Asian Research Journal of Agriculture
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Effect of Graded Levels of Slaughter House Residues on Growth Performance and Haematological Parameters in Broiler Chicken’s Ration
No full textThis study was aimed to investigate the effect of graded levels of slaughterhouse residue (SHR) on performance and haematological parameters of broiler chickens over the period of 35 days. One hundred day-old chicks were fed diets containing SHR at 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15% dietary levels represented as T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Diets were fed to experimental birds in a completely randomized design (CRD). Each treatment was replicated five times consisting 5 birds per replicate (25 chicks/ treatment). The control diet was a commercial feed in the experiment. The parameters of performance considered were weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), dressing percentage, weight of breast, thigh, wing and abdominal fat. Similarly, the parameters of haematology were haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Heart, liver, spleen, proventriculus and gizzard weights were also measured and recorded. The final body weights of broiler chickens fed T1, T2, T3 and T4 were found 1732.20 g, 1731.12 g, 1776.20 g and 1930.80 g, respectively. The total feed intake of treatment groups (T1, T2, T3 and T4) were 2711.64 g, 2707.94 g, 2720.89 g and 2751.18 g, respectively. The FCR was predicted by calculation for T1, T2, T3 and T4 (1.57, 1.56, 1.53 and 1.43 respectively). On the other hand blood parameters (Hb, PCV and ESR) were found statistically similar. It is concluded that the use of SHR as an alternative source of protein can be included in the diet of broiler chicken up to 15% dietary level as it might enhance the overall performance of broiler chickens without any adverse effect on growth with some reduction in the cost of production
Control of Rhizome Rot Disease of Ginger through Application of Fungicides
No full textAims: To determine the effect of seed treatment and foliar spray of fungicide on rhizome rot of ginger.
Study Design: The study was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the plant pathology Field Laboratory Of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh during 2016-2017.
Methodology: Fungicide namely Contaf 5 EC @ 1ml/L water, Bavistin DF @ 1 g/L water, Companion @ 2 g/L water, Fiasta Z-78 @ 2 g/L water, Matco 72 WP @ 2 g/L water, Blitox 50 WP @ 2 g/L water, Cabriotop @ 3 g/L water were applied as seed treatment and foliar spray with one control plot (without fungicide). The total number of unit plots was 24 and the size of unit plot was 15 m × 7 m.
Results: Fungicide Cabriotop was found as the most effective in increasing plant growth and by reducing disease severity of rhizome rot of ginger. Among the treatments, capriotop exhibited least disease severity (45.08%) of rhizome and maximum yield (4.13 t/ha) of ginger as compared to control plot (69.04% disease severity and 0.33 t/ha rhizome).
Conclusion: Application of the fungicide Cabriotop may be recommended for better performance in controlling of rhizome rot disease of ginger
Nutrients Digestibility, Nitrogen Balance and Blood Profile of West African Dwarf (Wad) Goats Fed Cassava Peels with Urea-molasses Multi-nutrient Block (UMMB) Supplements
No full textThe nutrients digestibility, nitrogen utilization and blood profile of West African Dwarf (WAD) goat fed cassava peels with urea-molasses multi-nutrients block (UMMB) supplements was investigated in a twelve weeks experiment. Twenty WAD goats that weighed 8.33±0.35 kg on average were assigned to each of the five experimental diets that contained cassava peels without UMMB supplement (treatment 1) and with UMMB containing 0% urea (treatment 2), 5% urea (treatment 3), 10% urea (treatment 4) and 15% urea (treatment 5), in a completely randomized design (CRD). Results of the study revealed that nutrients digestibility were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by UMMB supplementation. Goats fed diet T4 also had the highest values of digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF) and nitrogen free extract (83.05%, 71.97%, 67.64% and 71.34%) respectively. Nitrogen retention was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by dietary treatments, the values ranged from 0.75 g/day (diet T1) to 6.07 g/day (diet T5). Haematological indices and serum biochemistry were within normal range for WAD goats.
Conclusively it can be said that urea-molasses multi-nutrient blocks is offers a reliable source of protein for improved nutrients digestibility and nitrogen utilization by WAD goats fed cassava peels without detrimental effects on the wellbeing of the goats
Impact of Traditional Post-harvest Practices on Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestation in Agro-ecological Zones of the Central African Republic
No full textMaize seeds are an important source of nutrients for human and animal. However, an important part of the seed production is lost due to the insect attacks, mainly by the weevil S. zeamais, a major pest of stored maize. The objective of this work was to study the impact of traditional pest management system on the development of S. zeamais infestation. Samples consisted of 100g of maize seeds from post-harvest. Different pest management practices (attic, polypropylene bag, sealed plastic and conservation on the cob) were considered from farmers in different localities in the three main agro-ecological zones of the Central African Republic. Samples were conserved for two months according to the different pest management practices. Damages were assessed by counting numbers of infested seeds. Results showed that after two months the sealed plastic method is the best mode of conservation (<5% of damages) in all localities. It turned out that correlations between damages and losses were higher when maize seeds are conserved in attics or by cob (r2>0.9). In conclusion, farmers should be encouraged to use sealed plastic as the pest-management practice against S. zeamais infestation
The Effect of Traditional Shade-drying Method on Seed Germination and Vigour of Two Varieties of Tomato
No full textThe effect of traditional shade-drying method on the seed germination and vigour of two varieties of tomato was investigated. The experiment was conducted at the seed testing laboratory of The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan, Nigeria in July 2015. The seed samples were dried for one week in the drying chambers and thereafter evaluated for germination and vigour tests. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications, in 2 x 2 factorial scheme. Two varieties of tomato (Ibadan local and Alausa) and two drying methods: traditional (shade-drying with an electric fan at a temperature between 23.5 to 32.3°C) and mechanical (seed dryer at 35°C) were evaluated. The germination percentage of Ibadan local variety was significantly higher (87.2%) when compared to that of Alausa (79.0%). Mechanical drying at 35°C gave the higher germination percentage (94.16%), while seeds dried traditionally gave the germination of 72.0%. Moreover, the effect of drying method was not significant on germination index of tomato seeds, suggesting that seeds dried using both methods may not exhibit differential performance when subjected to unfavourable environmental conditions either on the field or during storage. The study indicates that drying using seed dryer at controlled drying temperature would enhance germination of tomato seeds better than traditional shade drying method
Effect of Cotton Seed Meal on the Performance Traits and Meat Composition in Commercial Broilers
No full textAims: To evaluate the effect of different levels of cotton seed meal (CSM) on performance traits and meat composition in commercial broilers.
Place and Duration of the Study: The experiment was carried out at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur during the period from 26 February, 2018 to 10 April, 2018.
Study Design and Methodology: Two hundred fifty two Cobb-500 day-old broiler chicks with good health were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments in three replications with fourteen birds per replication in a complete randomized design for 35 days period. The dietary treatments were: T0, soyabean meal (SBM) based diet; T1, 10% CSM protein with 90% SBM protein; T2, 20% CSM protein with 80% SBM protein; T3, 30% CSM protein with 70% SBM protein; T4, 40% CSM protein with 60% SBM protein and T5, 50% CSM protein with 50% SBM protein. The mash feed was supplied ad libitum basis.
Results: Average feed intake (g/d) was increased (P=0.001) in higher amount of CSM group. Dressing percentage was tended to higher (P = 0.089) in T0 and lower value was showed in T5. Crude protein (CP) content of breast meat significantly (P < 0.01) affected among the treatments. The highest CP content was observed in T5 (22.57%) and lowest CP content was in T1 (21.12%). Crude fibre (CF) content was significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the diet contained higher amount of CSM (0.35%, 0.32%, 0.31%, 0.22%, 0.13% for T5, T4, T3, T2 and T1; respectively) and the lowest CF was observed for T0 (0.11%). Ether extract (EE) of breast muscle was also significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the diet contained higher amount of CSM (1.27%, 1.15%, 1.12%, 1.09%, 1.05% for T5, T4, T3, T2 and T1; respectively) and lower EE was observed in T0 group (1.01%). Ash content was higher (P < 0.05) in T0 (1.49%), T2 (1.48%) and T3 (1.45%) group compare to others. The second higher value was observed for T1 (1.4%) diet and the lowest ash content was observed in T4 (1.25%) and T5 (1.32%).
Conclusion: It would be concluded that CSM can be a substitute of soyabean meal in broiler ration and up to 40% CSM protein can be incorporated in broiler chicken diet without any adverse effects
Seed Production, Growth and Grain Yield of Self, Half-sib and Bulk-sib Progenies Developed from an Early-maturing Maize (Zea mays L.) Population
No full textAims: The objectives of this study are to assess the effect of pollination methods on the seed quality and yield of progenies from an early-maturing maize population and to determine the relationship between seed quality and grain yield of the different progenies.
Study Design: Experimental field design was split plot design with three replicates using the stratum for developing the progenies as the main plot and the pollination methods as the sub-plots.
Place and Duration of Study: Seed Science Laboratory and Teaching and Research Farm, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria between 2013 and 2015.
Methodology: Self, half-sib and bulk-sib pollination methods were used to produce progenies during the late cropping seasons of 2013 and 2014. Evaluation of the progenies developed by the three methods was carried out in the laboratory in 2014 for progenies developed in 2013 and 2015 for 2014 developed progenies. The field experiment was conducted in the early and late cropping seasons of 2014.
Results: Pollination method had no significant effect on germination traits of progenies generated in both years, but significantly affected most of the seedling vigour traits. In 2014, there was no significant effect of pollination method on seed weight before ageing, but germination percentage of progenies from self (86%) and half-sib (90.41%) pollinations were significantly higher than that of bulk-sib (46.40%) pollination after ageing. The speed of germination from self (4.04) and half-sib (4.02) pollinations were significantly faster than that of bulk-sib (5.23) pollination after ageing. Half-sibs and bulk-sibs progenies performed better than the self-pollinated progenies for anthesis-silking interval (2.39, 2.28 and 3.50 respectively) ear length (11.96 cm,12.23 cm and 10.06 cm respectively), ear diameter (3.92cm, 4.00cm and 3.56 cm respectively), kernel row number (12.04, 11.92 and 11.77 respectively) and grain yield (1.63, 1.72 and 0.72 tons/ha respectively).
Conclusion: Self-pollination method produced the highest number of seeds while bulk-sibs pollination method produced seedlings that are more vigorous. Bulk-sib and half-sib progenies produced higher grain yield than the selfed progenies. Only root number of the half-sibs progenies had a positive relationship with yield in the early cropping seaso
Opuntia ficus-indica Mucilage and Edible Chitosan Biofilms Including Brassica olearacea Extract for Extending the Shell-life of Capsicum annuum var Serrano
No full textAims: This work describes the manufacture of biofilms using a mixture of Opuntia ficus-indica (nopal) mucilage, chitosan and active ingredients extracted from plants. In this case, ethanolic extractions of white cabbage (Brassica olearacea) were performed, since it has been demonstrated in previous studies that these present antioxidant and antibiotic properties. Chilies (Capsicum annuum) were covered with only chitosan, chitosan+nopal mucilage, or the chitosan-mucilage mixture added with white cabbage extract. Triplicates or quintuplicates of the covered chilies and a control group were administered without any application.
Place and Duration of Study: Assessments were carried out at Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Biotecnologia-IPN (Mexico) facilities during the end of 2016-2017.
Methodology: Covered and no-covered fruits were stored under two conditions: a) ambient temperature (24 to 28°C) and b) refrigeration at 4°C. They were observed day by day, photographed, and maturation was evaluated in all groups. Also, the weight loss, hardness and content of some metabolites (flavonoids and phenols), acidity and °Brix were determined every third day and the respiration rate of the chilies every five days.
Results: Results indicated that the addition of edible mucilage and chitosan films, added with the white cabbage extract, lengthened the shelf life of the chilies, reducing weight loss and improving the hardness of the fruits. There was also a delay in the maturation process measured as the colour changes from green to mixed green-orange, to yellow and orange and a decrease in the respiration rate of covered chilies compared to those that were not covered. Acidity, °Brix, phenol and flavonoids analyze also provided evidence of the improvement in the final quality of the mucilage-covered chilies, and even more those covered with mucilage + white cabbage extract.
Conclusion: The use of Opuntia ficus/chitosan biofilms amended with white cabbage extract resulted very useful in extending the shelf life of Capsicum annuum var Serrano fruits under refrigeration or environmental conditions, prolonging their shelf life with a better quality
Qualitative Traits Variation in Indigenous Chickens of Bekwarra, Nigeria
No full textoai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1A study was conducted to investigate the distribution and gene frequency of some qualitative traits of indigenous chickens of Bekwarra, Southern, Nigeria. One thousand and sixty adult scavenging chickens were sampled from 208 rural households. Data obtained were subjected to chi- square test and gene frequencies were calculated using both the Hardy – Weinberg equilibrium and the Mendelian principle of inheritance. The most predominant skin colour, eye colour, comb type, feather distribution, foot feathering and plumage colour were white (75.85%), black (44.72%), single (88.49%), fully feathered (93.21%), smooth feet (73.59%) and black (39.43%), respectively. There were highly significant (P˂0.001) differences between and within sexes for comb type, feather distribution, foot feathering and plumage colour. The dominant genes for rose comb, pea comb, naked neck and feathered feet segregated at low frequencies (0.083; 0.094; 0.035; and 0.142). The dominant alleles segregated at lower frequency probably due to social preference, natural selection, adaptation and interaction of genes. The indigenous chickens constitute a store of useful genetic materials that are well adapted to their environment and should be improved for better productivity
Evaluation of Five Improved Maize Varieties for Intercropping with Sweet Potato in Makurdi, Southern Guinea Savanna Ecology of Nigeria
No full textA field experiment was carried out during the cropping seasons of 2014 and 2015 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. The experiment sought to determine the influence of intercropping maize and sweet potato on the yield and yield components of five newly introduced maize varieties to improving the productivity of maize/sweet potato intercropping in Makurdi. The experiment was a 2 x 5 factorial laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments consisted of two cropping systems (sole cropping (maize, sweet potato) and intercropping (maize + sweet potato)] and 5 improved maize varieties (Pool-18R/AK94DMRESR-Y, Pool 18SR/AK933/ DMRESR, OBATANPA, and POP.66SR/ACR.91 SUWAH 1-SR, OBATANPA/T2LCOMP.1SYN-W-1). A result obtained from the experiment showed that intercropping led to growth and yield decline, the extent of which depended on the maize variety used in combination with sweet potato. Maize variety pool 18R/AK94 DMR ESR- Y was least depressed while Obantakpa was most. There was higher total output per unit area in intercropping compared to sole LER of all maize varieties intercropped with sweet potato were higher than unity, a development which showed intercrop advantage over the sole. Intercropping maize variety 18R/AK94 DMR ESR- Y with sweet potato was most productive and therefore recommended for Makurdi location of Southern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria