https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:31:28 GMT 2026-06-26T19:31:28Z https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/798 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 Conversely, farmers who can afford adequate fertiliser amounts use outdated recommendations, which are blanket in nature, and which ignore spatial variability in soil nutrients across fields and farms, resulting in inefficient nutrient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. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/798 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/796 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. Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/796 2024-10-03T00:00:00Z https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/795 Isolation and characterization of biosurfactant-producing microbes isolated from the gastrointestinal system of broiler birds fed a commercial diet Chigede, Ngavaite; Chikwambi, Zedias; Mpofu, Irvin D. T.; Madzimure, James Antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR) from improper use of antibiotics in various livestock products is a growing hazard for humans worldwide, with current death rate in excess of 700,000 per annum linked to the problem. Microorganisms are a rich source of structurally distinct bioactive compounds designed to protect the microbes and can offset AMR chal lenge. A study was conducted at Chinhoyi University of Technology to isolate, identify and characterize biosurfactant secreting microbes from broiler bird’s gastrointestinal tract. Analysis of variance was performed in Genstat software. 16S rRNA technique was used to identify the DNA of isolates, annotated by similarity using BLASTn analysis against the NCBI nucleotide database. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the BLASTn outcome to have an appreciation of the evolutionary genetic relationships. Small intestine-derived samples had a wider hemolytic activity of 5.6mm, with a 39% emulsification index. At 98.29% sequence similarity, the bacterium producing biosurfactants was identified as an Escherichia coli strain similar to the 7.1994/NIST 0056 strain. The biosurfactant substance is a derivative of decane with beta lactams, tetracyclines and sulfa drugs properties which were respon sible for the observed antibacterial activity. We recommend endogenous biosurfactant pro duction optimization experiments and in-vivo trials to evaluate the potential impacts of a biosurfactant based feed additive in broilers Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/795 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/794 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. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.cut.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/794 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z