September 2011
Determination of evapotranspiration and crop coefficients for bush okra (Corchorus olitorius) in a sub-humid area of Nigeria
A two-year field experiment was carried out to determine crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and crop coefficients (Kc) for irrigated bush okra (Corchorus olitorius) at Minna in a tropical sub-humid area of Nigeria between February and April of 2008 and 2009. Eight 4 x 1 m check basins were laid out in a randomized complete block design with two treatments and four replications. The two common local varieties of C....
September 2011
Importance of structural integrity of somatic embryos for long-term cryopreservation of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) germplasm
Cryopreservation is a reliable means for the long-term conservation of plant genetic resources. It is of particular interest for cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) whose seeds are recalcitrant to conventional storage methods and field collections susceptible to disease infestations. However, the encapsulation- dehydration procedure previously developed for cocoa somatic embryos has resulted in poor survival after retrieval...
September 2011
Growth and nutrient uptake of cashew (Anacardium occidentale, L.) seedlings as affected by nut-size in the nursery
Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is a tree crop with economic values traded for its nuts world-wide. Seedlings growth and uptake of N, P, K, Ca and Mg as influenced by size of nuts sown was investigated in the nursery. Three nut sizes: Jumbo (> 16 g), medium (4 to 8 g) and madras (< 2 g) were tried. The experiment was in completely randomized design with 4 replications. Data were collected on seedlings height,...
September 2011
Genetic variability, heritability and trait associations in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) genotypes
Information on the extent of genetic variability and heritability as well as correlation among agronomically important traits is a requirement to design a suitable plant breeding method. The present research was conducted at Sinana, Southeastern Ethiopia during the 2009 main crop growing season. The experimental material consisted of 16 durum wheat genotypes tested in a randomized complete block design with...
September 2011
Nicotine to nornicotine conversion in Chinese burley tobacco and genetic improvement for low conversion hybrids
Nicotine conversion results in abnormally high levels of nornicotine which lead to high nitrosonornicotine (NNN) content and off-taste of smoke. Nicotine conversion is a worldwide problem in burley tobacco production and has been the focus in burley research in recent years. Nicotine conversion level in Sichuan burley tobacco was the highest with the percent nicotine conversion being 62.4%, followed by Chongqing, Hubei...
September 2011
Screening of native plant growth promoting cyanobacteria and their impact on Triticum aestivum var. Uqab 2000 growth
In the current study cyanobacterial strains isolated from rice fields were evaluated as biofertilizers. They were tested for different plant growth promoting traits such as phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation and, hydrogen cyanide and auxin production. The two selected cyanobacterial strains were identified asphormidium SM-14 and SM-15. Both strains were able to solubilize phosphate, fix atmospheric...
September 2011
Comparison of essential and non essential amino acids in the single cell protein (scp) of white rot fungi from wheat straw
As the constraints related to environmental issues are becoming quite severe and stringent, it is necessary to develop optimized systems for food waste treatment. White rot fungi are ideal parameters for lignocellulosic wastes to produce microbial protein. In this study wheat straw was treated with NaOH 2% and heated at 100°C and was inoculated with Pleurotus florida by solid state fermentation (SSF). The...
September 2011
Parametric pedotransfer functions of a simple linear scale model for soil moisture retention curve
Soil moisture retention (SMR) curve is a basic soil property. Since, direct measurement of the SMR curve is costly and time-consuming; it can be estimated using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) based on more easily available soil properties. Parametric PTFs estimate the parameters of a closed-form analytical equation for representation of SMR curve. In this study, we derived parametric PTFs for the model of Groenevelt and...
September 2011
Water quality analysis of Digil Dam Mubi, North-eastern Nigeria
A study of water quality condition of Digil Dam Mubi North-eastern Nigeria was carried out for the period of July to September 2008. Five sampling sites were selected for the research. The stations included the inlet site towards the eucalyptus trees; station (A), the entrance gate; station (B), opposite to the second station; station (C), the spill way channel; station (D), the middle of the Dam; station (E). Data were...
September 2011
Determination of glyphosate through passive and active sampling methods in a treated field atmosphere
The study was carried out to determine the atmospheric residues of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglicine) using both passive and active sampling methods in Malaysia’s tropical weather conditions. The field was treated with Roundup (Monsanto) @ 2L ha-1 using Mistblower (Solo 412). Glyphosate was sampled in 12 h day time pre and post-spray sampling events using three simple and low-cost passive air samplers...
September 2011
Study on the seasonal dynamics of zonal vegetation of NDVI/EVI of costal zonal vegetation based on MODIS data: A case study of Spartina alterniflora salt marsh on Jiangsu Coast, China
The temporal and spatial variation of vegetation index is a hot issue in global change research currently.Spartina alterniflora salt marsh in Jiangsu coastal areas is taken as an example in this study, MODIS data is used to research NDVI/EVI seasonal variation laws of coastal zonal vegetation. The results show that the major phenological periods of S. alterniflora, such as turning green (seedling emergence),...
September 2011
MODIS data based NDVI Seasonal dynamics in agro-ecosystems of south bank Hangzhouwan bay
Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is an important index characterizing the growth dynamics of plants. During the growth process of plants, NDVI value gradually increases, reaching its maximum at a certain stage of its growth period and then gradually dwindle. The variation curve of NDVI varies for different plants. Due to its high time resolution, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer–Normalized...
September 2011
Cotton and textile branch of Kazakhstan State: problems and prospects for the development
Structural restructuring through opening of industrial associations and introduction of cluster technologieshas become possible mainly in most developed industries of the Kazakhstan economy including cotton-textile area. Kazakhstan is situated in the centre of broad markets sales of CIS and Eastern European states, which makes it possible to apply the development model to cluster industry. Resource...
September 2011
Application of strategic planning for extension and development of agricultural production cooperatives in Iran
There is no doubt that in today’s world establishment of cooperatives is an effective way of attracting people’s involvement at macro level. The agricultural sector is so extensive that achievement of national goals and high levels of development is practically unattainable without active participation by farmers. Provision of a combination of agricultural functional requirements by cooperatives would lead...
September 2011
Proximate determinants of farmers WTP (willingness to pay) for soil management information service in Benue State, Nigeria
This study seeks to establish the factors that determine farmers’ willingness to pay for soil management information service in Benue State, Nigeria and test the hypothesis that socio-economic factors do not have significant effect on soil conservation practices. A multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select 120 farmers from the three agricultural zones in the state. Logit regression model and...
September 2011
Environmental change and agriculture: The role of international trade
This study analyses the United States environmental impacts on agriculture intra-industry trade (IIT). The results indicate that there was a negative correlation between carbon dioxide emissions and intra-industry trade. According to the literature, this type of trade uses less pollution technology. We also found that emissions increase with the level of production. The economic size has a...
September 2011
Modelling the honey consumption behaviour in Romania by using socio-demographic determinants
A honey consumption model represents an integrated set of specific behaviours of a certain population category, in terms of purchase or production of the product through their own resources, in order to meet specific consumption needs. Honey consumption fulfils several needs: nutrition, health maintenance and rehabilitation as well as physical embellishment. Modelling the honey consumption behaviour in Romania is...
September 2011
Effects of mimosine and tannin toxicity on rabbits fed processed Leucaena leucocephala (Lam) De Wit. leaves
A sixteen-week study was conducted to investigate the effects of mimosine and tannin toxicity on rabbits (Orytolagus cunniculus) fed processed Leucaena leucocephala leaves (LLL). Thirty-six growing rabbits (mixed breed) of average weight of 625 g were used for the experiment. The rabbits were randomly allotted to nine experimental groups of four rabbits each in a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement. LLL were either...
September 2011
Effect of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides on oxidative damage in skeletal muscle of exhaustive exercise rats
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (AMP) on oxidative damage in skeletal muscle of exhaustive exercise rats. The animals were divided into four groups at random, with eight rats in each group. Group 1, assigned as a control group, received normal saline (vehicle); groups 2 to 4 received AMP at different dosages (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg bw) respectively...
September 2011
Gibberellin A3 pretreatment increased antioxidative capacity of cucumber radicles and hypocotyls under suboptimal temperature
The effects of GA3 on the growth and antioxidant capacity of cucumber hypocotyls and radicles under sub-optimal temperature were investigated. The elongation of hypocotyls and radicles was significantly promoted by GA3 treatment under sub-optimal temperature, and the effects greatly depended on GA3 concentrations. In the previous reported investigation, there is not much information on the role of...
September 2011
Study of heritable variation and genetics of yield and yield components in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
Increase in seed cotton yield on a sustainable basis is a primary objective of cotton breeding programs, which is a result of an effective exploitation of quantitative (polygenic) traits. The diallel cross techniques is mainly applied for studying the nature of action and genetic constitution of cotton genotypes. Six cotton varieties were crossed in a complete diallel fashion to study the inheritance of seed cotton...
September 2011
Effects of different fertilizations on Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in tomato
Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) is one of the most serious pests in greenhouses. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of foliar fertilizers, such as calcium nitrate, fulvic acid and their combinations on L. trifolii population and tomato yield under greenhouse conditions in spring and fall of 2009. It was shown that fulvic acid and calcium nitrate combinations had...
September 2011
Evaluation of a water-saving superabsorbent polymer for corn (Zea mays L.) production in arid regions of Northern China
In arid and semiarid regions of northern China, there is an increasing interest in using water-saving superabsorbent polymer (SAP) for field crop production. Experiments were conducted during summer corn season in 2009 to study the growth and yield characteristics of summer corn (Zea mays L.) under different (control, 0; low, 5; medium, 10 and high, 15 kg ha-1) rates of SAP in a drought-affected field of northern...
September 2011
Effects of broccoli-crispy salad intercropping on yield and quality under greenhouse conditions
This research was conducted to determine the effects of intercropping system of broccoli-crispy salad on the yield, quality characteristics, and land equivalent ratio (LER) by comparing alone broccoli and crispy salad cultivation under greenhouse conditions in the autumn of 2006 and 2007. According to results of this study, the highest values in investigated criteria were found in mono cropping....
September 2011
Three new species of Macropelopia Thienemann from China (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae)
Males of three new species, Macropelopia galbina sp. n., Macropelopia grandivolsella sp. . andMacropelopia rotunda sp. n are described and figured on the basis of specimens collected from Oriental China. Key words: Taxonomy, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae, Macropelopia, new species, Oriental China.
September 2011
An improved design of gasifier equipment for Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China
Considering the disadvantage of the present home and aboard biomass gasifiers, a new design was conducted to improve the current conditions such as low combustion, high tar and dust, low heat value and so on. A suite of gasification was achieved to decrease tar, sulfur and dust during gasification process. The developing system provides a feasible strategy for improving and developing gasifier equipment. The...
September 2011
Detection of potato's size based on centroidal principal axis
As the detection of the major and minor axes is an important indicator of potatoes grading, a fast, accurate and non-destructive method for sorting potatoes is in great demand. In this study, the technology of machine vision was employed to detect the major and minor axes of potatoes. A method to detect the size of potatoes is presented based on the centroidal principal axis of potatoes. Firstly, the color space of the...
September 2011
Effect of different crop residue management techniques on selected soil properties and grain production of maize
Residue addition into the soil environment and the changes associated with their additions are important in planning cultural operations and developing appropriate soil management systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different residue management techniques (surface mulch, burning and incorporation, slash and incorporation as well as control) on soil properties and grain yield of maize. In...
September 2011
Identification of potential untapped herbaceous flora in the mid rift valley of Ethiopia and their nutritive value
This study was conducted with the objective to identify untapped herbaceous flora that were used as livestock feed and to determine their chemical composition in wet season. Twelve peasant associations (PAs) and a total of 120 households were selected for the study. Key informants were also used for vernacular name identification and utilization. Samples were also taken from their edible parts for analysis of dry matter...
September 2011
Utilization of wild vegetables in four districts of northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
A study was conducted in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa to gather information on the availability and extent of utilization of wild vegetables within some communities. The study revealed that wild vegetables were important in the diets of most rural people in northern KwaZulu – Natal. They were consumed as relish, although they were not being cultivated. The method of acquiring these vegetables was...
September 2011
Information and communication technology for fisheries industry development in Malaysia
There is a considerable relationship between information and communication technology (ICT), community and industry development. Abundance of previous research have tried to investigate ICT benefits for groups such as farmers, rural community, urban community, students, teacher and businessmen but yet there has been very little research on the roles of ICT can play for the development of the fisheries industry and the...
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