August 2011
Promoting effective multi-stakeholder partnership for policy development for smallholder farming systems: A case of the Sub Saharan Africa challenge programme
Agricultural policy formulation in Sub Saharan Africa has been dominated by research initiatives that alienated other farmers and stakeholders. The Sub Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSA CP) seeks to use multi-stakeholder partnerships as an institutional innovation for agricultural policy formulation and development. This paper uses some experiences from the SSA CP to discuss the design principles for an effective...
August 2011
Static versus dynamic model for estimating asymmetric price transmission in the Ghanaian maize market
A conventional approach to analyzing asymmetric price transmission involves the use of the Houck’s static model. This paper compares this time invariant approach to a dynamic variant of the model. The static model is a standard regression type model where parameters are assumed fixed over time, whereas the more flexible dynamic Houck’s model allows parameters to vary over time. The flexibility of the dynamic...
August 2011
Assessment of livestock feed resource-use patterns in low rainfall and aluminium toxicity prone areas of Rwanda
Livestock rearing in Rwanda, including the Bugesera and Nyamagabe districts is practised under stalling. This livestock farming is due to high human population resulting to land shortage where land is devoted more to cropping than to livestock production. In the Nyamagabe district, animal feed is constrained by low rainfall whereas in the Nyamagabe is constrained by the acidic soil with aluminium toxicity. The objective...
August 2011
Concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids in milk and tissues from single-humped Arabian camel Camelus dromedarius kept under intensive standardized management
The present study aimed to determine the amounts of two CLA isomers, c9t11-CLA and t10c12-CLA, in products from Camelus dromedarius and, to compare their CLA levels with those reported in the literature for true ruminants. Weight percentages of c9t11-CLA and t10c12-CLA in different camel products were in the range between 0.37 to 0.80 and 0.04 to 0.14% of total fatty acid methyl esters, respectively, with the...
August 2011
Predication of soil water storage by spatial dependence in a deposited soil farmland
Spatial dependence was widely recognized in field observations and the existence was very helpful to the development of precision agriculture. On the Loess Plateau of China, the soil water contents (SWCs) at a deposited soil farmland (DF) were measured using the neutron tubes on two sampling lines during two years. The objectives of this research were to recognize their spatial dependence to predict soil water storage...
August 2011
Uptake and effects of lead and copper on three plant species in contaminated soils: Role of phytochelatin
This study is aimed at the comparison between three plants, namely, Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), Alfalfa(Medicago sativa and Sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia) and their ability in absorbing heavy metals such as lead and copper for the process of phytoremediation. In addition, the knowledge of the plants ability in using detoxification mechanism phytochelatin (plant-metal chelating) was also...
August 2011
Spatial variability of Cu, Mn and Zn in marginal sandy beach ridges soil
The concentrations of Mn, Cu and Zn in marginal sandy soils were spatially heterogeneous. The objective of presented study were i) to quantify the variability of Mn, Cu and Zn concentration in marginal sandy soil; and ii) to develop the pattern of that variability in kriged maps. The georeferenced soil samples (n = 26) were taken at 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 cm depths from the experimental site located at Telaga Papan Setiu,...
August 2011
Analytical solution to salt-water movement in soil and the determination of the hydrodynamicdispersion coefficient
Modeling the coupled movement of salt and water in the soil profile is of great interest to soil scientists and agronomists when combating soil salinity and in maintaining the sustainable use of saline soils. The hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient is the most important parameter for simulating the salt movement process. In this study, an analytical solution to the 1-D convection-diffusion differential equation (CDE),...
August 2011
Evaluations of four mite predators (Acari: Phytosiidae) released for suppression of spider mite infesting protected crop of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)
This study examined the efficacy of 4 mite predators such as Neoseiulus pseudolongispinosus (Xin, Liang and Ke), Euseius castaneae (Wang and Xu), Euseius utilis (Liang and Ke) and Euseius finlandicus(Oudemans) (Phytosiidae) released for the suppression of spider mite Tetranychus urticae (Koch) infesting sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in greenhouse. When the...
August 2011
Effects of different neutral and alkaline salinities on seed germination and early seedling growth of maize (Zea mays L.)
The effects of different types and levels of salinity on seed germination and early seedling growth of maize (Zea mays L.) were investigated. Seeds were germinated at 25°C in solutions containing NaCl, KCl, Na2SO4, K2SO4, Na2CO3, NaHCO3, K2CO3 and KHCO3 at concentrations of 0 (control), 20, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mmol·L-1. The results indicated that salinity type and concentration had a...
August 2011
Effects of cold stratification and sowing time on germination of almond (Amygdalus communis L.) and wild almond (Amygdalus orientalis L.) seeds
The aim of this study was to determine the proper pretreatments on seeds of almond (Amygdalus communis L.) and wild almond (Amygdalus orientalis L.) to overcome their germination obstacles. For this purpose, the seeds were kept in 5000 ppm ashen-water for three days. Experiments were carried out consisting of eight sowing dates (from 1st October to 15th March with 15 days intervals), and 13 different cold...
August 2011
Effect of water stress and micronutrients (Fe, Zn and Mn) on chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf chlorophyll content and sunflower nutrient uptake in Sistan region
In order to study the effect of water stress and micronutrients (Fe, Zn and Mn) on chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf chlorophyll content and sunflower nutrient uptake in Sistan region, a field experimental in split plot design with three replications was conducted in 2007. Alstar cultivar was comprised of water stress at two stages of growth (control, flowering and grain filling stage) as main plot and seven...
August 2011
Development of new alfalfa cultivar suitable for the dry continental conditions of the central Anatolia, Turkey
Cultivated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important forage legume, grown for hay in Turkey. There is need to increase the area of forage under cultivation in Turkey and to exploit all available germplasm for increased animal production. Alfalfa can be harvested for 4 to 5 years before the stand deteriorates. The study reports a recurrent selection from 160 plants collected from seven provinces of the Central...
August 2011
Key street tree species selection in urban areas
Street trees in cities display a varied pattern that shape the city's physical fabric. This article presented the methodological aspects of a proposed selection process for the key urban street tree species. The process of this study was twofold: ï¬rst it was aimed at selecting the appropriate tree species through field trip and data analysis of the street trees in streets and parks of the natural secondary...
August 2011
Effect of halopriming on germination and seedling vigor of tomato
The study was carried out to investigate the effects of halopriming on germination, seedling growth and biochemical responses of tomato seeds. Priming was done by exposing seeds of two tomato cultivars ‘Nagina’ and ‘Pakit’ to aerated solutions of 10, 25 and 50 mM NaCl and KNO3 for 24 h. Halopriming with 25 mM KNO3 increased final germination percentage, germination index, root length,...
August 2011
Changes in the organic acid content and related metabolic enzyme activities in developing ‘Xinping’ pear fruit
Changes in the content of citric acid and malic acid and the activities of enzymes involved in the metabolism of these two organic acids, including citrate synthase (CS), aconitase (ACO), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH),phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), NAD-malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH) and NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) were examined during the process of fruit development in ‘Xinping’ pear. The citric...
August 2011
Seasonal flight activity of the grape berry moth, Lobesia botrana Den. and Schiff. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Sisakht region, Iran
Grape berry moth, Lobesia botrana Den. and Schiff. is one of the most important pests of grape vine in most parts of the country. Losses caused by larval feeding lead to disrupted plant activities, reduction in flower buds and ultimately decreased quality and quantity of the crop. In order to study seasonal flight activity of L. botrana and to determine spraying time, experiments were conducted for...
August 2011
The cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.) tree selection
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.) has attracted attention because of many different usage such as fresh fruit production, processing material for medicinal and pharmacy industry. This study carried out some pomological, chemical and phenological properties of cherry laurel phenotypes to selection of the favorable phenotypes for cultivation. A total of 40 phenotypes were evaluated in the program, between the...
August 2011
Ex vitro shoot regeneration and lateral buds of freshly harvested saffron corms
After formation of the replacement corms, the saffron leaves wither and the apical buds enter dormancy, which is released after-ripening at 23 to 30°C. This study aimed to break this dormancy and reports successful ex vitro shoot regeneration from saffron corms, just after harvesting by pulse treating for 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 min with 50 mg/L Indole acetic acid (IAA) or 50 mg/L ...
August 2011
Pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration kinetics of melon (Cucumis melo L.) var. cantaloupe
The effect of temperature (30, 45 and 60°C), sucrose content (40, 50 and 60°Brix) and vacuum pulse (0, 300 and 600 mbars) on water loss (WL), solid gain (SG), color and volume changes, and penetration strength during osmotic drying kinetics of melon (Cucumis melo L.) var. cantaloupe was determined. A Box-Benhken experimental design with three blocks and three replicates was used to optimize...
August 2011
Study of some properties of doum palm fruit (Hyphaene thebaica Mart.) in relation to moisture content
The physical properties of doum palm fruit were determined as a function of moisture content. The average dimension of doum palm fruit in the three principal axes (namely, length, width, and thickness) and its equivalent diameter, projected area, sphericity, porosity, bulk and true densities were determined for moisture contents ranging from 24.05 to 67.59% d.b and were found to be 60.65, 48.78, 47.09 and 51.61 mm,...
August 2011
Effects of foliar application of methanol on growth and yield of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in Rasht, Iran
In order to study the effect of the time and concentration of methanol spraying on the growth and yield of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.), a factorial experiment in the form of randomized complete blocks was done with three replications in the research farm of the College of Agriculture of the Islamic Azad University, Rasht branch in the north of Iran in 2009. The concentration factor of spraying methanol was applied at...
August 2011
Effects of intercropping of garlic or lettuce with Chinese cabbage on the development of larvae and pupae of diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella)
The effects of intercropping on the growth and development of the diamondback moth (DBM),Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), were investigated over five generations in a laboratory in Fuzhou, China. The treatments included intercropping Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis) with garlic (Allium sativum) (CG) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) (CL), and the monoculture of Chinese cabbage as control (CK)....
August 2011
The farm decision role of price information from commodity exchanges: An ex-ante evaluation using Quasi-rational price expectations in Ethiopia
Farmers use different information to predict future returns upon which they base current decisions. In designing information systems, knowledge about the information set used by farmers is relevant to have insight into the necessary information that should be made available for farmers. Using quasi-rational forecasting regression analysis to represent producer price expectation formation, the usefulness of disseminating...
August 2011
Investigation of factor affecting efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural facilities from viewpoint of farmers and credit experts in 2009, Iran
Although agricultural credit is one of the important issues in agriculture, almost no organized study has been done on caring about the distribution and utilization to achieve the agricultural prosperity and economic growth. This analytic and descriptive study was conducted to explore, that factor affecting the efficiency of agricultural facilities from viewpoint of farmers and credit experts. To achieve the objectives...
August 2011
Photosynthetic yield, fruit ripening and quality characteristics of cultivars of Syzygium samarangense
This study was carried out to evaluate the photosynthetic yield, color development and quality characteristics of three cultivars of Syzygium samarangense at commercial farm of Banting, Selangor and Functional food laboratories, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Various physiological and biochemical parameters were studied during two seasons of fruit growth from October, 2009 to August, 2010 with the ...
August 2011
Determining factors influencing the adoption of indigenous knowledge in agriculture water management in dry areas of Iran
Experts in the Iran were surveyed in order to explore their perception about the factors that influence farmers to adopt the indigenous knowledge in water management in agriculture sector. The methodology used in this study involved a combination of descriptive and quantitative research. The total population was 150 experts from Ministries of Agriculture and Interior. The results of factor analysis indicated...
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