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| ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological
Science
January 2010 | Vol. 5 No. 1 |
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Title: |
Effect
of seed priming duration and temperature on seed germination
behavior of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) |
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Author (s): |
Liela Yari,
Majid Aghaalikani and Fardin Khazaei |
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Abstract: |
In order to evaluate the effect of different
seed priming techniques on germination and early growth of
two wheat cultivars (Azar-2 and Sardari 101) an experiment
was conducted at the Seed and Plant Certification and
Registration Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Seeds were
primed for 12, 24 and 36 hours at three temperature (20, 23
and 28°C) in seven priming media (Poly ethylene glycol (PEG6000)
10%, PEG 20%, KCl 2%, KCl 4%, KH2PO4
0.5%, KH2PO4 1% and distilled water as
control). Maximum seed germination percentage in cv.Azar-2
was observed when the seeds primed by PEG 20% for 12h and at
20°C. The most stem length was obtained for seeds osmoprimed
with PEG 10% for 24h. Osmoprimed seeds with PEG 20% for 24h
produced maximum radicle length of cv.Sardari. Maximum vigor
index (VI) of cv.Azar-2 was obtained from seeds primed with
KH2PO4 0.5% while the lowest
germination percent, speed of germination and VI were
observed in seeds which subjected to KCl 4% solution. Speed
of germination was improved when the seed soaked water and
PEG 10%. The most germination percent, VI and speed of
germination were observed on 12h. Altogether 20°C treatment
had better effects than other temperatures on germination
attributes and seedling parameters. None of the interaction
between seed priming media × cultivar × temperature and seed
priming media × cultivar × priming duration showed the
beneficial effects on germination index, speed of
germination, dry weight and seedling height. |
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Title: |
Proximate,
phytochemical and nutrient compositions of some fruits,
seeds and leaves of some plant species at Umudike, Nigeria |
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Author (s): |
Dike M. C. |
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Abstract: |
Proximate, phytochemical and nutrient
compositions of fruits/seeds and leaves of some plant
species were studied at the University of Agriculture,
Umudike, Nigeria. A total of 15 fruits/seeds and 16 leaves
of some plant species were collected at the rainforest at
Umudike, and the nearby forests to assess their suitability
as food. The edible parts of each fruits/seeds of each plant
species were collected in separately labeled and marked
polythene bags. The proximate, phytochemical and nutrient
compositions of each sample were analyzed. There were
significant differences between the species in the percent
carbohydrate, ash, protein, fat and fibre. All the fruits
contained between 8.82 and 12.66 percent moisture, between
30.18 and 85.64 percentage carbohydrate. And between 0.40
and 38.40 percent fat. Fat was highly represented in the
family of Annonaceae. Calcium, manganese, potassium, sodium,
phosphorous, iron, zinc and lead were at low concentration
of less than 2.0 percent. The leaves had higher percent
protein, carbohydrate, moisture content and higher
concentration of saponin than those of the fruits. Generally
improved varieties should be provided to farmers by
universities and Forestry Departments. It is recommended
that farmers and industries should roast or boil these
fruits/seeds and leaves to reduce the toxic elements in
them. Such improved varieties of these plant species should
be produced by universities and sold to farmers at reduced
prices. |
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Title: |
Effective
microorganisms and their influence on growth and yield of
pigweed (Amaranthus dubians) |
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Author (s): |
Muthaura
Chrispaul, David M. Musyimi, Joseph A. Ogur and Samuel V.
Okello |
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Abstract: |
Pigweed (Amaranthus dubians) plants
grow widely in many parts of the world. It is a very popular
indigenous wild vegetable and is usually utilized by many
communities as a nutritional additive. Pigweed is becoming
very popular nowadays because of its high nutritive value
and simple growth habits. However there is very little
information about growth of this plant, using effective
microorganisms, thus this study is designed to evaluate the
effect of inoculation of effective microorganism on growth
and yield of pigweed. The experiment was performed in five
liter pots representing various conditions in the field. It
comprised of four treatments, replicated, five times and
arranged in a complete randomized design. One set of the
treatments consisted of soil collected from the field, while
the other treatments consisted of soil and organic manure
prepared using effective microorganisms, sterilized soil
treated with effective microorganisms, and sterilized soil
plus organic manure without application of effective
microorganisms respectively. Shoot height, stem diameter,
leaf number per plant, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, leaf
dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight and
chlorophyll a and b contents were determined. Inoculated
pigweeds with effective microorganisms recorded highest
values in all the parameters measured except the root dry
matter accumulation. There were significant differences
(p≤0.05) in shoot height growth, stem diameter, leaf numbers
per plant, leaf area, leaf fresh and dry weight and root
fresh and dry weights among treatments. There were no
significant differences in leaf chlorophyll content among
the treatments even though chlorophyll a and b
contents were slightly higher in plants inoculated with
effective microorganisms. The three other treatments had
significantly lower values of the parameters determined. The
results from this study demonstrated that growth and yield
of pigweeds may be improved by inoculating the plants with
effective microorganisms, and as a result reduce the use of
fertilizers in production of this vegetable hence promoting
sustainable agriculture. More studies would be needed to
determine the effects of effective microorganisms’
inoculation on other amaranthus species. |
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Title: |
Effects of
water deficit on physiology and morphology of three
varieties of NERICA rainfed rice (Oryza sativa L.) |
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Author (s): |
Sikuku
P.A., Netondo G.W, Onyango J.C and Musyimi D.M |
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Abstract: |
Water deficit is a major problem in rice
grown under rainfed conditions. It affects plant growth and
development and ultimately leads to a considerable yield
reduction or crop failure. Although the rice crop is
susceptible to water deficit, there is a marked genotypic
variation in rooting pattern in rice in response to water
deficit. Drought tolerant cultivars have deep and thick
roots. The thick roots are positively correlated with xylem
vessel area, which are vital to the conductance of water
from soil to the upper parts of the plants to meet the
evaporative demand. The objective of this experiment was to
investigate the possibility that the three developed rainfed
rice varieties reffered to as, New Rice for Africa (NERICA)
and coded as N2, N4 and N11
might reveal cultivars specific diversity in the regulatory
mechanisms underlying their different responses to water
deficit with a view of establishing the most drought
tolerant rice variety that can be grown under rainfed
conditions in Kenya. This study was carried out at the
University Botanic Garden, Maseno, during 2005- 2006. Plants
were subjected to water deficit treatments in the green
house in a factorial set up. The seeds of the three NERICA
cultivars of rice were planted in 20 Litre PVC pots in the
greenhouse arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD)
with four treatments and four replications. The treatments
were irrigating once a day (control) and every 2, 4 and 6
days respectively. The parameters measured included Plant
height, root length, plant biomass, transpiration and
stomatal conductance rate. Plant height, plant biomass and
root length reduced with a decrease in water content. The
stressed plants had lower transpiration and stomatal
conductance rates than the well watered plants in all the
three varieties. In all the parameters measured N2
was least affected by the water deficit as compared to N4
and N11. Results indicate that N2 has
superior physiological traits under water deficit hence may
be recommended for growing under rainfed conditions in
Kenya. |
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Title: |
Evaluation
of jab planters for maize planting and inorganic fertilizer
application |
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Author (s): |
S. H. M.
Aikins, A. Bart-Plange and S. Opoku-Baffour |
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Abstract: |
A controlled seeding rate such as seeds per
hectare or fertiliser application rate (e.g. kg per hectare)
is desired when planting or applying fertiliser in order to
obtain the optimum yield of a crop. A study was conducted in
2004 and 2005 at the Department of Agricultural Engineering,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi,
Ghana to evaluate 30 jab planters randomly selected from a
total of 68. These jab planters had been manufactured by a
local Ghanaian manufacturer. The objective of the study was
to evaluate the jab planters for maize (Zea mays, L.)
seed and inorganic fertiliser delivery. Five high yielding
local maize varieties including Okomasa, Obaatanpa,
Abeleehi, Dorke-SR, and Dodzi were used
in 2004. In 2005, four different inorganic fertilisers: NPK
15-15-15, NPK 19-19-19, NPK 20-20-20 and Ammonium Sulphate
were used. The experiments were arranged in a completely
randomised design. For each of the 30 jab planters, there
were 10 replications (jabs) to determine the number of seeds
and the quantity of fertiliser delivered. A level of
significance of 0.05 was used for all tests. The results
showed significant differences in maize seed and fertiliser
delivery rates between jab planters. The poor seed and
fertiliser metering of the jab planters showed that there
was no control of quality in the manufacture of the metering
unit of the jab planters. The study draws attention to the
need to consider quality control in the manufacturing of the
metering unit of planters and fertiliser application
equipment. |
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Title: |
Assessment
and management of south western Nigeria ponds for sustainable
aquacultural production |
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Author (s): |
Aruleba
J.O. and agbebi F.O. |
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Abstract: |
Bottom soils of some ponds at the University
of Ado-Ekiti were assessed regarding their physical and
chemical properties that are important for their suitability
evaluation for aquaculture production. The most important
characteristics observed for delineating the ponds to their
suitability classes are PH, organic carbon, clay content,
permeability, bulk density, soil texture, phosphorus and
Nitrogen content etc. The bottom soils are acidic, organic
matters are moderately present in pond 1 and 2 while
deficient in pond 2 and 4. Total nitrogen values are low
with a range between 0.020 to 0.2% and fluctuated
irregularly with depth. Sand content dominates the surface
soils. The bottom soils were found to be least suitable for
aquacultural production. The major limitations of these pond
soils are soil reaction (ph), poor texture and fertility
(phosphorus and nitrogen content). The management techniques
to improve the pond qualities for optimum aquaculture
productivity were also discussed. |
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Title: |
Gamma irradiation effects on some growth parameters of Lepidium sativum
L. |
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Author (s): |
Abdul
Majeed, Asif Ur Rehman Khan, Habib Ahmad and Zahir Muhammad |
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Abstract: |
In order to study the effects of gamma rays
on mean germination time (MGT), germination percentage,
survival percentage, shoot and root length and, number of
branches and leaves per plant, and fresh and dry weight of
Lepidium sativum L current experiment was conducted.
Dry seeds of Lepidum sativum L were irradiated with
20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 krad (Kr) by a 60Co-gamma
chamber at Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA),
Peshawar, Pakistan. Result showed that gamma irradiation
significantly affected all the above mentioned parameters
except germination percentage. Mean germination time (MGT)
was significantly affected and delayed at higher doses of
gamma rays. However, increasing doses of gamma rays did not
have significant effects on seed germination percentage. The
other growth parameters showed declining tendency with
increasing doses of gamma irradiation. |
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Title: |
Impact of
water soluble fractions of crude oil on growth performance
of the catfish heterobrancuhus bidorsalis |
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Author(s): |
A. A.
Nwabueze and O. M. Agbogidi |
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Abstract: |
An investigation on the impact of sub-lethal
concentrations (0-control, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100%) of
water-soluble fractions (WSFs) of crude oil on the
performance of the catfish Heterobranchus bidorsalis
fingerlings was carried out in 2005 under laboratory
conditions in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, during a 10-week
period of exposure in a renewal static bioassay system.
Growth of H. bidorsalis was observed to reduce
significantly (P>0.05) with increasing time of
exposure and concentrations of WSFs of crude oil when
compared with control fish. Fish weight was observed to
significantly (P>0.05) reduce with increasing
concentrations of WSF. A slight increase in length of fish
with increasing
period
of exposure was observed in all the groups. The condition
factor (k) of H. bidorsalis after 10 weeks exposure
to 12.5 and 25% concentrations of WSF also showed
significant (P>0.05) reduction only in the exposed
groups. Mortality was recorded in the 50 and 100% WSFs.
Although, no mortality occurred in the control and other
exposed groups, fish in the 12.5 and 25% WSFs were less
active in swimming and feeding when compared with the
control fish. The dissolved oxygen of the medium was
significantly reduced (P>0.05) while the biological
oxygen demand was significantly (P≤0.05) increased with
increasing level of the WSFs. This study has demonstrated
that the water-soluble fractions of crude oil have a highly
significant effect of reducing the growth performance of
H. bidorsalis. The study has also showed that H.
bidorsalis can serve as a bio-indicator of crude oil
contaminated water bodies. |
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Title: |
Replacement value of boiled mango kernel meal
for maize in broiler finisher diets |
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Author (s): |
Diarra S. S., Usman B. A. and Igwebuike J. U. |
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Abstract: |
The performance of finishing broiler chickens
fed graded levels of boiled mango kernel meal as a
replacement for maize was investigated in a 35-day
experiment. One hundred and twenty (120) 28-day old Anak
broiler chickens were individually weighed and randomly
assigned to 4 groups/treatments of similar weight (589.70g ±
0.16 SE) containing 3 replicates of 10 birds each. Four
diets in which boiled mango kernel meal replaced maize at
0.00, 20.00, 40.00, and 60.00% and clean drinking water were
fed for the period of the experiment (35 days). Growth
performance, hematological and serum biochemical indices,
and carcass characteristics formed the response criteria.
The results showed no significant (P>0.05) treatment
differences in final body weight and daily weight gain.
Daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were
significantly (P<0.05) improved on the 60% mango kernel diet
compared to the other 3 treatments. The feed cost of meat
production (N/kg gain) was significantly (P<0.05)
reduced on the 60%, followed by the 40% mango kernel diets.
The hematological and serum biochemical indices, and the
carcass parameters showed no significant (P>0.05) treatment
differences. Thus, the cost of broiler meat production can
be reduced by replacing up to 60.00% of dietary maize with
boiled mango kernel meal in the finisher diet without
adverse effects on growth, blood parameters and carcass
measurements. |
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Title: |
Aqueous extract from different medicinal
plants as anticoccidial, growth promotive and
immunostimulant in broilers |
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Author (s): |
Nidaullah H., Durrani F.
R., S. Ahmad, I. U. Jan and S. Gul |
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Abstract: |
A study was planned to investigate the role
of aqueous extract from Garlic (Allium sativum),
Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Neem (Azadirachta indica) and
Berberry (Berberis lycium). Fed in-mix for their effect
upon growth performance, immunomostimulant and anticoccidial
in broilers. Two hundred and fourty chicks were randomly
allocated in to four groups A, B, C and D, and further into
two subgroups, each consisted of three replicates of 10
chicks per replicate. All the birds were raised in
individual pens beneath the same house operating under
conventional deep litter, open sided housing system. Group A
was treated as control, whereas group B, C and D were
watered with the corresponding recipe: a mixture of aqueous
extract from Garlic (Allium sativum),
Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Neem (Azadirachta indica) and
Berberry (Berberis lycium). Recipe B consisted of
aqueous extract of 2, 4, 1, 8; recipe C of 3, 5, 2, and 9
and recipe D of 4, 6, 3, and 10 g of Garlic (Allium
sativum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Neem (Azadirachta
indica) and Berberry (Berberis lycium) respectively,
mixed per liter drinking water. The experiment lasted for 35
days. Growth rate, immune performance against
Newcastle disease,
Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious bursal disease
and Coccidiosis were response parameters. At the end
of research trail, weight gain, feed consumption and feed
conversion ratio (FCR) were non-significantly varied. Better
Immune performance (P<0.05) was found in recipe-D treatment
against ND, IB and IBD. A significant decrease in coccidial
oocysts per gram of feaces was registered in recipe-D. Mean
gross return was non significantly varied. Present
findings suggest that aqueous mixed extract of medicinal
plants is better for immunomodulatory response against
ND, IB, and IBD and to reduce coccidial oocysts burden,
without affecting growth of the broilers. |
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