Use of Nano Technology (Nano Gro) To Boost Productivity and Increase Pest Resistance in Okra Crop for Export in Southern Honduras.

The present study reports the effect of the nanotechnology molecule “Nano Gro” on a number of agronomical variables of okra, Abelmoschus esculentus, as well as its effect on leaf miner, white fly, Bemisia tabaci, and Spodoptera larvae attacking the crop. Most initial data was taken in a trial used for the registration of Nano Gro as an agricultural amendment in Honduras, carried in a plot worked by Juan Benito Guevara, a local okra producer farming in Las Bazas, very near the city of Choluteca, next to the Choluteca river, in Southern Honduras. However, other important data was taken on plots from different local okra companies and producers in the Choluteca area. The stimulant Nano Gro is a mixture of sulfates and elements such as Fe, Co, Al, Mg, Mn, Ni and Ag, produced at a concentration of 10-9 mol, available in the form of an oligosacharid pellet. It has OMRI certification and can be used in organic and regular agriculture. According to the Honduran distributor (Núcleo Agro), Nano Gro stimulates the plant´s natural resistance to abiotic stress, which in turn makes the plant produce growth hormones like auxins, gibberellines and cytokinines. This hormone productionmakes the use of nutrients and water more efficient, resulting in greater plant resistance, greater performance and greater quality of fruit harvested.

Seedling Functional Types and Cotyledons Shape Some Species of Woody Plant

ABSTRACT Woody plant produce small to large seeds which can affect germination process. Cotyledons as an important food source for early growth of seedlings. The position, function, and type of cotyledons when seeds germinate varies. This research aimed to determine cotyledons characters of woody plant seedlings collection in Bogor Botanic Gardens. The position, function and type of cotyledons were observed for 65 species of seedlings.This research used an observative method and was analyzed descriptively.The position of cotyledons when the seeds germinate are epigeal (above the ground) and hypogeal (remain in the soil). The epigeal cotyledons type found in 44 species that is higher than hypogeal cotyledons type (21 species). The function of cotyledons for seedlings is to reserve food or photosynthesis. Species with cotyledon reserve type were more than foliar cotyledons type (43 species and 22 species, respectively). The proportion of seedling types CER (cryptocotylar-epigeal-reservoir), CHR (cryptocotylar-hypogeal-reservoir), PEF (phanerocotylar-epigeal-foliaceous), PER (phanerocotylar-epigeal-reservoir), PHR (phanerocotylar-hypogeal-reservoir) were 3.08%, 16.92%, 33,85%, 29,23%, 16,92%, respectively.

Land Conservation and Pest Management of Agriculture Perspective Islamic Religion

The aim of this research will investigate numerous aspects including agriculture sustainable in Islamic perspective. The method use is literature review with decriptive analizis. The result is Islam have several action to reach farming base on environment such as the barring of killing some of animal comprise frog, eagle, bee, and another animals which is valuable for creating ecosystem balance. The action is integrating of pest mitigation by way of usage nature power to decline the population of insect attack. The other is to rekindle of land is most imperative action to assert sustainable agriculture. Lands must be cultivated as people mandatory to God’s but don’t create killing and vanishing of animal which bolster soil fertility. For this, land have to preserve through organic mannure to attaint Ihya-Almawat or planting land without ravage soil. The impact is climate change can be encouraged. Then, people whoever cultivate seed or plant to land, the person will receive reward from God’s. While planting plant produce alms as capital for person when they confront to God’s. As result as, the people on earth obtain some merits such as people get oxygen, shading, habitate for animal, and save life from unpredicted climate.Keywords: Agriculture, Climate, Environment, IslamAbstract Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji berbagai aspek termasuk pertanian berkelanjutan dalam perspektif Islam. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah pendekatan literature review dengan descriptif analisis. Ada beberapa hasil dari penelitian ini yaitu ajaran Islam memiliki beberapa tindakan untuk mencapai pertanian ramah alam mulai dari larangan membunuh katak, elang, dan lebah untuk menciptakan keseimbangan ekosistem. Warisan ajaran ini mengintegrasikan pengendalian hama dengan kekuatan alam. Warisan jaran yang lain yaitu menghidupkan lahan agar lahan tetap produktif dan berkelanjutan. Tanah harus diolah sebagai namun tidak menciptakan pembunuhan dan pemusnahan hewan yang menyebabkan tanah menjadi gersang. Untuk itu, tanah harus diawetkan melalui pupuk organik untuk mencapai Ihya-Almawat atau tanah tanam tanpa merusak tanah. Kemudian, orang yang membudidayakan tanaman akan menerima pahala berupa sedekah. Terdapat beberapa sedekah seperti makhluk hidup mendapatkan oksigen, bisa berteduh, menjadi habitat hewan, dan menyelamatkan kehidupan dari iklim yang tidak terduga. Keywords: Pertanian, Iklim, Lingkungan, Warisan Islam

Owen Fennema: Food Chemist Extraordinaire

Periodically someone comes into a field and forces a change in direction, a paradigm shift. Owen Fennema was such a person in food science and technology. When he started his academic career, curricula in food science and technology had courses describing how to process plant produce and animal tissue into safer food with an extended shelf life. The “why” was often overlooked. Owen changed all that. He participated in and greatly contributed to a paradigm shift in teaching food science by editing one of the most important textbook series in food science and technology. In addition, his research on water and ice as they impacted the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of plant and animal tissues extended the bounds of knowledge. He did the same for edible bilayers with research done in his laboratory. Who was this man, and how could he have such impact? Hopefully, this review provides some insights into Owen Fennema, Renaissance man.

Biogenetic Conversion of Wyerone and Dihydrowyerone into Wyerone Epoxide in Vicia faba Cotyledons and Screening of Antibacterial Activity

Background. Vicia faba is a plant that belongs to the family Fabaceae. Cotyledons of this plant produce compounds called phytoalexins as a result of fungal and bacterial infection or stress factors. The phytoalexins are furanoacetylenic compounds. They include wyerone, wyerol, wyerone acid, their dihydro derivatives, and wyerone epoxide. These compounds have antimicrobial activities mainly against fungi. Objective. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the biogenetic conversion of wyerone and dihydrowyerone to wyerone epoxide in V. faba and to investigate the antibacterial activities of some of these phytoalexins. Materials and Methods. Seeds of Vicia faba were used. Labelled wyerone and dihydrowyerone were obtained by treating CuCl2-induced cotyledons with sodium (2-14C) acetate and separated by TLC and HPLC. Labelled wyerone and dihydrowyerone were then applied to induced bean cotyledons to establish any possible interconversion to wyerone epoxide. Antibacterial activity of wyerone, wyerone acid, and wyerone epoxide was investigated by disc diffusion test against a panel of microorganisms. Zones of inhibition were reported. Results. The radiolabeling studies showed that 12.4% of 14C-wyerone, and 6.01% of 14C-dihydrowyerone were incorporated into wyerone epoxide. This indicates that wyerone epoxide was most probably derived from wyerone and dihydrowyerone. In addition, a new compound, 11-hydroxywyerone was isolated for the first time. Additionally, this study showed that wyerone, wyerone epoxide, and wyerone acid had no antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria but were active against Gram-positive bacteria.

Scarification of Exotic and Indigenous Plant Seeds in Nigeria: Effect on Dormancy and Germination

ABSTRACTDormancy is exhibited in many seed producing plants. It could be endogenous or exogenous, depending on the plant and the type of seed the plant produce. A survival strategy, plant use to conserve their genetic materials during unfavourable conditions. Scarification treatments has been used in this work to break the dormancy ofAnacardium occidentale, Annona muricata, Jatropha curcas, Tamarindus indicaandArtocarpus heterophyllususing 65% Nitric acid (HNO3), 65% Sulphuric acid (H2SO4), 0.5% Potassium tetraoxosulphate(VI) (K2SO4), 0.5% Urea (CH4N2O), 43% Ethanol (C2H6O) and Distilled water. Nitric acid (65% HNO3) produced the best result forAnacardium occidentalewith high numbers of seedlings and a germination period of 15 days.Jatropha curcasdid not produce a favourable result from the treatments.Tamarindus indica,water treatment produced the best result with six days of germination shorter than the controlled value (16 days). Nitric acid (65% HNO3) and water favorAnnona muricatawith germination period of 19 days as against 24 days for control experiment. Water and Potassium sulphate are the best treatments forArtocarpus heterophyllusas they produce viable seedlings with short germination period of 14 and 15 days which give a good result better than the 18 days of the control experiment.

Pengaruh Macam Tanaman Sela Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Jarak Pagar (Jatropha curcas L.) Hasil Rehabilitasi Tahun Ketiga

<p>Pada pertanaman jarak pagar yang masih muda (umur 1–2 tahun) dengan jarak tanam 2 m x 2 m ada lahan kosong yang tidak termanfaatkan. Upaya optimalisasi pemanfaatan lahan adalah menanam tanaman sela, sehingga petani mempunyai pendapatan dari tanaman sela sebelum jarak pagar menghasilkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh tanaman sela terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil jarak pagar dan men-dapatkan macam tanaman sela yang sesuai pada jarak pagar hasil rehabilitasi (penyambungan) pada tahun ketiga. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Muktiharjo, Kabupaten Pati, Jawa Tengah mulai bulan Januari hingga Desember 2011, menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok diulang enam kali. Perlakuan yang diuji adalah: 1) jarak pagar + kacang tanah, 2) jarak pagar + kedelai, 3) jarak pagar + kacang hijau, 4) jarak pagar + wijen, dan 5) jarak pagar tanpa tanaman sela. Ukuran petak 8 m x 8 m, jarak tanam jarak pagar 2 m x 2 m. Jarak tanam tanaman sela kacang tanah, kedelai, dan kacang hijau masing-masing 25 cm x 25 cm, sedangkan jarak tanam wijen 50 cm x 25 cm. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hasil biji kering tanaman jarak pagar dengan tanaman sela kedelai, kacang hijau, dan wijen tidak berbeda nyata dengan hasil biji kering jarak pagar monokultur kecuali dengan kacang tanah. Hasil biji kering jarak pagar + kedelai 655,87 kg/ha + 1.316,07 kg/ha; jarak pagar + kacang hijau 644,70 kg/ha + 1.557,5 kg/ha; jarak pagar + wijen 511,49 kg/ha + 1.416,67 kg/ha; jarak pagar + kacang tanah yaitu 358,31 kg/ha + 1.015,28 kg/ha; dan hasil biji kering tanaman jarak pagar tanpa tanaman sela 602,27 kg/ha. Tumpang sari jarak pagar dengan keempat macam tanaman sela (kacang tanah, kedelai, kacang hijau, dan wijen), efisien dalam pemanfaatan lahan dan layak secara ekonomi untuk ditanam dan dikembangkan bersama dengan tanaman jarak pagar rehabilitasi tahun ketiga dengan nilai NKL masing-masing: 1,32; 1,64; 1,98; 1,72 dan B/C ratio 4,79; 1,88; 5,71; 7,03.</p><p> </p><p>In young jatropha plantation (1–2 years aged) with 2 m x 2 m spacing there is fallow land. The effort to optimize of land use was by planting intercrops, so that the farmers get income before the jatropha plant produce. This study aimed to determine the effect of intercrops on growth and yield of jatropha and get suitable intercrops in the jatropha rehabilitated plantation (by grafting) in the third year. Research was conducted at Muktiharjo Research Station, Pati, Central Java from January to December 2011. The experiment was arranged in randomized block design with 6 replications. Treatments were 1) intercropping physic nut + peanut, 2) intercropping physic nut + soybean, 3) intercropping physic nut + mungbean, 4) intercropping physic nut + sesame, and 5) physic nut monoculture. Plot size was 8 m x 8 m, plant distance of physic nut were 2 m x 2 m, and plant distances for peanut, soybean, and mungbean were 25 cm x 25 cm and for sesame was 50 cm x 25 cm. Result showed that intercropping was not significantly effect on seed yield of physic nut, however intercropping physic nut with peanut decreased the physic nut seed yield. Seed yield of intercropping physic nut + soybean 655.87 kg/ha + 1,316.07 kg/ha; physic nut + mungbean 644.70 kg/ha + 1,557.55 kg/ha; physic nut + sesame 511.49 kg/ha + 1,416.67 kg/ha; physic nut + peanut 358.31 kg/ha + 1,015.28 kg/ha; and physic nut monoculture 602.27 kg/ha. Intercropping physic nut with four kinds of intercrop plant (peanut, soybean, mungbean, and sesame), efficient land use and economically viable for the grown and developed along with physic nut rehabilitation third year with the value of each land equi-valent ratio (LER) 1.32; 1.64; 1.98; 1.72 intercropping and B/C ratio 4.79; 1.88; 5.71; and 7.03.</p>

ETHNOBOTANY IN RELATION TO LIVELIHOOD SECURITY IN DISTRICT BASTAR OF CHHATTISGARH STATE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NON -TIMBER FOREST PRODUCES

In present study ethnobotany in relation to livelihood security in district Bastar of Chhattisgarh state with special reference to non timber forest produces were found to collect variety of plant produces from forests, for their livelihood security. Those collected plant produces were non timber forest produces (NTFPs).In this research total 44 plants producing NTFP were noted to be collected by tribals in 20 villages of Bastar district.Plant and plant produce collected by the tribals from the plants were seeds of 11 plants, fruits of 11, roots of 03, Rhizomes of 04,flowers of 04, secretory products from 03 plants, while 04 whole plants.Lakh and cocoons were also collected by the tribals from the forest.Beside collection of NTFPs,69 potential market place in Bastar district, where marketing of NTFPs was found maximum were also identified for the selling of plant produces.