Effects of Epicuticular Wax on the Rate of Water Loss of Sorghum Bicolor Cl.) Moench

Abstract

Inherent drought is a sad reality prevailing in most sub-saharan countries of Africa. The shortage of food combined with poor sanitation have created a high rate of human mortality, not only in Africa, but also in other parts of the World. The Food and Agricultural Organization (F.A.O.) and the World Health Organization <W.H.O.) have predicted that even worse conditions will prevail in the years to come, unless agricultural policies change in these countries. Not only the ever unpredictable weather of Africa causes a slow agricultural development, but also the ever unchanged prehistoric cultivation practices have contributed to the African drought problem. There is a need for modern agricultural technology in the areas of plant breeding, plant physiology, crop management and production, and soil sciences to meet the needs of the hungry people of these regions. In 1975, the Government of Niger started a national program of agricultural development with the creation of a National Research Institute for Agronomic Research in Niger (I NRAN). The government undertook a vast training program for agricultural scientists, to be involved with research, teaching, and extension.