Livestock feed resources availability,feeding practices,and nutrient balances in high Himalaya (Gurez) valley of Kashmir

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Assessment of the ruminant livestock feed sources availability, existing feeding practices, and nutrient balances was embarked at different zones of Gurez...     

3种盐胁迫对玉米幼苗生长及叶片抗氧化酶和离子累积的影响

选取2个玉米品种(金玉819和金单999),探讨了3种盐胁迫(NaCl、Na_2SO_4和NaNO_3)对玉米幼苗生长、抗氧化酶活性以及叶片中K~+、Na~+、Ca~(2+)累积的影响。结果表明:3种不同类型的盐胁迫均会导致玉米幼苗鲜重下降,地上部鲜重金玉819下降超过28.6%,金单999下降超过18%;盐胁迫下金玉819叶片SOD酶活上升2.1倍以上, POD酶活性最高上升4.5倍,APX最高上升2.1倍,CAT最高上升2.2倍;金单999叶片SOD酶活最高上升2.1倍,APX最高上升1.6倍,CAT最高上升1.9倍。2个基因型玉米胁迫下叶片内Na~+含量上升4.5～6.3倍;NaCl和NaNO_3处理下,K~+/Na~+比对照降低90%～93%,而Na_2SO_4处理下K~+/Na~+下降78%～82%,金玉819和金单999的Ca~(2+)/Na~+比对照分别降低了85%～90%和92%～94%。综合分析表明NO~-_3引起的次生盐害对玉米生产危害较大。与金单999相比,金玉819对盐胁迫更加敏感,相同Na~+浓度处理下,金玉819的鲜重和SOD酶活性下降显著且拥有较低的K~+/Na~+和Ca~(2+)/Na~+值。     

Nanoclay polymer composites loaded with urea and nitrification inhibitors for controlling nitrification in soil

Nanoclay polymer composites (NCPCs) were synthesized with partially neutralized acrylic acid and bentonites and loaded with urea and nitrification inhibitors (NIs) to act as a slow release carrier of nitrogen (N). The resulting product was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD of NCPCs revealed that the bentonite layers were completely exfoliated and dispersed in the composite after the polymerization. The water absorbency of pure polymer (Acrylic acid + Acrylamide) was 197.53 g g^?1 and 137.75 g g^?1 by nanocomposite (8% nanobentonite) in distilled water. The nitrification inhibition ability of these NCPCs was evaluated by incubation study for 60 days in laboratory at 28°C and 50% water-holding capacity. The Schiff base -NCPCs were most effective at inhibiting nitrification (30–87%) compared to dicyandiamide and Neem oil. A column study was performed to know the movement of NH₄-N and NO₃-N at three different depths. Result showed that the Schiff base -NCPC decreased nitrate movement by 78.5% at the depth of 5 cm in soil column. The slow release of nitrogen and good water retention capacity confirmed that these NCPCs can be viably exploited for application in agriculture.     

Utilization of Defatted Mango Kernel in Wheat-Based Cereals Products: Nutritional and Functional Properties

The mango kernel is a byproduct of mango processing industries and it contains appreciable quantities of edible oil and quality proteins. In the present research, wheat flour was partially replaced with defatted mango kernel flour up to 30% and blends were further utilized for the preparation of biscuits. The nutritional and functional properties of flour blends were determined in the first phase. The second phase dealt with product analysis and sensorial appraisal from the trained taste panel. The results indicated that the addition of mango kernel flour improved the mineral and fiber content of flour blends. The addition of mango kernel flour affected emulsifying and foaming properties of flour blends negatively, while water and oil absorption improved positively from 60.76 ± 2.39% to 86.29 ± 2.51% and 81.81 ± 2.94% to 123.87 ± 5.39%, respectively. The results might be due to lower bulk density of blends. The cookies prepared from flour blends showed improved color tonality and textural characteristics. Sensorial appraisal from a trained taste panel was awarded to cookies containing 15% and 20% defatted mango kernel flour, however, the rating was slightly less than the control. The results were conclusive that defatted mango kernel can be used at 15% and 20% with significant consumer acceptability. Future aspects of the present research include the extraction of principal ingredients, e.g., starch and proteins, for value addition.     

Comparison of organic and conventional farming for onion yield,biochemical quality,soil organic carbon,and microbial population

In an ongoing field experiment, organic and conventional farming (control) were compared for onion bulb yield, biochemical quality, soil organic carbon (SOC), and microbial activity after the sixth cropping cycle. The treatments used for organic production were farmyard manure (FYM, 20,000 kg ha^?1), poultry manure (PM, 10,000 kg ha^?1), vermicompost (VC, 10,000 kg ha^?1), neem cake (NC, 5000 kg ha^?1), and a combination of FYM (5000 kg ha^?1), PM (2500 kg ha^?1), VC (2500 kg ha^?1), and NC (1250 kg ha^?1); all treatments were compared with the control. Organic treatments produced 24.6–43.6% lower yield consistently for 6 years than the control treatment. No significant difference was observed between PM, FYM, and VC treatments for the bulb yield. Bulb analysis during the sixth year indicated that plants that received FYM, PM, or VC had higher levels of total phenol, total flavonoid, ascorbic acid, and quercetin-3-glucoside than the control plants. All the five organically treated sets had significantly higher values of SOC, microbial population, fungal-to-bacterial ratio, and dehydrogenase activity than the control and the initial values in each treated set. The results indicate that FYM, PM, or VC application enhances biochemical quality and organic farming is more sustainable than conventional farming.