Chlorophyll meters manage both the amount and duration of nitrogen fertilizer application based on the principle that the chlorophyll or nitrogen content of plants should be maintained throughout their development. For smallholders in developing countries, the use of a hand-held meter to manage nitrogen fertilizer in rice and wheat is the most popular method. The adoption of nitrogen management strategies based on close sensing using chlorophyll meters and optical sensors will largely depend on the inclusion of specific economic analysis in future research. The importance of using sensors and chlorophyll meters for nitrogen fertilizer management depends on how successful current practices have been. In this study, five different nitrogen rates (0, 80, 120, 160, 200 kg N ha-1) were applied to two different wheat varieties, and the effect of these different nitrogen rates on wheat protein content was investigated in a randomized block design. A quadratic polynomial model described the relationship between protein content and nitrogen rates.

Bu çalışmada farklı sindirilebilir amino asit seviyelerindeki rasyonlara ticari proteaz enzimi ilavesinin yumurta tavuklarının performansı, yumurta kalite parametreleri ve azot atılımı üzerindeki etkileri değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışma, 26 haftalık yaştan 56 haftalık yaşa kadar olan 336 adet Nick Brown yumurta tavuğu ile yürütülmüştür. Deneme 4 muamele grubu, ve her tekerrürde 7 hayvan olacak şekilde 12 tekerrürle yürütülmüştür. Faktöriyel bir düzende 4 rasyon uygulaması (2 amino asit seviyesi; normal ve %6 daha düşük × enzim takviyeli veya takviyesiz) deneme bloklarına rastgele atanmıştır. Nick Brown yumurta tavuklarına proteaz ilavesinin canlı ağırlık, yumurta ağırlığı, yumurta verimi, yumurta kalitesi, yem değerlendirme, yem tüketimi ve azot atılımı üzerinde önemli bir etkisi olmazken; amino asit seviyelerinin yumurta verimi, yumurta ağırlığı ve haftalık yem tüketimi üzerinde önemli etkileri olduğu, ancak bu etkilerin deneme geneline yansımadığı belirlenmiştir. Amino asit seviyeleri ve proteaz ilavesi arasındaki interaksiyon istatistiksel olarak önemli bulunmuş; Haugh birimi standart amino asit rasyonlarında proteaz ile iyileşirken, düşük amino asit seviyeli rasyonlarda önemli bir değişiklik olmamıştır. Amino asit seviyeleri ve proteaz ilavesi arasındaki interaksiyon, atılan azot / tüketilen azot oranı için istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmuştur.  Atılan azot, normal amino asit rasyonlarında proteaz ilavesi ile iyileşirken; düşük amino asit rasyonlarında önemli bir değişiklik olmamıştır. Sindirilebilir esansiyel amino asit gereksinimleri ideal amino asit profiline göre karşılandığında, ticari kahverengi yumurtacılarda performansı ve yumurta kalitesini olumsuz etkilemeden önerilen protein ve amino asit seviyelerini %6 oranında azaltmanın mümkün olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Ayrıca, proteaz ilavesinin söz konusu amino asit seviyelerinde Kahverengi yumurtacı tavukların performansı veya yumurta kalitesi üzerinde önemli bir etkisi yoktur.

Hidabu Abote, Dera, Wera Jarso and Debra Libanos districts of North Shewa zone are potential in honey production. To enhance this potential, different organizations disseminate improved beehives technologies for the smallholder farmers. However, the impact of the disseminated technologies on household income has not been evaluated. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of improved beehive adoption on household income. Purposive and two stage sampling technique was used to select 384 sampled households. The study used logistic regression model to identify the determinants of adoption decision of modern beehive technology while propensity score matching to evaluate the impact of modern beehive technology adoption on household income. The result of logistic regression model shows that age of household head, family size, households experience in beekeeping, frequency of extension contact, access to credit services, access to training and access to beehive demonstration site visit had positive and significant effect on household adoption decision of modern beehive technology. The result of propensity score matching indicates that the adopters of improved beehive technology were earned Birr 2690.383 than non-adopter. The difference in household income between the two groups shows that there is considerable room for improvement of household income through increasing the number of adopter of improved beehives technology in the study area. This should be done through provision of training, credit, extension and expansion of beehive demonstration site among the others.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), the most pathogenic species among the pseudomonas species, is a bacterium that causes opportunistic infections resulting in significant damage to host tissues. P. aeruginosa, which is resistant to antibiotics, also causes fatal infection in human and animals. Infections caused by P. aeruginosa are difficult to treat due to its rapid proliferation in the environment and its ability to form biofilms that confer resistance to antibiotics. One of the main virulence factors of P. aeruginosa is its direct damage to host tissues, which disrupts the host’s defense mechanisms. P. aeruginosa is a food-borne pathogen often detected in various food groups such as meat, milk, fruit, vegetables, and water. In recent years, there has been a noticeable rise in food-borne contamination with P. aeruginosa. New measures are urgently needed in the treatment of patients with infections due to this agent, since P. aeruginosa can develop resistance to most antibacterials. In this review, general information about P. aeruginosa, which has gained importance for public health, will be given.

The study described herein aimed to investigate the relationship between perceptions of hormone usage and customer preferences for broiler meat and meat products in Sri Lanka with special reference to Kandy district. A total of 460 respondents from Kandy district were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire. The analysis revealed that 85.9% of the respondents believes the fact that the hormones are used in broiler production. Also, 75.7% of the respondents were unaware about the fact that the hormones are totally banned from Sri Lankan broiler production. Around 71.4% believed that the hormones are still being used illegally in broiler production in Sri Lanka. The study also found that the general public (36.2%), was the main source that the respondents perceived this false information concerning hormone use. Similarly, 83.7% believes that these chemical substances create health hazards to human. 76.7% of the respondents strongly believed the fact that the adolescent girls who consume broiler meat regularly during their childhood may experience early puberty. The findings of the present study concluded that three misconceptions of (i) use of hormones to attain high growth rates in broilers (ii) hormones assumed to be present in broiler meat pose health hazards to public and (iii) frequent broiler meat consumption during childhood is accompanying with the early puberty in adolescent girls, do exists. Though the majority of the sample comprises of highly educated professionals, these misinformation were spreaded from the information generated among the general public. However stipulating a valid certification with no added hormone in broiler chicken meat will be helpful in changing the mind-set of general public.

In this study, the effects of pulps obtained after cold press oil production was tested as edible fish coating material. It was determined by PV and TBARS values that waste pulp prevented undesirable quality changes due to lipid oxidation. While coating process with black cumin, pumpkin seed and poppy pulp stopped YM development, the lowest TVC values were observed in poppy and black seed groups. Sensory results showed that the use of plant pulps extended the shelf life of rainbow trout fillets, with poppy and black cumin pulps being the most effective groups in terms of odor, taste, texture and general acceptability.

The analysis of the spatial interrelationship between soil properties and slope aspect is vital for understanding the range of influence on soil depth, moisture, and stone content distribution. This study aimed to investigate the spatial interrelationship of topsoil moisture and stone content in different slope aspects and soil depth. The 53.7 km2 watershed was divided into a 500m by 500m grid using ArcGIS and 230 soil samples were collected. In each sampling point, the soil was taken at three soil depth classes (0–25cm, 25–60cm, and 60–100cm) using a cylindrical auger, then soil samples were tested to determine the percentage of topsoil moisture, and stone content. The spatial interrelationship between aspect, soil depth, topsoil moisture, and stone content was analyzed using the R and GS+ software. The study had shown non-significant effects of aspect on topsoil moisture, stone content, and soil depth. However, topsoil moisture tends to be higher on the north-facing slope, while stone content tends to be higher on the southeast-facing slope. The analysis of Local Moran’s I revealed that topsoil moisture, stone content, and soil depth were significantly autocorrelated. The cross-semivariogram analysis of soil depth with topsoil stone content depicted a negative spatial correlation. The experimental cross-semivariogram of soil depth versus topsoil moisture was positively fitted to the exponential function, whereas soil depth with topsoil stone content was best fitted to the Gaussian model. Overall, soil depth is the more influential factor than the slope aspect regarding topsoil moisture depletion and stone content distribution in the study watershed.

Assessments of Soil physical properties and estimation of their associated variability are essential for making site-specific decisions on soil and crop management This study examined the spatial variability of soil hydro-physical properties and variance structure at Sector F1 of the Jibia Irrigation project Katsina State, Nigeria. Grid sampling technique was used to obtain one hundred and forty-four (144) soil samples from 206 ha of land using Google earth. The grids were drawn using Google earth software at intervals of 150 m x 150 m. Surface soil samples (0 - 20 cm) were collected at grid intersection points. The collected soil samples were air-dried and passed through a 2mm sieve, and analyzed using standard laboratory procedures for physical parameters. The ArcGIS software package 10.3 was used to model the variance structure of Sand, Silt, Clay, Bulk density, Particle density, Percent total porosity and Organic Matter (OM). Results obtained revealed that the coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 5.724% in particle density to 109% in clay. The Semivariogram showed that the range of spatial dependence varied from 0.342m for (Dry mean weight diameter) to 9.3m (Organic matter) for all measured soil properties. High Spatial dependency ratios were observed for Bulk density, Sand, Silt and clay contents. Particle density exhibited moderate spatial dependency (Nugget to sill ratio 0.25 – 0.75%). Wet Mean weight diameter and organic matter content have a weak spatial dependency. The results indicated that sandy textured soils dominated the greater part of the study area with low to moderate organic matter content. The soils being sandy-dominated has a high infiltration rate and low ability to retain moisture and nutrients were observed as the major characteristics of the soil of the study area.

Dietary diversity became a global concern in improving health conditions through the habit of food group consumption by adding health dimension to the issue of food calorie consumption. Access to nutritionally adequate and good quality diet is essential to human health, productivity and work output. However, despite the various concerns by governments all over the world on ensuring that every household can at least provide three square meals per day, food insecurity continues to be a major development problem across the globe. This study assessed the effect of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on households’ dietary diversity in Jos Metropolis, Plateau State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 265 households. Data was collected using well-structured questionnaire. The analytical techniques were; Descriptive statistics, Dietary Diversity index and Z-Statistics Test. Gender, age, household size, education, marital status, cooperative membership and access to credit were the socioeconomic characteristics described. Result indicate that 86% of the households had low food dietary diversity while 14% of the households had high food dietary diversity before and after the pandemic lockdown. Similarly, 18% of the households had low calorie consumption while 82% of the households had high dietary diversity before and after the pandemic lockdown. Cereals, legumes/grains, oils/fat, roots and tubers, sugar and honey and meats were the most common food consumed by the households daily before and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Result further indicate that the pandemic lockdown had effect on the dietary diversity and food consumption patterns of the urban households. It can be concluded that the understanding of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on dietary diversity and food consumption patterns of households is important in developing policy measures such as social safety nets, home feeding programmes, the school feeding programme, conditional cash transfers schemes and improved marketing channels that will help mitigate against households falling into food insecurity during similar pandemic in the future.

The SCD gene is a significant component of the leptin signaling pathway. The SCD gene has also been suggested as a candidate essential gene that can change the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in milk and increase the amount of conjugated linoleic fatty acid, which is thought to have anti-cancer properties. The current research was carried out on Holstein cows to determine the association between SCD (Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase) gene polymorphism and total milk yield at 305 days (TMY305) and daily milk yield (DMY). The polymorphism in the SCD gene was identified using the PCR-RFLP technique and the SatI restriction enzyme for genotyping at SNP c.878T>C in the exon 5. The TT, TC, and CC genotype frequencies were 0.21, 0.50, and 0.29 respectively. While the allele frequencies of T and C were 0.46 and 0.54, respectively. According to the Chi-square test results, the SCD/c.878T>C distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (P<0.05). Statistical analysis indicated a significant association between the SCD gene polymorphism and TMY305 (P<0.05). The TC genotypes showed a higher mean TMY305 compared to the TT and CC genotypes.