A field study on the anthelmintic resistance of Parascaris spp. in Arab foals in the Riyadh region,Saudi Arabia

Background: In the last decade, Parascaris spp. resistance to anthelmintics has been recorded in many countries. In Saudi Arabia, there are limited data available on Parascaris spp. resistance to anthelmintics.

Objective: To determine the current status of ivermectin, abamectin and praziquantel combined, and fenbendazole resistance to Parascaris spp. in horses in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Three hundred and forty-one foals from eleven different farms were examined by faecal egg count (FEC). The foals were all Arab horses aged 17.2 ± 4.5 (SD) months. Ivermectin (n = 46 foals), abamectin and praziquantel combined (n = 46), and fenbendazole (n = 46) were administered on day 0 and faeces were collected on day 14. The study comprised 41 untreated foals as controls. Animals that have FEC of ≥100 eggs per gram (EPG) were used to measure anthelmintic efficacy. Parascaris spp. populations were considered susceptible when faecal egg count reduction (FECR) was ≥95% associated with a lower 95% confidence limit (LCL) >90%, suspected resistant when FECR ≤90% or LCL <90% and resistant when FECR <90% and LCL <90%.

Results: Prevalence of Parascaris spp. infection was 53% (179/341 horses). Anthelmintic resistance to Parascaris spp. were highest following fenbendazole (55% of farms and 65% of foals) and to a lower extent following ivermectin or the combination of abamectin and praziquantel which comprised 27% of farms (and 46% of foals) and 18% of farms (and 10% of foals), respectively.

Conclusion: These data indicate that anthelmintics-resistant Parascaris spp. populations are present on horse farms in Saudi Arabia.     

The effects of teak monoculture on forest soils: a case study in Bangladesh

Teak plantations date back to 1871 in Bangladesh.This study was designed to assess how teak monoculture has impacted the soil properties in Bangladesh.Multiple linear regression and correlation matrices were estimated to evaluate these impacts.The means of soil physicochemical properties were compared across various attributes of the plantations.Older plantations accumulated more organic carbon in the soils than the younger plantations.Excessive removal of litter from the forest floor resulted in reduced levels of N, P, K, and other nutrients in the soils.Since bulk density was continuously decreasing deeper into the soil, the penetration of mineral nutrients into the soil was low.Furthermore, moisture content in the topsoil was significantly lower than that in the bottom layers due to the exposed and dry condition of the forest floor under teak plantations.For improving depleted teak plantation soils, teak could be planted with other tree species rather than just in monocultures.In addition, the forest floor could be enriched with leguminous herbs and shrubs to improve soil health in these plantations.     

Analyzing dynamic curve widening on forest roads

Forest roads require important design specifications to ensure all-season access for various vehicles. Long and heavy log trucks can face serious maneuvering problems on forest roads due to insufficient amount of area to the left for road widening on horizontal curves. In order to provide safe and continuous shipment and transportation,appropriate curve widening areas should be provided for long vehicles along horizontal curves. In this study, a statistical model was developed to provide curve-widening solutions for long trucks(e.g., those with 18 wheels) considering various curve radius and deflection angles. The dynamic curve widening feature of Plateia 2013 program was employed to calculate curve widening for the specified vehicle. During the solution process, nine different horizontal curve diameters from 10 to 50 m(by 5 m intervals)and 17 different deflection angles from 90° to 170°(by 5°intervals) were evaluated to run horizontal curve-widening analysis. Using a multiple regression model, we made suitable predictions about curve widening. The curvewidening areas decrease as the horizontal curve radius increases, while increasing the deflection angle on horizontal curves increases curve widening areas. Clearly, the computer-based dynamic curve widening model developed in this study can be effectively used in determining optimum widening for horizontal curves by evaluating the number of alternatives that fit geometrical specifications and vehicle types.     

Effect of foliar application of urea on the growth and yield of tomato

To study the effect of foliar application of urea fertilizer on the growth and yield of tomato and to find out the optimum concentration of foliar application of urea for maximum growth and yield of tomato, an experiment was conducted with different concentrations of foliar application of urea fertilizer, namely, 2500, 5000, 7500, and 10000 ppm. The experiment was laid out by a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Results showed that different yield components and yield of tomato were influenced by the foliar application of different concentrations of urea. The maximum plant height (132.6 cm), number of leaves (30.73), number of green leaves per plant at harvest (21.08), days to first flowering (28.94), number of flower clusters (11.89), number of flowers (75.18), fruit clusters (5.81), fruits per cluster (4.14), and fruits per plant (21.49); length (4.72 cm), diameter (6.58 cm), and weight of individual fruit (151.0 g) were significantly influenced by the 10000 ppm concentration of foliar application of urea fertilizer. The 10000 ppm application gave the highest yield (63.69 t/hm²) with the lowest (28.48 t/hm²) in the control treatment. The yield per plant as well as per hectare increased with increasing concentrations of foliar application of urea fertilizer.     

Effect of bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia) seeds as a replacement protein source of soybean meal on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing Awassi lambs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing the protein source of soybean meal (SBM) with different levels of bitter vetch seeds (BVS) in the diets of finishing Awassi ram lambs on performance, and carcass characteristics. Diets were designed based on replacing SBM with BVS as a percentage of the diet. Diets were: control (0% BVS), substituting 5% of SBM (5% BVS), 10% of SBM (10% BVS) and the entire SBM in the ration with BVS (15% BVS). Forty eight lambs (18.74?±?3.95 kg initial body weight and 70 days of age) were randomly assigned to 4 treatment diets (12 lambs/treatment). Lambs were given an adaptation period of 10 days and the experiment lasted for 84 days. At the end of the trial, a digestibility experiment was performed and 6 lambs from each treatment were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics. Average daily gain tended (P?=?0.07) to be higher for lambs fed 10% BVS when compared to the other diets. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was higher (P?<?0.01) in control diet compared to the other diets. Fat depth (C) and leg fat depth (L3) tended (0.05?<?P?<?0.1) to be affected by BVS levels in the diet. Leg total lean % was the highest (P?<?0.05) in 5% BVS and 10% BVS diets. These results suggest that substituting SBM with BVS in the diets did not influence performance or carcass characteristics of lambs. However, the cost of ration formulation decreases since SBM is a very expensive component of the ration.     

Transgressive variants for red pericarp grain with high yield potential derived from Oryza rufipogon × Oryza sativa: Field evaluation, screening for blast disease, QTL validation and background marker analysis for agronomic traits

Five transgressive variants (advanced breeding lines from BC₂F₅ and BC₂F₆ generation) were derived from a cross between the wild relative, O. rufipogon Griff. and O. sativa L. subsp. indica cv. MR219, a popular high yielding Malaysian rice cultivar. The aim of the study was to evaluate the pericarp colour of the grains along with yield potential and to validate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for agronomic traits. The variants were screened against blast disease. Background marker analysis was also done for the promising variants. The field trials were carried out at a single location (due to containment purposes) over two seasons using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. A trait-based marker analysis was used to identify QTLs for validation in BC₂F₅ generation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the seasonal factors influenced different agronomic traits. Variant G33 produced significantly (p < 0.05) higher yield (5.20 t/ha) than the control, MR219 (4.53 t/ha). Eighteen QTLs for different agronomic traits were identified in BC₂F₂ population in a previous study. Among them 14 QTLs were found in BC₂F₅ population of the present study. The yield of variant G33 was influenced by several QTLs viz. qGPL-1, qSPL-1-2, qSPL-8 and qYLD-4, which were introgressed from the donor parent revealed by background marker analysis using BC₂F₇ generation. Percentage (99%) of red pericarp grain of G33 and G34 in BC₂F₅ and BC₂F₆ generations indicated the stability of pericarp colour which was transferred from the wild relative. Variant G33 showed resistance against two pathotype of blast disease (Magnaporthe oryzae). Among the evaluated variants, G33 could be considered for inclusion in the cultivar development program for red rice with high yield potential and resistance to blast disease. This study demonstrated that the alleles from wild relative could improve the yield and yield related traits through allelic interaction, even though the phenotypic traits were inferior to the recurrent parent.     

Evaluation of Submergence Tolerance in Landrace Rice Cultivars by Various Growth and Yield Parameters

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Flash flood causes a serious damage to rice crops in northern and eastern parts of Bangladesh almost every year. This study was designed to identify...     

First record of Oomyzus scaposus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), as a parasitoid of Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Pakistan

Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a natural enemy of several important pests. This biocontrol agent is also a host for different parasitoids. Little is known about the parasitoid complex of C. septempunctata in Pakistan. The authors identified Oomyzus scaposus (Thomson, 1878) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) as a larval-pupal parasitoid of C. septempunctata in the district of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Out of 36 C. septempunctata pupae collected, 58.3% were parasitized by O. scaposus. This study documents the first record of O. scaposus parasitizing C. septempunctata in Pakistan.     

A simple equation to determine the breakdown of individual aggregate size fractions in the wet-sieving method

Wet-sieving method using nested sieves is one common method to measure aggregate stability. However, this method cannot be used to measure the stability of individual aggregate size fractions, only of whole soils. Thus, this study was to develop an equation to estimate the aggregate breakdown of individual aggregate size fractions in this particular method. The key to develop the equation was to assume that aggregate breakdown happens sequentially and consistently, and that the aggregate breakdown between any two aggregates in the same aggregate size fractions is equal in percentage. Applying these two assumptions, this equation was developed: x_i=(W_ai×D_i)/(W_ai+D_i−1), where x_i is the weight of aggregate breakdown in aggregate size fraction i, W_ai is the weight of the aggregates in aggregate size fraction i before wet-sieving, and D_i and D_i−1 are the weight of aggregates that have passed through sieve i and i−1, respectively. This equation was tested with five soil series. The soils were separated into six aggregate size fractions: 4.76–8.0, 2.83–4.76, 2.0–2.83, 1.0–2.0, 0.5–1.0 and 0.3–0.5 mm. For every soil, each of their aggregate size fraction was separately wet-sieved to determine the actual aggregate breakdown. The separate wet-sievings results were then combined in such a way to simulate the usual wet-sieving method; that is, to construct the data that would have been produced if each of the aggregate size fractions was wet-sieved together in the same nested sieves. Paired sample t-test showed that the differences between the actual and estimated aggregate breakdown values were significant at 5%. However, there was very close correlation between the actual and estimated values (r=0.974; p<0.001); thus, the equation was calibrated by simple linear regression. The calibrated equation was: _i=100 sin²_i, where _i is the calibrated breakdown estimate for aggregate size fraction i, and _i is 0.0166x_i+0.1 in unit radians. This calibrated equation was highly significant at 1% (F=766.039; p<0.001), with the values fitting very tightly along the regression line (R²=0.961), and with very small standard error (std. error=0.023). The calibrated equation was validated with three additional soils. Paired sample t-test showed there was insignificant differences between the actual and calibrated breakdown estimate values. Moreover, using fewer aggregate size fractions did not affect the accuracy of the calibrated equation, as this equation still predicted the actual values with very small errors.     

Improvement of growth and antioxidant status in Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus,fed diets supplemented with mushroom stalk waste hot water extract

Mushroom stalk waste (MSW) generated from the oyster mushroom industry is drastically increasing and safe disposal of MSW is becoming a critical issue worldwide. Mushrooms are an established, excellent source of nutraceuticals and antioxidants, and therefore MSW may confer similar effects when consumed. The severe deterioration of aquatic habitat may compromise the homoeostasis of antioxidative metabolism of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, which resulted in a reduced total production. Based on this paradigm, hot water extracts (HWE, 2‐ and 5‐h) of MSW were evaluated as a supplement in fish feed and determined the effect on growth performance and the antioxidant status of Nile tilapia, O. niloticus, in vivo. The HWE 5‐h contained significantly higher amounts of nutrient and β‐glucan than HWE 2‐h (P < 0.05). Four standardized in vitro antioxidant assays showed that HWE 5‐h was a better antioxidant agent than HWE 2‐h (P < 0.05). Tilapia fingerlings fed 5 g kg^?1 HWE supplemented feed produced better (P < 0.05) growth and higher antioxidant enzyme activities than 10 g kg^?1 HWE, CD and BD. Thus, HWE of MSW included at 5 g kg^?1 may be beneficial to tilapia farming and may also provide a way of disposing the waste created by mushroom farming.