The study focused on how farming communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic in Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, how farmers are affected by the pandemic, their coping strategies, contributions of extension service towards their adaptation, and the support they need to better adapt to the pandemic were examined. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 300 respondents across the agricultural zones in the study area. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data obtained from the respondents through a well-designed questionnaire. The majority of the respondents have experienced limited access to agricultural inputs (87.9%), limited access to the market (79.6%), unavailability of the labour force at critical times of agricultural production and harvesting (68.7%), health risk and fear (72.6%), increased transportation cost (87.4%), unavailability of facemasks and hand sanitizers (89.1%), dwindling and uncertain finances (92.4%). Majority of the farmers asserted that they had to rely more on the radio (87.6%), religious leaders (67.2%), community leaders (65.4%), and extension agents (45.3%) for COVID-19-related information. They depended more on herbs and traditional medications (72.4%) and had to trek long distances to market farm produce and get inputs (69.7%) to cope with the impact of the pandemic. Contributions from extension services reported by the respondents were majorly from text messages and phone calls. The majority of the respondents solicited regular assessment of COVID-19 impacts in their communities to identify other specific challenges and needs of farmers for a better and timely response.

The effect of different organic and inorganic fertilizers had a significant effect on the yield of spring rice. A field experiment was carried out to determine the effects of different organic and inorganic fertilizers on the yield of spring rice var Hardinath-1 at Siranchowk rural municipality-4, Gorkha during the spring season of 2021 with four replications and five treatments: T1[Recommended inorganic fertilizer Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (@100:30:30 kg/ha)], T2[75% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 25% recommended organic fertilizer: i.e. (Farm Yard Manure (6 ton /ha)], T3(50% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 50% recommended organic fertilizer), T4(25% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 75% recommended organic fertilizer ), and T5 (Recommended organic fertilizer) using simple Randomized Complete Block Design with 3*3 m of individual plot size. A biometrical observation like plant height (95.33 cm), and the number of tillers (340.75/ m2) were found significantly highest on T2. Similarly, yield attributing characteristics like the number of effective tillers (315.75/m2), several filled grains per panicle (150.25), and highest panicle length (25.06 cm) were also significantly highest on T2. The highest grain yield (8.27 ton/ha), straw yield (12.14 ton/ha), and harvest index (0.40) were also observed on T2. Total net return was found highest on T2: 287330 Nepalese Rupees(NPR) incurring the cost of fertilizer Rs NPR 18940 per hectare returning the gross return of NPR 268390 per hectare. In conclusion, T2 was the best combination of other biofertilizer combinations. So, the spring rice productivity can be enhanced via the adoption of 75% recommended inorganic fertilizer + 25% recommended organic fertilizer in fertilizer management practice at Chorkate, Gorkha.

To increase meat production at a level parallel to meet the demand of the increasing world population in recent years, reproductive management in farm animals must be successful. In order to reach the desired level of fertility in sheep, particularly starting with the non-prolific breeds, anoestrus period applications should be carried out effectively. In this study, different doses of equine chorionic gonadotropin were applied to determine the effective eCG dose for underwent estrus synchronization with progesterone in anoestrus Kangal ewes whose milk and wool yield has been completely abandoned by the breeder for various reasons and whose only economic benefit is lamb production. A total of 225 Kangal Akkaraman Sheep breeds, 2 years old, with a body condition score of 2.5-3.5 and an average weight of 40-50 kg, were included in the study. In line with this purpose, ewes were divided into 3 groups, containing 75 primiparous sheep. A vaginal sponge containing progesterone was inserted into the animals in all groups on day 0. Seven days after this application (on the 7th day), vaginal sponges were removed and Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) was applied. When the vaginal sponge was removed and the PGF2α was administered, 400 IU of eCG was given to animals in Group 1 (n:75), 500 IU of eCG was administrated to animals in Group 2 (n:75), and 600 IU of eCG was injected to the ewes in Group 3. The effectiveness of different doses of eCG application on reproductive parameters such as estrous rate, pregnancy rate, multiple pregnancy rate, and the number of offspring was evaluated. While no statistical difference could be determined between the groups in terms of the stated reproductive parameters, numerically more offspring were obtained in the group in which eCG was applied at a low rate (Group 1). In the light of this information, it is concluded that 400 IU eCG can be as effective as 600 IU eCG in sexual stimulation of Kangal ewes in anestrus.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of sweet blue Lupin intercropped with maize at different planting time under irrigation in Ethiopia. For the experiment, sweet lupin (cultivar Sanabor) and Maize (cultivar PBH 3253) were used. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments were sweet lupin intercropped with maize simultaneously, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks after maize planting. Sole maize was planted as control. Maize was planted in rows with spacing of 75 cm and 30 cm between rows and between plants, respectively. Lupin was planted between two maize rows (one maize row: two lupin row) 22.5 cm apart from maize row. The distance between lupin plants is 7 cm. In addition, maize rows were top-dressed N-fertilizer at the rate of 100 Kg ha-1 by dividing in to two at planting and at vegetative stage. Intercropping time had a significant effect on yield and yield components of sweet lupin, but not on maize. Lupin intercropped simultaneous with maize gave significantly higher dry matter and seed yield 1.05 and 1.71t/ha, respectively as compared to the four intercropping dates. Maize grain yield and maize stover yield were not affected by sweet lupin intercropping dates. This study showed that sweet lupin intercropped simultaneously with maize could be optimum sowing date for better grain and dry matter yield of sweet lupin without affecting maize grain and stover yield under irrigation condition.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay and urea molasses block on feed intake, digestibility, and body weight change of yearling local sheep fed with grass hay as a basal diet. The rationale for supplementation of alfalfa hay with urea molasses block 1) high-producing animals protein need cannot exclusively met from rumen microbial sources; 2) protein is the most expensive nutrient of ruminant animal feed. Twenty-four yearling intact male local sheep with a mean initial body weight of 23.9±1.9 (Mean ± SD) were used in a completely randomized block design. Treatments were 1% of live weight alfalfa hay (1A), 1.5% of live weight alfalfa hay (1.5A), 2.0% of live weight alfalfa hay (2A), and all three treatments offered with 100g/head/day of Urea-molasses-block (UMB). The control treatment was supplemented with concentrate mix at 2.0% of live weight (C). In addition, all treatments were fed grass hay ad libitum. The study period consisted of 84 days of feeding and 7 days of digestibility tests. Total dry matter intake was 1015.65, 925.41, 956.16, and 1078.13 (SE=± 19.4) for C, 1A, 1.5A, and 2A, respectively and 1A was lower than 2A and similar with 1.5A and C. Apparent crude protein digestibility and Crude protein intake of 2A was statistically similar to C. But, higher than 1A and 1.5A. Average daily gain was 109.33, 54.76, 55.36, and 63.1 (SE=± 6.13) g/day for C, 1A, 1.5A, and 2A, respectively and the values were the highest for C. The study showed that concentrate supplementation at 2% body weight resulted in greater body weight gain, crude protein intake and apparent crude protein digestibility. Additionally, the weight gain achieved at all grade levels of alfalfa plus in combination with the same amount of urea molasses block was commendable. But, considering the accessibility and cost of conventional concentrate mixture, 2% of Live Weight Alfalfa hay with 100g/head/day urea molasses block is recommended as an alternative supplement regime for better sheep performance.

Medicinal plants are quite popular in the medicine development process because they contain bioactive chemicals. Traditional medicine has made extensive use of Crataegus orientalis L., which also has significant biological effects. In this study, essential oils (EOs) of C. orientalis var. orientalis collected from Tokat-Türkiye were isolated by hydrodistillation. Chemical constituents were detected by GC-MS and benzaldehyde (%52.75), α-terpineol (%16.86), germacrene D (%7.03) and caryophyllene (%6.77) were determined as major components. Moreover, antioxidant analyses including DPPH•, ABTS+• and FRAP tests were carried out. EOs displayed good the DPPH activity (IC50, 12.21, µg/mL) in comparison to the standard BHT (IC50, 10.23 µg/mL). The same trend was observed for ABTS and FRAP assays.

Producing safe and high-quality food is increasingly important, and developing durum wheat varieties with low toxicity is crucial to meeting this demand. Durum wheat breeders can achieve this goal by developing new varieties that are either more resistant to arsenic uptake or better adapted to grow in areas with high arsenic levels. High levels of arsenic can pose serious health hazards, which makes it critical to evaluate the arsenic levels. Therefore, this study evaluated the arsenic levels in diverse durum wheat genotypes, including Turkish-released cultivars and local landraces. The results showed that all genotypes had significantly low and non-toxic levels of arsenic, with an average concentration of 5.24 μg/kg. These concentrations were much lower than the minimum reported in numerous published research studies and well below the risky international standard limits for durum wheat grain (0.1 mg/kg). The study also identified two significant marker-trait associations linked to arsenic contents located on chromosomes 4A and 7B, which explained 11-17% of the phenotypic variation. These findings provide valuable insights into the arsenic levels in durum wheat genotypes and highlight the need for ongoing monitoring to ensure safe and healthy food for consumers. By conducting collaborative genome-wide association studies and employing marker-assisted selection, durum wheat breeders can accelerate the creation of new varieties that have reduced arsenic levels by identifying alleles linked to arsenic content. This study emphasizes the importance of developing low-toxicity durum wheat varieties to ensure the safety and quality of our food supply. The findings can inform breeding programs to develop such varieties and contribute to sustainable agriculture. While the study’s methodology was robust, further research is necessary to confirm and validate the genetic factors contributing to variation in arsenic content among different durum wheat genotypes.

Doğum sonrası sütten kesime kadarki süreçte buzağılara probiyotik kullanımının buzağıların gelişme ve sağlık durumları üzerine olan etkilerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yürütülen bu araştırmada 24 baş (20 baş dişi ve 4 baş erkek) Holstein ırkı buzağı doğum tarihi, cinsiyet ve doğum ağırlıkları dikkate alınarak kontrol grubu (KON, n=12) ve probiyotik grubu (PRO, n=12) olmak üzere ikiye ayrılmıştır. Çalışmada farklı mikroorganizma suşlarını (Enterecoccus spp, Lactobacillus spp. Pediococcus spp., ve Bacillus spp.) içeren ticari bir probiyotik kaynağı kullanılmış olup probiyotik grubundaki buzağılara süt ikame yemi (SİY) ile birlikte sabah öğününde 20 ml/gün baş düzeyinde verilmiştir. Buzağılar doğumu takiben bireysel kulübelere alınmış ve ilk 3 gün boyunca günde 4 L/gün ağız sütü, tükettikten sonra 4-17. günlerde 6L/gün, 18-45. günlerde 9L/gün, 46-55. günlerde 6L/gün ve 55. günden sütten kesime kadar 3L/gün SİY tüketmişlerdir (150 g toz/1L). Buzağılara 4. günden itibaren sütten kesime kadar serbest düzeyde buzağı başlangıç yemi ve su verilmiştir. PRO buzağılara 4. günden sütten kesime kadar ki süreçte sabah öğününde verilen SİY içerisine 20 ml probiyotik ilave edilmiştir. Çalışmada yem tüketimi, ishal ve sağlık ile ilgili veriler günlük olarak takip edilmiş, canlı ağırlık verileri ise doğum, 4., 18., 46., 55. günlerde ve sütten kesimde ölçülerek kayıt edilmiştir. Çalışmada, KON ve PRO grubu buzağılarda ölçülen SİY ve başlangıç yemi tüketimleri ile günlük canlı ağırlık artışları (GCAA) ve sütten kesim sürelerinin benzer olduğu (P>0,05), buna karşın, PRO grubunda ishal görülme sıklığını %50 oranında, pnömoni görülme sıklığının ise %54 oranında azaldığı belirlenmiştir (P≤0,05). Sonuç olarak yenidoğan buzağılarda probiyotik tüketiminin performans üzerine herhangi bir etkisi olmazken sağlık üzerine olumlu etkilerinin olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Bu çalışma KOP bölgesi illerinin sıcaklık nem indeksi (SNİ) değerlerinin süt sığırcılığı açısından uygunluğunun belirlenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda, KOP Bölgesi’nde bulunan Yozgat, Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Niğde, Aksaray, Karaman, Konya ve Nevşehir illerinin 2000-2021 yılları arasındaki sıcaklık ve nem değerlerine ait aylık ortalamalar kullanılmıştır. KOP Bölgesinde yer alan illerin ortalama sıcaklık ve nem verilerinden SNİ değerleri hesaplanmıştır. Çalışmada, SNİ hesaplanması için ‘‘(0,8 × T) + [(RH/100) × (T-14,4)] + 46,4’’ eşitliği kullanılmıştır. Kritik SNİ seviyesi olarak 72 değeri temel alınmıştır. Çalışmada, SNİ, sıcaklık ve nem değerleri üzerine, il, ay ve yıl ile interaksiyon etkisi istatistiki olarak önemli bulunmuştur (P<0,05). KOP Bölgesinde yer alan iller için ortalama SNİ değerleri ise 50,88-55,25, sıcaklık değerleri 9,96-13,18oC ve nem değerleri %54,03-64,78 arasında belirlenmiştir. Ortalama SNİ en yüksek Aksaray (55,25) ve Kırıkkale (55,13) illerinde, en düşük ise Yozgat (50,88) ilinde hesaplanmıştır. Elde edilen ortalama SNİ değerleri kritik değerlere yakın olan Temmuz ve Ağustos ayları da dâhil süt sığırcılığı için tehlike oluşturmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Ancak SNİ değerlerinin yüksek olduğu bu aylarda süt verim ve kalitesi, hastalık ve üreme ile ilgili problem yaşamamak için yeterli havalandırma, fan, sisleme ve gölgelikler, su ihtiyacının karşılanması, bakım, besleme ve barındırma gibi birçok sürü yönetim uygulamalarına dikkat edilmesinin süt sığırcılığı açısından yararlı olacağı kanaatine varılmıştır.

Hayvancılık faaliyetleri sonucunda atmosferde karbondioksit (CO2), metan (CH4) ve nitröz oksit (N2O) gazları açığa çıkmakta ve açığa çıkan bu gazlar küresel olarak iklim değişikliğine etki etmektedir. Hayvansal üretim önemli bir endüstri haline gelmiştir ve sera gazı emisyonlarının seviyelerini dikkate değer ölçüde arttırmıştır. Bu bağlamda, sera gazı emisyonlarını azaltma stratejilerinde hayvansal üretimin büyük bir rolü bulunmaktadır. Hayvansal üretim sistemlerinde sera gazı üretimini artıran bazı faktörler bulunmaktadır. Bu unsurlar arasında arazi kullanımı, enterik fermantasyon, gübre yönetimi ve işleme ve nakliye gibi unsurlar en üst sıralarda yer almaktadır. Anılan faktörler arasında enterik fermantasyon ruminantların yem alım seviyesine, yemlerin ruminantlar tarafından sindirilebilirliğine bağlı olarak sindirim sistemlerinde metan (CH4) gazı açığa çıkarmakta ve metan (CH4) emisyonlarını meydana getirmektedir. Ruminantların, diğer çiftlik hayvanlarına oranla daha yüksek biyokütleleri ve sindirim ürünleri nedeniyle sera gazı emisyonlarına etkisi daha fazladır. Sera gazını hafifletmeye yönelik yapılan son çalışmalarda, literatürde farklı azaltma stratejileri vurgulanmaktadır. Bu derleme makalede sera gazı emisyonlarını azaltmaya yönelik stratejiler ele alınmıştır.