Characterization of sand fly breeding sites in district Malakand,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan, and evaluation of risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the region

Present study was carried to determine the sand fly species composition, breeding sites ecology, seasonal abundance, and spatial distribution in district Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In addition, risk factors associated with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were also evaluated. Survey of indoor and outdoor habitats was carried out using sticky traps in 31 villages of Dargai and Batkhela tehsils of Malakand. Soil from habitats of adult and immature sand flies was analysed. Questionnaire-based household survey was also performed in these villages to assess risk factors associated with CL. Soil samples from selected CL positive households were analysed for its contents. Additionally, clinicoepidemiological data from local health centres was examined for the year 2019. Total of 3,140 sand flies belonging to 18 species were collected. Phlebotomus sergenti was the most abundant species (38.16%). Its abundance had a strong positive correlation with mean monthly relative humidity and negative correlation with average temperature. Phlebotomus sergenti and Phlebotomus papatasi were abundant at an elevation ranging from 320 to 1,120 m above sea level and in agricultural lands near human settlements. Flight height preference apparatus collected maximum sand flies at 30 cm (1ft) above the ground and all species associated negatively with height. Soil analysis from habitats of adult and immature flies showed that highest mean number of adults and immatures were recorded from silt loam which carried highest concentrations of K₂O, Mg, Ca, and Zn. Number of immature sand flies correlated moderately (r = .7, p < .05) with K₂O soil concentrations. There was significant similarity between organic matter contents in soil samples from positive breeding sites and CL households (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, p = .1976). In multivariate analysis model for CL risk factors, age (26–35 and >35 years), knowledge of leishmaniasis, living in a middle and upper class, preachers visit to villages, and assumption that Afghan refugees are more prone to CL were significant. CL patient's archived data from health centres showed that majority of patients had lesions on face and hands. Patient's influx was highest in February and March.     

Supplementation of Selenium Nanoparticles-Loaded Chitosan Improves Production Performance,Intestinal Morphology,and Gut Microflora in Broiler Chickens

The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), combined or loaded with chitosan (COS), in broiler chickens reared under standard management protocols. The parameters under investigation were production performance, organ development, components of the intestinal barrier, and ileal microbial count. Two hundred and forty day-old chicks were raised in five groups, with each group containing eight replicates (n=6/replicate). The control group received a basal diet whereas the other four groups received basal diets supplemented with SeNPs (0.5 mg/kg), COS (200 mg/kg), SeNPs+COS (0.5 mg/kg SeNPs + 200 mg/kg COS), and SeNPs-loaded COS (SeNPs-L-COS) (200 mg/kg) respectively. On day 35, two birds/replicate were sampled to collect the viscera under investigation. The results revealed that dietary inclusion of SeNPs-L-COS increased (p<0.05) the body weight gain and improved (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio. Similarly, SeNPs-L-COS supplementation increased (p<0.05) the small intestinal villus surface area as well as the count of acidic goblet cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes when compared with the control group. Whereas the total goblet cell count was higher (p<0.05) in the small intestines of both the SeNPs+COS and SeNPs-L-COS groups. Microbial analysis of ileal contents also revealed an increase (p<0.05) in Lactobacilli species count with a concurrent decrease (p<0.05) in Escherichia coli count in the SeNPs-L-COS group when compared with the COS and control groups. Based on the results of the current trial, we can conclude that supplementation with SeNPs-L-COS is a superior combination for promoting the gut health and performance of broilers.     

Economic potential of rice precision farming in malaysia: the case study of Felcra Seberang Perak

Many attempts/efforts have been made to cope with the fluctuated production performance in rice production in Malaysia. There is a crucial need in technological advancement to tackle the issue of environmental variability, decreasing productivity and the rising cost in rice cultivation. The use of variable rate technology has increased rice yield through efficient resource allocation. Notwithstanding, an evaluation of the feasibility of this technology is required in terms of economic and intangible benefits. Therefore, this study attempted to determine the potential benefits that could come out of the use of precision agriculture technologies in rice cultivation. A precision farming technology package was developed by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. It consists of two components, namely a variable rate seed application system and a variable rate fertilizer application system. The study estimated the monetary benefits gained from the use of these two technology components at Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority Seberang Perak. The study also compared the performance of the technology package against the conventional practice. The Cost–Benefit Analysis exercise has been implemented to show the benefits and implications comprised in the study. It was found that there is an additional net income per hectare in between Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) 1109 to MYR 1333 due to the reduction in the production cost if the precision farming technology packages were adopted. The advancement in two cultivation stages showed a positive impact monetarily for both small-scale and large-scale farmers in the study. However, many challenges are to be faced for the technologies implementation since the existing rice cultivation recommended practices throughout all stages even yet to be practiced and taken seriously.

     

Efect of Auxinson Rooting of Appleinvitro

苹果（品种“Ｑｕｅｔｔａａｍｒｉ，“Ｋｕｌｕ”，“Ｋａｓｈｍｉｒｉａｍｒｉ”）幼芽（茎）培养在含不同水平（０～２．０ｍｇ／Ｌ）ＩＢＡ，ＮＡＡ或ＩＡＡ的１／２ＭＳ培养基上时，可以分化出根．与其它品种相比，“Ｋａｓｈｍｉｒｉａｍｒｉ”最易生根．各品种在低浓度生长素水平下的生根效果较好．ＩＢＡ比ＮＡＡ和ＩＡＡ对生根的促进作用大，在不含生长素的培养基上幼芽（茎）不能生根     

A comparison of peat properties in intact,afforested and restored raised and blanket bogs

Recognition of peatlands as a key natural store of terrestrial carbon has led to new initiatives to protect and restore them. Some afforested bogs are being clear-felled and restored (forest-to-bog restoration) to recover pre-afforestation ecosystem function. However, little is known about differences in the peat properties between intact, afforested and restored bogs. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to take 122 peat cores from three separate microforms associated with intact (hollows; hummocks; lawns), afforested and restored bogs (furrows; original surface; ridges) at two raised and two blanket bog locations in Scotland. Common physical and chemical peat properties at eight depths were measured in the laboratory. Differences in bulk density, moisture and carbon content between the afforested (mean = 0.103 g cm⁻³, 87.8% and 50.9%, respectively), intact (mean = 0.091 g cm⁻³, 90.3% and 51.3%, respectively) and restored bogs (mean = 0.095 g cm⁻³, 89.7% and 51.1%, respectively) were small despite their statistical significance. The pH was significantly lower in the afforested (mean = 4.26) and restored bogs (mean = 4.29) than the intact bogs (mean = 4.39), whereas electrical conductivity was significantly higher (mean: afforested = 34.2, restored = 38.0, intact = 25.3 μS cm⁻¹). While significant differences were found between treatments, effect sizes were mainly small, and greater differences in pH, electrical conductivity, specific yield and hydraulic conductivity existed between the different intact bogs. Therefore, interactions between geographic location and land management need to be considered when interpreting the impacts of land-use change on peatland properties and functioning.     

Effect of metC mutation on Salmonella Gallinarum virulence and invasiveness in 1-day-old White Leghorn chickens

Salmonella enterica serotype Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) is the causative agent of fowl typhoid (FT) in chickens. FT is a severe systemic disease of chickens causing heavy economic losses to the poultry industry through mortality, reduced egg production and culling of precious breeding stocks. In this study, a metC (encoding cystathionine beta lyase) mutant was produced from a virulent strain of S. Gallinarum by Mini-Tn5 insertional inactivation. The mutant was significantly attenuated in virulence for 1-day-old White Leghorn chickens. Inactivation of metC resulted in 10(4)-fold increase in the LD50 when compared with the wild type parent. The metC mutant showed an in vivo competitiveness defect in the challenged chickens and significantly lower (P < 0.01) bacterial burden in the reticuloendothelial organs when compared with the wild-type parent. These results indicate that metC gene is important for virulence of S. Gallinarum in chickens.     

Effect of potential bioinoculants and organic manures on root‐rot and wilt,growth, yield and quality of organically grown Coleus forskohlii in a semiarid tropical region of Bangalore (India)

Based on earlier results obtained in pot experiments, 2‐year field experiments were conducted with five bioinoculants and neem cake under organic field conditions (with vermicompost as a nutritional supplement) to evaluate their potential to control root‐rot and wilt (a complex problem involving Fusarium chlamydosporum and Ralstonia solanacearum) of the medicinal plant Coleus forskohlii. Plants treated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus fasciculatum), neem cake or Pseudomonas fluorescens showed significantly increased plant height (15–31%), plant spread (25–33%), number of branches (63–67%) and dry root (129–200%) yields, and reduced disease incidence (47–50%) compared to controls. Increases in yields were reflected by increases in N (51–81%), P (17–76%) and K (44–74%) uptake. The forskolin content of the roots was found not to be affected by any of the bioinoculants, but forskolin yield (calculated) was increased significantly by treatment with G. fasciculatum (227%), neem cake (222%) or P. fluorescens (159%).     

Identification and characterization of important sterile and maintainer lines from various genotypes for advanced breeding programmes of onion (Allium cepa)

Onion is one of the major vegetable crops in terms of production as well as consumption. In the current research, available onion genetic stock was evaluated to identify male-sterile lines and produce high-yielding F₁ hybrids for future breeding programmes. A mitochondrial DNA-based marker was mapped and correlated with phenotypic traits to isolate male-sterile plants. Based on the floral and pollen structure, nine putative male-sterile lines were identified. On the other hand, for nuclear marker identification at Ms locus, two sets of primers were used, one for Ms dominant allele and another for sterile and maintainer plants. Results revealed that 70% of open pollinated varieties (OPVs) possess plants with sterile cytoplasm coupled with genetic sterility at Ms locus, called sterile “A” line. Approximately 20% of plants in some genotypes were identified with normal (N) cytoplasm having recessive fertility gene at Ms locus, called maintainer “B” line. Based on the present findings, “A”, “B” and “R” (restorer line), future F₁ hybrid seed production systems in onion is discussed.     

Temperature Dependent Seed Transmission of Stagonospora nodorum in Wheat

The transmission of Stagonospora nodorum from four naturally infected winter wheat seedlots was quantified in controlled environment germination chambers at 9, 13, 17, 21, and 25 °C. Seedlings were harvested when the second leaf began to emerge. Coleoptiles and first seedling leaves were examined for the presence of lesions caused by S. nodorum. First leaves were incubated on Bannon's medium for 2 weeks, after which they were examined for pycnidia of S. nodorum. Transmission to the coleoptile occurred at all temperatures, but decreased from 100% to 72% as temperature increased from 9 to 25 °C. Transmission to the first leaf was less, dropping from 37% to 2% as temperature increased from 9 to 25 °C. At least 44% of infected first leaves were symptomless at all temperatures, with 96% of infected leaves showing no symptoms at 25 °C. Transmission to seedling leaves occurred over a broad temperature range. Under the high densities at which wheat is sown, a significant number of infected seedlings per unit area may originate from relatively low initial seed infection levels and transmission efficiencies.     

Assessment of reference dietary amino acid pattern for juvenile red sea bream, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagrus major</Emphasis>

Four semi-purified diets, containing crystalline amino acids (CAAs), were fed to juvenile red sea bream, Pagrus major in order to ascertain the ideal dietary amino acid pattern for this species. A control diet containing 50% casein–gelatin as protein sources, but no CAAs were fed to the fish. The other diets contained 30% casein–gelatin and 20% CAAs. CAAs were added to diets to simulate with amino acid pattern of the red sea bream eggs protein (REP), red sea bream larvae whole body protein (RLP), red sea bream juvenile whole body protein (RJP), and brown fishmeal protein (BFP). The juveniles (average initial body weight, 1.58 ± 0.01 g) were maintained in triplicate tanks and fed twice daily for 30 days. The highest weight gain was observed in juveniles fed the RJP diet. No significant difference was observed in juveniles fed the RLP and BFP diet. Feed efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio and amino acid retention in the whole body were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the simulated dietary amino acid patterns. The essential amino acid profile and A/E ratios of the whole body after the growth trial showed little difference among the dietary treatments. The results suggest that red sea bream juveniles are able to utilize high amounts of CAA in coated form. The amino acid pattern of RJP could be used as an appropriate of reference dietary amino acid for this species.