Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science
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Growth and yield of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) as influenced by seed rate and method of planting in Sokoto, Nigeria
Get PDFAmaranthus cruentus L. is a leafy vegetable commonly cultivated in Nigeria and other West African countries. In Nigeria farmers considered amaranths as a minor crop, they plant amaranths without any consideration of seed rate and this result to suboptimum plant population, similarly broadcasting (which results to wasted of seeds and overcrowding of plants) was predominantly the major method of planting used while planting, Field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of seed rate and method of planting on growth and yield of Amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) at Sokoto. The treatments consisted of factorial combination of four (4) seed rates (2.0 kgha-1, 2.5 kgha-1, 3.0 kg ha-1 and 3.5 kg ha-1) and two (2) methods of planting (Broadcasting and Drilling). The results revealed that seed rate at 3.0 kg ha-1 produced significantly taller plants, followed by seed rate at 2.5 kg ha-1 and the shortest plants was from seed rate at 2.0 and 3.5 kg ha-1 at 4, 6 and 8 Weeks After Planting (WAP). However, method of planting and interaction between seed rate and method of planting had no significant effect on plant height at 2, 4, 6 and 8 WAP, Seed rate and method of planting and their interaction had no significant effect on number of leaves and Leaf area at harvest. Seed rate at 3kg ha-1 produced significantly highest fresh and dry weight. Seed rate at 3kg ha-1 and drilling method of planting would be beneficial for the farmers in Sokoto State and areas with similar environmental conditions for optimum yield of amaranths
Toxicity of non-selective herbicide-Paraeforce® to Periwinkle snail Tympanotonus fuscatus var radula
Get PDFPeriwinkle snails Tympanotonus fuscatus var radula, an important shellfish in the Niger Delta ecological zone are on the decline and they have not been considered in environmental risk assessment due to the lack of standardized protocols. The gastropod is an abundant species and widely distributed in the aquatic Niger Delta environments. In this study T. fuscatus var radula was exposed to ParaeForce(e), a solution of paraquat dichloride, a non-selective commonly used organochlorine herbicide due to it sensitivity to chemical compounds, as pollution indicators. The effect of lethal and sub lethal exposure of ParaeForce® was assessed using the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) #218 protocol to determine the toxicity and safe limit concentrations. The lethal exposure gave an average LC50 of 0.665 mg/kg with a safe limit of 0.0665 mg/kg. The sub lethal test showed that the exposed organisms reduced significantly in body mass at levels of P < 0.05 when compared to the control experiment. Mean percent growth rate relative to the control reduced from 100% to 47% while the highest growth inhibition of 53% was observed in the highest concentration. Thus, the release of the test chemical and other similar herbicides into the environment may cause alteration and loss of body mass in periwinkle molluscs due to their toxic potentials. It is important to exercise caution in the application of this herbicide especially in the aquatic environment for weed control
Willingness to pay for improved drinking water facility in Samsani Khui, Johar Town, Lahore, Pakistan
Get PDFQuality of drinking water is a universal problem specifically faced by many developing countries. Willingness to pay for improved drinking water facility of the people of a rural settlement, Samsani Khui, Johar Town in Lahore, Pakistan was assessed by questionnaire survey. This article intends to scrutinize the strong relation of these dynamics with willingness to pay by correlating them using chi square and multiple regression. Conferring to results, health status of the people of selected area revealed that 50% adults and 31.9 % children suffered from diarrhea within last 6 months. Education level of 48.6% people is middle school. Income of people lies between 5000-30,000 Rupees per month. People with poor health status held strong association with willingness to pay while low income level and low education level had weak association with willingness to pay. The highest and lowest value calculated are 53.969, -4.83, respectively and the mean ratio of willingness to pay was 1.835. The average willingness to pay calculated was between Rs. 1 to 5. This study depicted that various dynamics including health status, monthly income and education level of the people are the determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for improved drinking water facility
Effectiveness of integrated weed management in five varieties of aromatic rice in Bangladesh
Get PDFAn experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Field Laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh to evaluate the efficacy, rice selectivity and cost-effectiveness of some integrated weed control methods on the productivity of aromatic rice under randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment consisted of five aromatic rice varieties; Kalijira, BRRI dhan34, BRRI dhan37, BRRI dhan38 and Binadhan-13, and six different weed management practices comprising no weeding, weed free, mechanical + manual weeding, pre–emergence herbicide + manual weeding, post–emergence herbicide + manual weeding, pre– + post–emergence herbicide. Ten weed species belonging to five families infested the experimental plots. Herbicide treatments provided excellent weed control efficiency and produced much higher net benefit and cost benefit ratio than weedy plot. Among the herbicidal and mechanical treatments, sequential application of Bensulfuran methyl + Acetachlor at early growth stage (pre-emergence herbicide) followed by Pyrazosulfuran ethyl at mid growth stage (post-emergence herbicide) provided the highest weed control efficiency, productivity and net benefit. Single application of Pyrazosulfuran ethyl at mid growth stage followed by one hand weeding performed very close to the pre– + post–emergence herbicide application in terms of productivity and net benefit but in terms of weed control efficiency at 45 days after transplanting application of Bensulfuran methyl + Acetachlor at early growth stage followed by one hand weeding performed very close to pre– + post–emergence herbicide application. Mechanical weeding followed by one hand weeding and application of Bensulfuran methyl + Acetachlor at early growth stage followed by one hand weeding also provided satisfactory results in terms of productivity and economic return. Since manual weeding was less economic, sequential application of pre- and post-emergence herbicides may be recommended for effective weed management in aromatic rice
A review on sewage sludge (Biosolids) a resource for sustainable agriculture
Get PDFSewage sludge (Biosolids) generation is fastly increasing resulting from the regular increase of population, urban planning and industrial developments worldwide. The sludge needs to be adequately treated and environmentally managed to reduce the negative impacts of its application or disposal. The present review deals with the different applications of sewage sludge for sustainable agriculture. The scattered literature is harnessed to critically review the uses of biosolids to promote sustainable practices focusing on the productive uses of sewage sludge or biosolids. Biosolids or sewage sludge is the byproduct of municipal wastewater, sewage effluent and effluent treatment plants. The treatment plants are generating huge amount of biosolids. The present review focuses on the different applications of biosolids or sewage sludge as in many countries the biosolids or sewage sludge are frequently using for various purposes like for biogas production, land filling, organic fertilizer, soil amendment, and to enhance the crop yield of agricultural crops. Therefore, biosolids or sewage sludge is in the consideration as a resource worldwide. Besides this higher content of different heavy metals and microorganisms are the important constraints for the application of biosolids or sewage sludge in the various fields. Thus, this review emphasizes the different applications and possible limitations for the use of biosolids or sewage sludge as a resource. Efforts have been made on the possible pretreatment of biosolids or sewage sludge to make it more feasible for their applications. Therefore, different properties of biosolids or sewage sludge, their applications along with possible limitations have been discussed in the present review to formulate the biosolids or sewage sludge as a resource for the sustainable development
Appraisal of phytochemical and antibacterial potential of Myrica nagi Willd. extracts against respiratory tract pathogens
Get PDFIn the present study the antibacterial activity was studied against five bacterial pathogens i.e. Haemophilus influenzae MTCC 3826, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2474, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 1144, Streptococcus pneumoniae MTCC 655 and Streptococcus pyogenes MTCC 442. Shade dried root were crushed and extracted in petroleum ether (PET), acetone (ACE), methanol (MeOH) and water (H2O) by using Soxhlet apparatus. The agar well diffusion method was adopted to examine antibacterial activity of extracts against the susceptible organisms. Erythromycin was used as positive control to determine the sensitivity of the strains. Phytochemical analysis was done for plant extract. The results showed that MeOH extract was most active as comparison to other extract. The maximum inhibition was found against H. influenzae (18.4±0.07 mm) followed by S. pyogenes (17.3±0.13 mm), S. pneumoniae (16.2±0.07 mm) and P. aeruginosa (15.5±0.15 mm) respectively. The minimum inhibition was noted against S. aureus (14.4±0.13 mm). The phytochemical screening for MeOH extract has shown that plant contains flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, terpene, saponins and tannins. Therefore, M. nagi can be helpful as an alternative source of medicine and new drug discovery
Effect of water and weed management in Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan28) in Bangladesh
Get PDFThe experiment was conducted at the Farm of Farm Management Division, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during December 2012 to June 2013 to find out the effect of water and weed management in Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan28). The experiment consisted of three irrigation systems viz., conventional flood irrigation, Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and System of rice intensification (SRI) and four weed management practices viz., No weeding, hand weeding thrice at 20, 35 and 50 days after sowing, blade weeding + hand weeding once at 20 DAS; and pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC) @ 2.5 l ha-1 + hand weeding once at 20 DAS. Crop characters, yield components and yield were significantly influenced by water and weed managements, and their interaction. The highest plant height (91.51 cm), total tillers hill-1 (15.49), grains panicle-1 (86.87) and grain yield (4.02 t ha-1) were obtained in SRI method and corresponding lowest values were found in conventional flood irrigation while all parameters showed intermediate values in AWD. The highest plant height (93.45 cm), total tillers hill-1 (16.53), effective tillers hill-1 (12.88), grains panicle-1 (86.14), grain yield (5.47 t ha-1) and straw yield were found in pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC) @ 2.5 l ha-1 + one hand weeding at 20 DAS while all the parameters showed lowest values in weedy check. Weed infestation reduced 80.07% yield compared to application of pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC) @ 2.5 l ha-1 + one hand weeding at 20 DAS. In case of interaction, the highest total tillers hill-1 (20.93), grains panicle-1 (102.3) and grain yield (5.86 t ha-1) were found in SRI method with pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC) @ 2.5 l ha-1 + one hand weeding at 20 DAT while the lowest total tillers hill-1 (10.97), grains panicle-1 (61.46) and grain yield (0.91 t ha-1) were found in conventional flood irrigation having no weeding treatment. The above results concludes that SRI method with pre-emergence herbicide (Panida 33 EC) @ 2.5 l ha-1 + one hand weeding at 20 DAS appeared as the promising technique for appreciable grain yield of Boro rice (cv. BRRI dhan28)
Evaluation of nickel levels in wastewater, soil and vegetable samples grown along Kubanni stream channels in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Get PDFThe concentration of nickel was evaluated in wastewater, soil and vegetable (carrot, lettuce, onion, spinach, cabbage, tomato and okra) samples that were collected on seasonal basis from January, 2013 to September 2014 along Kubanni stream channels in Zaria. The results showed nickel concentrations in wastewater were in the range of 7.69 – 38.46 mg/L for the year 2013 and 7.68 – 27.04 mg/L in 2014; 1.92 – 21.37 mg/Kg for the year 2013 and 8.24 – 24.32 mg/Kg in 2014 for the soil while the vegetables had concentrations in the range of 6.97 – 18.79 mg/Kg for the year 2013 and 3.78 – 18.27 mg/Kg in 2014. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in nickel levels across the locations and seasons for wastewater, soil and vegetables analyzed. Pearson correlation showed substantial (r = 0.631) relationship between nickel levels in wastewater for the year 2013 and 2014, negative (r = -0.284) relationship was obtained for the soil between these two years whereas substantial (r = 0.634) relationship was obtained for vegetables cultivated in 2013 and that of 2014, respectively. Thus, nickel concentrations obtained in this study was higher than maximum contaminant levels set by Standard Organizations such as WHO and FAO for wastewater whereas the soil and vegetables were less to limits set by these bodies
Study of snail and slug population dynamics in relation to edaphic factors in plant nurseries near Buddha Nullah, Ludhiana (Punjab), India
Get PDFThe present study was conducted to study of snail and slug population dynamics in relation to edaphic factors in plant nurseries near Buddha Nullah, Ludhiana (Punjab), India., In the survey of four ornamental plant nurseries viz., Prabhakar, Tulsigaurd, Laxmi plant nurseries near Buddha nullah, Ludhiana and one reference site Punjab Agricultural University nursery, Ludhiana revealed the presence of only one species of both snails and slugs viz., Macrochlamys indica and Filicaulis alteviz. brown slug with black spots respectively in the four plant nurseries. Population density of slugs and snails was maximum in the month of August in all the plant nurseries indicating moisture ranging from 32.36 to 33.5 and temperature ranging from 21.5 to 23.25°C favours the population growth of both slugs and snails. Snail, M. indica and slug, F. alte preferred sandy loamy alkaline soil with high moisture, nitrogen, particle density, high organic matter content, high potassium and phosphorous concentrations, porosity and low bulk density
Allelopathic effect of peanut, sunflower and corn crops on germination and growth of some winter weeds
Get PDFThe present study was carried out to study the effects of three summer crops water extracts (peanut, sunflower, maize) on germination and seedling growth of six winter weeds (Medicago polymorpha, L., Sonchus oleraceus, L., Lathyrus hirsutus, L., Phalaris minor, Anagallis arvensis, L., Rumex dentatus, L.) and two winter field crops (Beta vulgaris L. and Vicia faba L.) under laboratory condi-tions. Results revealed that Peanut water extract was recorded the highest mean inhibition values (31.25, 47.81, 89.58 and 74.22%) for L. hirsutus, A. arvensis, V. faba and B. vulgaris, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest mean inhibition values (97.92 and 85.16 %) were obtained from the maize water extract for V. faba and B. vulgaris, respectively. While, the highest inhibition values (27.50, 66.67, 59.83 %) were obtained from the interaction effect between Peanut extract with con-centration 40% for A. arvensis, V. faba and B. vulgaris, the percentage inhibition of them were (69.44, 33.33, and 32.14 %), respectively. Peanut extract was recorded the highest mean inhibition values (6.12 and 7.06 cm) for shoot length of A. arvensis and B. vulgaris, respectively. On the other hand, maize extract was activated the growth of shoot V. faba values (17.26 cm). In addition, the highest inhibition percentages (80.22, 79.61, 75.86, 65.64, 51.79, 25.39 and 15.66%) were obtained from 40% concentration for shoot length of M. polymorpha, R. dentatus, A. arvensis, S. oleraceus, P. minor, L. hirsutus and B. vulgaris, respectively, as compared with control treatment, in 2014. Moreover, the interaction effect between maize extract and concentration 20% for was activated growth of shoot length V. faba values (20.15 cm) the percentage inhibition for him (55.00 %). Peanut extract was recorded the highest mean inhibition values (1.38, 1.81, and 2.05 cm) for root length of S. oleraceus, P. minor and R. dentatus, respectively. On the other case, Sunflower extract was activated growth of shoot V. faba values (11.86 cm) while, peanut extract was activated the shoot growth of B. vulgaris values (13.58 cm). Also, 20% concentration was activated the root growth of B. vulgaris and V. faba (39.36 and 23.79 %) respectively. The interaction effect between peanut extract and concentration 20% was activated root growth of B. vulgaris values (15.85 cm), while, sun flower extract with concentration 20% was activated root growth of V. faba values (14.95 cm). Therefore, the water extracts of peanut, sunflower and maize showed the inhibitory effects on the seedlings of winter weeds