Chemical Composition and Ruminal Degradability of Spineless Cactus Grown in Northeastern Brazil

A study was conducted to determine chemical composition and ruminal nutrient degradability of eight spineless cactus cultivars grown in northeastern Brazil. Results showed that neutral detergent fiber was similar for all cultivars and averaged 249 g · kg^-1 ± 7.3 SEM. Acid detergent fiber ranged between 148 g · kg^-1 and 207 g · kg^-1 with some significant differences between cultivars. Starch and water-soluble carbohydrates were similar for all cultivars and averaged 198 g · kg^-1 ± 6.3 SEM and 155 g · kg^-1 ± 9.0 SEM, respectively. Protein content was less than 50 g · kg^-1 with some significant differences between cultivars. Calcium was the mineral with the highest concentration followed by potassium and magnesium with no differences between cultivars. Effective ruminal degradability of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber were unaffected by cultivar and averaged 701 g · kg^-1 ± 8.4 SEM and 503 g · kg^-1 ± 5.8 SEM, respectively. It was concluded that cultivars had little impact on chemical composition and ruminal degradability of spineless cactus. Based on chemical composition and in situ ruminal degradability, spineless cactus can be considered an excellent source of fermentable carbohydrates for grazing and nongrazing ruminants. Because of its high carbohydrate quality, spineless cactus can be used an emergency feed or as part of a complete diet providing that the diet contains an adequate amount of degradable protein.     

Trend of within-plot selection practiced in two seedling seed orchards ofAcacia mangium in Indonesia

A trend of within-plot selection was examined by applying a retrospective selection index to the results of the selection in two seedling seed orchards ofA. mangium at South Kalimantan in Indonesia. The orchards were established in randomized complete block design with ten replications of four tree row plots. Within-plot selections were conducted twice with around 50% of selection intensity in those orchards: at 22 months and at 51 months after planting, then the results were analyzed with the data on volume, stem form and bole length measured before each selection. Bole length was found to be the highest priority trait throughout the two stages of selection in both orchards. Growth expressed by volume was also an important criterion at the first within-plot selection, while the priority was not obvious at the second selection. Expected gains by within-plot selection were generally small, although predicted gains were positive on all of the three traits at each stage of selection. The seedling seed orchards analyzed in this study were established under a technical cooperation project between JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and Ministry of Forestry in Indonesia in collaboration with Inhutani 3.     

The potential of precision surface irrigation in the Indus Basin Irrigation System

In this research we explore the potential of precision surface irrigation to improve irrigation performance under the warabandi system prevalent in the Indus Basin Irrigation System. Data on field dimensions, field slopes along with characteristic soil infiltration properties and outlet discharge were collected through a survey of a sample tertiary unit of Maira Branch Canal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The performance of all fields in the tertiary unit was analysed and reported in aggregate, with detailed results of one field presented for illustration. The objective is to determine the optimum field layout, defined as the number of border strips, for the observed field characteristics to maximize performance. The results indicate that performance improvement is relatively easily achievable through changes in field layout within current irrigation services. Estimated application efficiency is sensitive to the selected depth of application, and it is important that a practical depth of application is selected. We recommend a depth of application of 50 mm and show how this is achievable and leads to a low quarter distribution uniformity of 0.750 and an application efficiency of 80 %. We also explore the feasibility of a 10-day warabandi rather than the 7-day warabandi and show that there is no significant change in the performance under a 10-day warabandi.     

‘On-farm’ seed priming with zinc sulphate solution—A cost-effective way to increase the maize yields of resource-poor farmers

The effect of adding zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄) to maize (Zea mays L.) growing on calcareous, Zn deficient soils in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan was assessed in vitro, on-station and in on-farm trials. The zinc sulphate was added either as a powder to the soil or by soaking seeds for 16 h in dilute solutions prior to sowing. For the first time in maize, we separated the benefits of priming simply with water from those provided by added zinc.     

Source Apportionment of the Atmospheric Aerosol in Lahore, Pakistan

Samples of airborne particulate matter (PM_2.5) were collected at a site in Lahore, Pakistan from November 2005 to January 2006. A total of 129 samples were collected using an Andersen Reference Ambient Air Sampler 2.5-400 sampler and analyzed for major ions, trace metals, and organic and elemental carbon concentrations. The data set was then analyzed by positive matrix factorization (PMF) to identify the possible sources of the atmospheric PM collected in this urban area. Six factors reproduced the PM_2.5 sample compositions with meaningful physical interpretation of the resolved factors. The sources included secondary PM, diesel emissions, biomass burning, coal combustion, two-stroke vehicle exhaust, and industrial sources. Diesel and two-stroke vehicles contributed about 36%, biomass burning about 15%, and coal combustion sources around 13% of the PM_2.5 mass. Nearly two thirds of the PM_2.5 mass is carbonaceous material. Secondary particles contributed about 30% of PM_2.5 mass. The conditional probability function (CPF) was then used to help identify likely locations of the sources present in this area. CPF analysis point to the east and northeast, which are directions of urban and industrial areas located across the border near Amritsar, India as the most probable source for high PM_2.5 concentration from diesel and two-stroke vehicles exhaust in Lahore. Analysis of those days within three different ranges of PM_2.5 concentration shows that most of the measured high PM_2.5 mass concentrations were driven by diesel and two-stroke vehicle emissions including the associated primary sulfate. The use of the potential source contribution function (PSCF) to find the source locations of regionally transported particles is inapplicable in situations when high PM_2.5 concentrations are dominated by local sources and local meteorology.     

Organic Nitrogen Source Addition for Improving the Physicochemical Properties of Sandy Loam Soil and Maize Performance

Poor quality of sandy loam soils ?is the main reason for low crop yield. Improvement of physicochemical properties of these soils is very challenging. Addition of organic sources may improve the soil properties. Therefore, this study investigated the adequacy of poultry-manure-compost (PMC) and pressmud-compost (PrMC) at 0 (control), 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 t ha^?1 for improving the physicochemical properties of sandy loam soil and maize performance. An increasing trend in most soil and crop traits was seen with increasing compost levels. For 10 t PMC ha^?1, soil inorganic-N (512%), organic-carbon (78%), and water-holding capacity (65.36%) improved maximum. This resulted in the maximum mean crop growth rate (43.85%), stover yield (94%), grain protein (21%), and nitrogen use efficiency (30.6 kg kg^?1). Contrarily, grain oil (?7%) was lowest at 10 t PMC ha^?1. Consequently, 10 t PMC ha^?1 could be much effective to improve the physicochemical properties of sandy loam soils and maize performance.     

Magnesium-28 in rain: produced by cosmic rays

Existence of magnesium-28 (half-life, 21.3 hours) produced by cosmic rays in rain at concentrations of 1.7 and 6.1 x 10(-1) atoms per milliliter was established radiochemically by isolating this nuclide from several hundred liters of rain samples collected at Fayetteville, Arkansas.     

Nutritional applications and beneficial health applications of green tea and l-theanine in some animal species: A review

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a popular herbal plant with abundant health benefits, and thus, it has been used as a potent antioxidant for a long time. Based on the available literature, the diversity and the availability of multifunctional compounds in green tea offer its noteworthy potential against many diseases such as liver and heart diseases, inflammatory conditions and different metabolic syndromes. Owing to its bioactive constituents including caffeine, amino acids, l -theanine, polyphenols/flavonoids and carbohydrates among other potent molecules, green tea has many pharmacological and physiological effects. The effects of green tea include anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-stress, hypolipidaemic, hypocholesterolaemic, skin/collagen protective, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-infective, anti-parasitic, anti-cancerous, inhibition of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, anti-mutagenic, and memory and bone health-improving activities. Apart from its utilization in humans, green tea has also played a significant role in livestock production such as in dairy, piggery, goatry and poultry industries. Supplementation of animal feeds with green tea and its products is in line with the modern concepts of organic livestock production. Hence, incorporating green tea or green tea by-products into the diet of poultry and other livestock can enhance the value of the products obtained from these animals. Herein, an effort is made to extend the knowledge on the importance and useful applications of green tea and its important constituents in animal production including poultry. This review will be a guideline for researchers and entrepreneurs who want to explore the utilization of feeds supplemented with green tea and green tea by-products for the enhancement of livestock production.     

Application of Wastewater Irrigation on Growth and Yield of Chilli Under Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilization

In the present study a pot experiment was carried out in 2009 where different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) combinations with soil (N₀P₀, N₂₀P₃₀, N₂₀P₆₀, N₄₀P₃₀, and N₄₀P₆₀) were taken into pots. Nutritional growth and yield such as length, fresh and dry weight, leaf area, leaf number, pedicle length, fruit length, fruit number, and seed content were significant at P?≤?0.05. Evaluation of data reveals that plant growth parameters and yield of chilli significantly increased in wastewater treatment with 20 kg ha^?1 N and 30 kg ha^?1 P in comparison to groundwater treatments. It was also found that higher dose of fertilizers with wastewater decreases plant growth and development of Capsicum annuum L. Thus it was concluded that wastewater reuse as a source of nutrient may not only solves the problems of the more use of chemical fertilizers but also decreases the fresh water scarcity in agriculture land.