Comparison of effectiveness of introduced barn owls,Tyto javanica javanica,and rodenticide treatments on rat control in oil palm plantations

Journal of Pest Science - In Peninsular Malaysia, barn owls (Tyto javanica javanica) have been utilized as biological control of rats since the 1960s. In this study, the impact of introduced barn...     

Electrically conductive paper of polyaniline modified pineapple leaf fiber

This research work reports new electrically conductive paper made of pineapple leaf fiber and polyaniline (PALF/PANI). The conductive paper shows remarkable preservation of mechanical properties while achieving its conductive state. Also it was found that, the amount of PANI needed to achieve the conductivity transformation is as low as 5 wt.%.     

The origin of mangosteen: A review

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana var. mangostana) is an obligate apomictic species which does not require a fertilization process to produce seeds. The absence...     

Evaluation of surface irrigation system performance using System Dynamics (SD) approach

Various methods and criteria have been proposed and utilized for the evaluation of irrigation systems performance, which can be used for comparison of design conditions and irrigation systems performance. Surface irrigation systems should be paid more attention among all other irrigation systems due to their operation simplicity and high losses. In the present study, while describing main relationships of irrigation evaluation criteria of application efficiency, water requirement efficiency, Deep Percolation Ratio and Tail Water Ratio, a method based on SD will be introduced. Modeling of this approach has been done using VENSIM-DSS software. Model has been tested in a case study that included the modeling of a furrow in four irrigation status: current situation, full irrigation, deficit irrigation and finally deficit irrigation with optimized irrigation cutoff time and inflow into furrow. The results reveal the high capabilities of SD approach in modeling water resources and irrigation systems. Its user friendly and ability in transferring data to the data bank can introduce this approach and software as an applicable decision support system.     

Growth Environment Influences Grain Protein Composition and Dough Functional Properties in Three Australian Wheat Cultivars

The objectives of this study were to assess how functional properties of proteins in whole meal wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) flour vary across different growth environments. Grain from three commercial Australian Hard milling wheat cultivars was analyzed from four growth locations in 2008 and from two of the corresponding cultivars and locations in 2009. The protein content of the grain, soluble and insoluble extractable protein fractions, swelling index of glutenin (SIG), glutenin‐to‐gliadin ratio (Glu:Gli), percent unextractable polymeric protein (%UPP), and dough properties including force at maximum resistance (Rmax) and extensibility were measured. Based on analysis of variance of aggregated data for the cultivars, growth locations, and seasons, growth environment factors made significant contributions to variability in the total grain protein, Glu:Gli ratio, %UPP, SIG, Rmax, and extensibility of the wheat flour. Variability of protein content of the soluble and insoluble extractable protein fractions was mostly owing to genotype.     

Agroforestry Impacts on Soil Fertility in the Rima'a Valley,Yemen

Yemen is one of the world's least developed countries and experiences problems of scarcity of natural agricultural resources as well as soil erosion and degradation. Agroforestry systems (AFS) are being promoted as a more appropriate land use system than monocropping systems (MCS) worldwide. Unfortunately, long-term studies on agroforestry and other land use systems (LUS) do not exist in Yemen. Agroforestry in the Rima'a region has started to deteriorate and many farmers turned to (MCS). This study was conducted in the Rima'a Valley, near Alsharq town, Dhamar, Yemen. The study evaluates the soil nutrients, organic matter (OM), and other soil properties such as pH, bulk density, and porosity under AFS and compares it with soil under MCS. Standard procedures for soil sampling and analyzing were used to collect and analyze 36 composite samples from Site 1 and 36 composite samples from Site 2 from six cropping systems (treatments). The results showed that there were significant variations in relation to LUS. Agroforestry practices—mixed trees with coffee (S1), and Cordia africana L. with coffee (S2) have higher nitrogen concentration (0.17–0.26%) as compared to the Ziziphus spina-christi L. with maize (S3) and the monocropping maize (S5), (<0.16% in both Sites 1 and 2). Similar results were seen on the effect of the different LUS on the soil P, K, and OM contents at the two sites (p < .01). While soil N, P, and soil K were higher under agroforestry systems S1, and S2 in both sites, it was the lowest in S5 in both sites. It can be concluded that agroforestry has more favorable effects on soil fertility and other soil properties. The government should establish programs and campaigns to disseminate AFS technology and promote the importance of agroforestry in soil conservation.     

Physiological mechanisms for antagonistic interaction of manganese and aluminum in barley

In a previous study, we found that the combined addition of Al and Mn in the culture solution could alleviate the inhibition of barley growth by addition of Al or Mn alone. The current experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to investigate the physiological mechanisms of the antagonistic interaction using two barley genotypes, XZ16 (both Al and Mn tolerant) and ZU9 (both Al and Mn sensitive). The treatments consisted of three Al levels (0, 0.1, and 0.5?mM) and three Mn levels (0, 0.2, and 1.0?mM) and their combinations, and a completely randomized block design was used with three replications. The combined treatments had larger plant biomass, lower Al and Mn concentrations and accumulation in plant tissues, lower malondialdehyde content, and higher root ATPases activities, compared with Al or Mn alone treatment. The two genotypes had the similar trend in the antagonistic interaction, with ZU9 being more predominant than XZ16.     

Periodic vicissitudes of different concentrations of a developed prototype killed S. aureus mastitis vaccine on immune modulators,mediators and immunoglobulins in cows

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary gland due to microbial infiltration causing a reduced mammary function. This study aims at developing a vaccine...     

Comparative evaluation of different therapeutic protocols for contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in Himalayan Pashmina goats

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Therapeutic management of contagious caprine pleuroneumonia (CCPP) involves mostly the use of oxytetracycline followed by enrofloxacin and rarely tylosin. In...