International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research

STUDIES ON SEEDS GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF TECOMELLA UNDULATA AT NURSERY STAGE

Desha Meena — 2016-06-27

Seeds collected from identified Candidate plus trees of Tecomella undulata from six districts (Jalore, Pali, Sikar, Churu, Bikaner and Nagaur) of Rajasthan were evaluated for seed size, germination percentage, mean daily germination, peak value, germination value, germination rate, seedling growth and shoot vigour index at nursery stage. Considerable variations were recorded for seed germination among the progenies of identified CPTs which ranged from 27.50% to 92.0%. Maximum germination percent of 92% was recorded for CPT-35 of Pali districts owing to higher mean daily germination (4.6) and peak value of germination (11.42) with higher germination rate (15.35) and germination value (52.53) whereas with respect to seedling height and shoot vigour index, CPT-4 from Nagaur districts performed better in comparison to other.

The results of the present study identified progenies of two CPT’s i.e. CPT-35 (Pali) and CPT-4 (Nagaur) as superior which performed better in seed germination and seedling growth attributes at nursery stage. Seed germination for three distinct morphotypes (Yellow, Orange and Red) of Tecomella undulata was also recorded and it was observed that seeds collected from yellow colored flower shows higher seed germination.

USE PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST SOME BACTERIAL SPECIES AND COMPARE THEM WITH SEVERAL ANTIBIOTICS

RanaTalib AL-Ani — 2016-06-27

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological activity of organic solvent extracts of Euphorbia prostrate on growth inhibition of pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus and compare them with several antibiotics. The results of testing alcohol extracts showed high efficiency in inhibition of growth of s. aureus in concentration of 50mg / ml, but for p. aeruginosa, growth inhibition began at 70mg / ml. Results also showed that hexane extract had no effect on both bacteria. on the other hand, Ethyl acetate extract had inhibitive effects on s. aureus at 70mg / ml and on p. aeruginosa at 90mg / ml. When the activity of the three organic extracts on inhibition of test bacteria were compared with several antibiotics, identity of inhibition degree was found between them and even superiority on some others.

EFFECT OF PUDDLING EQUIPMENT ON PUDDLING CHARACTERISTICS UNDER PADDY CULTIVATION IN PUNJAB

Varinder Singh Saimbhi — 2016-06-27

Stabilized puddled bed conditions are essential for an efficient operation of mechanical transplanting of paddy. Three different puddling treatments consisting of Cultivator & Planker (CP), Pulverizing roller attachment to cultivator (PR) and Rotavator (RT) were used to ascertain the puddling performance. Puddling was done after fields were flooded to saturation and 2 passes of cultivator & planker and pulverizing roller attachment each and 1 pass of rotavator were performed. Depth of puddle was 9.4, 12.4 and 11.5 cm in these treatments, respectively.

Puddling index and average percolation rate was 65, 79, 84 % and 0.26, 0.13, 0.11 cm/h, respectively in CP, PR and RT treatments. Effective field capacity of different puddlers was 1.0, 0.8 and 0.3 ha/h, respectively in CP, PR and RT treatments. Transplanting of paddy was done by contract labour in each plot. Cost of puddling was 578.2, 390.0, 626.6 Rs/ha for CP, PR and RT, respectively. Average grain yield differs marginally in CP, PR and RT treatment.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF VULNERABILITY OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS TO CLIMATE STRESS ACROSS REGIONS IN NIGER

Dr. Elhadji Iro ILLA — 2016-06-27

Based on household-level survey data collected from the national institute of statistics, vulnerability as an expected poverty approach (Chaudhuri et al. 2002) is used to analyse the vulnerability of households as the probability that the income of rural households falls below the poverty threshold line (minimum income) due to climate stress and socioeconomic characteristics with logistic regression model. The results reveal that a 1% increase in number of children less than 5 years, a 1% increase of household size and a 1% increase in food prices results respectively in an increase of 3.44%, 3.62% and 6.9% of vulnerability of households. A 1% increase of drought occurrence results in an increase of 4.59% of vulnerability of households. A 1% increase of access to irrigation, a 1% increase of number of cultivated fields and a 1% increase of access to cereal bank results respectively in a decrease of 3.6%, 0.48% and 4.84% of vulnerability of households.

This study is also based on vulnerability resilience indicator across regional levels following Temesgen Deressa, Rashid M. Hassan and Claudia Ringler (2008).The resilience is computed as the net effect of exposure and sensitivity on adaptive capacity and the higher net value the lesser vulnerability. The result shows that rural households living in the regions of Dosso and Tahoua are relatively less vulnerable because of their high adaptive capacity than those of the five other regions of which those of Zinder and Niamey are the most vulnerable due to their high sensitivity and exposure to climate stress.

VOLUNTARY INTAKE AND "in vivo" DIGESTIBILITY IN SHEEP FED WITH "Guash" Leucaenaleucocephala IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Esaú de Jesús Pérez-Luna — 2016-06-29

Foliage from fodder trees is a nutritional option that can improve small ruminant systems. A trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of Leucaena leucocephala foliage on voluntary intake and the apparent digestibility in sheep fed with Panicum maximum L. cv. Tanzania. Five "Pelibuey" male sheep (30 +_ 1.0 kg), enclosed in metabolic cages, were fed on five diets based on P. maximum mixed with different inclusion levels of L. leucocephala respectively (T1= 100-0, T2 = 80-20, T3 = 60-40, T4 = 40-60 y T5 = 20-80 %). Treatment diets were arranged in a Latin Square 5 x 5 and randomly allocated to each animal. Each experimental period lasted 12 days, 7 for adaptation to diet and 5 for measurements. The diets had a similar concentration of metabolizable energy ME (MJ / kg-1 DM). The results obtained for the voluntary intake of DM (kg0.75), NFD, AFD, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin were significantly different (P <0.05). The largest voluntary DM intake was obtained with the T3 and T4diets (79.72 and 75.01 g / kg W0.75). Similar behaviour was observed for NFD intake (T3 = 550.90 and T4=506.26 g/sheep-1 ). The coefficient of apparent digestibility of DM, did not present any statistical variation (P <0.05). With regard to the ME concentration treatments, there were no significant differences (P <0.05); however T2resulted in the highest concentration of ME (9.27 MJ / kg DM-1 ). The trial showed that the foliage of L. leucocephala is an important local source of nitrogen which improves the nutritional value of a diet of P. maximum in sheep.