https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/15 2026-06-26T20:52:58Z 2026-06-26T20:52:58Z Soropa, Gabriel Nyamangara, Justice Nyakatawa, Ermson Z https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/798 2026-06-16T10:12:04Z 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z

Nutrient status of sandy soils in smallholder areas of Zimbabwe and the need to develop site-specific fertiliser recommendations for sustainable crop intensification Soropa, Gabriel; Nyamangara, Justice; Nyakatawa, Ermson Z Sustainable crop intensification in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be achieved if farmers cultivate inherently infertile soils that are deficient in key essential nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Most smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are resource-constrained and apply suboptimal fertiliser amounts, which cannot support optimal plant growth and replenish depleted soil reserves, resulting in food insecurity and soil nutrient mining. Conversely, farmers who can afford adequate fertiliser amounts use outdated recommendations, which are blanket in nature, and which ignore spatial variability in soil nutrients across fields and farms, resulting in inefficient nutrient uptake and consequently depressed crop yields. There is a need to revise the blanket fertiliser recommendations in order to develop site-specific recommendations that are based on soil nutrient status and production system. This can be achieved through systematic soil sampling and analysis, and integration of soil analysis data with GIS in order to develop soil fertility maps that can be used to target fertiliser application. Data from identified soil fertility units can be extrapolated to similar soil units in areas were soil analytical data are not available.

2019-01-01T00:00:00Z Mashavakure, Nilton Pedzisai, Constantino Munhuwa, Edward https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/796 2026-06-16T09:49:45Z 2024-10-03T00:00:00Z

Perceptions of Educators on Simultaneous Implementation of Education 5.0 and Modularisation in the Higher Education Sector Mashavakure, Nilton; Pedzisai, Constantino; Munhuwa, Edward The government of Zimbabwe initiated a radical higher education reform programme in 2019, culminating in the simultaneous implementation of Education 5.0 and modularization. This mixed methods study employed concurrent triangulation research design to examine the compatibility of these reforms at Chinhoyi University of Technology by surveying 32 educators from various schools. The majority of educators believed that modularization enabled students to focus on one module at a time, master the content, and utilize limited resources more effectively. Modularization also afforded educators more time for research and non-teaching activities, flexibility in teaching methods, and enhanced student-educator interaction. However, educators disagreed that modularization aligned with Education 5.0, citing concerns that it placed students in a continuous examination mode and failed to facilitate connections between module content to address societal challenges. The study concludes by recommending the realignment of teaching and learning timetables to facilitate content connections, free time for educators, and student participation in innovation and industrialization activities, thereby optimizing the simultaneous implementation of Education 5.0 and modularization.

2024-10-03T00:00:00Z Mashavakure, Nilton Vhembo, Delight Mashingaidze, Arnold B Gandiwa, Edson https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/794 2026-06-16T09:32:14Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Intra-seasonal activity of ground dwelling spiders following six years of tillage, fertiliser and weeding treatments in an agricultural field in northern Zimbabwe Mashavakure, Nilton; Vhembo, Delight; Mashingaidze, Arnold B; Gandiwa, Edson Spiders are important biological control agents whose activity and diversity can be negatively affected by agricultural practices. A study was conducted at Chinhoyi University of Technology experimental farm, northern Zimbabwe, to determine the impact of tillage, fertiliser application and weeding regimes on ground-dwelling spiders across three maize crop growth stages (early vegetative: V3; late vegetative: V6; and intermediate reproductive: R2). Lycosidae were the most abundant spider family (85.7%) while Salticidae were least abundant (0.8%). The spiders belonged to two functional groups, ground and plant wanderers with the former constituting 94.9% of pitfall catches. Spiders were most abundant during V3, followed by R2 and V6 maize growth stages. Spider community diversity was also greatest during the V3 (H′ = 0.45) and least during the V6 stage (H′ = 0.12). During the V3 and R2 stages, ground dwelling spider abundance was higher in the two reduced tillage systems than under conventional tillage. Based on the study findings, it can be concluded that reduced tillage is useful in increasing ground-dwelling spider community abundance and diversity during the V3 and R2 maize growth stages.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Kutamahufa, Marilyn Matare, Lincon Soropa, Gabriel Mashavakure, Nilton Svotwa, Ezekia . Mashingaidze, Arnold B https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/784 2026-06-11T09:25:40Z 2021-11-16T00:00:00Z

Forage legumes exhibit a differential potential to compete against maize and weeds and to restore soil fertility in a maize-forage legume intercrop Kutamahufa, Marilyn; Matare, Lincon; Soropa, Gabriel; Mashavakure, Nilton; Svotwa, Ezekia; . Mashingaidze, Arnold B Integrating forage legumes with maize has the potential to restore soil fertility and increase grain yield among smallholder farming systems. A study was conducted over two cropping seasons to determine the effect of intercropping maize with forage legumes on soil fertility restoration, weed biomass and maize yield. Treatments involved: four cropping systems (sole maize, maize-velvet bean, maize-silverleaf, maize-cowpeas) and four fertiliser regimes (no fertiliser, 150 kg ha−1 of compound D fertiliser (7% N: 14% P2O5: 7% K2O) + 150 kg ha−1 ammonium nitrate (34.5% N), 100 kg ha−1 single super phosphate (SSP, 17.5% P2O5) and 200 kg ha−1 SSP). Maize-velvet bean intercropping reduced weed biomass by 80% relative to sole maize and maize-silverleaf intercropping. Maize-cowpea and maize-velvet bean intercropping reduced maize grain yield by 25.9% and 64.7%, respectively, compared to sole maize and maize-silverleaf intercropping. In 2017/2018, maize-silverleaf intercropping increased resin-extractable P2O5 by 60.1% compared to other cropping systems while the three fertiliser treatments increased the levels of this nutrient by 41.9–100%. The results of this study show that intercropping maize with silverleaf has the potential to restore soil fertility and control weeds, without reducing maize grain yield

2021-11-16T00:00:00Z