francis Asiedu, Leslie Simpson)

• 27 May 2003, 14th Annual Conference of JSAS held jointly with Research and Development Division , Ministry of Agriculture (Professional and Tech-nical Staff)

• 13-19 July 2003, 39th Annual Meeting of the CFCS, Grand Grenada Beach Resort, Grand Anse, Grenada (Dionne Clarke-Harris)

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• 21-24 October 2003, CTA Interna-tional seminar on Information Support for Sustainable Soil Fertility Manage-ment, Hotel Haarhuis in Arnhem, The Netherlands (Leslie Simpson)

• 19-22 November 2003, 17th Annual Conference on Science and Technol-ogy under the theme Science and Technology for Economic Develop-ment – Technology driven agriculture and agro-processing, Knutsford Court Hotel, Kingston (Leslie Simpson, Christopher Fuller, Francine Webb, Anthony Trought)

• 12 December 2003, Seminar by Dr Cynthia Grant on the management of high cadmium levels in agricultural soils in Canada, ICENS, Mona (Leslie Simpson)

Exhibitions and Shows Denbigh Agricultural Show The CARDI Jamaica Unit participated in the 51st staging of the Annual Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show by mounting poster displays on its project activities. The Livestock Team also dem-onstrated the making of molasses-urea blocks. Open Day 2003 Jamaica celebrated Science and Technol-ogy 2003 in November under the theme "Science and Technology for Economic Development: Technology Driven Agri-culture and Agroprocessing". As part of the celebrations, the CARDI Jamaica Unit hosted its Open Day on 26 Novem-ber 2003 (see Figures 18 and 19).

Representatives from the agricultural sector, including our collaborators and schools were specially invited to view the CARDI’s contribution to agricultural development in Jamaica, particularly in the areas of: • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

strategies in hot pepper, sweetpotato, callaloo and coffee.

• Natural Resources Management (NRM) in composting and organic farming, as well the use of GIS tech-nology.

• Small Ruminant (Livestock) develop-ment.

Figure 18 Francis Asiedu CARDI Representative (fifth left) explaining the Unit’s activities in a poster display to (L-R) Felice Zaccheo, European Union, Jocelyn Richard, National Commercial Bank, Glad-stone Barrette, FAO, Hon. Errol Ennis, MINAG, Richard Harrison, MINAG and Hector Barreyro , IICA

The day’s activities also included a tour of the biological control of the coffee berry borer laboratory and the field at the Mona DTC. Goats from the SMDTC were also on display.

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Figure 19 HE Dennis Francis, Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to Jamaica, in discussion with Leslie Simpson on the activities at the Mona DTC. Looking on are (L-R) Kathy Dalip (CARDI), Jocelyn Richard (NCB) and Graham Dunkley (CIB).

Publications Scientific Publications Asiedu, F.H.K. and Lauckner, F.B. 2003.

ACP science and technology policy networks and institutions - The Carib-bean experience. A paper presented at the 2nd Meeting of ACP Informal Working Group on Science & Tech-nology, Ede, The Netherlands, 28 No-vember–3 December 2003

Asiedu, F.H.K. and Lauckner, F.B. 2003. A Manual on Guidelines for Livestock Experimentation and Data Manage-ment, St Augustine, Trinidad and To-bago: Caribbean Agricultural; Re-search and Development Institute (in press)

Asiedu, F.H.K., McDonald, D. and Seaton, J.M. 2003. Observations on non-dormant alfalfa cultivars at two loca-tions in Jamaica. CARDI Review 3, 1-8

Brown, M. 2003. Production of Peli-buey and Blackbelly under Three Pro-duction Systems. A paper presented at the 14th Annual Conference of the Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sci-ences Jamaica: Kingston, Jamaica, 27 May 2003

Clarke-Harris D. 2003. Plant Health Policy-CARDI’s Perspective. Power-Point presentation at the EC CARIFO-RUM CAFP Plant Health Workshop. Kapok Hotel, Port of Spain. Trinidad: 18 November 2003

Clarke-Harris D. 2003. Rational Pesti-cide use in IPM of pesticide-reliant vegetable crops in the Caribbean, pa-per presented at the 39th Annual Meet-ing of the Caribbean food Crops Soci-ety, the Grenada Grand Beach Resort, Grand Anse. Grenada: 13-19 July 2003

Clarke-Harris D and Fleischer S. 2003. Sequential sampling and biorational chemistries for management of lepi-dopteran pests of vegetable amaranth in the Caribbean. J. Econ. Entomol. 96(3):798-804.

Simpson, L. 2003 Possible effects on the environment of agricultural practices on hillsides in Jamaica. A paper pre-sented at the 17th Annual National Conference on Science and Technol-ogy, Kingston, 19-22 November, 2003

Williams, D. 2003. The Response of Broilers to Changing Durations of Feeding starter, Grower and Finisher Diets when Grown to 49 Days of Age in a Humid Tropical Environment. A paper presented at the 14th Annual Conference of the Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences Jamaica: Kingston, Jamaica, 27 May 2003

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Reports CARDI. 2003. First Annual Technical

Report December 2002 to December 2003. Citrus Replanting Programme (CRP) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Jamaica. Research Services-Entomology. Jamaica: CARDI, De-cember 2003 R

Clarke-Harris D. and Fleischer S. 2002. IPM systems development of pests affecting callaloo. IPM CRSP 8th An-n u a l R e p o r t , 2 0 0 1 - 2 0 0 2 . (Management Entity, Ed.) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Uni-versity, Blacksburg, VA.

Simpson, L. 2003. Review of soil man-agement and farming practices, in-cluding the use of agro-chemicals in the Caribbean, with particular refer-ence to St Lucia and Jamaica. Re-search project DFID NRSP R7668. Jamaica: CARDI, April 2003 (Available as downloadable files un-der the Land-Water Interface option at http://www.mragltd.com)

Simpson, L.A. 2003 Report on the Base-line Survey of Farmers who are to be Participants of the Pilot Farmer Field School in Jamaica. A Report submit-ted to CAB International Caribbean and Latin America Regional Centre, Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaica: CARDI, December 2003

Professional Bodies • Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sci-

ences (Francis Asiedu, Leslie Simpson, Dionne Clarke-Harris, Albert Fearon, Kathy Dalip, Dwight Williams, Maxine Brown)

• Caribbean Food Crops Society (Francis Asiedu, Dionne Clarke-Harris)

• New York Academy of Sciences (Francis Asiedu)

• Tropical Grasslands Society of Aus-tralia (Francis Asiedu)

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Administration and Personnel Administrative Report Two major staff training exercises were conducted during the year. The first was an in-house six weeks Global Information System training course attended by Leslie Simpson, Christopher Fuller, Maxine Brown and Francine Webb. The other was an in-house two days Team Building Workshop conducted by Margaret Fook, Manager–Human Resources Department, with all staff members in attendance. In order to facilitate better management the Unit is sub-divided into four sections as follows; the Integrated Pest Manage-ment (IPM) Section, the Natural Re-source Management (NRM) Section, the Livestock Section, and the Administra-tion section. The Integrated Pest Management Section focused on three main areas during the year 2003; Vegetables (callaloo and pep-per), Root crop (sweet potato) and, cof-fee. The Head of Section was Dionne Clarke-Harris who also functioned as Project Manager for the IPM Vegetables sub-project. Christopher Fuller func-tioned as Research Assistant while Don-ald Simpson and Paul Samuels provided technical assistance for the project. Dur-ing the year Kathy Dalip was the Project Manager for the IPM Root Crop sub-project and Coffee project. Francine Webb and Anthony Trought functioned as Research Assistants for the Coffee and Root Crop sub-projects, respectively, while Desmond Jones, Patrick Pitterson,

and Gusland McCook served as Techni-cal Assistants. The Natural Resource Management Sec-tion was headed by Leslie Simpson with Kenrick Robinson as the Technical As-sistant. There was no Research Assistant assigned to the Section during the year. This section is responsible for the man-agement of the Mona DTC and our Global Information System (GIS) pro-ject. The Livestock Section is responsible for the management of the Sam Motta DTC and experiments being carried out by CARDI at the Hounslow DTC. Albert Fearon was the Head of Section while Dwight Williams functioned as Project Manager. The staff compliment was completed with Ralston Barnes, Joel Bar-nes, and Clovis Morrison, as Technical Assistants. During the year Clovis Mor-rison retired, after serving the Institute for ten years. Norman Hanson, Foreman, provided the day-to-day management of the Sam Motta DTC. The Administration Section was headed by Adlai Blythe and provided the admin-istrative and financial support services for the unit. In January, his position was reclassified to that of Administrator 1 and he was re-engaged for a new three-year contract. Three Accounting Assistants/Clerks, one Receptionist, one Driver/Expeditor, one Office Helper and two Field Labourers assisted him. During the year, the following changes were effected in the Administration Sec-tion:

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Leebert Richards, Field Labourer, was retired on medical grounds. Archibald Wizzart, Accounting Assistant at the Mona Office, resigned in February; Eliza-beth Asiedu, Clerical Assistant at the Mandeville Office, was reassigned to the Mona Office as Accounts Clerk and Win-some Davis was employed as Clerical Assistant

for the Mandeville Office. During this period also, the Institute signed a con-tract with the Ministry of Agriculture for the provision of Entomology Services under the Citrus Replanting Project. Carlton Allen was employed as a Re-search Assistant for the execution of ac-tivities relating to this new project.

Staff list Professional staff Asiedu, Francis, Ph.D. Animal Nutritionist CARDI Representative Blythe, Adlai Administrator Administration Section Clarke-Harris, Dionne, M.Sc. Entomologist IPM Section Dalip, Kathy, Ph.D. Entomologist IPM Section Fearon, Albert, M.Sc. Animal Productionist Livestock Section Simpson, Leslie Ph.D. Soil Scientist NRM Section Williams, Dwight, M.Sc. Scientist 1 Livestock Section Technical staff Allen, Carlton Research Assistant IPM Section Asiedu, Elizabeth Accounts Clerk/Typist Administration Section Bailey, Una Office Helper Administration Section Barnes, Joel Technical Assistant Livestock Section Barnes, Ralston Technical Assistant Livestock Section Brown, Maxine Research Assistant CR Office Fuller, Christopher Research Assistant I PM Section Hanson, Norman Foreman Livestock Section Jones, Desmond Technical Assistant IPM Section Maxwell, Ervin Field Labourer Administration Section Morris, Erna Accounting Assistant Administration Section Morrison, Clovis Technical Assistant Livestock Section McDonald, Lloyd Driver Administration Section Pitterson, Patrick Technical Assistant IPM Section Powell, Sandra Receptionist Administration Section Robinson, Kenrick Technical Assistant NRM section Samuels, Paul Technical Assistant IPM Section Sangster, Andrea Secretary Administration Section Simpson, Donald Technical Assistant I PM Section Trought, Anthony Research Assistant IPM Section Webb, Francine Research Assistant IPM Section

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Visitors to the Unit During the year the following persons visited the CARDI Jamaica Unit Adams, Herman Head, Project Development Planning Unit, CARDI HQ Barnet, Audia Executive Director, Scientific Research Council Barrett, Glastone FAO, Jamaica Office Barreyro, Hector IICA Representative Batson, Howard USAID Local Mission Burton, Thomas Deputy Executive Director, RADA Dunkley, Graham Director General CIB Edwards, Clive USA, IPM CRSP Ennis, Errol Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture Fleischer, Shelby USA, IPM CRSP Francis, Dennis High Commissioner, Trinidad and Tobago Gardner, Cassel Associate Professor, Florida A & M University Gonzalez, Armando Garcia PROMECAFE Advisor, Dominican Republic Graham, Hugh Ridge to Reef Project Green, Natasha Research Assistant – HQ Harper, Cedric High Commissioner, St Kitts & Nevis Harrison, Richard Permanent Secretary (Ag.), Ministry of Agriculture Hedlum, Robert USA, IPM CRSP Heinrichs, Elvis USA, IPM CRSP Jackson, Dahlia J Student, UMES James, Lionel Project Analyst, CDB Lauckner, Bruce Executive Director (Ag.) Lawrence, Wendy CARDI HQ Lindsay, Joseph Senior Director of Research, Bodles Research Station Martin, Hugh Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences McGlashan, Don Chief Technical Director, Ministry of Agriculture McLaren, Lyndon Jamaican Society for Agricultural Sciences Momsen, Janet University of California Davis Montieth,Vivian CIDA Paul, Harriett A Director, International Programmes, Florida A & M Rampersad-Fook, Margaret Human Resource Manager, CARDI HQ Reid, Robert Project Specialist, IICA Rhodes, Llewellyn CARDI Representative, St Kitts & Nevis Richards, Jocelyn Manager, National Commercial Bank Suah, Joe Ridge to Reef Project Tolin, Sue USA, IPM CRSP Villaume, Claude CIRAD, Guadeloupe Vilpoux Olivier Brazil Whitley, Niki Animal Science Professor, UMES Zaccheo, Felice European Union

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