March 2011
Advances in DNA sequencing: Challenges and limitations of personal sequencing
The advent of second and third generation DNA sequencing techniqnologies have revolutionized the genomics research. The Single Molecule Sequencing technologies are adequate to minimize occurrence of errors in sequencing. The third generation sequencing technologies could overcome limitations of first and second-generation sequencing technologies. The almost complete human...
March 2011
Catfish culture in Nigeria: Progress, prospects and problems
A review of the culture of catfish of the family Claridae in Nigeria was carried out using secondary data. The story of aquaculture in Nigeria is essentially the story of catfish culture. The favoured catfish species include: Clarias gariepinus, Heterobranchus bidorsalis,Clarias × Heterobranchus hybrid (‘Heteroclarias’) and Clarias nigrodigitatus. C....
March 2011
Multi-objective cropping pattern in the Vaalharts irrigation scheme
This study presents the multi-objective cropping pattern modeling of a farm in the Vaalharts irrigation scheme (VIS) in South Africa. The cropping pattern model presents three objectives and three constraints. The objectives are to maximize the total net benefit (NB) in monetary terms (South African Rand, ZAR) generated by planting four different crops, maximize total agricultural output (tons) and minimize...
March 2011
Evolution processes of groundwater quality in an urban area
Groundwater quality evolution was investigated in an urban area of Beijing with multilayered geological formations. The majority of the samples collected during this investigation were found to contain high concentrations of nitrate, which is a serious water quality issue. In addition, this study attempted to explain the controlling processes responsible for the various facies. Overall, the...
March 2011
Exploring family farm development in dryland agricultural areas: A case study of the Laghouat region of Algeria
Family farming is the predominant agricultural system of dryland agriculture in Algeria. TheNational Agricultural and Rural Development Program (PNDAR) was implemented in the last decade to enhance the development of family farms in drylands. The objective of the present study was to explore family farm development in Algerian dryland agricultural areas. Specifically, we were interested in the behavior of...
March 2011
An inventory of rainwater harvesting technologies in Swaziland
Rainwater harvesting involves water collection from surfaces on which rain falls and storing it for later use. Although water supply shortages are a global problem, not much has been done to exploit the rainwater harvesting benefits in Swaziland. A descriptive study using structured questionnaire was conducted to identify rainwater harvesting technologies used in Swaziland. Purposive sampling was...
March 2011
Failure rate analyses of cereal combined drills
Machine availability estimations from research performed before the following season are needed to decide on the required machinery size necessary for timely operation. Additionally, estimations on machinery availability will provide useful data for making mathematically proven assumptions regarding the repair maintenance and timeliness costs. Machine reliability or operational availability analyses must be...
March 2011
Determining agricultural water demand from natural streams using the entropy concept
Determining water flow discharge in open channels is a very important task for agricultural water management, but current methods are labor-intensive and difficult. The entropy method suggested by Chiu and Said (1995) promises to simplfy the task of measuring water flow rates. This paper offers a further simplification of ongoing discharge measurements by showing that the umax and Hmax values form a...
March 2011
The compressive strength and planting properties of cemented sand and gravel material compacted by the Hilti vibrating method
This study was performed to evaluate the compressive strength of cemented sand and gravel (CSG) material with the Hilti vibrating compaction method and the effects of variables such as curing age and to investigate the planting properties of these CSG blocks when seeded with herbaceous plants and cool-season grasses. Four types of CSG mix designs and cement contents were evaluated by a compressive strength...
March 2011
Genetic analysis of some agronomic characters in chickpea (Cicer aretinum L.)
A 5×5 half-diallel cross set of chickpea (Arman, Hashem, ILC588, ICCV2 and ILC3279) was studied to estimate the gene effects and genetic parameters of twenty traits including days to 50% flowering, days to podding, days to maturity, plant height, basal pod height, plant ordinate, root length, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, biomass, pods weight per plant, straw yield per plant,...
March 2011
Correlation and relationships between seed yield and other characteristics in chickpea (Cicer arietinum l.) cultivars under deterioration
This study was done in order to evaluate the relationships between grain yield and the other characteristics with two cultivars of chickpea (Hashem and Arman) in deterioration (0 (control), 7 and 14 days). The experiment was a factorial completely randomized design with 2 factors. It was conducted on a research farm at Gonbadekavoos High Education Center- Iran in 2009. At harvest time, height of the...
March 2011
The effect of NaCl seed priming on salt tolerance, antioxidant enzyme activity, proline and carbohydrate accumulation of Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) under saline condition
Seeds of Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars' Garmsar (local cultivar in south of Iran) and Flexuosus were primed with 100 mmol NaCl solution for 36 h at 20°C. In experiment 1, after priming four replicates of 25 seeds were germinated between two rolled sheets of filter paper with 10 ml of respective salinity test solutions. Seeds were allowed to germinate at 22 ± 1°C in the...
March 2011
Yield character variability in Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.)
Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) has considerable economic importance in the western Sahel because of its nutritional and medical properties. In order to obtain information on variability, a study of yield and some related characters (number of branches/plant, number of capsules/plant, number of seeds/fruit, hundred seed weight) using nine ecotypes of Roselle was undertaken during the...
March 2011
Pomological characterisation of different kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) cultivars in Adana (Turkey)
Kiwifruit production in Turkey has increased very rapidly in recent years due to the high nutritional content, especially of vitamin. The performance and pomological characteristicsof seven kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) cultivars (‘Hayward’, ‘Bruno’, ‘Monty’, ‘Abbott’, ‘Elmwood’, ‘Fatma’ and ‘Tere’) were...
March 2011
Investigations on fertilization biology and description of fruit characteristics of some persimmon (Diospyros kaki) cultigens
Persimmon is a fruit that has increasing importance on export and prefer to be consumed because its taste, nutrient content and appearance. It can be grown at different ecological conditions without discerning climate and soil. In this sense, it is important to encourage persimmon cultivation. Pollinators need to be used for a good fruit set on cultural varieties. In this study that prepared from this point...
March 2011
Effects of the maternal behavior score (MBS) on weaning weight and litter survival in sheep
This study intends to describe the differences concerning maternal behavior score between the different genotypes and groups of the age of dam in less selected Norduz, KarakaÅŸ, and Ile-de-FrancexAkkaraman (G1)xKarakaÅŸ crosses, and also aims to determine the effects of Maternal Behavior Score (MBS) on weaning weight and survival of lambs in genotypes studied. Experimental subjects were 92 heads of the 2, 3...
March 2011
The phytase from antarctic bacterial isolate, Pseudomonas sp. JPK1 as a potential tool for animal agriculture to reduce manure phosphorus excretion
Intracellular phytase activity was found in the Antarctic bacterial isolate, JPK1. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the strain was related to Pseudomonas sp. The optimal activity of JPK1 phytase occurred at 50°C and pH 5.0 to 5.5. The enzyme was highly specific for phytate with little or no other phosphate conjugates. Enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Cu2+ and Zn2+, and...
March 2011
Evaluation of protein and energy quality of poultry by-product meal using poultry assays
In the present study, two experiment were conducted to evaluate three poultry by-product meal (PBM; A, B and C), that is produced in commercial rendering plants. In first experiment, true amino acids (AA) digestibility and TMEn of the PBM were determined using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster. In second experiment, 1 week old male chicks were fed from 8 to 21 days of age with a corn-SBM diet or diets...
March 2011
Mammalian fauna of Artvin
Artvin has got richest and most varied mammals of Turkey. We provided checklist of the mammalian fauna of Artvin based on direct observations, interviews and available literature.A total of 55 mammals belonging to 20 families (total 6 orders; insectivora (7), chiroptera (14), lagomorpha (1), rodentia (18), carnivora (10) and artiodactyla (5)) were reported in Artvin. Twenty nine mammal species were identified...
March 2011
Effects of 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α and prostaglandin F2α on serum progesterone concentration and corpus luteum size in ewes
Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) is luteolytic in sheep. This study assessed luteolytic ability of an isomer, 8-epi-PGF2α. Ten ewes were estrus-synchronized and blood serum was collected for 12 days and analyzed for progesterone concentration. Ewes were laparoscopically administered 200 µg 8-epi-PGF2α or PGF2α, or placebo in each ovary on day 8 and ovariectomized on day 13. Corpora lutea...
March 2011
Row spacing effect on leaf area development, light interception, crop growth and grain yield of summer soybean crops in Northern China
We investigated the effect of row spacing on the structure and radiation utilization efficiency of summer soybean crops in Northern China during the 2006 and 2007 growing seasons. The experiment consisted of 5 planting patterns resulting in the same plant population density (3.09 × 105 plant/ha), where row spacing was 18, 27, 36, 45 and 54 cm. We observed a significant negative correlation between...
March 2011
Effects of aluminum on nutrient uptake in different parts of four pineapple cultivars
Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill.) contains many nutrients and enzyme. It is mostly grown on strongly acid soils in Taiwan. In strongly acid soils, aluminum (Al) is biotoxic and may inhibit growth of crops. This study is to evaluate the effects of different Al concentration in hydroponic solutions on the nutrient uptakes in the roots, stems and leaves of four important...
March 2011
Mutation breeding of sweet potato by gamma-ray radiation
This gamma irradiation study was conducted to produce sweet potato mutants having high yield and high starch content. Regenerated plants from gamma-irradiated stems were grown in the field. Twenty-nine plant lines were selected by estimating storage root size, shape and yield. Genetic variation and phylogenetic relationship among the lines were investigated assuming the specific traits. Also, the flowering of...
March 2011
Propagation, growth and yield of Boweia volubilis L. bulbs as affected by growth regulators, manure and inorganic fertilization
Boweia volubilis L. is an endangered indigenous bulb that is highly valued for its medicinal properties by local communities. A method has been developed for rapid multiplication of B. volubilis L. from bulbs under nursery conditions. Bulbs of two sizes were cut longitudinally into four quarters, treated with solutions of varying concentrations of NAA, BAP and kinetin, germinated in river sand and...
March 2011
Effect of mixed cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc on seed germination and seedling growth of safflower
Elevated levels of heavy metals in contaminated soils are widely spread and concerns have been raised over the potential risks to humans, animals and agricultural crops. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of mixed cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc on seed germination and seedling growth of safflower under controlled light and temperature conditions. Treatments were included 0 (control),...
March 2011
Cu and Pb accumulation in maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) as affected by N, P and K application
Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer application affects soil properties and processes in many ways that remain unclear. The effects of N, P, and K application on plant growth and copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) accumulation, as well as their differences in plant species were thus evaluated in soil-maize and soil-soybean systems. Five treatments were arranged: N, P, and K application (NPK), N and P...
March 2011
Strain crossing to transfer germination and seedling salt tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of strain crossing, transferring seedling salt tolerance into elite cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) without additional selection. Alfalfa cultivars (Mesilla, Moapa 69 and CUF 101) and two donor populations ('AZ-GERM SALT-II' (AZ-GS-II) and AZ-GS-EM) were used in this study. The experiment was conducted during season 2005 at the College of Food and...
March 2011
Socio-economic determinants of consumer fish purchase in Windhoek, Namibia
Based on data collected from 120 shoppers, in the City of Windhoek, capital of Namibia, this study used the logit model to analyze the influence household characteristics have on consumers’ decision to purchase horse mackerel, hake, and snoek. Specific factors considered in the model were gender, age, education, household size and income. The results revealed, firstly that education, income and...
March 2011
Evaluation of essential capacities required for the performance of farming small, micro and medium enterprise (SMMEs) in South Africa
The capacity of small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMMEs) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the viability and sustainability of the enterprise. Various types of capacities need to be identified and used to guide farming SMMEs’ planning, implementation and support in the after-care phase. The main objective of the study was to identify and evaluate essential capacities that are instrumental in...
March 2011
Demand analysis for frozen food in Turkey: Case of Izmir
The aim of this study was to analyse the frozen food demand among consumers in Izmir, one of the three biggest provinces in Turkey. The study used a questionnaire survey of 271 randomly selected consumers; data was collected between December 2006 and February 2007. Heckman models were used for demand estimates. From demand estimates, price elasticity was found to be -0.53 for potatoes, -0.49 for peas, -0.28...
March 2011
Land tenure, investment and adoption of Sawah rice production technology in Nigeria and Ghana: A qualitative approach
This paper explores the linkages among land tenure, investment and adoption of Sawah rice production technology in Nigeria and Ghana. Focus group discussion was held with farmersadopting Sawah technology; in all the villages where Sawah rice technology had been introduced. The study found that in Nigeria, land tenure system was predominantly through inheritance, while those on hired land had an...
March 2011
Farmers’ ethno-ecological knowledge of vegetable pests and pesticidal plant use in Malawi and Zambia
While pests are a major constraint in vegetable production in many parts of Southern Africa, little is known about farmers’ knowledge and management practices. A survey was conducted among 168 and 91 vegetable farmers in Northern Malawi and Eastern Zambia, respectively, to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes and traditional management practices in tomato and crucifers (brassica). All respondents in...
March 2011
Relationship between grassland protection and sustaining household livelihoods in Tibet, China
For investigating how grassland protection influence on sustaining household livelihoods in Tibet, this study to elucidate the source of herdsmen’s income and to test the hypothesis that both grassland protection (GP) and sustaining household livelihoods (SHL) can be achieved in Tibet China. Effects of 9 key predictor variables on the income increment of Tibetan herdsman was analyzed based on 20 years...
March 2011
Quantitative determination of DNA Methylation in tobacco leaves by HPLC
A relatively straightforward high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determination of DNA methylation in flue-cured tobacco leaves was developed and validated. DNA methylation was measured as follows: DNA was hydrolyzed to nucleotide units in perchloric acid. The bases of cytosine and 5-methylcytosine were separated on a reversed-phase C18 column at 30°. The mobile phase used methanol: 5...
March 2011
Expression of recombinant human collagen peptide in Escherichia coli and effects of the recombinant protein on UVA-irradiated HaCaT Cells
In this study, we reported the cloning and over-expression of a gene encoding human collagen peptide (CP6) in Escherichia coli and the establishment of a purification protocol for obtaining the recombinant protein. The collagen peptide (CP6) had a molecular weight of about 46 kDa, and CP6 expression comprised approximately 10% of the total bacterial protein expression. Sodium dodecyl sulfate...
March 2011
Appraisal of the antioxidant, phenolic compounds concentration, xanthine oxidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of Pleurotus salmoneostramineus
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activities, tyrosinase inhibitory effects on the fruiting bodies of Pleurotus salmoneostramineus extracted with acetone, methanol and hot water. The antioxidant activities were performed on β-carotene-linoleic acid, reducing power, DPPH, ferrous ions chelating abilities, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. In addition to this,...
March 2011
Genetics of yield and related traits in bread wheat over different planting dates using diallel analysis
An 8x8 diallel experiment was conducted on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to ascertain the genetic mechanism of yield and its related traits. The observations were recorded on days to heading, productive tillers plant-1, number of grains spike-1, grain yield plant-1 and 1000-grain weight. The experiment was planted in randomized complete block design in three replicates. F-test declared...
March 2011
Delineation of management zones by classification of soil physico-chemical properties in the Northern Savanna of Nigeria
This study was designed to identify properties that explained variability in soils of farmers’ fields in Kaya, within the northern Guinea savanna benchmark and group the soils on the basis of the identified properties. Ridge and furrow soil samples from farmers’ fields were analyzed for determination of physical and chemical properties. Principal component analysis of soil properties extracted and...
March 2011
Effects of compost made with sludge and organic residues on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crop and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi density
In this study we evaluated five composts prepared with two sludge: from a beverage factory and from a paper industry; they were mixture with organic residues from a pepper canned and corn stubble. Composts were tested over yield of common bean and population of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Mixtures of residues and sludge were composted during four months producing a non phytotoxic material with...
March 2011
Pedotransfer functions for point estimation of soil moisture characteristic curve in some Iranian soils
Soil moisture characteristic (SMC) curve is a basic soil property. Since its direct measurement is costly and time-consuming, an alternative to measurement is to estimate this property indirectly, using the more easily available soil properties. These methods are called pedotransfer functions (PTFs). Point PTFs estimate the water content of the soil at different matric potentials. For this study, twenty soil...
March 2011
Evaluation of resistance in wheat germplasm to the aphids (Sitobion avenae) based on Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and cluster methods
Sitobion avenae is the dominant and destructive pest in wheat production regions in China. Therefore, breeders developed new and high resistant varieties to ensure stable yields. In this paper, thirteen comprehensive agronomic characteristics of twenty-two wheat germplasm resources were investigated, and the data for the resources collected in the latest two years were treated with Technique for...
March 2011
Comparative performance of Bt cotton with some elite conventional cotton cultivars under arid to semi-arid conditions
To identify the superior genotype, we studied the comparative growth and yield performance of four cotton cultivars namely, CIM-496, BH-162, VH-144 and Bt-121, grown on sandy clay loam soil, having pH 8.4, EC 1.0 dS m-1, SAR 7.8 (mmolL-1)1/2 and TSS, 10.0 meL-1. The site was located at latitude 31.65oN, longitude 72.36oE and altitude 157.65 m. The results revealed that plant growth parameters like plant...
March 2011
The quality characteristics of four subfractions of wheat flour in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
To investigate the quality characteristics of different size of flour particle in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, coarse flours from twelve spring wheat varieties were sifted with sieves of 150, 75 and 44 µm. Four subfractions and the coarse flour were evaluated for protein content, ash content, protein components, and rheological properties. Mean weight percentages of >150, 75-150, 44 to 75 and <44...
March 2011
Small-scale continuous production of a tropical marine copepod, Nitocra affinis californica Lang and its potential as live food for aquaculture
A study to establish a relatively simple and reliable small scale mass production and the nutritional profile of Nitocra affinis was undertaken. The result confirmed the feasibility of maintaining N. affinis on a small scale for a long period using cheaply available culture vessels. Within six weeks (42 days) a minimum harvest of 43.6 x 103 copepod.L-1 and maximum of...
March 2011
Evaluation of oxytetracycline in the prevention of American foulbrood in bee colonies
In this paper we presented the procedure of artificial infection of bee colonies with American Foulbrood by the spores of Panibacillus larvae (P. larvae). Bee colonies were treated with oxytetracycline that was applied in a patty and sugar syrup. The symptoms and the course of the disease within the bee colony were monitored. Our research included 20 bee colonies divided in three experimental and...
March 2011
Visual landscape quality in landscape planning: Examples of Kars and Ardahan cities in Turkey
Together with European landscape convention, it is required that studies related to landscape planning should be integrated with the sectors such as department of urban and regional planning, industry, agriculture and forestry. Visual landscape analysis has an important position in landscape planning. In this study, it is aimed that a method for visual landscape quality which is one of the researches of...
March 2011
Kyoto protocol and social accounting implication on global-warming in Malaysia: An action research approach
This study examines the relationship between social change demands and tactical decision making processes resulting from apparent global-warming and climate-change by employing an action research methodology. The objective was to uncover the perceptions of Malaysian corporate management concerning the present debate on climate change. These corporate officers occupy the top decision making positions that...
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