Drinking water sources,availability, quality,access and utilization for goats in the Karak Governorate,Jordan

Goat production is an important agricultural activity in Jordan. The country is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water scarcity. Provision of sufficient quantity of good quality drinking water is important for goats to maintain feed intake and production. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal availability and quality of goats’ drinking water sources, accessibility, and utilization in different zones in the Karak Governorate in southern Jordan. Data collection methods comprised interviews with purposively selected farmers and quality assessment of water sources. The provision of drinking water was considered as one of the major constraints for goat production, particularly during the dry season (DS). Long travel distances to the water sources, waiting time at watering points, and high fuel and labor costs were the key reasons associated with the problem. All the values of water quality (WQ) parameters were within acceptable limits of the guidelines for livestock drinking WQ with exception of iron, which showed slightly elevated concentration in one borehole source in the DS. These findings show that water shortage is an important problem leading to consequences for goat keepers. To alleviate the water shortage constraint and in view of the depleted groundwater sources, alternative water sources at reasonable distance have to be tapped and monitored for water quality and more efficient use of rainwater harvesting systems in the study area is recommended.

     

Blooms of an algophorous amoeba associated with anabaena in a fresh water lake

Blooms of the blue-green alga Anabaena planctonica in a fresh water lake in northern Georgia were followed by the massive development of a large algophorous, mayorellid-like amoeba. The algal-amoeba blooms were associated with waters enriched with sewage effluents. The trophozoite and cyst-like stages of the amoeba were examined with phase and light-field microscopy. The use of algophorous amoebae for the natural control of nuisance algal blooms is suggested.