Conservation and management of genetic resources of horticultural crops in Nigeria: Issues and biotechnological strategies
November 2010
Plant genetic resources (PGR) are basic requirements in crop improvement programme and their importance have increased in recent years with the changing scenario of ownership and legal regimes in relation to biodiversity. Horticultural genetic resources (HGR) are subset of agro-biodiversity that is related to garden crop species or their wild genepool, having genetic material of actual or potential value....
Preparation of value added products from the leaf powders of dehydrated less utilized green leafy vegetables
November 2010
In India various types of under utilized foods are available seasonally but are not utilized to the extent they should be in spite of their higher nutritive value. Looking into the prevalence of high level of micronutrient malnutrition among the vulnerable sections, utilization of under utilized foods can be explored to overcome nutritional disorders. Through this study an attempt was made to analyze the...
Provenance and family variation in germination and early seedling growth in Sclerocarya birrea sub-species caffra
November 2010
Marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) forms an integral part of the diet, tradition and culture of rural communities in Swaziland. In addition contributes to economic, social and environmental stability. This study was an analysis of the variation between and within provenances of Sclerocarya birrea sub-species caffra (Marula) in germination and survival of seedlings, and height and root...
Policy impact on resource use and conservation in Miombo woodland, Pindanganga, Mozambique
September 2010
A case study was carried out in Pindanganga to analyse the impact of alternative forest management regimes and sectorial and extra sectorial policies on the well being of stakeholders and conservation of the woodlands using a dynamic game theoretic model, MIOMBOSIM. This study shows that the cooperative management regime is potentially beneficial to local communities if properly implemented and can improve...
A survey of the economically valued forest trees and shrubs at the proposed site for an airport in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria
September 2010
This study assessed the economically valued forest trees and shrubs at the proposed site for an airport in Asaba, Delta State with a view to noting them before the commencement of work in the area. 2520 × 20 m quadrants were laid randomly along the five 1 km line transect and assessed accordingly. Thirty tree species producing various economically valued products were assessed and 10 out of the 33 were...
The first cultivar database in Spain
September 2010
During the 2009 - 2010 periods, the “herbarium and horticultural variety database” project has been carried out in the town of Noguera (Teruel, Spain), the first project to dedicate its efforts to the creation of a database of cultivars marketed and/or cultivated in Spain, including 2124 cultivars. Key words: Cultivar, database, herbarium, Spain.
Towards the development of green energy saving mechanisms
August 2010
Geothermal energy is the natural heat that exists within the earth and that can be absorbed by fluids occurring within, or introduced into the crystal rocks. Although, geographically, this energy has local concentrations, its distribution globally is widespread. The amount of heat that is theoretically available between the earth’s surface and a depth of 5 km is around 140 × 1024 J. Of this,...
Substitution of municipal solid waste compost for peat in cucumber transplant production
August 2010
Municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) is used in agriculture as a fertilizer, organic soil additive and crop substrate. MSWC was examined as an alternative for peat in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L., cv. Radian) transplant production. An experiment was conducted in 2008 at the University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran with the treatments 100% peat+0% MSWC (control); 95% peat+5% MSWC, 90% peat+10% MSWC, 85% peat+15%...
Leaf nitrogen and potassium concentrations for optimum fruit production, quality and biomass tree growth in Clementine mandarin under Mediterranean climate
August 2010
Leaf analysis is a useful tool to evaluate the nutrient status of citrus trees, but diagnosis standards for ‘Clementine mandarin’ are not available. Nutrition recommendations of the current fertilization practices are mainly based on the same recommended nutrient rates for orange trees. A three-year (2005 - 2007) field experiment was conducted in North Eastern Tunisia (El Gobba). This experiment...
Domestication of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry Lecomte) by air layering
August 2010
Irvingia gabonensis is one of the most important indigenous fruit tree species in African humid tropics. Methods have been developed for phenotypic selection and vegetative propagation of this species; but techniques for the capture of desired traits through inexpensive technological methods are still lacking. A series of experiments were conducted to assess the effects of auxin (Seradix-2) application...
Computerized system for identification of some savanna tree species in Nigeria
July 2010
A computerized system named LEASYS was developed to serve as a modern, less time-consuming and less cumbersome method of plant identification. The LEASYS system used was based on simultaneous narrowing of two classification systems that is, vertical and horizontal characters, and supplying these systems with an appropriate Boolean operator (the AND operator preferably). The system was based on leaf morphology...
Homogeneous light in shade-house experiment overestimates carbon gains in Norway maple seedlings
July 2010
We set up a shade-house experiment with Norway maple growing at two light intensities typical of a disturbed and undisturbed forest canopy from either a homogeneous or a dynamic regime that mimics sunflecks. We show that although horticultural-grade shade-cloths can be finely tuned to provide daily averages of any light intensity, they do not appropriately mimic natural forest understories which are...
Use of soil water content in deciding the sowing time in dry land agriculture
July 2010
Precipitation is the most important issue under dry land condition agriculture. However, soil water amount is the best parameter to decide the hydraulic stress level in crops. The main objective of this study was to determine a statistical model in deciding whether to plant or not under dry land condition. This model used soil water amount condition as the most important parameter. Two experiments were...
Assessment of inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) technique in mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) grown in different Sumatra region
July 2010
Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to examine the level of genetic diversity in mangosteen. Twenty three accessions of the Garcinia mangostana collection from Sumatra region were screened for ISSR markers. Eleven random ISSR primers were chosen to differentiate the investigated accessions. The primers generated 72 bands of which 42 (58%) were polymorphic and 30 bands (42%)...
Effect of mechanical treatments on rooting in cuttings of guava, lemon and pomegranate
May 2010
An attempt was made to determine the most effective mechanical treatments that is ringing and girdling in relation to upper and lower portion of the shoot of guava, lemon and pomegranate. The results revealed that cuttings obtained from lower end portion of ringed branch (M2) promoted significantly better growth parameters, particularly number of sprout shoots (4.0), shoot length 120 days after planting...
A low cost nutrient formulation with a buffer for simplified hydroponics systems
May 2010
The pH of the nutrient solution is a major determinant of nutrient uptake by the plants. The most suitable pH range for the plants is recognized as 5.8 - 6.5. Therefore, the pH of the nutrient solution has been adjusted to this range before application, using a pH meter. Further more, the pH of the root solution might change with time after application due to many factors and it is not practical to adjust the...
Effect of steam blanching on quality of custard apple pulp
May 2010
The study on the organoleptic evaluation of custard apple pulp stored up to 70 days was carried out in the Department of Agricultural Process Engineering, C. A. E. T., and M. A. U., Parbhani in the year 2005 - 2006. Statistical analysis and sensory evaluation of the data was carried out and it was observed that effect of storage of custard apple pulp at - 4 and -18°C temperature up to 70 days on scores...
Increasing the efficacy of Trichoderma harzianum for nutrient uptake and control of red rot in sugarcane
April 2010
The application of Trichoderma multiplied culture (TMC) of T. harzianum strain Th 37 @ 20 kg/ha on the stubbles at the ratoon initiation stage increased the availability of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by 27, 65 and 44%, respectively. Availability of some of the micronutrients viz., Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were also enhanced, respectively by 6, 100, 79 and 66%. There was a...
Floristic composition and canopy structure of home-gardens in São LuÃs city, Maranhão State, Brazil
April 2010
Tropical home-gardens are widely recognized as a repository of biodiversity of domesticated and wild plant, and animal species that need to be developed to meet livelihood needs and for purpose of their conservation. Despite being the oldest form of agroforestry, this system is still poorly studied and understood. This study investigates the pattern of indigenous and exotic flora in the home-gardens managed...
Anatomical studies of stems, roots and leaves of selected citrus rootstock varieties in relation to their vigour
April 2010
The present studies were carried out to consolidate information on anatomical features of stem, root and leaves from different vigour groups of citrus rootstock varieties. Troyer citrange (Citrus sinensis × Poncirus trifoliata), rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri), swingle citrumelo (Citrus paradisi × P. trifoliata), sweet lime (Citrus limettioides), carrizo citrange (C....
Effect of Agrobacterium culture and inoculation density on transformation efficiency of a citrange (Citrus reticulata x Poncirus trifoliata)
March 2010
This study focused on the effect of two factors, initial culture density and subsequent inoculation density on the transformation efficiency of citrus rootstock US-812 (Citrus reticulata x Poncirus trifoliata) epicotyl explants. In the first experiment, Agrobacterium EHA105 containing pBINGUSint was grown in YEP medium to an OD600 of 1 and glycerol stocks made and stored at...
The effect of gamma irradiation on enhancement of growth and seed yield of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Monech] and associated molecular changes
March 2010
This investigation was carried out to study the effect of different gamma irradiation doses and water soaking on okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench- Malvaceae] seeds of two varieties (Sabahia and Balady). Both varieties showed similar trends in response to different treatments. Gamma irradiation at 400 Gy was superior for both varieties in growth criteria enhancement, photosynthetic...
The methods of nitrogen application influence on essential oil yield and water use efficiency of summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.)
March 2010
To evaluate the beneficial impact of methods of nitrogen application on summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.), some yield characters were investigated. The objective in this study was, the interactive effects of foliar nitrogen application and solid nitrogen application on: essential oil yield and water use efficiency at Iran in 2006. The experiment was carried out using a...
Genetic variability and character association analysis in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)
March 2010
The present investigation on genetic variability including mean, genotypic and phenotypic variances, coefficient of variation, heritability, and genetic advance was conducted on genetically diverse twenty three genotypes of bell pepper. Significant differences were observed among the genotypes for all the traits. On the basis of mean performance, genotypes PRC-1, SSP, Kandaghat Sel. and Ranichauri Sel-1 were...
Participatory characterization and evaluation of some African leafy vegetables in Lari, Kiambu West District, Central Kenya
February 2010
Production and consumption of African leafy vegetables (ALVs) is generally low in Central Kenya, yet micronutrient and vitamin malnutrition in some parts is high particularly among young children and women in childbearing age. This work was conducted in Lari division, Kiambu West district and its objective was to participatorily characterize and evaluate selected ALVs with small-scale farmers. A total of 31...
Correlation studies in wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) plus trees
February 2010
Wild apricot seeds collected from 167 selected trees were evaluated and considerable genetic variation for oil content, stone and kernel characters were recorded. Oil content ranged from 50.05 - 57.97%, while range of stone length, breadth and thickness was from 14.64 - 26.48, 12.26 - 21.49 and 8.63 - 14.65 mm, respectively. Stone and kernel weight varied between 66.60 - 295.10 and 18.20 - 68.18 g. Kernel...
Effects of exogenic benzoic acid and cinnamic acid on the root oxidative damage of tomato seedlings
February 2010
A systematic experiment was conducted to examine the effects of main autotoxic substances (benzoic acid and cinnamic acid), which was separated in our previous study, on roots oxidative damage of tomato seedlings. Potted tomato seedlings were cultured in perlite and treated with benzoic acid (BA) and cinnamic acid (CA) as exogenous autotoxins. Changes of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase...
Characterization of Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) lines for vegetative agromorphological traits at Arusha, Tanzania
January 2010
This study was conducted at Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, Regional Center for Africa ((AVRDC- RCA), Madiira Experimental Research Station in Arusha, Tanzania in 2005. The objective of the study was to document vegetative agromophological traits in the Ethiopian mustard lines held at AVRDC – RCA in order to identify lines with useful traits that can be used as genitors for active...
Effect of intra-row spacing on yield of three onion (Allium cepa l.) varieties at Adami Tulu agricultural research center (mid rift valley of Ethiopia)
January 2010
An experiment to asses the Effect of plant density (intra-row spacing) on yield and yield components (bulb diameter, bulb weight, marketable and unmarketable bulb yield and total bulb yield Q/ha) of onion (Allium cepa l.) varieties (Bomby red, Adama red and Nasic red) were conducted in 2007 and 2008 at Adami Tulu Agricultural Research center, on horticulture research field, in mid rift valley of Ethiopia...
Effect of pre-harvest treatments on the cellulase activity and quality of ber fruit under cold storage conditions
December 2009
Studies were carried out to find out the effect of various pre-harvest treatments: CaCl2 (@ 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%), Ca (NO3)2 (@0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%), GA3 (@ 20, 40 and 60 ppm) and Bavistin (@ 0.1%) on the cellulase activity and quality of 'Umran' ber fruits during cold storage. Marked trees were sprayed at colour break stage with the test chemicals. Fruits were packed in CFB boxes and placed...
Ecological study on Dobera glabra Forssk. at Jazan region in Saudi Arabia
December 2009
Research on Dobera glabra Forssk is very little. A study was carried out in Jazan (south western Saudi Arabia) on the ecology of D. glabra. The species was distributed over a large area, but with decreasing density towards the Red Sea coast. Generally, the density of the species is very little. This is combined with 0% survival of seedlings and samplings after 8 months made the species...
Germination, dry matter yield and nutritive value of Stylosanthes guianensis in the Sambisa Game Reserve, Borno State, Nigeria
December 2009
The study is on the introduction of perennial pasture crop Stylosanthes guianensis(Stylo) into the Sambisa Game Reserve in Borno State, Nigeria. Stylo is a tropical herbaceous legume primarily used as a pasture crop for humid tropical regions. The objectives were to observe the growth and establishment of stylo in the game reserve of Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria; examining the emergence rates...
Diet of pine plantation and non-plantation ranging baboon (Papio ursinus) groups with reference to bark consumption in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe
November 2009
Bark stripping of pine trees by chacma baboons in plantations of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe has been on the rise leading to the assumption that bark constitutes baboon food. The study investigated diet variation among habituated bark stripping and non-stripping, plantation and non-plantation ranging baboon groups primarily to determine the noteworthy of pine bark in baboon diet. Food resources...
Forest stakeholder’s awareness of reduced impact logging (RIL) in Nigeria and Cameroon
November 2009
Damage associated with conventional logging practices is inconsistent with sustainable forest management. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) model code of forest harvest, otherwise described as Reduced Impact Logging has therefore been advanced to reduce negative impacts on residual vegetation, soils and other environmental attributes. This study investigated the awareness rating of forest...
Horticultural potential of wild edible fruits used by the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya
November 2009
Plants provide most of the food products consumed by indigenous people in tropical countries. A study of wild edible fruits in the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya was carried out to assess their horticultural importance. One hundred fifty-one species belonging to 49 families were encountered, which include folk name, habit and the season of availability. Among them 100 were trees, 34 shrubs, 12 climbers and 5...
Use of mathematical models in forestry: Evaluation of ProFor model in three main forestry regions of South Africa
October 2009
Timber harvesting operations in plantation forestry in South Africa are rapidly being mechanised. However, machine movement in forest plantations may negatively affect soil quality. The forestry industry is introducing mathematical models to enable it address, limit or at least predict soil damage. One of these mathematical models is the “ProFor” model. The study was conducted in four harvesting...
Effect of NPK fertilizer on growth and yield of banana in Northern Oman
October 2009
Banana is the leading fruit crop in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It represents the second most important fruit crop after date palm in the Sultanate of Oman, a subtropical arid country in the Middle East. Banana is grown as an intercrop throughout Oman but it is commercially cultivated on a large scale in the Dhofar (southern) region of and in Al-Batinah (coastal) region in the North. A...
A review of constraints to ware Irish potatoes production in Kenya
September 2009
Irish potatoes are an important food crop in Kenya, with production volumes only second to maize. Potatoes are produced in the cool highlands mostly by small scale farmers under rain-fed conditions. The soils in these areas are generally acidic and of low fertility due to anthropogenic activities. The national production is far below the potential, largely due to limited use of certified seeds, low...
Nutrient content of important fruit trees from arid zone of Rajasthan
September 2009
Forests have provided food and shelter to man since ages. About 20% of the plants occurring in the forests are reported to have direct utility to mankind. Around 600 plant species in Indian forests are ennumerated to have food value. Arid zone vegetation comprises a wide range of edible fruit bearing and food producing species viz. Capparis decidua (ker), Cordia...
Investigation of variations of the morphological values and flowering shoot yield in different mint species at Iran
September 2009
This experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The factor studied included mint species (Mentha longifolia var. amphilema (from Qazvin and Ardabil localities), Mentha spicata (from Tehran and Yazd localities), Mentha piperita (from Tehran and Ardabil localities) and Mentha aquatica (from guilan and Ardabil localities)...
Oxidative stress and antioxidant activity as the basis of senescence in Hemerocallis (day lily) flowers
September 2009
Senescence can be viewed as a developmental change that leads to the death of plant tissues. Naturally senescence is generally accepted as being genetically programmed. Petals are the floral organs which primarily determine the commercial longevity of flowers and as a consequence, it is necessary to study the physiological, biochemical and genetic processes that occur during floret senescence. Most of the...
Genetic diversity analysis of Iranian citrus varieties using micro satellite (SSR) based markers
September 2009
Fifteen SSR Primer Pairs were used to estimate the level of polymorphism among 23 Citrus genotypes and four natural hybrids or bud mutation was selected from Kotra Germplasm Bank (IRAN). All fifteen loci assayed in citrus plant possessed a high level of polymorphism, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 4 in TAA41 to 12 at CAT01, ATC09, AG14 ( an average, 8.27 alleles were detected per...
Use of male gametocide: An alternative to cumbersome emasculation in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)
September 2009
New varieties of the coriander are traditionally bred using either mass selection or pure line selection or recurrent selection. Attempts to use hybridization to combine desirable traits were scarcely successful due to cumbersome emasculation. Hence, using male gametocides as an alternative to hand emasculation offers immense scope. The present study is taken up to assess five gametocides viz. Gibberellic...
A review of edible orchids in Malawi
September 2009
Orchids are mostly known for their beautiful flowers, and food-flavoring products which make them a resource of great economic importance in the global horticultural and food industries. But in the Southern African region, orchids are particularly important for their tubers which are used for food, and are therefore traded within and across the countries. A number of researchers have reported a dramatic rise...
Effect of nitrogen and phosphorous rates on fertilizer use efficiency in lettuce and spinach
September 2009
In this study, Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) and Spinach (Spinacea Oleracea) were used as a case study vegetable crop to compare models for estimating Fertilizer Use Efficiency based on nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer and nitrate concentration. Field studies were conducted to measure yield, nitrate, Fertilizer Use Efficiency, response to applied Nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizer in two plants. The...
Medicinal and aromatic plants farming under drought conditions
August 2009
Drought stress is especially important in countries where crop agriculture is essentially rain-fed. Drought stress causes an increase in solute concentration in the environment, leading to an osmotic flow of water out of plant cells. This in turn causes the solute concentration inside plant cells to increase, thus lowering water potential and disrupting membranes along with essential processes like photosynthesis. These...
In vitro propagation of white-flower mutant of Rhynchostylis gigantea (Lindl.) Ridl. through immature seed-derived protocorm-like bodies
August 2009
Rapid in vitro propagation of white-flower mutant of Rhynchostylis gigantea (Lindl.) Ridl. was established for the first time through 4 month old immature seed-derived protocorm-like bodies (PLBs). 75% of PLBs developed from immature seeds cultured on half-strength MS medium with 0.05 mg·l-1 6-BA and 0.2 mg·l-1 NAA within 70 days upon transfer to MS medium with...
Supplies of bushmeat for livelihoods in logging towns in the Congo Basin
July 2009
The focus of this study is on the importance of bushmeat to the economies of 99 hunting households in two logging towns, northern boundary of the Lobeke National Park, East Province of Cameroon. In this area, bushmeat was the major source of daily animal protein and an estimated 37 960 wild animals were killed each year or 104 animals per day. In general, 62% of the hunted animals were sold for cash income...
Some pomological characteristics of F1 plum hybrids (Prunus domestica L.) developed in Cacak, Serbia
July 2009
The paper presents results on the development of plum cultivars derived fromPrunus domestica L. through planned hybridisation in Cacak (Serbia). Cacanska Lepotica, Cacanska Najbolja and Stanley cultivars were used as pollen donors, the Stanley being pollen recipient in all combinations. The study conducted over the 1991-2007 period resulted in the selection of seven highest-quality F1 hybrids...
Effects of tuber size and date of stem cutting on yield and yield components of Agria potato variety in East Azerbaijan
June 2009
The aim of this study was to evaluate and select the desirable tuber size and the date of stem cutting on Agria potato variety in semi-cold temperature condition of east Azerbaijan province in Iran. As regard of qualitative factors (Bacterial and fungal infection) there were significant differences between treatments. The experimental results indicated that difference between treatments with evaluation of...
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