Optimizing herbicidal efficacy of glyphosate isopropylamine salt through ammonium sulphate as surfactant in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantation in a rainforest area of Nigeria

A randomized complete block field trial was conducted over 2 years to evaluate the herbicidal efficacy of glyphosate isopropylamine salt (Roundup^®) applied singly at 1.41 kg a.e. ha⁻¹ or in combination with ammonium sulphate (AMS) as surfactant at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% (wt/v) in a 5-year old oil palm plantation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure located in the rainforest vegetation zone of Nigeria. Assessment of herbicidal efficacy based on the Henderson-Tilton formula indicated that glyphosate applied singly or in combination with varying concentrations of AMS proved highly effective in controlling most of the grasses and broadleaved weeds prevalent in the experimental plots. Herbicidal efficacy on total weed density, weed fresh weight as well as on weed dry weight was found to increase in the order of increasing concentration of AMS. Regressing percentage herbicidal efficacy (Y) against increasing concentration levels of AMS (X) indicated significant (P0.001) positive relationships with an average correlation coefficient (r) of +0.95 in both years. These results confirm the potential of AMS as an effective surfactant that can be exploited in glyphosate-based weed management schemes in the sub-humid tropical environment.     

香港市场稻米品质的初步研究

本文研究了来自香港稻米市场上的11个籼米的外观品质和蒸煮食味品质。香港市场要求稻米的外观品质是精白度高、米粒细长、垩白度低及米粒半透明;间接指示食味品质的胶稠度软,糊化温度低及直链淀粉为20%左右。食味品尝试验的结果表明港米饭色泽洁白,饭粒细长,质地柔软而略有黏性,与其外观和食味品质指标相符。品尝小组对港米的评分与香港市场价格成显著正相关,说明港米不但适合香港人民的口味,也可能为广大国内群众所喜爱,可以作为我国优质米的一个重要类型。从对我国供港大米主要基地广东、广西两省的米质分析可以看出;目前两广优质米不论在外观上或是蒸煮食味品质上都与港米存在一定的差距。     

Influence of grain quality,heat, and processing time on the reduction of aflatoxin B1 levels in ‘tuwo’ and ‘ogi’: Two cereal-based products

During the production of tuwo from laboratory-contaminated corn (AFB₁:150 mcg/kg) and sorghum (AFB₁:87.5 mcg/kg) grains, reductions in the aflatoxin-B₁ levels of pastes boiled for 30 min and 60 min were found to be 68.0% and 80.8%, respectively. In the preparation of ogi from contaminated corn and sorghum grains, reductions of about 72.5% and 71.4%, respectively, were obtained after fermentation at ambient conditions. Reconstitution of ogi paste into a porridge (akamu) considerably reduced the AFB level.     

Physical and biochemical properties of green banana flour

Banana flour prepared from two cooking banana varieties, namely Alukehel and Monthan, were evaluated for their physical and biochemical characteristics. The yields of flour averaged 31.3% for Alukehel and 25.5% for Monthan. The pH of the flour ranged from 5.4 to 5.7. The bulk density and particle size distribution were also measured. The average chemical composition (% dry matter) of the flours were as follows: crude protein, 3.2; crude fat, 1.3; ash, 3.7; neutral detergent fiber, 8.9; acid detergent fiber, 3.8; cellulose, 3.1; lignin, 1.0 and hemicellulose, 5.0. Carbohydrate composition indicated the flour to contain 2.8% soluble sugars, 70.0% starch and 12.0% non-starch polysaccharides. Potassium is the predominant mineral in banana flour. Fresh green banana is a good source of vitamin C, but almost 65% is lost during the preparation of flour. Oxalate content (1.1–1.6%) of banana flour is probably nutritionally insignificant. The overall results are suggestive of the potential of green bananas as a source of flour.     

稻田以水带氮肥（尿素）深施技术研究

本研究将稻田氮肥施用方法与水分管理结合起来。施肥前对稻田停止灌水晾田数天,尽可能控制土壤处于水不饱和状态,再把氮肥表施,然后立即浅层灌水,让氮肥随水下渗带入土层中,达到氮肥深施的目的,简称为“以水带氮肥深施技术”。研究结果表明,此技术可将表施的60%以上的尿素氮带入土层中,减少了肥料氮素的损失,提高了氮肥的增产效果和氮素利用率,对水稻省肥增产的作用十分显著,可作为氮肥经济合理施用技术之一,在具有排灌条件的稻田中推广应用。     

Effect of Chemical Treatments on Polyphenols and Malt Quality in Sorghum

Tannin-containing sorghums, Chirimaugute and DC-75, and a tannin-free sorghum, SV2, were steeped in water, HCl (0·25 ), formaldehyde (0·017 ) and NaOH (0·075 ) for 8 and 24 h. Germination was carried out for 2 and 5 d. Steeping in NaOH enhanced water uptake of the grains compared with the other treatments. All treatments reduced the polyphenol content of the raw grain. Treatment with NaOH or formaldehyde (HCHO) was more effective than water or HCl. Malt quality was measured in terms of diastatic power (DP). Potential DP, determined after the peptone extraction, indicated higher amylase activity in DC-75 malt than in Chirimaugute and SV2 malt. Available DP, determined after water extraction, was low in malt from the tannin-containing varieties that had been treated with water or HCl. Malting alone was not an effective method of reducing the enzyme inhibitory power of the sorghum tannins. Available DP was markedly improved by the NaOH and HCHO treatments of the tannin-containing varieties. It is concluded that steeping in dilute NaOH is effective in detoxifying high-tannin sorghums, reducing the steeping period and enhancing malt quality. Steeping in NaOH appears to be a safer alternative to HCHO for treatment of high-tannin sorghums in the malting industry and for other food uses.     

Purification and Characterisation of Ascorbate Oxidase from Flour and Immature Wheat Kernels

White flour from wheat was shown to contain basic-ascorbate oxidase (AOX) enzymes (pI 7·6–9·6) and acidic-AOX enzymes (pI 5·1–6·6) in a ratio of 0·4:1, based on chromatography data. Immature wheat kernels (two weeks post-anthesis) contained about 12 times more AOX activity (units/g dry weight) than flour from mature grain, and the ratio of basic- to acidic-AOX was 5:1. Acidic-AOX was purified 90-fold from flour by hydrophobic interaction, gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography. Basic-AOX was purified 20 000-fold from immature wheat by hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange, cation exchange and gel filtration chromatography in a yield of 5%. The acid-AOX had a M of 140 k, was optimally active at pH 6·3 and 40 °C, and was stable in the pH range 5–9 and at 30 °C for 0·5 h at pH 6·2. The Km values were 0·26 m for L-ascorbic acid and 0·93 m for D-iso ascorbic acid. The basic-AOX had a M of 139 k and subunit M of 72 k. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 6·2 and 50 °C, and was stable in the pH range 5–9 and at 40 °C for 0·5 h at pH 6·2. The Km values were 0·30 m for L-ascorbic acid and 0·53 m for D-iso ascorbic acid. The absorption spectrum of basic-AOX had absorption maxima at 280 nm and 607 nm of similar magnitude to those measured in AOX fromCucurbita species (squash). This indicates that wheat AOX contains protein-bound copper similar to other plant AOX.     

Assessment and water saving issues for Ningxia paddies,upper Yellow River Basin

In the Hetao Irrigation Districts of the Ningxia autonomous region, Upper Yellow River Basin, the continuous deep flooding irrigation method is used for the rice paddies. The field irrigation water use during the rice-growing season is two to three times higher than in other regions of North China where water-saving practices have been introduced. This paper, based on the data measured in experimental rice fields and sub-branch canal systems, presents main results concerning crop evapotranspiration, percolation and irrigation requirements for deep and shallow water irrigation. Causes for water waste relate to both the lack of regulation in supply and distribution canals and to the poor management of paddy fields. The potential for water saving is discussed using water balance data. Improved irrigation techniques and water management strategies, including the shallow water irrigation method, are suggested considering the expected impacts and benefits. Replacing the current continuous deep flooding with the shallow-ponded water irrigation method may reduce the growing season irrigation water use from 1,405 to 820 mm in average, with a likely increase in yields of 450 kg/ha. Water productivity would then increase from 0.49 to 1.03 kg/m³. Adopting improved canal management and modernization of regulation and control structures may lead to decreasing the gross irrigation demand from the present 3,100 mm to about 1,280 mm, which would highly benefit the environmental conditions in the area.     

Formulation,acceptability, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of novel snack food and meat ball analogue

Potato purée and wheat flour were blended at ratio of 7:1 w/w with 2 parts per weight of soybean protein concentrate (SPC) and/or faba bean-protein micellar mass (PMM). Two snack foods were formulated and deep fried. Spices, onion, parsley and chicken stock were added to the aforementioned two recipes to formulate meat ball analogues. Data revealed good acceptability of all products. Moreover, they can be considered as a good source for some essential amino acids; protein (26%); lipids (20%); carbohydrates (48%) and minerals. The in vitro digestibility ranged between 61.0% and 66.9%.     

Fatty acid,amino acid,and trace mineral analyses of five weaning foods from Jos,Nigeria

Five plant-based weaning foods (WF) (Dietrend, Jot-M, Soy, Ang and Vic-T) locallyprepared in Jos, Nigeria were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography,reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and atomicemission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma to determine theirfatty acid (FA), amino acid, and trace mineral contents, respectively.Results of these direct analyses were compared to expected values derivedfrom food composition tables prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Additionally, results were compared against recommendednutrient values, using breast milk as the standard for FA content andrecommended dietary allowances (RDA) for amino acid and mineral contents.The overall nutritional value of the five WF varied considerably and thequantities of particular nutrients determined by direct analysis differedmarkedly from those estimated using USDA food tables. Comparison of WFfatty acid composition relative to the RDA recommendations and a humanmilk standard revealed a much higher proportion of both linoleic (35–55wt%) and -linolenic acids (1%–7 wt%) relative to human milklipids (11%–12% and 0.8%–0.9% wt, respectively); however, the WFwere devoid of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Soy containedthe highest amounts of linoleic acid (59.7 mg/g) and -linolenicacid (7.46 mg/g) compared to the other four WF (10.2–41.0 and 0.35–3.18 mg/g, respectively). The linoleic acid/-linolenic acid ratio was within the recommended range (5:1 to 10:1) in only Jot-M (10:1)and Soy (8:1). Dietrend, Vic-T and Ang, containedlinoleic/-linolenic ratios of 12:1, 29:1, and 82:1, respectively.The Soy weaning food would provide the most protein (24.3 g/day), basedon an estimated daily intake of 65 g of weaning food by a normalsix-month-old infant, compared to Jot-M (11.9 g/day), Dietrend (11.7g/day), Ang (8.07 g/day) and Vic-T (7.26 g/day). The protein RDA forchildren up to 1 year of age is 13–14 g/day. Comparison of the mineralcontents of the WF to the RDAs for various minerals indicated that all fivewould provide suboptimal amounts of calcium (16 to 250 mg/day) andzinc (1.42 to 3.56 mg/day) compared to respective RDAs of400 mg/day and 5 mg/day.These data show that the Soy weaning food is an excellent source of linoleicacid and -linolenic acid, as well as being a good source of highquality protein. Jot-M and Dietrend provide useful amounts of the essentialFA; however, it is advisable to reevaluate the composition of Ang andVic-T to find ways to improve the linoleic/-linolenic ratio of eachand increase their total protein content. These results document theshortcomings of using published food composition tables based on foods inAmerica when devising weaning foods based on ingredients in another partof the world.     

Accounting for geographic heterogeneity of multifunctional rice policy in Taiwan

Through empirical simulations of the Taiwanese rice market, we estimate the effects of agricultural policies designed to ensure optimal levels of two multifunctional outputs, groundwater recharge, and methane emissions. Optimal policy instruments differ by region to reflect land quality and the conditions of the aquifers in major rice production regions. The effects on rice production, resource allocation, and returns to farm assets differ as well.

Effect of a combination of chlorine dioxide and thiophanate-methyl pre-planting seed tuber treatment on the control of black scurf of potatoes

The pre-planting seed tuber treatments of chlorine dioxide (ClO₂), thiophanate-methyl (TPM), and a combination treatment of ClO₂, followed by TPM, were evaluated for control of stem canker and black scurf (Rhizoctonia solani), and storage rots; black scurf, common scab (Streptomyces scabies), dry rot (Fusarium spp.) and silver scurf (Helminthosporium solani) on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Kennebec. Field experiments were conducted in two consecutive years, 1999 and 2000, at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Farm in Harrington, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. The combination treatment of ClO₂ (200 μg g⁻¹) and TPM (50 g active ingredient100 kg⁻¹ of tubers) significantly (P=0.05) reduced stem canker and black scurf on progeny tubers at harvest and after storage. The low incidence of scab and dry rot in untreated controls hindered the evaluation of the efficacy of the combination treatment and also showed that conditions were not favourable for disease development during this period at Harrington. The combination treatment was not effective on silver scurf in storage. A comparison among control, ClO₂, TPM, and the combination treatment indicates that pre-planting ClO₂ treatment may have killed the majority of the black scurf sclerotia on the tuber surface and that the combination of TPM fungicide treatment following ClO₂ treatment gave protection to progeny tuber by suppressing the growth of the R. solani. A higher marketable yield was observed in the combination treatment as compared with the untreated control. Phytotoxicity was not observed in tubers treated with the combination treatment.     

Farm level practices and water productivity in Zhanghe Irrigation System

China, the biggest rice-producing country in the world, has put considerable effort into finding ways to conserve water in rice cultivation. One very promising practice, intermittent submerged irrigation (ISI) was reported to be applied on farmers fields over a large area in the Zhanghe irrigation system (ZIS), which serves about 160,000 ha of irrigated land, which is intensively cultivated with rice. To better understand the actual farmer practices, the degree to which farmers adopt ISI, the resulting water productivity, and implications for farm and system water management, a water accounting methodology developed by IWMI was applied at farm and a larger meso scale. Two areas were observed: Tuanlin, where ISI was reported to be widespread (with ISI), and Wenjiaxiang, where farmers were reportedly not adopting ISI (without ISI). The field water level measurements demonstrate that farmers at the with ISI site follow a practice similar to the theoretical ISI techniques by letting ponding levels drop to the soil surface several times during the cropping season. At the without site, farmers keep higher water levels ponded, and do not let water levels drop to the soil surface as often as the with site. A major determinant of practice is ease of access to water. At the with site, farmers have access to a variety of sources such as ponds and drains. At the without site, access to water was primarily from canal water, without the degree of flexibility as areas that had a water source near the field. The process fraction of gross inflow at field scale (rice evapotranspiration divided by irrigation plus rain) ranged between 0.66 and 0.93, remarkably high values showing how effective farmers are in converting water sources to productive evapotranspiration. The on-farm water accounting results show that with ISI, the average values of irrigation water applied over two years 1999–2000 are 22% less than without ISI, and the yields approximately the same. The resulting water productivity values per unit of irrigation water (WP_irrigation) are 20% higher under ISI practices, but per unit of evapotranspiration water productivity results are similar. The meso site study yielded surprising insights into overall water management in the area. In the years 1999 and 2000, at the meso sites, the irrigation duty in Tuanlin (with ISI) was 29% and 21% less than in Wenjiaxiang (without ISI), respectively, resulting in WP_irrigation values of 24% and 26% higher at Tuanlin than Wenjiaxiang. But values of process fraction of gross inflow were considerably reduced at the meso scale ranging between 0.12 and 0.29, with considerable drainage outflow observed. Different land uses, trees, roads, villages, and ponds, begin to play an important role in overall water resource management at this scale. Drainage water from fields plus runoff served as supplies to ponds within the meso area as well as downstream reservoirs. Ponds play a very important role as an additional source of water, and in fact facilitate the uptake of ISI practices. This demonstrates that there are multiple strategies at play influencing water savings and productivity beyond ISI in the management of water within the area.     

The effect of potassium on a “Roma” variety of processing tomato,with special reference to potassium uptake,yield and quality

A pot experiment was carried out on the effect of potassium fertilization of four soil types selected as being most characteristic of Israel, and which had not received any potassium dressing for several years. The response of the Roma variety of processing tomato to potassium sulfate was tested.A good correlation was found between various criteria in evaluating the nutritional status of the crop, including visual symptoms, potassium uptake in specific organs of the tomato plant, and certain biological fruit qualities. Accordingly, data were gathered which aid in determining deficient and normal levels of K in the tomato variety tested.In spite of the characteristic difference in exchangeable K reserves in the various soils tested, the application of the potassic fertilizer brought about a large and significant increase in the yield of fruit. This was expressed not only in the total weight of the yield but, in what is more important commercially, in the higher grade of the fruit.The biological quality of the fruit rose as a result of potassium dressing in all types of soil. This was expressed as a significant increment in the dry matter and reducing sugar contents. Contrary to expectations K-dressing did not bring about changes of any importance in the vitamin C or citric acid contents.The findings for N and P concentration in the leaf and fruit samplings seem to point to a certain decrease in their levels due to application of K fertilizer. It is quite possible that, since potassium was the limiting factor in growth in the control plants and gave a relative poor growth of the crop and a low yield of fruits, the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus added was for them in an excess, leading to an increase in both of the elements in the non-fertilized plants.

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Zusammenfassung In Gefäßversuchen wurde die Wirkung einer Kalidüngung auf vier für Israel typische Böden untersucht, die mehrere Jahre keine Kaligaben erhalten hatten. Geprüft wurde der Einfluß von Kalisulfat auf die Industrietomate Sorte Roma.Es stellte sich eine gute Korrelation zwischen verschiedenen Kriterien, die zur Beurteilung des Ernährungszustandes der Pflanzen dienten, heraus. Diese waren unter anderem: Äußere Merkmale, Kaliaufnahme in spezielle Organe der Tomatenpflanze und gewisse biologische Qualitätseigenschaften der Früchte. Die Ergebnisse ermöglichen die Feststellung von Mangel — und Normal—Höhen des Kaligehaltes in der im Versuch geprüften Tomatensorte.Obwohl die verwendeten Böden typische Unterschiede in austauschbaren Kalireserven zeigten, ergab die Kalidüngung große signifikante Ertragssteigerungen. Diese kamen nicht nur durch das höhere Erntegewicht zum Ausdruck, sondern, was wirtschaftlich noch wichtiger ist, durch eine bessere Fruchtqualität, Die Qualität der Tomaten wurde durch die Kalisulfatdüngung auf allen Böden verbessert. Dies zeigte sich in einer significkanten Erhöhung der Trockensubstanz und reduzierender Zucker. Entgegen der Erwartung änderte die Kalidüngung nichts an dem Vitamin C oder Zitronensäuregehalt.Die N- und P-Gehalte in Blatt und Frucht wiesen darauf hin, daß die Kalidüngung eine gewisse Abnahme des Gehaltes dieser Elemente bewirkt. Das hängt vermutlich damit zusammen, daß für die Kontrollpflanzen, solange das Kalium ein begrenzender Faktor beim Wachstum bildet, die zugegebenen N- und P-Gaben einen Überschuß bedeuten, die zu einer Zunahme beider Elemente in den ungedüngten Pflanzen führte.

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Contribution from the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1970 Series No. 1830.     

Effects of topography on the construction and efficiency of earthen weirs for rice irrigation in Northeast Thailand

Farmers in some parts of the Indochina Peninsula have been using earthen weirs to supply water to their rice fields, and the use of such weirs is especially prevalent in Northeast Thailand. Although now a typical rain-fed rice cultivation area, a significant percentage of rice fields in Northeast Thailand used earthen weirs before the extensive expansion of rain-fed rice fields that occurred in the early 20th century. In this study, we clarified some of the historical changes associated with the construction and use of earthen weirs and their effects on rice production. In particular, we investigated some of the topographic effects, such as terrain, catchment size, and slope grade, on water delivery. In addition, water delivery methods, construction periods, and the discontinued use of earthen weirs were examined with respect to regional influences and topography. Earthen weirs were found to be most suitable in areas that exhibited complementarity between the riverbed slope and the water catchment. The type of earthen weir was dependent on the magnitude of the riverbed slope. Earthen weirs have been constructed continuously on steeper upstream slopes of rivers for more than a century, while weir construction on lower riverbeds with larger catchments appears to be more recent.