Agriculture

Overview of root system may clarify some aspects of breeding crops under saline stress condition. In an experiment studied 8 genotypes of wheat (spring cultivars) consist of Quds, Shiraz, Sorkh-Tokhm, Sistani, Mahooti, Falat, Bam and Arg at 3 levels of salinity stress with six replications. The present work, conducted in green-house of Zanjan University in the process of constant condition (T=27±2 °C, L:D= 16:8, RH=60±5 %) in 2011. Variation of few root attributes such as, Shoot Dry Weight (SDW), Root Dry Weight (RDW), the Ratio of Root Dry Weight /Shoot Dry Weight (R/S), Root Area (RA), Root Volume (RV), Root Area Per Volume (RAPV), Root Density (RD), the Average of Root Diameter (ARD), Root Area Index (RAI), Special Root Area (SRA), Root Area Density (RAD), Root Volume Ratio (RVR), and Specific Root Mass (SRM) evaluated before pollination step. The results showed that Sistani and Sorkh-tokhm Genotype Showed Highest resistance in compare to other cultivars. Therefore, selection and breeding traits on wheat would be possible to find the more consequential types for further crop products.

This study was conducted to evaluation of different formulations of Betanal Progress OF herbicide on weeds control of sugar beet field. The experimental design was factorial on the basis of randomized complete block with four replications. Treatments consisted of four different formulations of the herbicide Betanal Progress F (Iranian, Spanish, German and Chinese) with four different doses (3, 4, 4.5 and 5 liters per hectare). Evaluated traits included frequency of weed and dry weight at 15 and 30 days after spraying. Result showed that German formulation and 4.5 liter per ha Betanal Progress F had highest weed control at sugar beet field.

Due to the process of deforestation and Increasing human population and growing demands for forests, afforestation and the development of forest is and will be of paramount importance. The objective of this research is to identify suitable lands for afforestation and forest development in Mehran County on the western of Iran by using multi criteria evaluation making. Site selection analysis was carried out to find the best suitable lands for forest development and afforestation in an example of promising southern Ilam province, Iran. The GIS models were developed to represent a scenario of land use suitability in the study area using GIS Multi Criteria Analysis Modeling. The factors contributed in the analysis are the Topography, Land cover, Climate, Soil, and Geology. Land suitability maps for afforestation have been extracted using weighted overlay techniques. The total resulting areas for afforestation reveal the importance of forest development in Mehran County, and the suitability of the terrain. The suitable map for afforestation shows that 35.88% of the investigated area is highly suitable, 28.64% is moderately suitable and 35.46% is lowly suitable. According to autochthonous species and adaptive exotic species and their ecological demand suggest species for afforestation in suitable places that ecological demand of the suggested species is similar to ecology specifications of this suitable land that have capability for afforestation. Several species suggested for afforestation in suitable lands such as Amygdalus arabica, Prosopis juliflora, Pistasia atlantica, Eucaliptus camaldulensis, Ziziphus spina- christi, Ziziphus numularia, and Myrtus communis.

This study is designed to examine the effect of undersupply of fuel on the distribution of agricultural produce in Ogbomoso Agricultural Zone of Oyo State. A multi stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 respondents for this study. Primary data were collected through administration of both well-structured questionnaire and interview schedule to elicit information from agricultural produce distributors. Data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics to present the socio economic characteristics of the distributors and test the hypothesis respectively. The result of the finding revealed the socio- economic characteristics of the respondents such as year of experience of the respondents, the mean years of experience is 26years which means that the people have gained enough knowledge about farming and distribution of agricultural produce which could assist them in effective distribution and increase their income, it was also discovered that farming is the main economic activity of the people in the study area and this can bring higher productivity and make agricultural produce available and cheaper for distribution. The result of the finding also shown that the cost charge on transportation of agricultural produce is very high, which in many cases hinder distribution and lowers the distributors income and the quantity that will be distributed, it was also observed that the major causes of undersupply of fuel are: the mode of fuel distribution, oil marketers strike, NUPENG strike and prices at which fuel is sold. It was also revealed that fuel is one of the factors which greatly affect the distribution of agricultural produce in the study area. Based on the findings of the study it was recommended that there is need for awareness about distribution of agricultural produce for the youths in the study area. More effort should be employed on the part of fuel marketers so as to effectively distribute fuel and avoid frequent strike. Black market should be discouraged so as to avoid hoarding of fuel and inflation of fuel prices and to ensure availability of fuel all year round. Government should put more effort in stopping NUPENG strike, so that fuel can easily be distributed. Government should improve payment of fuel subsidy so as to regulate and maintain fuel price in the area. Effort should also be made by Government in repairing old refineries so as to ensure availability of fuel all year round. Finally, Government should make effort in providing security on fuel pipes, to avoid underground drilling of fuel by exorbitance. 

The present study was conducted in three villages in three development blocks in Pratapgarh distrct U.P. to documents the constraints experienced by the mentha growers. The research results were grouped into technical, financial and social constraints. The study revealed that mentha cultivation are quite primitive and traditional, resulting low yield and poor quality of produce. It is evident from the study that lack of improved techniques of mentha cultivation, availability of quality seed, farm machinery, distillation plant, Procurement agency, market and related information, organized farmers are major constraints faced by the farmers. The cultivation of mentha becomes more difficult when growers are not getting credit facilities and are paying more rent for land.

The objective of this study was to describe the growth pattern in Zandi sheep using non-linear models. In total 21640 body weight records from birth to yearling were analyzed. The data set were used in this study, obtained from the Animal Breeding Center of Iran during 1992–2013. In this study growth pattern parameters (mature weight, growth rate and mature rate) estimated using four nonlinear regression model (Brody, Gompertz, logistic and Bertalanfy). Growth models were compared with coefficients of determination )R2(, adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adg), Means square error (MSe) and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC). logistic model provided the best fit of growth curve due to the generally greater values of R2 and R2adg and lower values of MSe and AIC than other models. In logistic model the estimated amount of mature weight (A), growth rate (B) and maturation rate (K) were 34. 48±0. 09, 7. 61±0. 28 and 0. 027±0.0004, respectively. This amount for Brody model were 36. 52±0. 17, 0. 9±0. 004 and 0. 009±0. 0002 respectively. For Gompertz model this amount were 35. 12±0. 11, 2. 25±0. 04 and 0. 017±0. 0002 respectively. In von Bertalanfy model the estimated amount of parameters A, B and K were 35. 48±0. 12, 0. 53±0. 006 and 0. 014±0. 0002 respectively.

 This study examines the willingness to pay for safe water by households in Ejigbo local government of Osun State. Eighty respondents were selected for the study. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The data used for this study are mainly primary data through the use of structured questionnaire administered via personal interviews emphasizing on the importance of safe water and willingness to pay for safe water among households in Ejigbo Local Government Area. Descriptive statistics such as tabula presentation, frequency distribution, cumulative percentages and mean were used to analyze the slated objectives. The Logit model was also used to test for the formulated hypothesis. The study revealed from the socio-economic characteristics that majority of the respondents is male while most of them are within their youthful age. Sixty percent are married, 55% of them have a household size of between 1 and 5. More than four-fifth (80%) of them get their water from wells and boreholes, 62.5% treat their water before consumption, 47.5% have a record of one illness or the other. Two-third (67.5%) prefer other water sources. The highest percentage of respondents (56.3%) was willing to pay for safe water. Marital status is statistically significant at 5% with a value of 2.079, these shows that marital status has a positive significance with the willingness to pay for water. Primary occupation is statistically significant at 5% with a value of -2.227, this implies that it has a negative significance with the wiliness to pay for safe water. Secondary occupation is statistically significant ay 5% with a value of -2230, this implies that it has negative significance on the willingness to pay for safe water. Age, primary occupation and secondary occupation have a negative marginal effect on the willingness to pay for safe water in the study area with a value of -2.192,-2227 and -2230 respectively. Even though significant, and increase in these three variables will not raise the morale to willingly pay for safe water. Conclusion was drawn that most of these respondents are willing to pay for safe water but a lot of factors inhibit their willingness to pay such as price, distance to the source of water supply and availability.

Inappropriate fertilizer application usage is among the problems associated with eggplant production in Ogbomoso agro-ecological zone. Field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso to assess the effects of different fertilizers on the performance of five varieties of eggplant. The treatments consisted of five fertilizer types (No fertilizer, Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 100%), Organic fertilizer (100% compost), 50% compost + 50% NPK and 75% compost + 25% NPK) and five varieties of eggplant (Nacy, Ravenna, Nathelie, Reth and Orma). The fertilizer treatments were supplied at the equivalent rate of 60 kg N/ha. The experiment was a factorial experiment laid out in randomized complete block design. The five fertilizer types and five eggplant varieties translates to 25 treatment combinations, which was replicated three times. The agronomic and yield data collected were analyzed using the analysis of variance procedure while the treatment means were separated using the Duncan Multiple range test at 5% level of probability. It was observed that application of fertilizer improved the growth and yield attributes of eggplant when compared with where no fertilizer was applied. Combined application of 50% compost + 50% NPK and 75% compost and 25% NPK gave the highest fruit yields of 31.8 and 29.9 t/ha, respectively, which were not different significantly from each other. Ravenna variety produced the highest fruit yield (37.1t/ha). Planting of Ravenna variety with application of 50% NPK + 50% compost could be recommended for production of eggplant in the study area.

Genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient analysis were done for yield and its component characters in twenty two diverse genotypes of rape seed. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was recorded for seed yield per plant (31.33%) followed by siliqua per plant (20.07%). Heritability estimates in broad sense were higher for the characters days to maturity (83.92%), days to flowering (72.49%) and thousand seed weight (68.13%). Days to maturity, days to flowering, thousand seed weight and length of siliqua had high heritability along with low genetic advance suggests non-additive gene action was observed controlling these characters. Correlation coefficient of days to flowering (0.406*), primary branches per plant (0.514**), length of siliqua (0.548**), siliqua per plant (0.864**), seeds per siliqua (0.335*) was positive and significantly associated with seed yield per plant at genotypic level. Primary branches per plant (1.588), days to maturity (0.185), length of siliqua (0.740), siliqua per plant (0.569) and thousand seed weight (0.590) showed positive direct effect on seed yield. Selection based on these traits would give better response for the improvement of seed yield in rapes. The results of this study are expected as the basic information on genetic variation and relationship of component traits which can be used in rape seed breeding.

Most Ghanaian foods are made from maize. Unfortunately, certain diets made from the cereal cannot be produced without processing the maize into flour. The corn mill has been the most efficient and often used tool for grinding legumes, cereals, nuts and spices. Maize is milled either dried or soaked. Dry maize is usually milled over and over again for about four times to retain a smooth texture. It is used to prepare many delicacies in different parts of Ghana. However, soaked maize is milled only once and it is ready for use. The work was conducted to find the levels of Cd, Al, Ni, Cu, Mg and Zn in the processed flour using instrumental neutron activation analyses at the Ghana Research reactor-1 Facility. As the grinding plates of the corn mills rub against each other, there is friction as well as wear and tear. This could introduce toxic metals into the corn flour. Results showed that the corn mills had no negative effects on the corn flour as the level of the elements recorded were below the required limits. Al values in the sample ranged from 1.8 ± 0.27 mg/kg to 5.40 ± 0.81 mg/kg. Cu, Cd, Zn and Mn also recorded concentration values of ranges 0.70 ± 0.11 mg/kg to 1.50 ± 0.23 mg/kg, 4.80 ± 0.72 mg/kg to 6.40 ± 0.96 mg/kg, 0.52 ± 0.08 ?g/kg and 0.90 ± 1.35 mg/kg to 4.10 ± 0.62 mg/kg respectively. No particular process recorded consistent peak value concentrations for the heavy metals. Ni recorded concentrations within the range 26.18 ± 3.23 mg/kg to 46.42±2.53 mg/kg. However, continuous consumption could lead to accumulation of these elements that could affect the body adversely.