Jordan Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Narrative Literature Reviews in Scientific Research: Pros and Cons

Mousa Numan Ahmad — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Narrative literature reviews play a crucial role in scientific research by providing a comprehensive overview of the available knowledge on a particular topic. Unlike systematic reviews, which follow rigid methodologies, narrative reviews offer a more flexible and qualitative approach, allowing researchers to synthesize and interpret the findings of different studies. This type of review is particularly valuable in fields with a high literature diversity, as it can help identify trends, gaps, and emerging themes. A key strength of narrative reviews is their ability to provide broader context, integrate insights from diverse disciplines, and enable a deeper understanding of complex issues. They also facilitate the exploration of theories and frameworks, often leading to new hypotheses and research questions. Narrative reviews are valuable resources for practitioners and policymakers, extracting key findings that can inform practice and decision-making. However, these reviews are not without limitations. The subjective nature of narrative synthesis can introduce bias, and the lack of a standardized methodology makes the reliability of conclusions uncertain. To enhance the rigor of narrative reviews, researchers should clearly define their objectives, thoroughly document their search strategies, and critically evaluate the quality of included studies. Although narrative literature reviews may not have the same empirical basis as systematic reviews, they remain a significant tool for knowledge dissemination and theoretical exploration in scientific research. On average, only a relatively small proportion of recent scientific publications provide high levels of evidence, though the journal review process should discourage unsubstantiated conclusions in original research articles. This introductory editorial is a brief preview that aims to help read, understand, and evaluate narrative review articles.

Effects of Poultry Manure on Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Production and Insect Infestation in a Humid Ecological Zone

Grace O. Awah, Sylvester R. Atijegbe, Usman Zakka, Ndowa E. S. Lale — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

A field trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of poultry manure (PM) on the growth, yield, and infestation of insect pests of watermelon. There were five treatments namely; 1.25 tons of PM ha^-1, 2.5 tons of PM ha^-1, 5 tons of PM ha^-1, 300kg of NPK ha^-1,and an untreated control with three replications, which were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design. Data on vine length, stem girth, number of leaves, fruit weight, days to 50% emergence, days to 50% flowering, and number of insects were recorded. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the vine length, stem girth, number of leaves, fruit weight, and 50% emergence. However, there were significant differences in vine length at week 3 and week 4, stem girth at week 3, 50% days to flowering, and week 1 for insect population between the 1.25 tons of PM ha^-1and control. The study showed that C. lanatus can be economically grown in the humid ecological zone (October-January) and poultry manure at the rate of 1.25 tons of PM ha^-1was optimal for its cultivation

Effect of Inter-Row Spacing on Growth and Yield of Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum L.) Varieties at Woliso Woreda, Central Ethiopia

Leta Abebe, Gizachew W/Senbet, Ashenafi Mitiku — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is a legume crop that is used as a spice, vegetable, and medicinal plant. Interrow spacing and varieties were factors affecting the production of fenugreek crops in Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted with the objective of evaluating the effect of inter-row spacing of fenugreek varieties with their combination on the growth, yield, and yield component at Woliso district. A field experiment was conducted at Woliso Polytechnic College during the main cropping season 2023 cropping season with RCBD design arranged in factorial arrangement and replicated three times. 10cm, 20cm, 30 and 40cm inter-row spacing and four improved fenugreek varieties Burqa, Chala, Ebbisa, Wereilu, and local variety for the check were used during the experiment. The collected data were analyzed using SAS software version 9.2. The statistical analysis shows that days of 50% germination were not significant (P≤ 0.05) but days of 50% flowering, days of 90% maturity, higher primary branch (6.36), higher number of grain pod^-1(21.6), higher pod length, 1000g grain weight, above-ground biomass, grain yield were highly significant in main effect and their interaction (P≤ 0.01). The higher number of primary branches(6.73) and, number of grain pod^-1(21.6), pod length (19.3), 1000g grain weight(20g) and grain yield (1563.7kg ha^-1), days of 90% maturity (117.9days), higher primary branch(6.73), number of grain pod^-1(26.25), pod length, 1000g grain weight, above ground biomass (3568.33Kg ha^-1), and grain yield and the shorter days of 50% flowering (44.6days) were recorded from Burka interacted with 40cm followed by Chala, Wereilu, and Ebbisa verities. In contrast, the lower grain yield was recorded with the interaction of 10cm. From the current research on yield and yield component planting of the Burka variety with 40 cm inter-row spacing is performing well and recommended to the local farmer to increase the yield of fenugreek crop.

Enhancing Water Management in Jordan: A Fresh Tomato Water Footprint Analysis

Arwa Hamaideh, Tharaa Al-Zghoul, Nuha Dababseh, Ahmad Jamrah — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Water footprint (WF) analysis is crucial for comprehending agricultural water usage patterns. This study aims to determine the total WF for tomatoes in Jordan from 1994 to 2023, covering both summer and winter seasons, to inform decision-making regarding tomato cultivation practices in the area. Despite inconsistencies in data recording, particularly regarding fertilizer application and sunshine, the WF serves as a valuable tool for estimating seasonal variations in water requirements and facilitating comparisons between different approaches to water usage for tomatoes. Comparative studies globally suggest variability in WFs due to factors such as climate, irrigation methods, and soil conditions influencing results. In this study, the CROPWAT 8.0 model was employed to analyze input data obtained from the Department of Statistics, NASA POWER, and local farmers near the Baqoura, Deir Alla, and Ghour Alsafi stations. The analysis aimed to determine the green WF (rainfall), blue WF (irrigation), and gray WF (water required to dilute pollutants) at these stations. The results revealed that the total WF during winter was approximately 7217.62, 8417.65, and 14061.42 m³/ton for the Baqoura, Deir Alla, and Ghour Alsafi stations. In summer, the respective values were around 3107.67, 6026.52, and 11847.35 m³/ton. Significant findings include ET green, evapotranspiration (ET) blue, crop water use (CWU) green and blue, and production yield for 2023. The nitrogen application per dunum was also calculated as 368 kg/30 dunum, equating to 123 kg/ha. The significance of these results lies in their potential to inform and optimize water management practices in tomato cultivation, promoting sustainability and resource efficiency.