scholarly journals Substitution of Plastics with Organic Pots in Tree Seedlings Production for Sustainable Environmental Conservation

Author(s):  
Wambui Mwangi ◽  
Samuel Kariuki ◽  
Nyambura Wagara

The Mau Forest Complex, Kenya, is the location where the study below was done with the aim of investigating if small-scale operators of tree nurseries are will to embrace and use biodegradable seedling pots. These containers include baskets made of plant fibre and bamboo tubes as well as to determine the tree species that could form a denser canopy to be used in reafforestation. This study hypothesized that biodegradable pots could promote better growth of tree seedlings and offer more environmental-friendly benefits in comparison to the extensively utilized polythene containers. Biodegradable seedling pots are options friendly to the environment compared to plastic pots commonly used in activities in the greenhouse and nurseries. The use of compostable and plantable containers based on natural and renewable materials derived from plant materials have a potential market to boost the sustainable character of current tree production systems. Three species were planted including, Hagenia abyssinica in Gatimu, Juniperus procera and Olea europea subsp. africana in Mwisho wa Lami. Basket tubes gave the highest vigor (62.429 cm) with H. abyssinica in Gatimu while bamboo (58.048cm) and control (52.667cm) did not show a significant difference at p = 0.05 level. Olea europea subsp. africana generally demonstrated higher vigor with all the applied treatments than J. procera in Mwisho wa Lami. Basket treatment gave the highest height and number of branches for the two plant species while bamboo and control treatments did not have any significant differences at p = 0.05. In this study it was found that seedling bags made from plant fibres could be adopted in tree seedling propagation to remove the synthetic plastics for sustainable environmental conservation. Hagenia abysinica was also recommended for reafforestation as it formed a quick canopy.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domina Delač ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Ivica Kisić

<p><strong>The effects of mulch (<em>Olea europea</em> and <em>Pinus halepensis</em>) on burned soils: A preliminary study in Adriatic coast (Croatia)</strong></p><p>Delac, Domina<sup>1*</sup>; Pereira, Paulo<sup>2*</sup>; Kisic, Ivica<sup>1</sup></p><p><sup>1</sup>University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of General Agronomy, Svetosimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. (*[email protected])</p><p><sup>2</sup>Mykolas Romeris University, Environmental Management Laboratory, Ateitis street 20, LT-08303, Vilnius, Lithuania (*[email protected])</p><p> </p><p>In the recent decades the frequency and intensity of summer drought periods is increasing in Adriatic coast. These changes in climate increase the vulnerability to wildfires. Wildfires can change soil physical and chemical properties. However, these effects can be mitigated by mulching. The aim of this work is to study the effects of mulch (<em>Olea europea</em> and <em>Pinus halepensis</em>) on fire affected soils. The wildfire occurred on 28 July 2019 and affected an area of about 900 ha in Dalmatia, near Adriatic Coast (43°45'06.0"N 15°56'02.9"E with an elevation of 105 m a.s.l.).  The mean annual temperature is 15.8 °C, and the annual precipitation is 800 mm. It was affected agricultural land with dominant culture <em>Olea europea</em> and abandoned grassing where dominates <em>Pinus halepensis</em>. Soils are classified as <em>calcocambisols</em>. Twenty-five days after the fire, two plots (5 treatments per plot) were established and covered with <em>Olea europea</em> and <em>Pinus halepensis</em> mulch. A control plot was established as well. Soil were sampled (0 – 5 cm), twenty- days after fire (August, 2019), before mulch application, and then 3 months after fire (November, 2019). A total of 15 samples were collected per treatment (45 each sampling date). The soil properties analysed were soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM), mean weight diameter (MWD) to express aggregate stability, and soil water repellency (SWR) measured with water drop penetration time method (WDPT) in different fractions (2 – 1 mm; 1 – 0.5 mm, 0.5 – 0.25 mm, and <0.25 mm). Soil pH was not significantly different among sampling dates and treatments. SOM was significantly different among sampling dates for <em>Olea europeae</em> treatment and control. <em>Olea europeae</em> treatment had a significantly higher SOM then <em>Pinus halepensis</em> and control treatment. MWD was significantly higher within <em>Olea europeae</em> treatment. Within <em>Pinus halepensis</em> and control treatment no significant difference was observed. The soil was classified as slightly water repellent (5 – 60 seconds) in <em>Olea europeae</em> soil finer fraction (0.5 – 0.25 mm and <0.25) in both sampling dates. In <em>Pinus halepensis</em> treatments and control, soil was wettable (<5 seconds), and no significant difference was observed among sampling date. Future sampling and analysis will be conducted during one year to estimate the effect of <em>Olea europeae</em> and <em>Pinus halepensis</em> mulch on soil properties.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Wildfire, <em>Olea europeae</em><strong>, </strong><em>Pinus halepensis</em>, mulch.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Acknowledgments</strong></p><p>This work was supported by Croatian Science Foundation through the project "Influence of Summer Fire on Soil and Water Quality” (IP-01-2018-1645).</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Chetan V. Hiremath ◽  
Shankargouda C. Patil

There are many approaches to enhance the overall performance of the production systems. But these approaches are inclined towards intense use of resources and have caused huge pressure on limited resources. Many scholars suggest waste management as an alternative and complimentary approach to tackle this problem. This approach is in nascent stage and lacks standard definitions, practices and tools. The research is taken up in Dharwad District (Karnataka) to know which major factors contribute significantly for waste generation in small scale units and to test whether wastivity can be used to compare the systems to evaluate their performance. The study found that lack of Production Planning and Control contributes maximum toward waste generation followed by Human Resource practices and Inventory Management. Also, it was found that wastivity can be used as a measure to compare production units as it is unit less and is independent of category of production system. There is a further scope to quantify the contribution of each sub systems towards waste generation to develop larger control mechanisms like Total Waste Management System.


2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Solomon Tibebu ◽  
Abebe Worku ◽  
Kenatu Angassa

This study aimed to evaluate the treatment potential of gradual hydroponics planted with Duranta erecta in the removal of pathogens from domestic wastewater. Two experimental and control units were configured in series. Each unit contains three bioreactors and was arranged in a cascaded configuration. The two experimental units used both plant and media, but the two control units used only media to treat the wastewater. Gravel and polyester sponge were used as media. Experimental unit 1 and control unit 1 used gravel as media; however, experimental unit 2 and control unit 2 used polyester sponges as media. The experiment was operated at hydraulic retention times of 1, 3, 5, and 7 days in a continuous mode. The performance of the hydroponic system was evaluated by characterizing the influent and effluent quality using standard methods. At optimum hydraulic retention time (7 days), the average removal of experimental units 1 and 2 was 98.7% and 89.8% for heterotrophic bacteria, 96.2% and 86.8% for total coliform, and 92.9% and 84.0% for fecal coliform, respectively. Analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference P < 0.05 between the two experimental and control units in removing pathogens, but no significant difference P > 0.05 was observed between the two experimental units and between the two control units. Heterotrophic bacteria and coliforms were satisfactorily removed from domestic wastewater via a gradual hydroponic system. Hence, the hydroponic treatment system planted with Duranta erecta has a promising potential in the removal of pathogens from domestic wastewater in developing countries including Ethiopia.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Johnson ◽  
Samuel Fortna ◽  
Nicholas C. Manoukis

Exclusion nets are increasingly being used to protect a variety of agricultural crops from insect pests as a sustainable alternative to chemical controls. We examined the efficacy of exclusion nets in controlling the world’s most damaging insect pest of coffee, Hypothenemus hampei (coffee berry borer), on two small-scale coffee farms on Hawai’i Island. We recorded microclimate data, fruit infestation, population per fruit, sex ratio, mortality by Beauveria bassiana, coffee yield and quality in four paired exclusion and control (un-netted) plots on both farms. Mean and maximum daily temperature and relative humidity were similar between treatments, while mean and maximum daily solar radiation was reduced by ~50% in exclusion plots. Green and ripe fruit from exclusion plots had significantly lower infestation compared to un-netted control plots at both farms. We observed no significant difference between exclusion and control plots in the number of CBB per fruit or the female:male sex ratio. CBB mortality was significantly higher in control relative to exclusion plots in one of the two farms. Ripe fruits harvested from exclusion plots were on average significantly heavier and wider than those from control plots; however, there was no significant difference in the average yield per tree between treatments. Lastly, coffee quality was not significantly different between control and exclusion plots. Our results suggest that with complete sanitation prior to net installation in an environment where CBB is actively circulating, exclusion netting can successfully control CBB on small-scale coffee farms without reducing coffee yield or quality, and has the potential to lower production and labor costs by eliminating the need to spray pesticides.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Renu Agarwal ◽  
SK Gupta ◽  
Sushma Srivastava ◽  
Rohit Saxena

Introduction: Ocimum basilicum (OB), a herb known for its antihypertensive, anticholinesterase and antioxidant properties was investigated for possible intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effects in rabbits with ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: The IOP lowering effect of a single drop of OB extract (OBE) was evaluated in oculonormotensive rabbits using three concentrations (0.25, 0.5 and 1% w/v). The concentration showing maximum IOP reduction was further evaluated in rabbits with water-loading and steroid-induced OHT. Results: IOP lowering effect of OBE 0.5% in oculonormotensive rabbit eyes was significantly greater compared to OBE 0.25% (p<0.05) but was comparable (p>0.05) to OBE 1%. Therefore, 0.5% concentration was selected for further evaluation. Pretreatment with OBE (0.5%) caused significantly lower increase in IOP after water loading amounting to 23.39% above baseline as compared to 54.00% in control eye, 15 minutes post water loading. At 60 minutes, post water loading, mean IOP rise was 95.12% and 63.58% in control and test eyes, respectively. Significant difference between the mean IOP of two eyes persisted during the 2nd hr. In rabbits with steroid induced OHT, OBE 0.5% produced a mean IOP reduction of 24.73% at the end of first hr and the mean peak IOP reduction of 31.63% was observed at the end of 2 hr. A significant difference between the IOP of test and control eyes persisted from 1 to 6 hr. Conclusions: Ocimum basilicum seed extract showed significant IOP lowering effect in rabbits with water loading and steroid induced OHT, however, its utility as an effective antiglaucoma medication needs further investigations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Nazli Zainuddin ◽  
Nurul Azira Mohd Shah ◽  
Rosdan Salim

Introduction: The role of virgin coconut oil in the treatment of allergic rhinitis is controversial. Thus, the aim of the present study is to determine the effects of virgin coconut oil ingestion, in addition to standard medications, on allergic rhinitis. We also studied the side effects of consumption of virgin coconut oil. Methods: Fifty two subjects were equally divided into test and control groups. All subjects received a daily dose of 10mg of loratadine for 28 days. The test group was given 10ml of virgin coconut oil three times a day in addition to loratadine. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis were scored at the beginning and end of the study. Results:, the symptom score were divided into nasal and non-nasal symptom scores. Sneezing score showed a significant difference, however the score was more in control group than test group, indicating that improvement in symptom was more in control group. The rest of the nasal symptom and non-nasal symptom score showed no significant difference between test and control groups. Approximately 58% of the test subjects developed side effects from consumption of virgin coconut oil, mainly gastrointestinal side effects. Conclusion: In the present study, ingestion of virgin coconut oil does not improve the overall and individual symptoms of allergic rhinitis, furthermore it has side effects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roghieh Safari ◽  
Seyed Hossein Hoseinifar ◽  
Maryam Dadar ◽  
Hien Van Doan

AbstractThe present study investigated possible effects of dietary malic acid on the expression of immunity, antioxidant and growth related genes expression as well as skin mucus immune parameters in common carp. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings were fed diets supplemented with different levels (0 [control], 0.5%, 1%, 2%) of malic acid (MA) for 60 days. The results revealed highest expression levels of immune-related genes (tnf-alpha, il1b, il8 and lyz) in skin of common carp fed 2% MA (P < 0.05). Regarding 1% MA treatment comparison with control group, significant difference was noticed just in case of lyz (P < 0.05). Evaluation of growth related genes expression revealed no significant difference between treatments (P > 0.05). The study of antioxidant related genes (gsta and gpx) in common carp skin fed with MA, showed significant difference between treated groups and control (P < 0.05). Carps fed with 2% MA had highest alkaline phosphatase activity in skin mucus compared other treated groups and control (P < 0.05). There were no significant difference between 0.5% and 1% and control (P > 0.05). The study of total protein and total immunoglobulin (Ig) in common carp skin musus revealed no alteration following MA treatment (P > 0.05). The present data demonstrated that feeding with MA altered immune and antioxidant genes expression in skin mucus of common carp.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Mekar Dwi Anggraeni ◽  
Lutfatul Latifah ◽  
Aprilia Kartikasari ◽  
Ima Rismawati

Background and purpose: The earlier development of the attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding produces the longer exclusive breastfeeding duration. Considering the first marriage age among Indonesian, the attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding should be developed at the adolescence age. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the attitude toward breastfeeding concept based comic on the adolescent's attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding. Method: This was a quasy experimental posttest only with control group study. The respondents were provided an comic. The respondent's attitude toward exclusive breastfeeding was measured using The Breastfeeding Attitude Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using independent and dependent t test. Results: The majority of respondents were aged 17 years old in both intervention (70%) and control grup (63%), first child in both intervention (23,3%) and control grup (26,7%), and had a nuclear family in both intervention (80%) and control grup (90%). The independent t test showed that there was a significant difference between post-test scores among the intervention and control groups (t = 5,602, p < 0,01). Conclusion and recommendation: Nurses may use the Attitude Toward Breastfeeding based comic to increase the Adolescence's attitude toward breastfeeding.Keywords: Comic, Attitudes Toward Exclusive Breastfeeding, Adolescence


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-122
Author(s):  
Naoki Negishi ◽  
Katsuhiko Nakahama ◽  
Nobuyuki Urata ◽  
Toshiaki Tanabe

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Eva Sudarwati ◽  
Shynta Amalia

Abstract This study attempts to see the effect of Think, Talk, and Write strategy on the students’ narrative writing competence. Considering the importance of the use of teaching media, this study tries to integrate Stick Figure as a teaching media in Think, Talk, and Write Strategy. A quasi experimental study was conducted to see the improvement of the students’ narrative writing competence. It involved 42 students who were selected on the basis of convenience sampling and assigned into two groups; experimental and control groups. The statistical analyses of paired sample t-test in experimental group showed that there was significant improvement on the students’ writing competence before (M=5.77, SD= 2.342) and after (M= 11.79, SD= 2.342), t(21)=12.059, p<0.05.Moreover, the result of independent t-test between experimental and control groups showed a significant difference. It can be seen that the mean differences was 3.79545 and the significance value is lower than 0.05, 0.000<0.05.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document