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Seasonal rainfall prediction in Juba County, South Sudan using the feedforward neural networks
Get PDFHistorical rainfall data from 1997-2016 of Juba County, South Sudan were used in a Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN) model to make future predictions. Annual rainfall data were aggregated into three seasons MAMJ, JAS and OND and later trained for best forecasts for the period 2017-2034 using the Alyuda Forecaster XL software. Best training of the time series was attained, once the minimum error of the weight expressed as MSE or AE between the measured variable and predicted was achieved during gradient descent. The results showed that for MAMJ and JAS months, the number forecasts were over 85% whereas this was between 60-80% for OND months. The Seasonal Kendal (SK) test on future rainfall forecasts as well as the Theil-Sen slope showed negative monotonic trends in the mean values till the end of 2034 of all three seasons with MAMJ, JAS at OND at 100, 150 and 80 mm respectively. Rainfall forecast showed that the MAMJ months for the years 2019 to 2027 will be moderately wet except in April 2021 which will experience some severe wetness (due to intensive rainfall). Interdecadal severe drought with less than 60, 100 and 10 mm for MAMJ, JAS and OND respectively, is expected between 2028 to 2033 after almost two decades. The declining onset of MAMJ rains is expected to significantly affect the timing for land preparation and crop planting. 
Studies on the effect of sodium arsenate & cadmium chloride on Pithophora oedogonia (Mont.) Wittrock 1877
Get PDFCadmium and Arsenic are heavy metals although not common in our environment, its threat in certain places are aggravated due to anthropogenic factors. To know its critical role on plants the investigation was made using Na2HAsO4 and CdCl2 treatment on Pithophora oedogonia (Mont.) Wittrock 1877. The observations were made after 14 days of treatment. The changes were noted. In both cases, the treated cells exhibited gradual disruption of cell wall and cell membrane. The chlorophyll content initially increased and finally decreased due to the notable destruction of chloroplasts in both treated cells. A profuse number of akinetes were observed at 100 ppm and 150 ppm of Na2HAsO4 and CdCl2 treated media. Decrease in protein content was started at 100 ppm in both cases. The lipid content initially decreased at 50 ppm and at 100 ppm lipid profile increased in terms of toleration to the Na2HAsO4 and CdCl2 stress. Pithophora oedogonia (Mont.) Wittrock 1877 exhibited more sensitivity to CdCl2 stress & showing abrupt changes in chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b production. The carotenoid production shown more sensitivity in Na2HAsO4 stress. Total phenol production was decreased initially and at 200 ppm CdCl2 stress had shown significant enhancement than the control set but at the 200 ppm of Na2HAsO4 shown inhibitory effect
Green synthesis of iron nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Turbinaria conoides (J. Agardh) and their anticancer properties
Get PDFMarine macroalgae produce numerous bioactive compounds with potential pharmacological properties. In this study, macroalga was collected from the Gulf of Mannar, India and identified as, Turbinaria conoides (J. Agardh). The aqueous extract of T. conoides was used to synthesize iron nanoparticles (NPs). The synthesized iron NPs were characterized by X –ray diffraction analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The synthesized NPs showed potent activity against DLD1 and HeLa cell lines
Effect of Phytohormones on rooting behaviour in air layers of Phoebe cooperiana, an economically important tree species of Arunachal Pradesh, India
Get PDFThis study reports the response of air layers of Phoebe cooperiana (Common name: Tapil) to different concentrations of rooting hormones in mid hills of Arunachal Pradesh. Ten trees between the ages of 7 and 10 were selected at Boleng village of Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India for the experiment. Eight treatments comprising of IBA and NAA at concentrations of 1000ppm, 2000ppm and 3000ppm each, Rootex hormone for semi-hardwood and control were applied to a total of 240 layers during April 2020. After 60 days, rooting percentage, mean number of roots and length of the longest root were recorded. Significant variation (p<0.05) among treatments was observed for all root parameters. Among treatments, the highest rooting percentage and mean a number of roots were obtained in layers treated with NAA 3000ppm (80% and 21.33 respectively). The length of the longest root was the highest in layers treated with NBA 2000ppm (4.23cm). The highest survival percentage of layers two months after transplanting was observed in those treated with NAA 3000ppm (54.16%) and the least in control (23.07%). The technique offers an easy and cheap method of propagation for farmers as well as for government and private agencies to enhance seedling production of the species
Phytoremediation of zinc polluted soil using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
Get PDFThis study aimed at assessing the ability of sunflower to remediate zinc (Zn) impacted soils and the partitioning factors of Zn in soil-plants interactions. The research method used ex situ experiments using teddy bear sunflower seeds with 8 different treatments for each. This began with the preparation of the sample soil media on garden soil, and the seeding of sunflower seeds. This research was carried out for six months starting in August - December 2020, with Helianthus annuus plants with variations of the Zn. Various concentrations of Zn were applied, ranging from 50 ppm to 350 ppm. Laboratory analysis of Zn was carried out using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) method. The research results have revealed that roots have the ability to translocate more Zn than shoots, which suggests a phytoremediation mechanism. Sunflower plants are able to translocate Zn, which proves it reliable for phytoremediation of Zn-polluted soil
Essential oil composition of Origanum vulgare and its application in substitution of synthetic chemical additives
Get PDFIn this work, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the essential oil of Origanum vulgare. L. obtained by hydrodistylation was warried out and it allowed to identify 98.1% of its constituents. The main components are carvacrol (47.6%), thymol (16.6%), p-cymene (13.5%) andγ-terpinene (11.2%). The chemical components of the essence are distributed over five biochemical classes represented mainly by monoterpene phenols and monoterpene carbides. The extraction gave a yield of oil 2.8%. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of this oil was determined against food spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria belonging to the genus Staphylococcus tested in vitro. This study aims to enhance the value of oregano essential oil by determining its chemical composition on the one hand, and by its application as a natural antibacterial preservative in substitution of synthetic chemical additives on the other hand. The sample was incorporated into a sensitive food matrix exposed to bacterial contamination: white meat. The bacteriostatic/bactericidal power of this bioactive extract was determined by a significant reduction in the number of bacteria and a clear increase in shelf life. Thus, it is possible to propose the use of this aromatic essence as a source of natural preservative
Biodiversity of some fig cultivars in Southern Syria
Get PDFThis research has been conducted in the Biotechnology Laboratory in Damascus University_ Damascus, Syria where the genetic diversity of fourteen cultivars of figs (Ficus carica L.) growing in Swaida governorate which located in the south region of Syria were investigated using (Simple Sequence Repeats) SSRs technique, where 4 cultivars of them were genotypes scattered in the local fields without any scientific taxonomy and farmers did not classify them properly. Eight pairs of SSRs markers were used depend on their ability to separate between fig cultivars as mentioned in previous studies, six pairs of them gave amplified products in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while MFC3 and MFC6 primers did not give any amplification products. A total of 17 alleles were detected at six SSRs loci. The alleles number per locus ranged from 2 to 4 with an average of 2.83 alleles/locus. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.33, while the expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.17. The mean value of genetic similarity was 0.69 where fig cultivars has separated into two clusters in Cluster Analysis, which confirms a significant genetic similarity between most of the cultivars. MFC1 and MFC2 loci gave about 0.67 and 0.61 PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) values respectively, which confirms their ability to study the genetic diversity of fig cultivars more than other loci. F1 and F2 cultivars greatly affect the quality of the fruits as paternity traits as Caprifigs. Tammozi cultivar has low values of its genetic similarity with the rest of the cultivars which reflect great difference between it and other cultivars. Generally, the challenges in this study were in characterizing unrecognized fig cultivars in southern Syria to distinguish between them as they were not certified in agriculture ministry in Syria because the lack in studies related to the same topic as these cultivars were not studied before, thus, we managed to make a significant contribution in certifying fig cultivars in Syria using SSR technique
Impacts of drought and herbicide stress on seed germination and early seedling growth in a legume crop mung bean (Vigna radiata L.)
Get PDFAbiotic stress such as drought and agrochemicals leads the drastic reductions in legume yields, hence, in order to mitigate the loss of yields due to abiotic stresses, the production of stress tolerance genotypes of the legumes could be a rewarding approach. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the drought and herbicide stress effects under ex-vitro conditions on seed germination and early seedling growth in a legume crop mung bean (Vigna radiata L.). To begin with, drought stress was induced by employing various concentrations of mannitol (50mM, 100mM, 250mM, 500mM, 750mM, and 1000mM) and polyethylene glycol (PEG-5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) while during herbicide stress experiments, dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) and picloram (4-Amino-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridine carboxylic acid) were considered in various concentrations (5mg/L, 25mg/L, 50mg/L, and 100mg/L) of each. Moreover, data were collected as partial and full seed germination after 3- and 7-days of stress treatments respectively. After 7-days of mannitol stress treatments, results reveals that even the high concentration of mannitol (500mM) could be proved as weak osmotic stressor for seed germination (35%±0.14) in comparison to control (91%±0.74) while further increase in mannitol concentration (750mM) was proved to be lethal, toxic and inhibits seed germination completely. Furthermore, in comparison to mannitol, PEG turns out as strong osmotic stressors and (15%) of PEG was proved to very lethal for seed germination. Even during early seedling growth, increased concentrations of both mannitol and PEG were found to be inhibitory. Among two herbicides, the result shows that both herbicides (dicamba and picloram) were proved to be completely toxic and lethal even at very low concentrations (5mg/L) and induced abnormal seed germination and inhibited completely seedling growth. However, the inhibitory response of picloram herbicide stress on seed germination was found to be more pronounced and severe than dicamba herbicide. Hence, the present study reveals that in comparison to mannitol, PEG turns out as a strong osmotic stressor while picloram proves to be a relatively more toxic herbicide than dicamba for seed germination. Additionally, drought stress induced seedlings on transfer to soil exhibit inhibited growth under continuous irrigation with either mannitol or PEG solutions.
Transcriptome assembly of coconut endosperm callus (Laccadive Micro Tall cv.) and its functional annotation
Get PDFTransportation of Chromium (VI) to Bombyx mori L. from mulberry Plant (Morus alba L.) grown at soil irrigated with Chromium (VI) containing effluents
Get PDFThe research was conducted to determine Chromium (VI) toxicity in population Bombyx mori. The synthetic wastewater used to irrigate soil to evaluate the impact of pH (4 to 8) at 100 mg/L and initial Chromium (VI) concentrations (25 mg/L to 300 mg/L) at 5 pH in its bioaccumulation in B. mori foodchain. By using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis the amount of Chromium (VI) determined in soil, mulberry plants, B. mori larvae, silk glands and silkworm feces. The results showed that local cobalt pollution can be indicated by using B. mori as a template as its body length, body weight and the mortality rate were found to be strongly related to Chromium (VI) concentration. Higher the Chromium (VI) amount in mulberry leaves causes more toxicity to B. mori population. At 300 mg/L Cr (VI) concentration and pH 4 there was maximum deposition of Chromium (VI) in soil, mulberry plants, B. mori larvae, faeces and silk glands from the synthetic effluent. The maximum deposition was 123.5±0.03 mg/kg, 89.76±.031 mg/kg, 23.31±0.019 mg/kg, 41.32±0.069 mg/kg and 35.67±0.04 mg/kg observed respectively