Ismail Abdul-Moomin

Community Service Report (III) 

Submitted to: JEQ Foundation Scholarship

Submitted by: Ismail Abdul-Moomin

Date of Activity: 15/08/2025 

Duration: 3 Hours 

“Agriculture Extension Service at Akukayili Community: Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) Planting” 

Background 

On Friday, 15th August, 2025, I carried out an extension service to practically educate three farmers in a pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) planting at the at Akukayili in the Kumbugu District, Ghana, where I took them through a practical session following recommended spacing protocols and number of seeds per hole in line with UN- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2023) guidelines. The activity took me three hours maximum to complete as we planted three different plots. The method adopted was planting in rows with 80 cm spacing between rows and 40 cm between plants within rows. The purpose of this activity was to give an extensive practical demonstration of the impact of proper spacing on crop yield and soil health compared with traditional broadcast planting commonly practised by smallholder farmers in the area, while reducing competition between crops for nutrients and also for easy clearing of weeds. 

During the field activity, ropes were calibrated properly with 40 cm intervals as a guide for dibbling the holes for planting the seeds, ensuring that each pigeon pea seeds were placed at the recommended intra-row distance. This practice is important because it eliminates guesswork in planting and guarantees uniform crop growth, which is a key element of precision agriculture. By following calibrated guides, farmers were shown how to optimise plant population density, reduce intra-specific competition for nutrients, and water. Precision of input use, as fertiliser and water can be applied in targeted amounts directly where plants are located. In addition to this, uniform spacing creates well-defined rows that are compatible with mechanised operations such as weeding, fertiliser application, and harvesting 

Outcome and Impact 

This guide of optimal spacing offers several agronomic benefits. Proper arrangement reduces root overlap and lowers competition for essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This also creates adequate rhizosphere space for enhanced root nodulation, which supports biological nitrogen fixation. 

Conclusion 

Adequate spacing also minimizes excessive canopy shading, enhancing the release of root exudates such as pinitol, which has natural allelopathic properties that suppress weeds. The expected outcomes of adopting the 80 × 40 cm spacing pattern are capable giving plant health. Grain yields are projected to increase, and soil health is also expected to improve. 

Thank you. Community Service Report (III) 

Ismail Abdul-Moomin 

BSc Biotechnology and Molecular Biology 

University for Development Studies