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| ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological
Science
January 2014 | Vol. 9 No. 1 |
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Title: |
Effect of
formulated diets on growth and reproductive performance of
the west
African giant snail (Achatina Achatina) |
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Author (s): |
J.K. Nyameasem and E.B.B.
Borketey-La |
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Abstract: |
Two experiments were conducted to assess the
effect of three poultry diets on growth and reproductive
performance of Achatina achatina snails. In the first
experiment 120 juvenile snails in groups ten were fed four
experimental diets for a period of 182 days. The treatments
were T1-Broiler starter, T2 -Grower
mash, T3 -Layer mash and T4 Unripe
pawpaw fruits. The completely Randomised Design was used
with four treatments and each replicated three times. The
second experiment involved 120 adult snails fed the four
diets using the same experimental design.
The
results revealed that juvenile snails fed on broiler starter
diet (T1) had significantly (P<0.05) higher
performance in terms of monthly feed intake, final weight,
monthly weight gain, specific growth rate, monthly shell
increment while pawpaw fruit diet (T4) recorded
the least. Adult snails fed broiler starter diet (T1)
recorded significantly (P<0.05) higher mean values for all
parameters. T3 and T4 were, however,
similar (P>0.05) in terms of feed intake, final weight,
weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Feed intake seemed to
follow a trend in the adult snails; feed intake increased as
protein content of feed increased. No significant
differences (P>0.05) were observed the adult snails in terms
of total eggs laid and egg length, however, egg weight and
egg width were found to be significantly higher (P<0.05) in
snails fed on layer mash (T3). Therefore, T1
(broiler starter) could be fed for growth enhancement and T3
(layer mash) could be fed to enhance reproductive
performance in Achatina achatina. |
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Title: |
Economic
valuation of health impacts of air pollution due to h2s
emission from to lich river, Vietnam |
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Author (s): |
Nguyen
Huu Huan, Nguyen Xuan Hai and Tran Yem |
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Abstract: |
By using “upscalling”, method the
affected area and exposed population due to the H2S
emission from To Lich River is forecasted. The factor
of human potential toxicity of H2S is applied to
estimate the loss of economic value due to the effects of H2S
emission from To Lich River. The loss of economic value due
to the effects of H2S emission from To Lich River
is estimated depended on the targets of Vietnamese or WHO.
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Title: |
Assessment of noise exposure of forestry workers: a case
study of the university of Ibadan tree management committee |
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Author (s): |
Yahaya
Mijinyawa |
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Abstract: |
Timber harvesting is an important
agricultural operation as it provides materials for
construction. Recent improvements in its harvesting with the
development of the power saw have attracted more people into
the profession with many working over extended period. It is
known that a lot of noise is generated in this operation
which may be harmful to the health of the forestry workers
and requires remedial measures. Measurements of the levels
of noise generated and periods over which machine was
operated were undertaken among forestry workers at the
University of Ibadan. The average noise generated ranged
from 83 to 116db with machine operation period at a location
ranging from 65 to 165 minutes. In some instances, the team
works in more than one location per day which implies that
the duration for which they may be exposed to noise is much
more than just that recorded for one location. These are of
potential danger and forest workers need to be protected.
Forest workers should as a matter of compulsion use
protective devices and regularly visit the audiologist to
ensure that their hearing ability is not being impaired.
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Title: |
Hypovirulent isolates of rhizoctonia solani collected from
rice in karanganyar regency, central java, Indonesia |
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Author (s): |
Supyani
and Hardjono Sri Gutomo |
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Abstract: |
A filamentous fungus
Rhizoctonia solani
Kuhn
is the important pathogen of many diseases on
crops. The fungus has a broad host range including rice,
horticulture crops, ornamental plants, and others. To date,
there is no effective
control method to the disease. So, the biological control
method is a tactful choice.
In
the field, there are some hypovirulent strains within a
species of a fungus. The hypovirulent isolates has two
possibilities, they are genetically hypovirulent or infected
by mycovirus. From phytopathologycal perspective, both of
them are interesting as they could be developed as biocontrol
agents. Binucleate Rhizoctoia
is an example in which hypovirulent isolate is used as
biocontrol agent.
To control the same fungus, recently was
developed
Rhizoctonia solani virus 717,
a virus that was isolated from a
hypovirulent
R. solani.
In Indonesia, the development of
hypovirulent
strains
of fungus
as biocontrol
agents is still very limited. This research was aimed to
isolate hypovirulent isolates of R. solani from the
field, as preliminary study toward development of the
strains as biocontrol agents. We have collected 400 isolates
of R. solani
from the field. Morfological characterization and virulence
tests revealed that the collected isolates perform varied
colony phenotype and virulence. Finally, we identified 5
hypovirulent isolates i.e., isolate
11, 13, 15, 19, and 12
which perform relatively slower in colony growth and weaker
in virulence compared to the virulent isolate.
Total RNA isolation of the hypovirulent isolates revealed
that there is no mycovirus infection on them. It means that
the hypovirulent traits performed by
R. solani
isolates in this research were not caused by mycovirus
infection. They were suggested caused by genetics factor. |
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Title: |
An
interactive simulation environment for evaluating managerial
decisions in a sugarcane plantation in Mexico |
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Author (s): |
Enrique Arjona Víctor Perez, Graciela Bueno
and Luis Salazar |
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Abstract: |
We developed a discrete event simulation
environment of the harvesting, transportation and cane
processing systems of a sugarcane plantation in Mexico. The
purpose of the environment is to help managers to plan and
evaluate immediate and mediate actions with a tool that
incorporates powerful technological and methodological
advances. Simulations are highly interactive and the
supporting model can be easily modified at runtime to adjust
and test temporary policies. Simulated time can be adjusted
to mimic real time allowing the environment to behave as a
high-fidelity simulator. Data initialization and runtime
user interactions are done through the use of visual
components and formal sums of objects. The environment is
particularly valuable for the analysis of transient and
stationary states, identifying bottlenecks, and obtaining
optimum numbers of personnel and machinery. The supporting
model includes all the activities that occur from the
burning of the cane to its processing in the mill. In a
typical day simulation, more than one thousand workers and
about two hundred machines are involved. With the
environment, several new possible ferry policies in the
plantation were statistically evaluated finding one that
decreases the daily total processing time in about 7% using
the existing machinery. |
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Title: |
Evaluation of maize S2 lines for yield attributes
in testcross combinations |
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Author (s): |
Hina
Fayyaz, Hadayat-ur-Rahman, Rab Nawaz Khan, Lubna Naz and
Syed Sadaqat Shah |
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Abstract: |
A research trial was planned
to evaluate maize S2 lines for yield attributes
in testcross combinations. Twenty-seven S2 lines
were each crossed to two testers at Research Farm of The
University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan, during spring
crop season 2008. After discarding 18 testcrosses at harvest
for no or low seed setting, the remaining 36 testcrosses
along with two testers and 18 parents were evaluated using
lattice design with three replications at New Develomental
Farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during
summer crop season 2008. The results revealed that the
testcrosses differed significantly (P<0.05) for grain
rows ear-1 while non-significant variations (P>0.05)
among testcrosses were observed for ear length, 100-grain
weight and grain yield. Highest grain yield (6106.9 kg ha-1)
was recorded for testcross SW-17 x Jalal. Maximum 100-grain
weight (34.7 g) was observed for SW-16 x Jalal. Maximum ear
length (17.6 cm) was recorded for SW-3 x Jalal. The highest
number of grain rows ear-1 (16.3) was observed
for SW-17 x WD-2x8 while lines SW-14 and SW-24 were the best
general combiners for grain yield. Lines SW-9 and SW-24
proved to be good general combiners for 100-grain weight.
Lines SW-5 and SW-17 were good general combiners for grain
rows ear-1 while lines SW-3 and SW-24 were good
general combiners for ear length. WD-2x8 showed good GCA
against grain rows ear-1and ear length while
Jalal showed good GCA for 100-grain weight and grain yield.
Line SW-24 can be used to improve more than one trait
simultaneously. SW-24 was a good general combiner for grain
yield, 100-grain weight and ear length. SW-17 x Jalal and
SW-3 x Jalal were good specific combiners for grain yield.
SW-16 x Jalal, SW-6 x Jalal, SW-22 x WD-2x8 and SW-27 x
WD-2x8 were good specific combiners for 100-grain weight.
SW-11 x Jalal was a good specific combiner for grain row ear-1.
A good specific combiner for ear length was SW-3 x Jalal.
These testcrosses can be further evaluated while breeding
for high yielding varieties and are recommended to be
included in subsequent breeding programs for improvement of
maize gene pool. |
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