About
33
Publications
19,479
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
240
Citations
Introduction
Cosmas Wacal currently works at the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Mountains of the Moon University (MMU). Cosmas does research in Soil Science, Agricultural Plant Science and Agronomy. His current research area are: Optimizing biochar from agricultural wastes for soil health; agroecology for sustainability and cropping systems.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
August 2019 - August 2019
October 2016 - October 2019
October 2014 - September 2016
Publications
Publications (33)
Food is a basic need; thus, food security status is key to well-being of young farmers. This study examined factors that influence food security status of young farmers with and without disabilities in Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the influence of disability status, region of location, gender, social exclusion, participation in agricult...
This article examines the knowledge and perceptions of farmers on arthropod pests in Kigezi apple agroecology. Today, apple production in Kigezi persistently gives poor quality and low quantity apple fruits, and a significantly low percentage of Kigezi apples reach both local and international markets. This study’s data was collected from four dist...
With the rapid pace of climate change and its impact on food security and livelihoods, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is one strategy aiming to help farmers adopt more sustainable farming practices. This study examines the determinants of adoption of CSA practices by farmers in Sheema District in Western Uganda. Through 228 household surveys, we e...
Biochar is a nature-based solution for sustainable agriculture but its potential adoption in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa is still minimal. In this study, we evaluated the agronomic potential of maize stover biochar in cowpea-maize sequential cropping in Uganda under field conditions. The treatments included; the common farmer practice of no in...
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of biofertilizers, diammonium phosphate (DAP), and urea fertilizer treatments on maize growth, yield, and economic benefits. The experiment, carried out over two consecutive seasons in 2022, included five treatments: control without fertilizers (T1), biofertilizers only (T2), DAP + urea (T3), biofert...
Sesame is a key oilseed crop predominantly cultivated in Northern and Eastern regions of Uganda. Despite efforts to promote sesame production, adoption of improved agronomic practices remains low. This study assesses adoption intensity, determinants of improved agronomic practices, and opportunities for enhancing sesame production in Northern Ugand...
This research assessed the effect of neem leaf extract on the larval population of the fall armyworm and the level of damage, growth, and yield of maize. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments (Control, 50 g per L, 100 g per L and 200 g per L of neem leaf extract) applied within the two seasons of 2022A and 2022B. The findin...
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is considered as one of the important oilseed crops produced throughout the world especially in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Sesame crop is grown mainly for its highly nutritious seeds that also offer medicinal value. Sesame seed is rich in edible oil, fatty acids mainly linoleic acid and oleic acid, lignans, t...
Cowpea is one of the most important legume food crops in Uganda. However, grain yields as low as 400 kg ha−1 have been recorded in farmers’ fields despite a grain yield potential of 3,000 kg ha−1. Cowpea scab is a major production constraint, causing yield losses of up to 100%. Three hundred ninety (390) improved cowpea genotypes were evaluated for...
Background
Soil fertility decline due to nutrient mining coupled with low inorganic fertilizer usage is a major cause of low crop yields across sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, biochar potential to improve soil fertility has gained significant attention but there are limited studies on the use of biochar as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers. In...
Organic bio-slurry soil amendments’ effect on soil chemical properties and the growth traits of tissue culture banana (TCB) were studied from 2017 to 2020 at Uganda Martyrs University Farm. Mpologoma and Kibuzi banana cultivars of the AAB East Africa Highland cultivar were treated with NPK fertilizer and two bio-slurries at different rates. Treatme...
Apple (Malus domestica), is one of the most important fruit trees cultivated in temperate regions but, newly introduced in Uganda for its income and nutritional importance. However, apples are found to be susceptible to arthropod pests, some known to cause damages on both the plant and fruits. Some of these insect pests are known while others are s...
The study aimed at understanding the spatial distribution of Fusarium wilt (FW) in different banana growing regions, ascertain the effect of management practices and plantation age on FW incidence, as well as investigate farmers' knowledge regarding the symptoms and spread of FW in Uganda. Individual interviews were conducted in 119 farms using a p...
Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the most ancient oilseed crops cultivated for its edible oil and uses in food. Sesame seeds are very nutritious and confer health benefits. However, its potential production in Uganda has not been fully realized. The objective of this review was to summarize the trends in sesame production, export quantity, ex...
Activated carbon (AC) is a known adsorbent for organic compounds including root exudates but could have an influence on crop yield and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A 2-year pot experiment was conducted to assess the effect of AC on GHG emissions, seed yield, soil chemical properties and isoflavone content of soybean genotypes with varying nodula...
Biochar can reduce N2O emissions and it can be added to the soil once, whereas fertilizers are often applied every cultivation season. The aging of biochar in soil affects its functioning but it is unclear whether palm shell biochar (PSB) could still mitigate N2O emissions even when additional basal N fertilizers are applied 1 year after the initia...
Growth of sesame is known to be limited by poor K nutrition as a result of imbalance in soil exchangeable cations that cause a competitive ion effect in continuous monocropping from upland fields converted paddy. We hypothesized that balancing soil exchangeable cations will improve the K nutrition and growth of sesame plants. Therefore, the specifi...
We evaluated the fatty acid compositions in relation to yield and soil nutrients from four fields A, B, C, and D with continuous monocropping histories of 0–3 years, respectively, in Japan from 2015 to 2016. Results showed that, in both evaluation years, seed yield did not significantly differ among the fields although field A produced the highest...
The impact of broccoli crop residues on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may vary with post-harvest management. The incorporation of biochar together with broccoli residues could have a GHG mitigation potential in soil. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined effect of broccoli crop residues and palm shell biochar (PSB) incorporatio...
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oilseed crop that is negatively affected by continuous cropping but
there is still limited research on this phenomenon. A three-year field experiment was conducted from 2012 to
2014 at Tottori, Japan, on an upland field converted from a paddy to determine the effect of continuous cropping
on seed yield, c...
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an important oilseed crop, but is negatively affected by continuous cropping. There is still a lack of information on the effect of continuous cropping on soil chemical properties and mineral nutrition related to sesame growth and yield decline. Therefore, we investigated sesame growth and yield, nutrient concentratio...
Sesame is an important oilseed crop cultivated worldwide. However, research has focused on biochar effects on grain crops and vegetable and there is still a scarcity of information of biochar addition on sesame. This study was to assess the effect of biochar addition on sesame performance, with a specific emphasis on growth, yield, leaf nutrient co...
Sesame fatty acids in continuous cropping
Biochar application to soil is regarded as a tool for mitigation of
N2O emissions and enhancing crop productivity but it is still
unclear on how much biochar is needed to balance these two
functions. We examined the effect of biochar on N2O emission,
soil chemical properties, growth and nutrient uptake of
komatsuna in a pot experiment; using palm s...
Allelopathy of continuously cropped soils.
Effect of rice husk biochar on sesame
Sesame yield under continuous cropping on upland field converted paddy fields
Questions
Question (1)
