December 2011
Policies and performances of agricultural/rural credit in Bangladesh: what is the influence on agricultural production?
This paper evaluated the performance of various lenders’ agricultural/rural credit programs, assessed the relationship between agricultural credit and farm production, and investigated the major challenges and proposed remedial measures for future policy direction. The study employed time series data collected from various national and international data sources. Both linear and exponential...
December 2011
Effects of halo and phytohormone seed priming on germination and seedling growth of maize under different duration of accelerated ageing treatment
Seed ageing is a main problem of seed storage. Unsuitable storage conditions with high moisture and temperature increases seed ageing. In fact, seed ageing results in the decrease of seed quality. Seed priming is known as a seed enhancement treatment which could improve seed germination and germination synchrony in many of crops. In this experiment we investigated effects of seed ageing, application of...
December 2011
Relationship between coleoptile and mesocotyl elongation of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings under submergence and soil-sand culture
In rice, the coleoptile and mesocotyl are two morphologically important structures for seedling emergence. After germination, coleoptile and or mesocotyl elongation projects the seedling tip out of the soil and water in which it is planted, allowing the leaves to make contact with the atmosphere thus enabling the seedling to develop into a normal rice plant. Rice genotypes with inherently longer...
December 2011
Moisture desorption isotherms of Lavandula officinalis L. leaves at three temperatures
Lavander has been used as a medicinal and aromatic plant and to treat several diseases. Knowledge of moisture desorption isotherms is useful in food dehydration and drying. Moisture equilibrium data of Lavandula officinalis L. leaves were determined by using the gravimetric static method with water activity ranging from 11 to 85% and three temperatures of 30, 40 and 50°C. Five mathematical...
December 2011
Effect of water hyacinth and neem based composts on growth, fruit yield and quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), and/or neem(Azadirachta indica) based compost on the growth, fruit yield and quality of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The treatment consisted of six different fertilizer types, namely: 0 kg N/ha (control); 60 kg N/ha through mineral fertilizer (MF); 60 kg N/ha through Neem compost (NC); 30...
December 2011
Reproductive performance of sows in rural communities of Busia and Kakamega Districts, Western Kenya
This study provided baseline performance of breeding pigs information on local sow productivity that was previously lacking. The objective was to investigate performance of breeding pigs in rural smallholder communities of Western Kenya. A random sample of 288 smallholder farms in Busia and Kakamega districts was selected pigs. The farms were visited three times in the course of the study period, 2006 to...
December 2011
Assessment of direct seeded and transplanting methods of rice cultivars in the northern part of Iran
A split plot design experiment based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was conducted to compare differences between direct seeded rice and transplanting methods. Different cultivars were "Hashemi", "Ali Kazemi", "Hassani", and "Hybrid Spring 1" in the main plots, and cultivation methods were transplanting, direct seeded in wet lands...
December 2011
Radio frequency identification (RFID) with mobile-grid based framework for farmland irrigation facility management
The farmland irrigation system is the lifeblood for the agriculture; due to the fact that the farmland irrigation facilities in Taiwan cover a wide range of area, the traditional Web-based system cannot appropriately meet the dynamic service requirements in the field, and their resource services could not be fully shared and reused. Therefore, in response to the distributed environmental requirements of the...
December 2011
The effects of working parameters and tillage quality on rotary tiller specific work requirement
The aim of this paper was to analyze the influence of rotary tiller rotor rotation direction on specific work requirement (SWPTO). The SWPTO was calculated by measuring the PTO (power take-off) torque, PTO speed, working speed and depth, as well as the working width. The tillage quality was determined by the bulk density and soil structure. Reverse rotor rotation direction concept is characterized by...
December 2011
Cluster-based method for understanding the climactic diversity of Iran
The main purpose of this study is clustering Iran based on the components of the climate affecting the climate of Iran. For this study, 10 components of the climate: the mean temperature difference, the average minimum and maximum relative humidity, number of sunshine hours, monthly amounts of precipitation, days with precipitation higher than 5 and 10 mm, effective precipitation, average wind speed,...
December 2011
Comparison of growth performance and genetic diversity of pearl oyster (Pinctada martensii) families in a breeding program
In May of 2009, 28 full-sib families were established by selecting mature breeders in the third generation selected line. Growth performances of the families were compared on the basis of shell height and shell length at juvenile and adult stages. Four families were randomly sampled from the 28 families and their genetic variation was evaluated by using seven microsatellite markers. Significant differences in mean shell...
December 2011
An analysis of the effect of agricultural extension methods on the utilization of agricultural supports: The case of Erzurum Province in Turkey
To determine the effect of agricultural extension methods on the utilization of agricultural supports, a survey was conducted with 169 farmers in 7 counties, which were considered to represent Erzurum Province in terms of social, economic and cultural aspects. The survey data was analyzed in LIMPED software by using “crosstab” method and Logistic regression analysis. According to the results of...
December 2011
Needs assessment of senior agricultural students regarding sustainability knowledge
Given the increasing desire for sustainable practices in our world today, graduates of agricultural higher education systems all around the world would be facing new challenges after their arrival into marketplace and dealing with their prospectus clientele. The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the educational needs of agricultural senior students towards sustainability. Population of the...
December 2011
Rural children and their parents' participation in entrepreneurship: The case of villages around Sanandaj City
This study was carried out to investigate the participation of rural children in entrepreneurial activities. It aimed at determining the level of children participation and their attitudes towards entrepreneurial activities. The success of entrepreneurial contribution of the children depends on how they view or perceive their participation, the various aspects describing their participation, and the beliefs...
December 2011
Hydrochemical investigation of groundwater contamination in an Urban Area of Beijing aquifer: Impact of irrigation with industrial waste water
Groundwater quality in Beijing, China was evaluated by measuring the quantities of major and minor elements, temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and electrical conductivity (EC). Most samples contained high concentrations of NO3– (5.13 to 164.0 mg/L), which is a serious water quality issue. This NO3– originates from the soil surface and enters the groundwater by infiltration....
December 2011
Endosulfan induced alterations in physiological responses in Lycopersicum esculentum seeds during germination
The impact of endosulfan (an organochlorine insecticide), at four concentrations (0.015, 0.03, 0.045 g/L and its recommended field rate 0.06 g/L) on some morphological and biochemical parameters was investigated during the germination process of tomato seeds. The seeds germinating in presence of endosulfan had less and later emergence than the control seeds; the insecticide caused a...
December 2011
Effects of foliar application of zinc on physiological indices and yield of three spinach cultivars in Bojnourd, Iran
Spinach (Spinaceae oleraceae L.) is one of the most enriched leaf vegetable used by people in the globe. Inadequate micronutrients especially zinc in most Iranian soils have formed a major constraint to spinach production. Therefore, a study was conducted in 2008 growing season in Kohnekan region of Bojnourd to investigate the effects of foliar application of zinc on physiological indices and...
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