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| ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological
Science
May 2012 | Vol. 7 No. 5 |
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Title: |
Gonadal
and extragonadal sperm reserves of camel (Camelus
dromedarius) in the semi-arid region of Nigeria |
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Author (s): |
Ibrahim
A. A., Hassan A. M., Salisu N. and Aliyu J. |
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Abstract: |
The current study was conducted to evaluate
the sperm production rate, Gonadal and extragonadal sperm
reserves from tissue homogenates collected from 12
reproductive tracts of matured camel (Camelus dromedarius).
The paired testes sperm reserves were 85.83 ± 8.96 x106
and the left and right testes sperm reserves were
46.17 ± 6.77 x 106 and 39.67 ± 6.65 x 106
respectively. The epididymal sperm reserves were 31.75 ±
4.73 x 106 for caput, 24.80 ± 2.72 x 106
for corpus and 128.67 ±17.71 x 106 for cauda. The
relative contribution of the epididymal segments to the
total extragonadal sperm reserves were caput 20.29%, corpus
17.64% and cauda epididymides 62.13%. The paired testes
weight and Gonadal sperm reserves showed a high significant
positive correlations (r = 0.038, p<0.01) with each other.
Gonadal sperm reserves further showed positive correlations
with all the epididymal sperm reserves. The study reveals
the sperm producing capacity of camels in the semi - arid
environment of northern Nigeria and also provided baseline
information for breeding purposes.
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Title: |
Evaluation
energy balance and energy indices of alfalfa production
under rain fed farming in north of Iran |
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Author (s): |
Ebrahim
Azarpour |
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Abstract: |
One way to
evaluation of sustainable developing in agriculture is using
of energy flow method. This method in an agricultural
product system is the energy consuming in product operations
and energy saving in produced crops. In this article,
evaluation of energy balance and energy indices under rain
fed farming alfalfa in north of Iran (Guilan province) was
investigated. Data were collected from 72 farms by used a
face to face questionnaire method during 2011 year in Guilan
province. By using of consumed data as inputs and total
production as output, and their concern equivalent energy,
energy balance and energy indices were calculated. Energy
efficiency (energy output to input energy ratio) for alfalfa
forage in this study were calculated 4.51 and 1.51
respectively, showing the affective use of energy in the
agro ecosystems alfalfa production. |
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Title: |
Bacterial bio-fertilizers for sustainable crop
production |
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Author (s): |
Khosro
Mohammadi and Yousef Sohrabi |
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Abstract: |
The most important constraint limiting crop
yield in developing nations worldwide, and especially among
resource-poor farmers, is soil infertility. Therefore,
maintaining soil quality can reduce the problems of land
degradation, decreasing soil fertility and rapidly declining
production levels that occur in large parts of the world
needing the basic principles of good farming practice.
Minerals, organic components and microorganisms are three
major solid components of the soil. They profoundly affect
the physical, chemical, and biological properties and
processes of terrestrial systems. Bio-fertilizer are the
products containing cell of different types of beneficial
microorganisms. Thus, bio-fertilizers can be important
components of integrated nutrients management. Organisms
that are commonly used as bio-fertilizers component are
nitrogen fixers (N-fixer), solubilizer (K-solubilizer) and
phosphorus solubilizer (P- solubilizer), or with the
combination of molds or fungi. These potential biological
fertilizers would play key role in productivity and
sustainability of soil and also protect the environment as
eco-friendly and cost effective inputs for the farmers. With
using the biological and organic fertilizers, a low input
system can be carried out and it can be help achieving
sustainability of farms. |
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Title: |
Heritability estimates for maturity and morphological traits
based on testcross progeny performance of maize |
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Author (s): |
Farhan
Ali, Durrishahwar, Mareeya Muneer, Waseem Hassan, Hidayat ur
Rahman, Muhammad Noor, Tariq Shah, Iltaf Ullah, Muhammad
Iqbal, Khilwat Afridi and Hidayat Ullah |
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Abstract: |
The research entitled “Heritability estimates
for maturity and morphological traits based on testcross
progeny performance of maize S1 lines” was
carried out with a view to identify and evaluate the best
performing S1 lines based on testcross progeny
performance and to determine their potential as parents in
production of a superior hybrid/variety adapted to the
agro-climatic conditions of NWFP. The experiment was
conducted in the spring and summer of 2007-08 at Research
Farm of NWFP Agricultural University Peshawar (AUP) and
Cereal Crop Research Institute (CCRI), Nowshera. During the
spring crop season (March-June) 42 S1 lines
derived from maize variety testcrosses of maize
variety “Sarhad White” were crossed to a single cross tester
WD 2x8 were produced in isolation. After discarding nine
testcrosses for no or low seed set, 33 testcrosses along
with three checks were evaluated using randomized complete
block design with three replications at Research farm of AUP
and at CCRI during summer crop season (July-October).
Heritability estimates for all the traits were calculated.
The statistically analysis of the revealed that testcrosses
differed significantly for all the characters studied except
days to 50% anthesis, days to 50% silking, and ASI. The
Genotype x Location interaction was also significant for all
the traits except for ear length. Mean values for days to
50% tasseling, anthesis and silking, anthesis-silking
interval (ASI), plant and ear height were 55.3, 58.2, 59.9,
1.69, 157.7 and 72.1, respectively. While analyzing the data
we got some very interesting results. The TC-10 which was
the highest yielding had the maximum value for ear height
and had second highest value for plant height. The check
WD3x6 had the lowest value for plant height and second
lowest mean value for ear height. |
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Title: |
Evaluation of adsorbents efficacy for the removal of
pollutants from sugar mill effluent |
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Author (s): |
Charu Saxena and Sangeeta
Madan |
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Abstract: |
Present study aims to compare efficacy of
natural adsorbents, viz; activated charcoal, wood ash and
bagasse pith for the removal of pollutants from sugar mill
effluent. Experimental pots were filled with the adsorbents
mixed soil separately and the surface sterilized seeds of
Solanum melongena were equidistantly sown. Triplicates
for a given adsorbent were maintained. Effluent irrigation
to pots was done with its four concentrations i.e., 25%,
50%, 75% and 100% and the leachate collected from each
treatment was analyzed. Pollutant removal efficiency of the
adsorbents was found to be in the order of activated
charcoal> bagasse pith> wood ash. |
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Title: |
Welfare
deprivation among riverine households
in
south-western Nigeria |
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Author (s): |
Ologbon O.
A. C., Adeoti A. I., Omonona B. T and Falusi A. O. |
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Abstract: |
This study had examined the level of welfare
deprivation among riverine households in southwestern
Nigeria using five dimensions consisting of sixteen welfare
indicators.
This study adopted the household as the unit of poverty
measurement. Using the principal component analysis, the
deprivation index of the households was aggregated into a
three-component deprivation structure, namely: housing
condition deprivation; health and nutrition deprivation; and
social network deprivation. Descriptive analysis showed that
riverine households has a mean household size
of 5 with quite a good proportion of them (56%) not meeting
the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) policy of minimum
educational attainment at least 9 years of formal education.
Over 89% and 68% of the households defecates and dumps
refuse directly into the surrounding water and (or) bushes
by the river side, a practice that is predominant among
households in Lagos and Ogun state where houses were built
directly on water and (or) on river bank. Majority (46%) of
the households constructed their houses on the river with
plank walls and floor, the surrounding water bodies also
serving as source of drinking water to about 63% of them.
74.78% of the households are also lacking in basic household
assets (such as radio, TV sets, set of chairs, materess,
bednet, etc) and a means of transport such as cars and bikes
with only a few possessing one or two canoes. Obviously as a
form of community self-help strategy, the surveyed riverine
household’s posse’s strong socio-political affiliation as
over 84% and 92% are actively involved in politics and
community development projects, respectively. Considering
the deprivation characteristics of the riverine households,
it was recommended that policy intervention programmes -
such as access to public basic educational facilities as
well as other stable means of income than farming, fishing
and natural resource collection activities- should be put in
place to reduce their deprivation level in many of the
indicated welfare dimensions. |
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Title: |
Physico-chemical
nature of oil refinery effluents and it’s effects on seed
germination of certain plant species |
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Author (s): |
Allah
Bakhsh Gulshan and Altaf Ahmad Dasti |
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Abstract: |
The research work focused oil refinery
effluents effects on physicochemical properties of soil. The
effluents are usually considered undesirable for arable
land, plants and animals. The surrounding environments of an
oil refinery are continuously effected by the adding of its
effluents. Effluents contain many different chemicals at
different concentrations including Sulphates, Chlorides and
hydrocarbons and Sodium etc. The Pak-Arab
Oil
Refinery Muzzafar Garh, Pakistan is continuously disposing
off its effluents in River Indus that may be harmful to
vegetation of down flow areas. We studied that physico-chemical
nature of refinery effluents and its effects on seeds
germination of Gossypium hirsutum L. Zea mays
L. and Sesamum indicum L. and found that the more
concentrated effluents of oil refinery was significantly
effect (P>000***) on seed germination of three tested
plant species. More over Zea mays showed the little
effect than the other two species. |
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Title: |
Influence
of phosphorus on selected desmodium
growth and
nodulation parameters |
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Author (s): |
Ogola
A. H., Odhiambo G., Okalebo R. and Muyekho F. |
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Abstract: |
Phosphorus is known to affect growth and
formation of nodules although
its role
in the process is less understood.
Several workers have, however, related phosphorus nutrition
with rhizabial activities in leguminous plants.
In
other studies, it has been shown that nodules are stronger
sinks for phosphorus-compared roots, shoots and even young
mature leaves. We initiated this study to
determine the effect of phosphorus on selected desmodium
species growth and nodulation parameters in a pot
experiment.
A 2 by 8
factorial experiment was laid in a complete randomized
design (CRD) at KARI-CYMMIT Research Station located in
western Kenya. Pots were each filled with 7.5 kg 2 mm sieved
dry soil. The treatments consisted of two desmodium species
(D. intortum and D. uncinatum) and 8 levels of
phosphorus applied at 0, 10.3, 20.6, 30.9, 41.2, 51.5, 61.8
and 72.1 mg P kg-1 soil. The experiment was
replicated 3 times. Plants were top dressed with urea (at
85.5 mg N pot -1) at 21 days after emergence (DAE).
Shoots were harvested twice during the growth period (at 15
and 28 weeks after planting) while dry root weight and
nodulation parameters were determined at 34 wap. Results
showed that shoot biomass produced in the second harvest was
21% and 42% higher than production in the first harvest for
D. uncinatum and D. intortum
respectively. Root biomasses was significantly (p=0.045)
increased at 41.2 mg P kg-1 compared to the
control treatment in the D. uncinatum plant while
D. intortum had significant increase in root
weight at ≥ 30.9 mg P kg -1 soil. Addition of
phosphorus in excess of these rates did not translate into
gain in biomass except at 72.1 mg P kg-1 soil.
Application of phosphorus at ³ 20.6 mg P kg-1
soil significantly (p=0.039) increased the number of nodules
produced by D. intortm species from an average of 37
(control) to 86.8 nodules-1 pot at 51.5 mg P kg-1
soil. The number of active nodules obtained in the control
treatment was significantly (p=0.041) low compared to that
obtained at 30.9 mg P kg-1 soil in the D.
uncinatum species. Whereas D. uncinatum produced
few but heavy nodules, D. intortum had relatively
large number and light nodules, phosphorus rates not
withstanding. Relationships between nodule number and root
biomass are also discussed. |
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Title: |
Effect of
cadmium stress on antioxidant enzymes
activity
in different bean genotypes |
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Author (s): |
Peyman
Foroozesh, Ramin Bahmani, Alireza Pazouki, Ahmad asgharzadeh,
Solmaz Ahmadvand and Sepideh rahimdabbagh |
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Abstract: |
Oxidative stress is induced by a wide range
of environmental factors including heavy metals stress such
as Cadmium. Therefore, antioxidant resistance mechanisms may
provide a strategy to enhance metal tolerance, and processes
of antioxidant responses to metal stress must be clearly
understood. And also Identification of tolerant cultivars
and study of tolerance mechanisms to heavy metal stress is
necessary. in order to evaluation of Cadmium stress effect
on super oxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione
peroxydase activity, a pot experiment was done in the form
of factorial in randomized complete block design (RCBD) in
research greenhouse of Islamic Azad University, college of
agriculture and natural resources branch of karaj. In this
experiment 6 bean seeds genotypes grew in greenhouse
conditions in the soil consist of CdCl2 with
concentration of 0, 45, 90 mg/kg. The results of analysis of
variance indicated that effect of Cd stress on above traits
in different bean genotypes were significant. Thus, amount
of SOD, CAT and GPX enzymes activities, in the highest level
of Cd toxicity, were increased 146.2%, 96.2% and 92%
respectively in compared to control that these results can
be the effects of tolerance mechanisms of plants against Cd
stress. Mean compartion showed that Emerson and G-01437
genotypes have the most activity in the highest level of Cd
toxicity by comparison with control. According to received
results, increase in antioxidant activity in special
genotypes is refered to the index of tolerance to Cadmium
stress. |
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Title: |
Effects
of foliar spraying with marine plant ascophyllum nodosum
extract and nano iron chelate fertilizer on fruit yield and
several attributes of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) |
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Author (s): |
Hamid Reza Bozorgi |
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Abstract: |
For study effects of Foliar Spraying with
Ascophyllum nodosum extract and nano iron chelate
fertilizer on fruit yield and several attributes of
Eggplant, an experiment in factorial format based on
randomized complete block design with three replications in
Astaneh Ashrafiyeh Township (north of Iran) in 2011 was
conducted. Factors of experiment was consist of
Ascophyllum nodosum extract (A1: 0 g/l
(control), A2: 1 g/l, A3: 2 g/l foliar
spraying) and nano iron chelate fertilizer (I1: 0
g/l (control), I2: 1 g/l, I3: 2 g/l
foliar spraying). In maturity time, fruit yield, number of
fruits per plant, number of branches per plant, fruit length
and fruit width were measured. Data analysis results showed
that, the A. nodosum extract and nano iron chelate
fertilizer application had significant effect on all studied
traits. Also, interaction effect of A. nodosum
extract and nano iron chelate showed significant
differences on fruit yield, number of fruits per plant and
fruit length. The highest fruit yield among A. nodosum
extract levels was recorded from foliar spraying of 2
g/l with 37.89 ton/ha. Also, among nano iron chelate
fertilizer treatments spraying of 2 g/l with 37.11 ton/ha
was recorded the maximum amount of fruit yield. The highest
fruit yield between interaction levels with 46.28 ton/ha was
obtained by A3I3 level (2 g/l foliar
spraying of A. nodosum extract and nano iron chelate
fertilizer). |
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Title: |
Investigation on the millipede damage of cassava and yam in
rivers state, Nigeria: Farmers’ information |
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Author (s): |
Uwasomba
C. F., Ezulike T. O., Nwauzor E. C. and Udealor A. |
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Abstract: |
A thematic survey was conducted in Rivers
State agricultural zones in order to establish the incidence
of millipede and damages on cassava and yam. Information was
gathered through interview using structured questionnaires.
Majority of the farmers fall within the ages of 20-40 years
(52.8%), male (75.3%), married (98.3%) and educated (92.7%).
All the farmers cultivate cassava and yam, 100% and 76.4%
respectively. Majority of the cassava farmers (75.4%) grow
improved varieties (TMS 30555 and TMS 30572). The major pest
reported on these crops is millipedes which eat up the early
sprouting/germination succulent part of the planted cassava
cuttings and yam seeds. They feed and bore holes of various
shapes in the cassava roots, matured and immature yam tubers
thereby predisposing them to rot and 78.1% of the
respondents have no control method. |
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Title: |
Application of game theory to horticultural crops in
south-west Nigeria |
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Author (s): |
Adeoye I.
B., Yusuf S. A, Balogun O. S. and Alabuja F. |
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Abstract: |
Agricultural production is susceptible to a
number of risks such as climatic condition, price variation,
pest and diseases infestation to mention a few. The study
utilized game theory to determine vegetables and fruits
which maximize net profit of farmers under risks based on
the different characteristics of the farmers.
Data on Vegetables
production (input and output) were collected from a random
sample of 60 farmers cultivating each of the selected
vegetables and fruits from Oyo and Ondo state. The games
were constructed based on the net profit obtained from each
of the vegetables and fruits. Maximax, Maximin, Regret,
Utility and
Laplace criteria of game theory were used in
the analysis. The Maximax and Laplace criteria showed that
the best vegetable and fruit to cultivate by farmers were
tomato (Net profit of N 526,000/ha) and pineapple
(Net profit of N 1, 398, 200/ha). The results of the
Maximim and Utility criteria indicated that amaranthus
(net profit of N 272, 920) and pineapple (Net profit
of N1, 398, 200/ha) were the best options. With
regret criteria, pepper (net profit of N 490, 000/ha)
and plantain (net profit of N 1, 348, 625.8/ha) were
the best options for the farmers. It is recommended for
optimistic farmers to produce tomato and pineapple while
amaranthus is recommended for pessimistic farmers. |
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Title: |
Investigation energy indices of corn production in north of
Iran |
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Author (s): |
Maral
Moraditochaee |
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Abstract: |
Optimum use of energy is
very vital for agricultural productions section. This method
in an agricultural product system is the energy consuming in
product operations and energy saving in produced crops. In
this article, evaluation of energy indices under rain fed
farming corn in north of Iran (Guilan province) was
investigated. Data were collected from 72 farms by used a
face to face questionnaire method during 2011 year in Guilan
province. By using of consumed data as inputs and total
production as output, and their concern equivalent energy,
and energy indices were calculated. The average yield of
corn was found to be 2375 kg/ha and its energy equivalent
was calculated to be 37050 MJ/ha. Energy efficiency (energy
output to input energy ratio) for seed in this study was
calculated 2.25, showing the affective use of energy in the
agro ecosystems corn production. Nonrenewable energy was
94.88% total input energy that concluded that corn
production needs to improve the efficiency of energy
consumption in production and to employ renewable energy. |
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