January 2014
Simulation of air flow in cold chambers using the openfoam® computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software
This work applied the mathematical models already implemented in the OpenFOAM® computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, to simulate two proposed air distributions inside cold chambers. The OpenFOAM® software was chosen because of the absence of licensing costs associated with its use, compared to the major commercial CFDsoftwares available. In the pre-processing phase, we used the free Google SketchUp®...
January 2014
An analysis of price trends and its behavioral patterns of the Indian poultry market with reference to egg
The study made an attempt to analyze the seasonal changes and growth performance in the prices of egg across India. The data on prices of eggs were collected for the period from January 2009 to December 2012 from the various sources of poultry associations. The seasonal index analyses were used to substantiate the results. The results revealed that the average egg prices had grown significantly at 28% from 2009 to 2012....
January 2014
Direct-fed microbial on the health status, productive performance and internal egg characteristics of layer chickens under hot humid environmental conditions
Dietary direct-fed microbial (DFM) and antibiotics supplementation on health status, egg laying performance and internal egg characteristics under hot humid environmental conditions were studied. Three hundred (300) layer birds at point of lay (22 weeks old) were used for the study in a completely randomized design. There were four dietary treatments which are; Basal diet (BD), BD + DFM at the rate of 1.5 ml/kg, BD +...
January 2014
Relative response of Bt cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) to balanced fertilization in irrigated cotton-wheat cropping system
A field experiment on nutrient omission plot technique (NOPT) on Bt cotton-wheat cropping system was conducted at research farm of the Division of Agronomy Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during rainy season of 2010 and 2011. The experiment had 10 treatments, laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications in fixed plots. Treatments comprised omission of N, P, K, S and Zn, 50% omission of...
January 2014
Effect of dry season nutritional supplementation on fertility in bulls in Sanyati smallholder farming area, Zimbabwe
Twelve indigenous bulls, allocated to two groups comprising six bulls each, were used in the study to determine the effect of dry season nutritional supplementation on scrotal circumference and semen characteristics. One group was supplemented with silage while the other acted as the control. Soundness evaluations were conducted in October, December and February. Breeding efficiency of bulls was measured by pregnancy...
January 2014
Effects of different maize (Zea mays L.) – soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) intercropping patterns on soil mineral-N, N-uptake and soil properties
The adoption of ISFM technologies such as maize-soybean intercropping system is being promoted as one of the options to address low soil fertility and crop productivity among the farmers of the central highland of Kenya. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effects of maize-soybean intercropping patterns on soil inorganic N, N uptake and soil chemical properties. The experiment conducted during 2012...
January 2014
Effect of dormancy breaking chemicals on flowering, fruit set and quality in Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia L.)
A field experiment was carried out during 2006 to 2007 on eight years old pear plants cv. Netarhat Selection using growth regulators viz., GA3, Thio-urea and H2O2, which were sprayed with different concentrations and times. Two times spray of thio-urea 10% concentration resulted in 8 to 14 days earlier bud breaking than control as well as the maximum flowering of 11.0 and 53.3% during 2006 and 2007, respectively....
January 2014
Biology and devouring propensity of lady bird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus on rapeseed-mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach
An experiment was conducted to study the biology and devouring propensity of Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus in the laboratory at 25 ± 1°C and 65 ± 5% relative humidity (RH) on mustard aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.) infesting rapeseed-mustard crop during the rabi cropping seasons of 2009 to 2010 and 2010 to 2011. The mean fecundity was 378.00 ± 26.51 eggs/female while ovipositional period,...
January 2014
Germination responses of Corchorus olitorius L. to salinity and temperature
In order to investigate the effect of temperature and salinity on the germination of the wild leaf vegetable Corchorus olitorus L., seeds of two varieties of C. olitorus from ΄Bou Salem΄ and ΄Menzel Bouzelfa΄ responses were determined in complete darkness over a wide range of temperatures and salinities. The final germination percentage (FGP) and mean time to germination (MTG) were measured. Germination was...
January 2014
Wheat production price performance prediction in the Iranian north province
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East and Ethiopian Highlands, but now cultivated worldwide. Wheat was a key factor enabling the emergence of city-based societies at the start of civilization because it was one of the first crops that could be easily cultivated on a large scale, and had the additional advantage of yielding a harvest that provides long-term storage of food. The...
January 2014
Effect of long-term N fertilization on ca saturation and soil quality in a calcareous soil in a semiarid to sub-humid region
This objective of this study was to investigate the effect of long-term N fertilizer application on Calcium (Ca) saturation in a calcareous farmland soil located in a semiarid to subhumid region. The soil type was a Lou soil (Eum-Orthic Anthrosol). Results from this study provide important information about the relationship between fertilization and soil fatigue in farmland. The study also provides insight about soil...
January 2014
Effects of incubating an acid sulfate soil treated with various liming materials under submerged and moist conditions on pH, Al and Fe
Acid sulfate soil in Malaysia is known to be very acidic with pH < 3.5 and have high amount of aluminum. A study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of various lime sources for alleviating the infertility of the soil and to determine its lime requirement. The treatments were ground magnesium limestone, hydrated lime, liquid lime and fused magnesium phosphate under submerged and moist condition for 3 months....
January 2014
Response of broiler chickens to diets of varying protein contents under ad libitum and skip-a-day feeding regimes
A 3×2 factorial experiment was used to investigate the effect of varying dietary crude protein levels; optimum (control, 19.64% CP), low (17.72% CP) and high (21.66% CP) diets, fed ad libitum and on skip-a-day bases on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. The diets were iso-energetic. A total of 180 3-week old broiler chicks were used at three replicates per treatment and 10 birds per...
January 2014
Bhat: A new source of genetic divergence for soybean improvement
Black soybean, a treasure house of the medicinal properties; can it be used to break the yield and quality barrier? For this, study was conducted by in 2012 on genetic divergence for yield and different yield contributing traits in 48 genotypes of black soybean collected from Uttarakhand hills, using D2 Mahalanobis cluster analysis with correlation between the 13 trait taken and variability studies was done. These...
January 2014
Comparing the operations and challenges of pig butchers in rural and peri-urban settings of western Kenya
The purpose of this cross-sectional, observational study was to describe the pig butcher enterprises in western Kenya; highlighting differences in the operational processes and challenges between rural and peri-urban settings. Fifty pig butchers were interviewed using questionnaires in two districts, Kakamega (peri-urban) and Busia (rural). Results showed that pig butchers were central to the coordination of activities...
January 2014
In vitro screening method: An efficient tool for screening Alternaria blight resistance/tolerance during early generations in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun)
Rapeseed-mustard crops in general, show low average productivity due to the prevalence of various biotic and abiotic stresses. Among biotic stresses, diseases such as white rust and Alternaria blight are the major contributing factors. Alternaria blight caused by Alternaria brassicae has been reported to cause variable losses in yield. The present study aimed to induce mutations for Alternaria blight...
January 2014
Efficacy of Abamectin for the control of root knot nematodes in tobacco seedling production in Zimbabwe
The efficacy of different rates of abamectin for the control of root knot nematodes in tobacco soil-based seed beds was evaluated in this study. Different incorporation methods of abamectin in the soil were also evaluated. A combination of 45 ml worked into the soil to a depth of 20 cm using hoes was effective in controlling root knot nematodes. The efficacy was comparable (p = 0.05) to methyl bromide and 1.3 D. The...
January 2014
Correlation and path coefficient analysis in sugarcane germplasm under subtropics
Three hundred and thirty-nine genotypes of sugarcane germplasm were planted during spring 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to study the associations among 15 characters. The cane yield, considered as the most important character of sugarcane was positively and significantly correlated with germination percentage, number of shoots, number of millable canes, stalk diameter, stalk length, number of internodes, length of internodes,...
January 2014
Soil chemical properties after surface application of swine wastewater in the cultivation of jatropha
This work aims to evaluate the behavior of macronutrients and micronutrients in the soil when there is successive application of swine wastewater in growing jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.). The experiment was conducted in Palotina – PR, Brazil. The experimental parcels were designed and built in an area of 900 m2, in a completely randomized design with six treatments and three replications. The doses of swine...
January 2014
Assessing timber skidding efficiency in a group shelterwood system applied to a fir-beech stand
Skidders are one of the most used machines in harvesting operations, especially when dealing with large timber. Their use is still widespread around the world, a fact reflected by numerous efficiency studies. Since 95% of logging operations in Romania are done by means of skidders and farm tractors, this study aimed to assess timber skidding efficiency in a mixed fir-beech stand undergoing group shelterwood cuttings....
January 2014
Fusarium wilt of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in North-west Algeria
Fusarium oxysporum (Schletend: Fr) f.sp. ciceri (Padwick) (FOC) is a soil fungus that is a permanent threat to the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) causing wilt syndrome. During spring of 2005 to 2009 surveys at three agro-climatic zones of north-western Algeria through seven sites. The presence of the disease was found in all the 50 fields chickpea visited. The pathogen, F. oxysporum f.sp. ciceri was...
January 2014
Testing and evaluation of planting methods on wheat grain yield and yield contributing parameters in irrigated agro-ecosystem of western Uttar Pradesh, India
A field experiment was carried out during three consecutive years 2008 to 2009 and 2010 to 2011 at two locations; one at University research centre and another at farmers’ fields in Meerut and Muzaffarnagar district of western Uttar Pradesh, India. The objective of the study was to compare the conventional planting methods (22.5 cm) and broadcasting method of wheat sowing with drill planting method [15.0, 17.5,...
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