Impact of Global Climate Change on Charcoal Rot of Sesame Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops in Pakistan. It was originated from East Africa and South Asia about 5000 years ago. In theworld, it is cultivated on an area of 8.26 million hectares with the Productionof 3.31 million tons, whereas in Pakistan, total area under cultivation is 80 thousand hectares with an annual production of 32.4 thousand tons during 2015-16 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics). It has high nutritional value as it contains moisture 04.0-05.3, protein 18.3-25.4, oil 43.3-44.3, saturated fatty acids 14.0, monounsaturated fatty acids 39.0, polyunsaturated fatty acids 46.0, ash 05.2-06.2, glucose 03.2, fructose 02.6, sucrose 0.2 and phytosterols 0.4%.

Successful production of sesame is facing numerous restrains of fungal, bacterial, viral and phytoplasma diseases owing to highly virulent aggressive strains of pathogens. Among these constrains, Charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi.). Gold is the most important one, which are a destructive soil born, polyphagus and thermophilic fungal pathogen. M. phaseolina is causing huge losses of about USD 146 million in Nigeria with 40-57% disease incidence whereas in Pakistan 50-75% disease incidences have been observed. However, increased growth and development rate of this pathogen results total crop failures under favourable soil and environmental conditions.(Read more)

Stock Assessment and Estimation of Optimum Yield for Tilapia Stock (Oreochromis niloticus) in Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia.

The basic purpose of stock assessment is to provide decision makers with the information necessary to makerational choices on the optimum level of exploitation of aquatic living resourcessuch as fish. Aquatic living resources are limited but renewable, and fish stock assessment may be described as the search for the exploitation level, which in the long run gives the maximum sustainable bio-economic yield in weight from fishery.

Fish resource utilization is the primary and an important economic activity. Its purpose is to provide a flow of benefits to human society; it serves as a food because of its rich nutritional value in provision of protein. The global capture fisheries production in 2008 was reported by FAO, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, as 90 million tones, with an estimated first-sale value of US$93.9 billion, comprising about 80 million tons from marine waters and 10 million tons from inland waters.(Read More)

Analysis of Microfinance Banks Support to Agricultural Lending in Edo State, Nigeria.

Globally, 1.2 billion people are extremely poor (surviving on less than USD 1 a day), and three quarters live in rural areas. Poverty is predominantly a rural phenomenon. Extremely poor peoplespend more than half of their income to obtain (or produce) staple foods, whichaccount for more than two thirds of their caloric intake. Most of these people suffer from nutritional deficiencies, and many go hungry at certain times of the year. In recent years, development agencies and national governments have renewed their commitment to reducing poverty, hunger and other human deprivations, as evidenced by the Millennium Development Goals. Among other objectives, the goals aim to halve the proportion of people living on less than USD 1 a day by 2015 (from the starting level of 1990). That means cutting the share of extremely poor people in low- and middle-income countries from 28 to 14%.

The goals also call for halving the proportion of people suffering from hunger by 2015. Rural poverty and hunger fell sharply between 1975 and 1990, but the rate of poverty reduction has since slowed. Net aid (that is, official development assistance) to developing countries fell from 0.35% of the gross national income in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1982-83 to 0.24% in 2002-03. The real value of net aid disbursed to agriculture in the late 1990s was only 35% of the level in the late 1980s, according to IFAD. And, although the proportion of the economically active population engaged in agriculture has been falling in developing regions, it still exceeds 50% in Africa and Asia.(Read More)

Microbial Evaluation of Selected Post Harvest Processing Techniques for Quality Fish Product at Bahir Dar Town, Ethiopia

Fish is a highly nutritious food for providing high quality protein and income to many people in the developing world. In Africa, 5% of the population (35 million people) depends on the fisheries sector for their livelihood. However, fish is one of the mostperishable of all the foods because it is a suitable medium for growth of microorganisms after death. In the tropics at ambient temperature fish will spoil within 12-20 hrs depending on species and method of capture.

Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia, creates job opportunity for 3,514 fishers. Most communities engaged in fisheries of L. Tana have been experiencing significant loss. Fish postharvest loss in Lake Tana is more than 30%, excluding low value fish parts. 

Losses occur as a result of flaws in the handling, storage, distribution, processing and marketing techniques. Traditional fish processing and preservation method is the only method used to dry fish in the study area where the price of the such fish is very low due to quality problems affecting the fishers’ livelihood and nutrient loss for the consumers. Hence, it is important to identify appropriate improved fish processing methods to reduce postharvest fish loss, increase quality, and market value and their income. This could be by upgrading the traditional fish processing technology and adoption of solar dryer. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of fish processed by solar tent, open air rack and smoking methods.(Read more)

Response of Grain Sorghum to Split Application of Nitrogen at Tanqua Abergelle Wereda, North Ethiopia

The large need of plants for nitrogen and the limited ability of soils to supply available nitrogen cause nitrogen to be the most limiting nutrient for crop production on the globe. Worldwide interest associated with increasing cereal grain protein has added anattention on improving the utilization of nitrogen in cereals. Moreover, the concern of ground water contamination, cost of manufacturing and distribution has pressurized farmers to use nitrogen more efficiently.

Proper nitrogen application time and rates are critical to meet crop needs and indicate considerable opportunities for improving nitrogen use efficiency.The growth stage of crops at which fertilizer is applied determines the nitrogen use efficiency; however, the response can vary by genotype. Luxuriant application of nitrogen fertilizer at sowing increases the emergence of broad leaf weeds, thereby the labor requirements for hand weeding, hence, split application of nitrogen is considered as more economical both in terms of weed management and nitrogen use efficiency for optimizing grain yield.(Read more)

Sulfated Polysaccharides in Diets for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Initial Growth Phase.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, the consumption of fish has rapidly increased in recent years, especially in the last decades, going from 9.9 kg per individual in 1960s to 19.7 kg per individual in 2013. This increase in consumption leads to the demand, by the consumer, that management methods,breeding and nutrition be improved, thus increasing productivity.

In the fish production chain, the improvement of a few productive traits, such as specific growth, is essential for the success of the activity, given that, from the economic point-of-view, this trait is prominent for being intrinsically connected to productivity and production profitability. In this context, the use of economically feasible and natural nutritional compounds, capable of promoting such increment in animal growth, can be an important ally to the producer.(Read more)

Environmentally- Friendly Proposals for Coastal Stability at Rosetta Promontory, Nile Delta !

The Nile Delta was formed by sedimentary processes occurred between the Upper Miocene period and the present. The advance and recession of the shoreline are governed by the amount of river sediment discharged into the Mediterranean to those sediments that are lost by the dynamic factors of the wind, wave and current action.The study area mainlyhas two activities; fishing, and agriculture. The agriculture sector includes cultivating date palms, and fruit tree.

Fisheries activities represents an important source for income. Rosetta outlet is the only navigation path for the fishermen from the Nile river branch to the Miditeranean sea.Although the fishing sector is vital to population,the city has no fishing port. No location for the fisheries association which is comprised of about 12000 members (40% of Rosetta population are fishermen).(Read more)

The Comparison of Antibodies Raised Against PLRV with Two Different Approaches - Viral Particles Purification and Recombinant Production of CP.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops in human nutrition having potential of vital food security. It is the fourth largest food crop cultivated in more than 100 countries throughout the world and has gained a status of globally traded commodity.

Potato is infected by at least 40 viruses and 2 viroids and mixed viral infection is frequent. The primary infection triggers the rolling of young leaves with upright growth pattern appearing pale yellow, tinged purple, pink or red with many cultivars. Whereas, secondary symptoms turned out to be severe with overall rolled leaves with leathery texture, stunted growth and tuber necrosis.(Read more)

Probiotic Lactobacillus Species Strengthen Intestinal Barrier Function and Tight Junction Integrity in Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory intestinal disorder that affects premature infants. Despite years of research, it remains the most common gastrointestinal emergency seen in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). NEC is associated with an average mortality of 15-30%, but may be as high as 75-85% in its most severe forms. Survivors may require surgical resection of necrotic bowel and incur associated morbidities, including short gut syndrome, growth delay, and neurodevelopment disorders. 

The pathophysiology of NEC is not well understood and as a result, care is mostly supportive with no defined preventative therapy available. There currently are no recommended strategies that consistently prevent NEC. The possibility of administering probiotic species to protect at-risk infants from developing NEC is a captivating concept that has received significant attention.(Read More)

Community Culture in the Solitary Orang-utan (Pongo)

Perception that orangutan are forest inhabitants living in isolated existence may be an accurate geographic portrayal, but overlooks noncontiguous interactions. While population density appears resource dependent, it takes a community to “raise” an orang. Their development of intricate communication techniques reflects the importance of community. Clicks and “faux speech” represent arousal and alarm calls, in the form of grumphs,gorkunes, grumbiass. Sophisticated kiss-squeak alarm calls involving cupping hands around muzzles to reduce pitch, facilitating long-distance sound transmission. This is not inherited, but learned behavior, reflecting aprolonged childhood. So-called locomotor independence is delayed at least five years. 

This is a period of intense (at least related to later activity levels) learning. They are very curious animals [6], for whom communication is only a part of their “curriculum.” One of the more intriguing aspects of orang behavior is their use of tools [7]. Variability among derived family groups, at least during the five year “home life” confirms this as learned, not hereditary behavior [8]. Their curiosity often leads to discovering new tools and concepts which they share with their group [7]. This includes building sun covers out of leaves and play nests. Hygiene is facilitated by creating leaf napkins. Itches (both tactile and erotic) are “scratched” with sticks; branches, used to swat flies; gloves, made out of leaves to allow access to spiny fruits and branches. Sticks are used to extract insects from holes (e.g., in trees) and seeds from fruits.(Read more)

Postmortem Study on Indigestible Foreign Bodies in Rumen and Reticulum of Ruminants Slaughtered at Asella Municipal Abattoir, Southeastern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is resource full country endowed with larges population of livestock in Africa. The total cattle populations of the country is estimated to be about 57.83 million, whereas the number of small ruminantsare estimated to exceed 58 million. However, development this sector is hampered by different constraints and has not been fully exploited the benefit of indigenous livestock compared to its tremendous potential.

Significant losses result each year from the death of animals as a result of lack of appropriate veterinary services, lack of attention from government, wide spread endemic disease and recurrent drought. Ingestible foreign body predisposed by environmental pollution is currently becoming a global health problem of ruminants and have been implicated as among common causes of sudden death.