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| ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological
Science
September 2011 | Vol. 6 No. 9 |
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Title: |
Fatty acid profile and aflatoxin
contamination of walnuts (Juglans regia) |
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Author (s): |
Ahmad
Zubair, Zahoor Uddin, Sher Ali Khan, Saleemullah, Hamid
Ullah Shah, Barkat Ali Khan
and Ehsan Ali |
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Abstract: |
Samples of walnuts from three different districts of
Pakistan; Swat (MS-18), Dir (Dir-2) and Gilgit (Serr), a
composite sample from Afghanistan (Sulemani) and an imported
variety Pecan from USA were artificially inoculated with
spores of Aspergillus flavus and then analyzed for proximate
composition, fatty acid profile and aflatoxins. Aflatoxin
contents in the inoculated samples indicated the presence of
B1 (245.91 to 600.84 ng g-1), B2 (0.00 to 40.86
ng g-1), G1 (199.68 to 1068.48 ng g-1)
and G2 (99.61 to 30.15 ng g-1). A reduction in
crude protein (6.8 to 17.93 %), crude fat (0.89 to 5.81 %)
and Nitrogen Free Extract (9.5 to 24.58 %) was observed in
inoculated samples. Ash and fiber were not affected (r >
0.05) while moisture increased (170.27 to 225.68 %) due to
addition of spores in solution form. Various fatty acids
like oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid were
decreased while palmitic acid and stearic acid showed an
increase over control (un-inoculated samples). Interaction
of aflatoxin with proximate composition and fatty acids
showed that B1 was positively correlated (r > 0.05) with
protein, ash and fiber while negatively correlated (r <
-0.05) with fat and oleic acid. Aflatoxin B2 showed positive
relation with ash, NFE, palmitic acid and stearic acid. An
inverse proportion of this toxin was observed with fat,
oleic acid and linoleic acid. The response of G1 was
positive towards fiber, NFE, palmitic acid and stearic acid.
A negative effect of G1 was noted on fat,
linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Aflatoxin G2 showed an
inclining behavior towards protein, oleic acid and linolenic
acid while a declining effect was observed with ash,
palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid. It was
concluded from all the data that growth of Aspergillus
flavus and aflatoxin production had a deep effect on the
chemical composition of substrate. Any supplementation of
fatty acids and reduction of moisture may cause reduction in
aflatoxin production which would be a possible way of risk
management of aflatoxin. |
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Title: |
Prevalence of gastrointestinal tract
parasites in cattle of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
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Author (s): |
Rafiullah, Anwar Ali Turi, Abdul Sajid, Syed Rahimullah
shah, Shabbir Ahmad and Muhammad shahid |
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Abstract: |
The present study was carried
out to establish the gastrointestinal parasites profile in
cattle at Parasitology Division of the Veterinary Research
Institute Khyber PakhtunKhwa, Peshawar. A total of 4490
fecal samples of cattle of different breeds consisting of
3731 (83.09%) females and 759 (16.91%) males were examined.
These samples were processed and screened by direct smear
method and ova of parasites were identified through their
morphological features. Fecal examination revealed an
overall prevalence of 2901 (64.61%), while the prevalence in
females and males were 2411 (83.10%) and 490 (16.90%)
respectively. Out of 2901 gastrointestinal parasites
encountered, 2209 (76.15%) were helminthes and 395 (13.62%)
were protozoan parasites. The helminthes observed were
Nematodes (Strongyloidus papillosus, Trichuris,
Haemonchus contortus, Nematodirus spathiger, Enterobius
vermicularis, Dictyocalus viviparous, Ostertagia
astertagi,Trichostrongylus columbriformus, Esophagastomum
radiatum), Trematodes (Fasciola hepatica, Fasciola
gigantica, paramhistomum cervi, Dicrocelium dendriticum,
Fasciolopsis buski, Schistosoma sp) and Cestodes (Taenia,
Monnizia expensa sp), while Entamoeba sp and
Emeria were the protozoa encountered. In the males,
Trichostrongylus coubriforms sp. had the highest
prevalence of 13.83%, while Trichostrongylus coubriforms
sp has prevalence of (16.24%) and Ostertagia astertagi
sp had the prevalence (6.65%) in the females. |
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Title: |
Stay green in wheat:
Comparative study
of modern bread wheat and ancient wheat cultivars |
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Author (s): |
Michael O. Adu, Debbie L. Sparkes, Anisha Parmar
and David O. Yawson |
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Abstract: |
Wheat production in arid and semi-arid environments can be
limited by water stress which hastens premature senescence
and consequently lowers yield. ‘Stay green’ is a vital
characteristic associated with the capacity of the plant to
maintain CO2 assimilation and photosynthesis.
Ancient wheat genotypes possessing the ability to maintain
green leaf area duration (stay green traits) throughout
grain filling are potential candidates for adapting and
improving wheat for higher yield in arid ad semi-arid
regions. This study compared the ‘stay green’ of four
cultivars of modern bread wheat and eight cultivars of three
ancient wheat genotypes (emmer, einkorn, spelt).
Values of stay green obtained through visual scoring and
SPAD-502 chlorophyll content measurement were compared and
explored for relationships at both the cultivar and genotype
levels. The results show that spelt has superior stay green
trait that can be explored for wheat improvement for arid
and semi-arid environments. Linear relationship was also
found between visual scoring stay green values and SPAD-502
values. Such a relationship would prove useful for research
and crop management in resource-poor areas. |
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Title: |
Promising antifungal effect of some
folkloric medicinal plants collected from El- Hammam
habitat, Egypt against dangerous pathogenic and toxinogenic
fungi |
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Author (s): |
Sawsan
Abd-Ellatif, Salwa M. Abdel Rahman
and Sahar F. Deraz |
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Abstract: |
Increasing
evidence
of
fungicide-resistant
toxinogenic
and
pathogenic
fungal
species
is obvious.
Looking
for
new
possibilities
of
antifungal
treatment
or
sources
of
antifungal
substances
is
a
major
problem.
Some
medicinal
plants
exert
strong
antifungal
properties
and
could
be
conveniently
used
as a promising
alternative
source for presently
problematic
antifungal
treatment
in
many
areas
with
respect
to
their
natural
origin.
In
this
study,
the
antibacterial
and antifungal
activities of
Mesembryanthemum
crystallinum
(Aizoaceae);
Blackiella
aellen,
Arthrocnemon
glaucum
and Atriplex halimus
(Chenopodiaceae),
Thymelaea
hirsute
(Thymelaeaceae),
Carduus
getulus,
Atractylis
carduus and
Echinops spinosissimus
(Compositae),
Nicotiana
glauca
(Solanaceae),
Alhagi
maurorum (Fabaceae)
species
were
investigated.
The
fungal
effects
of
these
plants
were tested
by
agar
tube
dilution
method
using
Fusarium
solani,
Fusarium
oxysporum,
Aspergillus
flavus,
Alternaria
alternate,
Rhizoctnia
solani, Pythium
ultimum,
Bipolaris oryzae,
Rhizopus,
Chetomium,
Mucor.
For
10 plant
species,
the
possibility
of using
them
as
natural
fungicides
was
indicated.
The
extracts
showed
significant
activity
against
most
target
fungal
species.
The
most
sensitive
target
funguses
were
the
toxinogenic
and
human
pathogenic
species
Fusarium
solani
and
Bipolaris
oryzae
plant
methanol
and
hexane
extracts,
respectively.
The
overall
results
provide
promising
base
line
information
for
the potential
use of
the
crude
extracts
of
tested
plants
in
the
treatment
of
fungal
infections.
An
attempt has been
made to highlight the
promising
plant
species for
further
investigation
as
leads
for
new drug
development. |
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Title: |
Effect of cadmium, lead and nickel salt
solutions on the germination and early growth of spinach (Spinacia
oleracea L.) |
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Author (s): |
Lawal A.O.,
Myina O. M. and Abdullahi Y. |
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Abstract: |
The effects of lead, cadmium and nickel on the germination
and early growth of spinach seedlings were investigated. The
laboratory experiments were carried out in petri dishes that
contained 1g of cotton wool as sowing medium under photo and
non-photo periodic conditions. The results of the study
showed the coefficient of germination velocity of the
spinach seeds decreased with increase in concentrations of
the metal solutions in the media. The results also showed
that lead, cadmium and nickel did not inhibit germination of
spinach seeds but impaired the growth and seedling
establishment. The spinach seedlings tolerated more of lead
than either cadmium or nickel. The highest concentration of
each of the metals that did not support seedling growth is
in the sequence nickel <
cadmium <
lead.
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Title: |
Upland rice varieties development
through participatory breeding |
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Author (s): |
Kimani J. M., Tongoona P., Derera J.
and Nyende A. B. |
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Abstract: |
Farmers’ participation during variety development and
selection can promote adoption of the released cultivars.
Open Semi Structured Household Level Questionnaires (OSSHLQ)
were administered to randomly selected sixty seven
households in the major rice production areas in Kenya, to
obtain information on varietal preferences and production
constraints. To supplement on this survey information, focus
group discussions and key informants were incorporated. To
ensure farmers desired traits were firmly anchored in the
breeding programme, an on station research managed parent
selection trial was established where farmers were involved
in assisting the selection of lines to be used as parents
based on their own selection criteria. The farmers
preferences were high yielding and good grain quality,
hybrid rice and high nutrient use efficient varieties. These
accounted for about 54% of their wishes. Rice was the most
important crop among the selected farmers followed by maize,
but the hectarage of maize was the highest followed by rice;
probably this was because of larger spacing for maize.
Labour cost was identified as a factor limiting production,
especially for irrigated rice and thus they preferred upland
rice which is easy to produce. They identified land
preparation, inputs, planting, weeding and harvesting as the
most expensive activities. The majority of the respondents
(66%) grew irrigated rice, while 25% grew upland rice. This
disparity was attributed to the fact that upland rice was
new, the varieties having been officially released in 2009.
This is in contrast to the irrigated varieties that they
have been growing since 1951 when the irrigation scheme was
established as a pilot scheme. However, the majority of the
farmers expressed their desire to grow upland rice but lack
of seeds, appropriate varieties and production knowledge was
a major setback. The existing varieties were viewed as high
input based and farmers could not afford the inputs. The
main fertilizers used were Diammonium Phosphate (DAP),
Sulphate of Ammonia (SA), Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and
NPK (23:23:0), though the amounts used were very low and
contributed little to any consequential yields. This was the
case even though the farmers were aware and indicated that
soil fertility was poor due to continuous cropping under
irrigation. Fourteen varieties were selected by farmers
including Nerica1, Duorado, IR79913-B-176-B-4,
CT16333(1)-CA-20-M, CT16333(1)-CA-22-M, CT16333(2)-CA-18-M,
CT16313-CA-19-M, WAB964-B-3A 1.2, CT16317-CA-4-M,
CT16307-CA-14-M, CT16337-CA-12-M, CT16345-CA-3-M, WAB
905-B-4A 1.1 and WAB 450-B-136-HB - NERICA9; but only nine
of them were successfully used due to hybridization
incompatibility. |
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Title: |
Yield and productivity of component
crops in a maize-soybean intercropping system as affected by
time of planting and spatial arrangement |
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Author (s): |
A. A.
Addo-Quaye, A. A. Darkwa and G. K. Ocloo |
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Abstract: |
Two field experiments were
carried out in 2007 and 2008 to determine the appropriate
sequence of planting and spatial arrangement of component
crops in the maize-soybean intercropping system for optimum
grain yield and production efficiency. The experimental
design was a randomized complete block design with three
replications. Treatments consisted of combinations of five
relative times of planting either maize or soybean and two
spatial arrangements of soybean (alternate or double rows).
One sole crop each of maize and soybean was added for
comparison. The results indicated that
the relative time of planting and spatial arrangement are
important factors determining the productivity of the maize
- soybean intercropping system. The crops must be planted
simultaneously to obtain adequate yields of both crops.
However, the spatial arrangement to adopt in order to obtain
high yields for the component crops differed. For maize
spatial arrangement of single rows of maize alternating with
single rows of soybean gave the best yields. In contrast, a
spatial arrangement of single rows of maize alternating with
double rows of soybean recorded the best yields respect to
soybean. LER values recorded were in general greater than
unity, implying that it will be more productive to intercrop
maize and soybean than grow them in monoculture. |
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Title: |
Comparative study of soil seed stock at
Hevea brasiliensis plantation and swampy soil of River
Anya
at Umudike, Nigeria |
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Author (s): |
Dike M.
C. and Ezeigbo E. U. |
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Abstract: |
Seeds stocked in swampy soil and
Hevea brasiliensis
plantation soil at Umudike were assessed by enumerating the
seedlings that germinated from soil monoliths collected from
the sites at different months. On the 15 day of each month,
four soil monoliths, each 50 X 25 X 10 cm were taken from
the swampy soil of which two soil monoliths were taken from
the depth 0 -10 cm and the remaining two from 10 - 20 cm
depth. The same method was used in collecting four soil
monoliths from Hevea brasiliensis plantation from
November, 2007 to February, 2008. The effect of light and
depth were investigated on the seeds stocked in the soil for
16 weeks. From soil monoliths collected from the swampy
soil, a total of 18 species comprising 2489(97%) individuals
germinated from soil monoliths taken from 0-10cm depth and
kept in open. Where as a total of 14 species comprising
116 (3%) individual seeds germinated from Hevea
brasiliensis plantation at the same depth. From 10-20 cm
depth in open, a total of 12 species comprising 928 (98%)
individuals germinated from the swampy soil while 10 species
comprising 20 (2%) individual seeds germinated from Hevea
brasiliensis plantation. Depth has significant effect (p
< 0.05) on the number of seeds germinated from the soil
monoliths in the shade, a total of seven species comprising
151 (77%) individuals germinated from swampy soil while nine
species comprising 45 (23%) individuals germinated from Hevea
brasiliensis from the 0-10 cm. From 10-20 cm
depth, six species comprising 113 (88%) individual seeds
germinated from swampy soil while four species comprising
15 (12%) individuals germinated from Hevea brasiliensis
plantation. Seed germination started within the first seven
days of collection and germination stopped after seventy
days. There is significant difference (p < 0.05) between the
number of seeds germinated at the swampy soil and the number
germinated per month from the soil collected from the Hevea brasiliensis
plantation. The more number of seeds
germination from soil in the open is due to unfiltered red
wavelength radiation that reached the soil monolith. The
more number of seeds germination from the swampy soil is due
to annual seed production of the grasses, sedges and ferns.
Neither pioneer nor climax tree species seeds germinated
from the swampy soil but four pioneer species seeds Harungana madagascariensis;
Macaranga barteri; Uvarea chamae and Hevea brasiliensis germinated
from the Hevea brasiliensis plantation soil. It is
recommended that climax economic tree species should be
introduced, as they were absent both in the swampy soil and
Hevea brasiliensis plantation. It is recommended that
germination of seeds and planting of desirable emergent tree
seedlings/stumps should be done by trained foresters is
recommended to achieve the functions of the forest
especially in carbon sink and climate change. |
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Title: |
Effect of feed additives on the
performance of broilers |
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Author (s): |
Pervez,
Rafiullah and Abdul Sajid |
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Abstract: |
Feeding trial was conducted
in order to study the response of broilers to the different
feed additives in combination with one another in order to
know which combination of feed additives would give better
response. The criteria of response included body weight
gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency, cost of feed per kg
body weight gain and mortality. In the experiment Driselase,
Biovin-40, N-Fac - 1000, Furatin, Albac, and TM-200 were
used at the recommended levels in different combinations in
treatments. While treatment No.10 was used as control. The
results indicated that Albac in combination with TM-200 gave
the better performance. |
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Title: |
Growth response of
Achatina achatina
(Linn) and Archachatina marginata (Swainson) as influenced
by three vegetable feeds |
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Author (s): |
Okonta
B. C. and Agbogidi O. M. |
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Abstract: |
An experiment was conducted in 2007 in Asaba, Delta State,
Nigeria to evaluate the growth response of Achatina
achatina and Archachatina marginata as influenced
by three vegetable feeds: (Amaranmthus cruetus, Carica
papaya and Talinium triangulare) with a view to
recommending to snail growers the best vegetable feed (s)
suitable for the growth of land snails in Delta State in
particular, and Nigeria as a whole. The results showed that
weight of snails, length and width of the shell of snails
fed with the three edible vegetables were significantly
(P≤0.05) higher in A. achatina when compared with
that of A. marginata. The study also indicated that
snails fed on T. triangulare performed significantly
better (P≤0.05) in terms of the weight as well as the length
and width of the shell compared to those fed on A.
cruetus and C. papaya. The study has demonstrated
that vegetable feeds have a significant effect on the growth
of A. achatina and A. marginata. Based on the
result of this investigation, A. achatina could
therefore be recommended to local and small - scale snail
farmers in Delta State and Nigeria as a whole for culture
since it performed better than Archachatina marginata,
Similarly, Talinum triangulare should be used to feed
Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata. Carica
papaya and Amaranthus cruetus may also be
considered as alternate vegetable feeds for the Africa giant
land snails. |
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