Leaf gas exchange and water-use efficiency of dry-land wheat genotypes under water stressed and non-stressed conditions

The objective of this study was to determine drought tolerance characteristics of dryland wheat genotypes based on leaf gas exchange and water-use efficiency in order to identify promising genotypes for drought tolerance breeding. Physiological responses of ten genetically diverse wheat genotypes were studied under non-stressed (NS) and water stressed (WS) conditions using a 2?×?10 factorial experiment replicated 3 times. A highly significant water condition?×?genotype interaction (P?<?0.001) was observed for photosynthetic rate (A), ratio of photosynthetic rate and internal CO₂ concentration (A/C_i), ratio of internal and atmospheric CO₂ (C_i/C_a), intrinsic (WUE_i) and instantaneous (WUE_inst) water-use efficiencies suggesting genotypic variability among wheat genotypes under both test conditions. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified three principal components (PC’s) under both test conditions accounting for 84% and 89% of total variation, respectively. Bi-plot analysis identified G339 and G344 as drought tolerant genotypes with higher values of A, T, gs, A/C_i, WUE_i and WUE_inst under WS condition. The current study detected significant genetic variation for drought tolerance among the tested wheat genotypes using physiological parameters. Genotypes G339 and G344 were identified to be drought tolerant with efficient A, T, gs, A/Ci and water-use under water stressed condition.     

Design and implementation of an electronic mobile poultry production documentation system

Documentation is a major component of any traceability system where traceability is defined in the ISO Regulation 8402:1994 as the ability to trace the history, application and location of what is under consideration. Traceability systems are record keeping systems designed to track the flow of product or product attributes through the production process or supply chain. All international supply chains are forced to comply with traceability requirements. In this paper, we develop and implement an end-to-end mobile application prototype that traces the poultry production. This application consists of front-end and back-end systems. At the front-end, the worker uses a GPRS enabled handheld device (cell phone, PDA, etc.) to capture information on poultry operations collected at a remote chicken farm and transmit it to a back-end server in the main office. Through customized application the back-end server analyses all information received from the front-end and based on a built-in business process and business rules, intelligently updates various stakeholders of any breach of bio-security measures that requires immediate attention. The proposed system administrators can also access this application via Internet for management decision making. The back-end system consists of web server, defined business application logic and database server.     

Response of four indigenous cattle breeds to natural tsetse and trypanosomosis challenge in the Ghibe valley of Ethiopia

A comparative study on the response of four indigenous cattle breeds of Ethiopia, namely Abigar, Horro, Sheko and Gurage, to natural challenge of trypanosomosis in the Tolley-Gullele area of the Ghibe valley has been undertaken from August 2000 until August 2004. Fifty female yearlings each of Horro, Sheko and Abigar and 31 of the Gurage were purchased from their natural habitats and introduced in to medium to high tsetse-trypanosomosis challenge area of the Ghibe valley. While the natural habitats of first three breeds are naturally infested with tsetse flies and trypanosomosis, that of the Gurage is known to be very minimal, if any, and hence the Gurage breed was used in this study as the known susceptible breed. During the study animal health, production performance and tsetse fly situation were monitored monthly. The Sheko breed has manifested very significantly (p<0.001) high overall average packed cell volume (PCV) values (25%) compared to that of Abigar (24%), Horro (23%) and Gurage (22%). It also had the lowest mean trypanosome prevalence rate of 9% against 23% of Horro, 26% of Abigar and 27% of Gurage, and the least number of Berenil treatments (1.36) compared to Abigar (4.0), Horro (4.6) and Gurage (6.7). While the Abigar manifested high sensitivity and frequent death to PCV depression, the Horro showed strong resilience to PCV depression and better response to Berenil treatment assistance. At this stage the Sheko breed was also found to be equal to the other breeds in its reproductive performance. These results need to be substantiated with further in-depth investigation including immune response, animal behavior and environmental influences.     

Comparison of nuclear and capacitance‐based soil water measuring techniques in salt‐affected soils

A field calibration experiment was carried out on salt‐affected clayey soil in Syria, to compare the sensitivity to soil electrical conductivity (ECe), and bulk density (ρ_b) of two instruments for estimating soil moisture: the neutron probe (NP) and the Diviner 2000 capacitance probe (CP). The results showed that the values of the correlation coefficient of the calibration were decreased when the ECe and ρ_b values increased; this decrease was more pronounced for the Diviner 2000, indicating that it was more sensitive to ρ_b and ECe than the NP. When only scaled frequency was used in the fitted equation, the Diviner 2000 in wet soil underestimated soil water content significantly at all depths, but especially in the top layer, by up to 0.09 cm³/cm³ compared with gravimetric determinations. However, in dry soil, the Diviner 2000 overestimated the volumetric water content by up to 0.05 cm³/cm³ in the top 15 cm, and by 0.03 cm³/cm³ at 30‐45 cm depth. The performance of the neutron probe was better overall; using a factory calibration curve no significant differences were observed between NP estimates and the gravimetric values. Including both ρ_b and ECe in the calibration equations improved the fits, although the regression coefficient (R²) for the Diviner 2000 remained low.     

The pathogenesis of experimental Haemonchus longistipes infection in camels

The pathogenesis and clinical signs of Haemonchus longistipes infection were studied in four experimentally infected camels two of which were adults and the other two were young. In the former animals, an acute infection developed, characterized by mucoid diarrhoea, anorexia, anaemia, loss of body weight, oedema of the lower parts of the limbs, general malaise and death at 8-10 weeks post-infection. In the two younger camels, a less dramatic disease was encountered with less severe symptoms and no oedema, but also terminating fatally at 19-20 weeks post-infection. Parasitological, haematological and biochemical parameters were determined during the course of the infection and were mostly comparable with those usually encountered in haemonchosis of other animals.     

Chemical composition of purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), grown under greenhouse conditions, was harvested at three growth stages and analyzed for total solids, total protein, ash, soluble carbohydrate, and fructose/fructane in whole plants, leaves, stems, and roots. Significant increases were observed in total solids and protein during plant maturation. Leaves had the highest amount of protein in the third growth stage (44.25g/100g dry matter). Roots showed a decline in protein level as the plant aged. Soluble carbohydrate was significantly higher in growth states 1 and 3. Significant variation among growth stages was found with regard to total phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron, managanese, and copper. Total phosphorus (P) content in leaves was significantly higher than P found in stems and roots. Iron (Fe) content varied significantly among growth stages, and roots and leaves had the highest Fe content (121.47 and 33.21 mg, respectively). Significant accumulation of managanese (Mn) was found in different growth stages. Leaves and roots had significantly higher Mn content than stems.     

Comparison of Antioxidant Activity and Antioxidant Components in Lettuce,Onion and Tomato Obtained with Different Levels and Forms of Nitrogen Fertilization

The effect of N levels and sources on the antioxidant components in vegetable is not completely understood. Therefore, greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the changes in antioxidant capacity diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH） and ferric reducing antioxidant power （FRAP）, total phenolics, ascorbic acid, total carotene and lycopene contents in edible portions of lettuce, onion and tomato due to different nitrogen levels and sources. The experiment included three N levels （20, 40 and 60 kg/ha for lettuce trial and 60, 120 and 180 kg/ha for either onion or tomato） and four nitrogen sources （calcium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and urea）. The antioxidant capacity and phenolic contents in lettuce was enhanced under low nitrogen level, while the antioxidant capacities, phenolics, carotenoids and lycopene in tomato fruits were not significantly affected by the nitrogen dose applied. Application of calcium nitrate caused 50% increase in DPPH and 20% in FRAP of lettuce compared to other nitrogen forms. Tomato treated with calcium nitrate or ammonium sulphate had higher phenolic and ascorbic acid contents than treated plants with ammonium nitrate or urea. Antioxidant tested parameters of onion were not significantly affected by the nitrogen treatments. Nitrogen concentration in tomato fruits significantly correlated with FRAP antioxidant capacity, phenolics, ascorbic acid, carotene and lycopene contents.     

Genetic analysis of the maximum germination distance of Striga under Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae biocontrol in sorghum

Maximum germination distance(MGD) is an important component of Striga resistance in sorghum. The objective of this study was to determine gene action influencing MGD of Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica among selected sorghum lines treated with a biocontrol agent, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae(FOS) for effective breeding with Striga resistance, and FOS compatibility. Twelve sorghum genotypes were selected based on their Striga resistance, FOS compatibility, and superior agronomic performance. Selected genotypes were crossed using a bi-parental mating design to generate six families for genetic analysis. Agar-gel assays were used to determine low haustorium initiation factor(LHF) using the 12 parental lines, their F_1 progenies, backcross derivatives, and F_2 segregants in two sets. One set had S. hermonthica seed and the other one had S. asiatica seed. Both were treated with and without FOS. Genotypes were evaluated using a split-plot design with three replications and MGD data were recorded followed by generation mean analysis. FOS reduced MGD by 1cm under both S. hermonthica and S. asiatica infestations. Additive, dominance, and epistatic gene actions were involved in the control of MGD of the two Striga species in the evaluated populations. On average, the relative contribution of additive, additive×additive and dominance×dominance genetic effects on the MGD of S. hermonthica and S. asiatica, with FOS, were 20, 33, and 36%; and 21, 32, and 35%, respectively. Breeding methods exploiting these genetic effects may provide enhanced response to selection for Striga resistance and FOS compatibility in integrated Striga management(ISM) programmes.     

Predicting early pregnancy in Egyptian buffalo cows via measuring uterine and luteal blood flows,and serum and saliva progesterone

Various methods are being employed to detect early pregnancy in domestic animals. This study aimed to predict early pregnancy in buffaloes via measuring the corpus luteum (CL) diameter, the luteal blood flow (LBF) area, the uterine blood flow (UBF) vascularization area, and progesterones in saliva and serum for non-pregnant (NPBs, N = 12) and pregnant (PBs, N = 12) buffaloes. The results revealed that the CL diameter and the luteal color blood flow blue and red (P = 0.0001) areas of the pregnant animals kept increasing from day 1 to day 35 of the gestation period, but it decreased in NPBs on day 21 after reaching a peak from ovulation to day 18. Interestingly, the UBF of the pregnant buffaloes (PBs) kept increasing (P = 0.0001) from ovulation to day 42. The difference of the CL diameter (P = 0.03) and the LBF color blue vascularization area (P = 0.002) between PBs and NPBs became clear from day 14 after ovulation, though the difference of UBF between PBs and NPBs became markedly obvious from day 7 after breeding. Both saliva (P = 0.001) and serum (P = 0.0001) progesterones of PBs continued increasing (P = 0.0001) from day 14 to day 35, but those of NPBs started decreasing (P = 0.0001) from day 14 and reached low values on day 21. Therefore, measuring saliva progesterone in addition to the high LBF (day 14) and UBF (day 7) of the pregnant buffaloes using a Doppler ultrasound could be applicable as noninvasive methods to detect early pregnancy and to improve reproductive management of buffaloes.