Physical,Chemical and Biological Properties of an Accelerated Cassava Based Compost Prepared Using Different Ratios of Cassava Peels and Poultry Manure

Monitoring the physical, chemical and biological properties during accelerated composting enables concise determination of its stability and maturity. Determination of physical parameters such as pH, moisture and temperature, chemical parameters such as total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), organic matter and humic acid as well as biological parameters such as microbial count and carbon dioxide (CO₂) evolution was carried out during a four (4) week composting period, The trend observed for pH showed the mesophilic and thermophilic phases and a similar trend was observed for the compost temperature. Intermittent increase and decrease was observed for total N, P, K as well as for the fungal and bacterial population. A direct relationship was observed among the bacterial population, CO₂ evolution and humic acid. However, composting for four (4) weeks produced a stable compost, which was evident through the physical observation of the final product and the results obtained for the chemical and biological parameters.     

Isolation and molecular characterization of Sul/01/09 avian infectious bronchitis virus, indicates the emergence of a new genotype in the Middle East

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was isolated from trachea and kidney tissues of eight broiler farms in Kurdistan region of North Iraq from 2008 to 2010. The birds were suffering from respiratory and nephropathological symptoms and lesions. A 1116 bp hyper mutable spike glycoprotein (S1) gene was amplified and sequenced using conventional RT-PCR. Sequence analysis and BLAST homology search in GenBank data base indicate that two of the farms were infected with the 4/91 strain, one with an unidentified IBV and five were infected with Sul/01/09. The birds in the latter five farms were suffering from nephropathogenic lesions, however, the virus was isolated from kidney but not from trachea in these cases. The birds were vaccinated regularly with 4/91 or MA5 vaccine. The deduced amino acid sequence of the isolated and amplified S1 subunit (372 aa) of Sul/01/09 was differed in 27-28% from that of all three vaccine strains (4/91, MA5, and H120) used in the region. This dissimilarity is most likely the cause of poor efficacy of vaccines used in the region, at least in five of these farms. Amino acid sequence comparison and phylogenetic tree analysis with other published IBV genotypes indicate that this newly isolated virus together with other regionally related and recently published isolates from Israel (IS/720/99, IS/885) and Egypt (egypt/Benisuef/01) belong to a new genotype. This is the first report of identification and genotyping of IBV isolate in Iraq, which indicate the circulation of 4/91 along with a new variant (Sul/01/09) of IBV in vaccinated broiler farms.     

Boron availability and uptake in huanglongbing-affected citrus trees on a Florida entisol

Abstract

Florida sandy soils, particularly, Entisols are low in boron (B) and occasionally have B deficiency for citrus. A study was set-up at Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred, Florida, on a Candler fine sand to determine the availability and uptake of B in a high-density citrus planting of Huanglongbing (HLB)-affected trees. Boron was applied at 1.12?kg ha^?1 in three splits, at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recommended rate (1×), and at 2× the recommended rate using foliar and soil application methods. Soil samples were taken from soil surface to 60?cm depth in 15-cm increments within the irrigated and non-irrigated zones. Soil and leaf samples were analyzed for B using Mehlich III extraction method and acid digestion, respectively. Results showed the leaf B concentration for soil applied rate 1× was significantly higher (P?<?0.001) than that of foliar applied either at single or double rate but both were in the optimum range recommended by UF/IFAS. The sorption study revealed that there was no sorption (K_D < 0.2?L kg^?1) but K_D at 0–15-cm depth was 3× greater than that at 15–60?cm depths. The concentration of B in the leaf tissue remained in the recommended optimum critical range. Sorption coefficients showed negligible B sorption which means most applied B would be prone to leaching under heavy rains or saturated soil conditions on Florida sandy soils thus requiring judicious management for optimizing tree performance and sustaining environmental quality.