Effects of corm size and plant density on Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) yield and its components-IJAAR

• Samira Sameh Andabjadid1*, Bahman Pasban Eslam2, Amir Reza Sadeghi Bakhtavari1, Hamid Mohammadi1

1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Azerbaijan Shahid Madani, Tabriz, Iran
2. Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of East Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran

In order to investigate the saffron yield and its components at different levels of corm size and plant density, an experiment was conducted at East Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural resources Research Center, as a factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications for two years (2012-2013). First year was considered for better plant establishment. The factors consist of corm sizes based on the corm diameter in two levels (A1=2-4 cm and A2=4-6 cm), planting rows space in three levels (B1=10, B2=20 and B3=30 cm) and corm space within the row in two levels (C1=7 and C2=14 cm).

Traits including plant emergence percentage, number of plants and flowers per unit area, length of rod, length of stigma, fresh and dry weight of flowers, fresh and dry weight of stigmas, total stigma yield, the onset of flowering and flowering period were evaluated on the plants. Results showed that all above mentioned traits except length of rod were significantly affected by corm size. Bigger corms showed more emergence percentage and flower fresh weight. Number of plants was significantly affected by the interaction which three factors so that maximum number of plants per unit area was observed at treatment of bigger corms with 10 (cm) corms spacing between rows and 7 (cm) corms spacing within rows. 7 (cm) corms spacing on the row created maximum flower number per unit area.

Length of stigma, dry weight of flower, fresh and dry weight of stigma were significantly affected by the interaction between corm size with corms spacing within row so that bigger corms with less spacing were superior. Maximum stigma yield was obtained from the bigger corms in 7 (cm) corm space on the row and 10 (cm) corm space between rows. Flowering of bigger corms began sooner and their flowering period was more than others.

Originally Published at: Volume 6, Number 3, March 2015 – IJAAR

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Removal of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) using fresh water algae (Utricularia tenuissima, Utricularia tenuis & Zygogonium ericetorum) from contaminated water

A study was conducted to check the efficiency of different fresh water algae for removing heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) from contaminated water. The three most abundant indigenous algal species namely Ulothrix tenuissima, Oscillatoria tenuis and Zygogonium ericetorum were collected from fresh water channels of Parachinar, Pakistan and brought to the laboratory of Soil and Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar Pakistan for proper identification. To check the efficiency for removing heavy metals artificial contaminated water was prepared and was inoculated with mix culture of above mentioned algae and incubated for 10 days. After incubation algal species were removed from water through centrifugation and was dried, digested and analyzed for heavy metals. The results showed that the concentration of all heavy metals was substantially reduced in the algal inoculated contaminated water.

The analysis of algal biomass showed that considerable amount of metals and other elements were recovered in algae. Among the tested algal species, Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal Ni(99.40ug) and Cr(66.84ug) from contaminated water followed by Oscillatoria tenuis with 84ug(Ni) and 64.83ug(Cr) respectively. However Oscillatoria tenuis showed maximum removal of Cd(41.00ug) than the other algal species. Similarly Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal of Pb (451ug) followed by Ulothrix tenuissima where 441ug was recorded. Highest amount Cd, and Ni were recovered in Zygogonium ericetorum biomass while highest amount of Cr and Pb were recorded in the biomass of Oscillatoria tenuis. Finally it could be concluded that algae have efficiently removed heavy metals from contaminated water. Further research is needed to test other algal species for removal of heavy metal and other elements from the contaminated water.

Journal Name: Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)

Publication Name: International Network For Natural Sciences (INNSPUB)

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Marker-assisted introgression of saltol locus into genetic background of BRRI Dhan-49

The major purpose of this research was to introgress Saltol QTL into the genetic background of BRRI dhan49 through...
Posted by International Network for Natural Sciences - INNSPUB on Thursday, August 20, 2015

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The role of incentive mechanisms in wildlife management: A case study of Moyowosi Game Reserve and Serengeti National park, Tanzania

• Batro Nakoli Ngilangwa

• Batro Nakoli Ngilangwa:Department of Community Development, Friedkin Conservation Fund, Arusha, Tanzania

This study aims to determine the efforts devoted in managing wildlife in national parks and game reserves in Tanzania. Specifically, the study focused on evaluating the population and poaching trends of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in these protected areas that follow under two different management regimes. Furthermore the study identified sources of market failure and suggested economic incentive mechanisms that will improve conservation status of wildlife in Tanzania.

Data from secondary sources were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test in comparing the rate of population increases and poaching per annum for the two protected areas. The results showed that Serengeti National park has a significant higher rate of population increase of 15% than Moyowosi game reserve that has 9% only. Furthermore the study revealed that, Moyowosi game reserve has a significant high rate of poaching than Serengeti National park.

Finally, due to having two different bodies that manage these protected areas, government market failure was identified in Moyowosi game reserve than Serengeti national park. Therefore the study suggests some incentives mechanisms that will help to improve the conservation status of African elephants in Moyowosi game reserve. These are decentralizing management of wildlife revenues to the specific game reserve that will increase benefit sharing schemes, review of wildlife hunting policy to make sure that concession hunting blocks are only given to the companies that abide with all three main aspects of being actively involved in anti poaching, community development, wildlife research and monitoring.

Journal Name: Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)

Publication Name: International Network For Natural Sciences (INNSPUB)

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Effect of sowing dates on growth and yield of tropical sugar beet-- IJAAR

• Hossain Md. Ferdous*1, Qazi Abdul Khaliq2, Abdul Karim2

1. Department of Agronomy, Exim Bank Agricultural University, Bangladesh
2. Department of Agronomy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University,
   Gazipur, Bangladesh

A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of the Department of Agronomy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, from November 2011 to May 2012 to find out the growth pattern and optimum sowing date of tropical sugar beet in Bangladesh.

The tropical sugar beet genotypes were Cauvery, Shubhra and EB0616, and sowing dates were 01 November, 15 November, 01 December and 15 December. The interaction effect of sowing dates and sugar beet genotypes was statistically significant in growth  parameters like leave number, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), root weight per plant, root yield. The highest root yield was obtained from genotypes EB0616 when sown on 01 November (103.5 t/ha) and 15 November (100 t/ha).

The genotypes Cauvery and Shubhra gave identical root yield i.e., 90.27 t/ha and 92.86 t/ha, respectively on 01 November sowing. Root yield significantly decreased in all the three genotypes with the advancement of sowing dates from 01 November onwards. For high root yield the optimum sowing date for tropical sugar beet in Bangladesh seems to be in early November.

Published Journal's Name: International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR)

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Biodiversity of cultivated Trigonella foenum-graecum L. in Tunisia, North Africa --JBES

• Nidhal Marzougui1*, Hédia Hannachi2, Anissa Boubaya3, Ali Ferchichi3, Salwa Rejeb1

1. Laboratory of Development of Non-Conventional Waters in Agriculture, National Research Institute of Rural Engineering Waters and Forests, Ariana, Tunisia
2. Department of Biology, Unit of Research in Genetics of The Populations and Biological Resources, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Tunisia
3. Arid and Oasis Cropping Laboratory, Arid Lands Institute, Medenine, Tunisia

In agricultural systems, biodiversity includes diversity within species and among species and provides many benefits for production, resilience and conservation. This article aims to study the diversity of Trigonella foenum-graecum L., an annual herb of Leguminosae with a worldwide distributed culture, among thirty eight local populations collected from different Tunisian regions.

The variability analysis was based on morphological characters, compositions of minerals in leaves and vitamins in seeds, and molecular profile. Morphological parameters consisted of vegetative and reproductive characters. Mineral analysis concerned sodium, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium leaves contents. The analyzed vitamins contents in seeds were B1, B9 and C vitamins and molecular study was carried out by ISSR technique. The structure of the studied populations was established by the principal compound analysis (PCA) and by the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic means (UPGMA). 

Both analyses based on the combination of morphological, chemical and biochemical parameters and on ISSR molecular study, presented a binary clustering of populations; but the one was different from the other. The combination of morphological, chemical and biochemical parameters allowed distinguishing the populations 2 and 4 of Menzel Temime, 11 of Mateur and 13 of Beja from the remaining populations. These four populations had the highest yields in biomass and seeds and, compared to the rest of populations, they were the best forages and seed producers. Molecular study showed that population 26 of Menzel Temime was genetically far away from the rest of studied fenugreek populations.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT: Volume 6, Number 4, April 2015 – JBES

PUBLISHED JOURNAL'S: Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)

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Crop loss assessment of diseases for various barley cultivars in Golestan Province, Iran --IJB

• Arefe Chogan1, Mohammad Ali Aghajani2*, Hosein Ali Fallahi3

1. Department of Agriculture, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
2. Department of Plant Protection Research, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan Province, Gorgan, Iran
3. Agricultural Research Station for Gonbad-e Kavus, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Golestan Province, Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran

In order to have a crop loss assessment of various barely diseases in different genotypes and determine their resistance to different diseases, this research was performed in Gonbad-e Kavus Station of Agricultural Research, using 20 treats of different cultivars and lines of barley in the complete randomized block design with three replications.

Results of the simple regression analysis showed that there is a significant relationship (P≤ 0.01) between the total plot yield and the amount of net blotch, brown rust, brown blotch and strip blotch (in form of the disease final severity, AUDPC, SAUDPC), and that the relationship between other variables vary. Accordingly, in analyzing the crop loss in the yield resulting from the barley brown blotch, it is proved that the total plot yield reduces 75.06 kilograms per SAUDPC.

The results of the multiple regression for all of the diseases showed that there is a significant relationship (P≤0.01) for all models with the exception of the relationship between the number of seeds on each spike and the disease final severity and the relationship between the thousand kernel weight (TKW) and the AUDPC. Therefore, a high R-squared (R2) was observed in case of the relationship between the AUDPC and the yield, and the relationship between the SAUDPC and the yield, compared to other variables. This means that this model could present the 52.09% of changes in the total plot yield based on the AUDPC and SAUDPC of the diseases. 

Originally Published at: Volume 6, Number 5, March 2015 – IJB

Published Journal's: International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)

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Silver nano-particles enhance the growth, yield and nutrient use efficiency of wheat - IJAAR

• Hafiz Muhammad Jhanzab*, Abdul Razzaq, Ghulam Jilani, Ammara Rehman, Abdul Hafeez, Farhat Yasmeen

• Department of Agronomy, Pir Mehr Ali Shah, Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Application profile of nano particles is rapidly expanding even in agriculture. Silver nano particles (SNPs) are hypothesized to enhance nutrient use efficiency in plants. 

Present study was carried out to determine the role of SNPs for improving (NUE) in wheat.The SNPs were synthesized chemically by reducing silver nitrate with trisodium citrate and size was 10-20 nm according to X-Ray Diffraction analysis. Completely randomized design with seven graded doses of SNPs (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 ppm) and four replications was employed for experimental layout.

Seedlings of wheat variety NARC-2009 were transplanted to pots. Pot soil was soaked with SNPs solution up to field capacity levels and distilled water was applied in control treatment. SNPs significantly enhanced most of the growth and yield attributes NPK uptake and nutrient use efficiency of wheat. Silver nanoparticles in 25ppm concentration have showed significant improvement in maximum leaf area and highest grain yield while 75ppm concentration resulted in decrease in grain yield. So silver nanoparticles have stimulatory as well as inhibitory effect on wheat growth and yield.

Originally Published at:  Volume 7, Number 1, July 2015 – IJAAR

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