Development and Acceptability of a Ready-to-Eat Β-Carotene Rich,Maize Based Supplementary Product

Low cost supplementary products using maize were developed and made using extrusion. -carotene rich sources like curry leaf, carrot, red palm oil were used at different level to increase vitamin A precursor Levels and, therefore, vitamin A. Incorporation of curry leaf powder and carrot powder at 30 percent level and 30:70 blend of red palm oil and groundnut oil were found to be more acceptable than the products made with other levels. These products were tasted for acceptability by preschool children and were analysed for energy, protein, fat and -carotene contents. The control, fresh and stored supplementary products contained 1.707, 1.922, 1.919 MJ, 11.0, 11.6, 10.36 g protein, 10.2, 10.4, 9.64 g fat, 0, 7.37,6.72 mg -carotene per 100g, respectively. The loss of -carotene in processing and storage of curry leaf and carrot supplemented products was 13.69, 6.25 and 20.24, 8.06 percent, respectively.     

Ranking parents by best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) breeding values in oil palm

Summary Breeding values obtained from best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) were used to rank nine pisifera (P) male parents belonging to two different but related genetic groups, utilising highly unbalanced data from three D (Dura) × P progeny-test trials of oil palm. The traits studied were fresh fruit bunch yield (FFB), total number of bunches (BNo), average bunch weight (BW), oil to bunch percentage (OB) and average annual height increment (HINC). Four P's from the AVROS genetic group had higher breeding values for FFB, BNo and OB while five P's from the Dumpy-AVROS group were superior in breeding values for BW and HINC. Selection of parents based on the average of the rankings in breeding value for BNo, OB and HINC for each parent tended to favour AVROS P's. However, selection of parents based on the aggregate genetic worth function involving relative economic values, tended to favour Dumpy-AVROS P's. The latter method is preferred to the average ranking method because of its emphasis on relative economic values and the selection index approach.It is suggested that the BLUP technique may prove to be a very useful tool in oil palm breeding.     

Dris calculation methods for evaluating the nutritional status of oil palm in the Eastern Amazon

This study aimed to evaluate six Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) calculation methods, including two ways to choose the nutrient ratio [F (Letzsch) or R (Nick) values] combined with three functions (Beaufils, Jones, or Elwali and Gascho), and to generate nutritional diagnoses for oil palm. A total of 144 foliar samples in 33 plots in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil, were used. Except for potassium (K) in all calculation methods, the DRIS indices showed no correlation with soil nutrients. Regardless of the formula, the nutritional balance index correlated with the productivity (significant r values) and similar diagnostics were obtained. These diagnoses were reliable according to the chi-square test (χ2), and most observed frequencies presented χ2 calculated less than χ2 tabulated. The average frequencies of samples with nutrient deficiency were 51%, 42%, 37%, 35%, 32%, 30%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 12%, and 12% for samples with nitrogen (N), boron (B), manganese (Mn), sulfur (S), K, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg), respectively. All tested DRIS methods may be used, and their diagnoses indicate the most common nutritional deficiencies in oil palm.     

Influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on phosphate fertilizer efficiency in two tropical acid soils planted with micropropagated oil palm (Elaeis guineensis jacq.)

Summary The influence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae on the efficiency of triple superphosphate and rock phosphate fertilizers was compared in two tropical, acid, P-fixing soils (Ivory Coast) in which the available P was labelled with ³²PO _inf4 ^sup3- . Both soils were planted with micropropagated oil palms. The growth reponses to the fertilizer applications were low unless accompanied by VAM inoculation, but both fertilizers were equally available to plants. Isotopic-dilution kinetics analyses indicated that the rock phosphate was solubilized in both soils and there was an enrichment of the labile pool of plant-available P, similar to that with superphosphate. The specific activity and the fraction of P derived from either fertilizer was similar in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, showing that both absorbed P from the same labile pool of P in the fertilized soils. However, VAM inoculation increased the fertilizer utilization coefficient of plants 2.7- to 5.6-fold, depending on the soil and fertilizer. We conclude that VAM inoculation increases fertilizer efficiency, as much of rock phosphate as of superphosphate, for plants growing in acid, P-fixing soils, and the processes involved are not different for the two fertilizers.     

Impact of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) cultivation on some chemical and microbiological properties of an ultisol

Summary Soil samples collected from oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fields of various ages and from adjacent bush fallow were analyzed for macronutrient elements and for total numbers of bacteria and fungi and the most probable number of algae. Nitrogenase activities of soil samples collected from 20-year-old oil-palm plantations were also determined. Oil-palm fields showed increases in total N and total algae but decreases in available P, total C, the base nutrient elements and total bacteria, compared to adjacent bush fallow, but these changes were not statistically significant except for exchangeable Ca. This indicates that oil-palm ecosystems can maintain soil fertility in line with those of fallow lands undergoing soil regeneration in the tropics. Oil-palm soil was also nitrogenase positive — an indication of potential N₂-fixation.     

低温胁迫下油棕幼苗的某些生理生化特性

观测盆栽油棕幼苗在低温胁迫下的一些生理指标变化.结果表明,随着温度的下降和低温胁迫时间的延长,油棕幼苗叶片相对含水量和可溶性蛋白含量不断下降;可溶性糖含量、脯氨酸含量、束缚水/自由水的比值、SOD、POD、CAT活性先上升而后下降;MDA含量和相对电导率不断增大;油棕幼苗正常生长的临界温度约为10℃,其可忍受低温的温度范围约为4～7℃;抗寒性弱的油棕幼苗品种在4℃下可忍受6 d左右.     

油棕的花序和花组织形态解剖结构观察

为了解油棕花序和雌雄花结构特点,分别取油棕雌雄花序,在体式显微镜下观察雌雄花的形态特点;并利用冷冻和石蜡切片技术,在光学显微镜下对其雌雄花进行解剖学观察。结果表明：油棕雌雄同株异序,花序腋生,肉穗花序（佛焰花序）,雌雄花序均由2层苞片包裹,花序由众多小穗组成。雌花有6片花瓣,内含1枚雌蕊,湿型柱头,开放型花柱,三心皮三室,每个子房室中有1枚胚珠,花柄中散布大量维管束。雄花有3片萼片3片花瓣,内含6枚雄蕊,每个花药含4个花粉囊,中间被药隔相分,花粉形态近似三角形或椭圆形,花柄主要包含表皮、基本组织和维管束,其中遍布大量维管束和纤维,为花发育提供养分和发挥支撑作用。因此,油棕花序和花的形态特征符合棕榈科植物的基本特征,但在花序性别和花解剖结构上与椰子、槟榔和椰枣等棕榈科植物存在差异。     

油棕果壳制活性炭研究

对油棕果壳制造不定形颗粒活性炭的各种工艺方法进行探讨。试验表明：采用氯化锌活化法和物理活化法均可获得合格的活性炭产品；但采用氯化锌为活化剂可制得碘值为９８１ｍｇ／ｇ，强度为８３．２％的活性炭，产品得率为３６％￣４０％。     

油棕新品种遗传多样性的ISSR分析(摘要)(英文)

[目的]从DNA分子水平上对油棕新品种进行遗传多样性的分析,旨在为这些新选育油棕种质的开发利用提供分子水平的理论依据。[方法]采用改良的CTAB法提取油棕叶片总DNA。从加拿大哥伦比亚大学所设计的60个引物在部分模板中进行筛选,筛选出能扩增出多态性的引物23个用于样品的进一步分析。通过一定的摸索实验,最终确定用于油棕的各个组分的ISSR最佳反应体系。优化反应体系总体积为15.00μl,各个组分的具体用量为:MgCl2(25mmol/L)+10×Buffer2.25μl、dNTP(10mmol/L)0.30μl、Taq酶(5U/μl)0.15μl、引物(0.4μmol/μl)1.00μl、模板DNA(50ng/μl)1.00μl、ddH2O(超纯水)10.30μl。PCR扩增程序为:94℃预变性4min,然后94℃变性1min,52℃退火1min,72℃延伸1min,35个循环,72℃保温10min,4℃保温。采用2%琼脂糖凝胶电泳,EB染色检测扩增产物。ISSR数据的统计分析方法:每个样品的扩增产物电泳分离谱带在某一位点上按有或无记录,存在时赋值为"1",无带的记为"0"。将每个引物对所有样品的读带记录结果形成"0-1"矩阵。用NTSYS-pcversion2.1计算Jaccard’s相似系数,在此基础上用非加权类平均聚类法(UPGMA)进行聚类分析,绘制亲缘关系树状图。[结果]用23个引物共扩增得到201条扩增条带,其中多态性条带占41.8%。根据ISSR遗传相似系数按UPGMA法聚类,以所有材料间的平均遗传相似系数0.838为阈值,可将其明显的划分为2大类:采自海南的R1～R12新种质材料与采自云南的V20新种质材料合为一类;采自云南其余的新种质材料为一类。用NTSYS-pc软件所得出的主成分分析图也能够明显的将海南和云南引进的新油棕种质材料区分开来,海南的R1～R12油棕与云南的V20油棕基本上归为一类;与聚类图不同的是,云南的新油棕种质V15、V16、V17、V19、V21、V22基本上归为一类,而品种V13、V14与V18则较远一些。[结论]海南与云南新选育的油棕种质材料可能来源于不同的国家或地区。