Chemically Modified Crop Residues as a Low-Cost Technique for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Wastewater

Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of type of crop residues and chemical pretreatment solutions on the removal efficiency of heavy metal ions at different concentrations of synthetic wastewater solutions. Rice straw, cotton stalks, and maize stalks were pretreated with different solutions (i.e., sulfuric acid, oxalic acid, sodium hydroxide, and distilled water as the control treatment) in order to increase their metal-binding capacity. Results indicated that cotton stalks were the best biosorbent material according to their efficiency in removal of heavy metal ions. Sodium hydroxide was the best chemical pretreatment method for stimulating the biosorption capacity of crop residues. Ions of Pb²⁺ had the highest biosorption ratio among all competitive ions, whereas Mn²⁺ ions had the lowest. The removal efficiency decreased as the concentration of heavy metal ions increased in aqueous solutions. Sorption equilibrium isotherms could be described by the Langmuir model in most cases, whereas an isotherm of S shape was observed in other cases, which did not follow the Langmuir isotherm model. In conclusion, cotton stalks pretreated with sodium hydroxide could be used as an efficient technique for wastewater remediation prior to irrigation due to its low-cost, little processing, and high biosorption capacity.     

Seasonality and photoperiod influence in vitro production of buffalo embryos

Buffalo is considered short-day breeder in tropical and subtropical part of the world and seasonality and photoperiodism impart major influence on its fertility. However, its impact on in vitro embryo production (IVEP) remains elusive. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of seasonal variations and photoperiodism on morphological and molecular parameters of IVEP in buffalo. For this purpose, we conducted two different experiments on the oocytes obtained by aspirating follicles from abattoir derived ovaries. In Exp. I, retrospective analysis was performed for oocyte recovery, blastocyst and hatching rate, during four consecutive seasonal periods (i.e. January–March, April–June, July–September and October–December). In Exp. II, oocytes from peak breeding and non-breeding seasons were subjected to 24 hr in vitro maturation and evaluated for polar body extrusion to assess maturation rate. Results showed that embryo development was markedly low during second quarter (April–June) and maximum during fourth quarter (October–December) of the year; referred as non-breeding and breeding seasons, respectively. Comparative data analysis demonstrated that poor oocyte quality is major reason for lesser efficiency of embryo production during non-breeding season than peak breeding season as suggested by poor oocyte recovery (2.31 ± 0.10 vs. 3.65 ± 0.27) and maturation rate (33.32 ± 2.1 vs. 63.15 ± 7.31). Subsequently, comparative gene expression analysis of blastocysts during peak breeding season significantly upregulated pluripotency gene (OCT-4) and downregulated heat shock protein 90, as compared to non-breeding season. Therefore, it could be divulged from the present study that seasonal variations and photoperiodism have profound effect on oocyte quality and subsequent embryo development. It is recommended to find suitable additives for in vitro maturation that could mitigate seasonal effects.     

Effect of dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis spores on growth performance,oxidative status,and digestive enzyme activities in Japanese quail birds

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The present trial investigated the feeding effect of B. subtilis spores on growth performance, blood metabolites, antioxidative status, and digestive enzyme...     

Effect of alkaline and sonication pretreatments on the rumen degradability of date palm seeds

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of chemical treatment and sonication (ultrasound) processing on the fiber composition and...     

Effect of dietary supplemental ascorbic acid and folic acid on the growth performance,redox status,and immune status of broiler chickens under heat stress

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental L-ascorbic acid (AA) and folic acid (FA) on broiler chickens under heat stress (HS) conditions when supplemented either alone or in combination. For this aim, the effect of these supplements on the broilers’ growth performance, some blood parameters, antioxidant, and immune status were evaluated. Hatchling Cobb-500 broilers (total = 240) were fed either corn and soybean meal-based diet (control group) or basal diet supplemented with 200 mg AA/kg diet, 1.5 mg FA/kg diet, or 200 mg AA plus 1.5 mg FA/kg diet, for 35 days during the summer months (n = 6 replicates/group, 10 birds/replicate). The minimum and maximum average temperatures ranged from 84.5 to 96.2 °F, and the relative humidity ranged from 68.5 to 76.5%. Supplemented vitamins either alone and (or) in combination increased (P < 0.01) broilers’ growth performance, thyroid hormones levels, insulin growth factor1, blood hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, globulin, heat shock protein70, total antioxidant capacity, catalase enzyme activity, superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus, and decreased (P < 0.01) heterophil/lymphocytes. The effects (P < 0.01) of the supplemented vitamins on the analyzed parameters were better when they were added in combination. In conclusion, the combination of AA and FA at 200 and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively, increased the broilers’ antioxidant status with coordinated improvement in the growth performance and health status under HS.

     

Gross morphological features of the air sacs of the hooded crow (Corvus cornix)

Air sacs are considered to be one of the controlling factors of bird behaviour and habits in addition to their roles in ventilation, regulating body temperature, swimming and flight. As a scavenger and an omnivorous flight bird, air sacs of the hooded crow were the focus of this study. Eight healthy, adult hooded crows were used to examine the morphological characteristics of the air sacs, which were examined grossly and with latex and cast preparations. In general, the morphological overview of the hooded crow air sacs is similar to other avian species. We observed nine air sacs; four paired sacs (cervical, cranial thoracic, caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs) and one unpaired sac; the clavicular air sac. The cervical air sac communicated to the lung through the medioventral bronchus and had three diverticula; intermuscular, subscapular and subcutaneous. The clavicular air sac communicated with lung through the medioventral bronchus and had subscapular, axillary, humeral, subpectoral and sternal diverticula. The cranial and caudal thoracic air sacs were communicated with lung through the lateroventral bronchi and the both sacs did not have any diverticula. The abdominal air sacs were posterior to the caudal thoracic air sacs. The left abdominal sac was the largest air sac. The right and left abdominal sacs gave off branches to diverticula that pneumatized synsacrum. The abdominal air sacs gave off femoral diverticula behind the hip joint as well as perirenal diverticula.     

Effect of pre-harvest foliar application of amino acids and seaweed (Ascophylum nodosum) extract on growth,yield, and storage life of different bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars grown under hydroponic conditions

The study was set up to evaluate the efficiency of amino acids and seaweed on vegetative growth, reproductive phase, yield, and postharvest storage quality of hydroponically grown bell pepper cultivars “Sven Rz F-1” and “Red Knight.” Different concentrations of amino acid and seaweed were sprayed on bell pepper plants under hydroponic conditions. Pre-harvest foliar application of amino acids and seaweed significantly increased plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, yield per plant, number of marketable fruits per plant, average fruit diameter, fruit wall thickness, and average single fruit weight. Amino acid and seaweed significantly improved postharvest physicochemical quality of both bell pepper cultivars under extended cold storage conditions. Conclusively, amino acid as well as seaweed extract not only improved growth, development, yield, and overall quality of bell pepper cultivars but also increased storage life with reduced weight loss and decay along with better physicochemical quality.