Factors Affecting the Selection of Information Sources of Sustainable Agricultural Practices by Malaysian Vegetable Farmers

Information is key in reducing the uncertainties of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs). The objective of this study was to improve the understanding of the relationship between utilized informational sources and other key identified factors affecting Malaysian vegetable producers' choices. The findings of a multivariate probit model suggest that information sources are complementary. The choices for these sources are influenced by heterogeneity in access to credit, social network (member of farmers association), and farm settings (distance from farm to market, resource depletion issues, and geographical regions). Future promotion of SAPs should be delivered through the provision of quality content disseminated through the preferred information sources, which target potential users.     

Peste des petits ruminants infection in domestic ruminants in Sudan

The existence of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in domestic ruminants and camels in Sudan during 2008–2012 was investigated. Lung tissues and serum samples were randomly collected from sheep, goats, cattle, and camels at different areas of Sudan. A total of 12,384 serum samples were collected from clinically healthy 7413 sheep, 1988 camels, 1501 cattle, 1459 goats, and 23 gazelles at different areas in the Sudan. They were examined for PPR antibodies using competitive ELISA (cELISA). The overall detected seroprevalence of PPR in tested sera was 49.4%; seroprevalence values within species were 67.1, 48.2, 25.8, 2.1, and 21.7% in sheep, goat, cattle, camels, and gazelles, respectively. The highest seroprevalence (68.1%) was observed in sera collected from Darfur states, then the central states (54.3%). A total of 1276 lung tissue samples (623 sheep, 324 cattle, 220 camels, and 109 goats) were collected. The majority of lung samples were collected from clinically healthy animals that showed lesions on PM in slaughterhouses (95%) and during PPR outbreaks; samples were tested for PPR antigen using immunocapture ELISA (IcELISA). PPR antigen was detected in 233 out of the 1276 tested samples (18.3%). Positive results were observed in samples collected from clinically healthy and diseased animals. The observed prevalence values in each species were 33.6, 21.1, 15.4, and 12.3% in camel, goat, sheep, and cattle, respectively. PPR antigen was detected in samples from different areas; however, the highest prevalence (63.9%) was found in samples collected from the eastern states, then Khartoum state (28%). Trials for virus isolation were done in different cell cultures. Out of 30 IcELISA-positive samples inoculated in primary bovine and ovine kidney cells, Vero cells, the PPR virus was successfully isolated from 15 (eight sheep, five camels, and two goats) samples in the three cell culture types. Using RT-PCR, PPRV nucleic acid was detected in all 25 IcELISA-positive tested samples.     

Nutritional status of Washington Navel orange orchards in arid lands of southern Iran

Nutrient deficiency may be a reason for citrus decline in many countries. In the current investigation, soil and leaf samples of 63 Washington Navel orange orchards in arid lands of southern Iran (Darab region) were analyzed to study the nutritional status of orange orchards and to find relationships between soil properties and nutrients content of soils and orange leaves. The soils differed widely in clay content (3–37%), pH value (7.04–7.95), calcium carbonate equivalent (18–86%), and organic matter content (0.3–12%). These soils represented a wide range of plant nutrients concentration. Majority of the studied soils had sufficient concentrations of all nutrients (except Fe). Results indicated that pH, organic matter, clay, and calcium carbonate contents are the most important characteristics that control the soil nutrients availability. The mean contents of N, K, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu in leaves were 2.59, 0.84, and 0.14% and 66, 44, 17, and 12?mg?kg^?1, respectively. Most orchards showed K, Fe, and Zn deficiencies. We found no relationships between nutrients content in leaf and soil (except for K, Mn, and Zn); and this indicated that soil analysis may not be a reliable method for most nutrient deficiency diagnosis.     

Prevalence of thin-walled <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sarcocystis cruzi</Emphasis> and thick-walled <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sarcocystis hirsuta</Emphasis> or <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sarcocystis hominis</Emphasis> from cattle in Iran

Bovine sarcocystosis is caused by Sarcocystis cruzi and is known to cause considerable morbidity and mortality in cattle. This species is distributed worldwide in cattle and is the most prevalent of the Sarcocystis species infecting cattle. There is high infection rate of sarcocyst in cattle in Iran, but to our knowledge, there is no study about identification of Sarcocystis species. This work aimed to survey prevalence of S. cruzi cyst in slaughtered cattle of Isfahan, Iran. In this study, esophageal and diaphragmatic muscles of 100 cattle were collected from Fesaran abattoir of Isfahan and examined for the presence of Sarcocystis spp. cysts macroscopically and microscopically. No macroscopic sarcocysts were found in any of the samples. In light microscopy, 89 out of 100 cattle (89%) had thin-walled cysts of S. cruzi, while 21 out of them (21%) had thick-walled sarcocysts. In addition to light microscopy, ultrastructural features of the thin-walled cyst confirmed the presence of S. cruzi.     

Development of New Submergence Tolerant Rice Variety for Bangladesh Using Marker-Assisted Backcrossing

Submergence tolerant high yielding rice variety was developed using BR11 as a recipient parent applying foreground, phenotypic and background selection approaches. Recombinant selection was found essential to minimize linkage drag by BC2F2 generation. Without recombinant selection, the introgression size in the backcross recombinant lines(BRLs) was approximately 15 Mb on the carrier chromosome. The BRLs were found submergence tolerance compared to the check varieties under complete submergence for two weeks at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, and produced higher yield compared to the isogenic Sub1-line under control ed submerged condition. The BRL IR85260-66-654-Gaz2 was released as BRRI dhan52 in 2010, which was the first high yielding submergence tolerant variety in Bangladesh. BRRI dhan52 produced grain yield ranging from 4.2 to 5.2 t/hm2 under different flash flood prone areas of Bangladesh in three consecutive seasons. The study demonstrated the efficiency of recombinant selection and better adaptability of the newly released submergence tolerant high yielding variety in flash flood prone different areas of the country with respect to submergence tolerance and yield potential.     

新疆草原毒草白喉乌头高光谱特征提取与分析研究

以新疆伊犁州伊宁县托乎拉苏草原的典型毒草白喉乌头为研究对象,采用美国ASD公司的FieldSpec Pro FR型便携式地物光谱仪测得其高光谱数据,通过Savitzky-Golay平滑滤波处理、光谱微分、包络线去除处理,提取并分析其高光谱特征,对变换处理后的光谱运用马氏距离法提取出最佳识别波段,分析其冠层光谱特征。结果表明,白喉乌头与牧草在750~1 150 nm波段范围内具有明显差异,且白喉乌头在不同生长状况下,其反射率曲线差异也较大;通过光谱分析,白喉乌头有不明显的"双峰",而牧草只有1个峰,红边参数表现为白喉乌头牧草;去包络线处理后发现,不同植被类型在光谱吸收谷具有明显差异;通过最佳识别波段分析,得到了白喉乌头与牧草的最佳识别波段;植被指数分析发现,RVI差异最大,可以用于遥感影像植被指数分析及白喉乌头监测。     

Functionalization of graphene nanosheets and its dispersion in PMMA/PEO blend: Thermal,electrical, morphological and rheological analyses

Graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) was chemically functionalized by amine groups for improvement of compatibility in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend. PMMA/PEO (90/10) nanocomposites with non-functionalized GnP and functionalized GnP (FGnP) were prepared by solution casting method. Successful grafting of amine groups on the GnP surface was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the dispersion state of FGnP was better than that of GnP in PMMA/PEO nanocomposites. The effects of FGnP and GnP on rheological, thermal and electrical properties of PMMA/PEO nanocomposites were investigated by various methods. The results indicated that the FGnP-based nanocomposites had higher storage modulus, glass transition temperature and thermal stability as compared to the GnP-based nanocomposites. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites with FGnP was better than that of GnP-based nanocomposites. The higher conductivity was attributed to homogeneous and well dispersion state of FGnP in PMMA/PEO nanocomposites.     

Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitory and Anti-Hypertensive Effect of Protein Hydrolysate from Actinopyga lecanora (Sea Cucumber) in Rats

Food protein hydrolysates are known to exhibit angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory properties and can be used as a novel functional food for prevention of hypertension. This study evaluated the ACE inhibitory potentials of Actinopyga lecanora proteolysate (ALP) in vivo. The pre-fed rats with ALP at various doses (200, 400, 800 mg/kg body weight) exhibited a significant (p ≤ 0.05) suppression effect after inducing hypertension. To determine the optimum effective dose that will produce maximal reduction in blood pressure, ALP at three doses was fed to the rats after inducing hypertension. The results showed that the 800 mg/kg body weight dose significantly reduced blood pressure without noticeable negative physiological effect. In addition, there were no observable changes in the rats’ heart rate after oral administration of the ALP. It was concluded that Actinopyga lecanora proteolysate could potentially be used for the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals for prevention and treatment of hypertension.     

Response of Yield and Some Physiological Traits of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to Topping Height and Application Methods of Zn and Ca Nano-Chelates

Groundnut is an annual legume and important oilseed crop in the world. In order to evaluate the influence of the topping height and application methods of Zinc (Zn) and Calcium (Ca) nano-chelates on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of groundnut, these experiments were carried out during the 2016–2017 cropping seasons on groundnut in Iran. Both foliar and in soil applications of Zn and Ca nano-chelates improved groundnut yield. Foliar application of Zn nano-chelate in combination with topping the main stem 20 cm above the ground produced the highest 100-seed weight (82.19 g), seed yield per unit area (2722.5 kg.h^?1), harvest index (57.53%), biological yield (6540.00 kg.h^?1), oil yield (1486.76 kg.h^?1), protein yield (742.66 kg.h^?1), seed Zn content (12.08 ppm) and Ca content (35.86 ppm). The application of Zn nano-chelate had different positive influences on vegetative and reproductive growth of groundnut plants. Generally, optimizing of the nutritional status in groundnut plants with Ca and Zn supplements is recommended to enhance the quantitative and qualitative yield of groundnut.