Short Communication: Profitability of beekeeping using locally made transitional top bar beehive in Wolmera Woreda, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Gobena WE. 2020. Short Communication: Profitability of beekeeping using locally made transitional top bar beehive in Wolmera Woreda, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Asian J Agric 4: 1-4. Beekeeping is an important source of livelihood and can be integrated with other agricultural activities. The objective of this study is to assess the profitability of beekeeping using locally built transitional topbar hive. Two-stage sampling procedure and stratified sampling technique used in the study. Primary and secondary data are collected analyzed using descriptive statistics and partial budgeting. The partial budgeting result reveals that beekeeping is profitable by using this hive with incremental net benefit of 462.12 ETB and the beekeepers increased their benefit from the hive by more than 2.9 fold by using this beehive as compared to traditional hive. The study concludes beekeeping with this hive can be profitable business for the marginal farmers who have little business capital and land resource. Moreover, income from a single bee colony at beekeeper’s backyard can be improved with minimum cost if this hive with its package used. The overall finding of this study mainly underlined the importance of extension support and technical back to the beekeepers to use this hive.

Potential of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains isolated from rhizospheric soil endowed with antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungus Stemphylium botryosum

Mokrani S, Bejaoui B, Belabid L, Nabti E, Mokrani S. 2020. Potential of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains isolated from rhizospheric soil endowed with antifungal activities against phytopathogenic fungus Stemphylium botryosum. Biodiversitas 21: 47-54. In this present study, two Pseudomonas strains P4 and P5 isolated from rhizospheric soil were characterized for PGP (Plant Growth Promoting) traits production like HCN (Hydrogen Cyanid), siderophores and IAA (Indole Acetic Acid). Phylogenic tree based on 16S DNAr identification-related the two strains P4 and P5 to Pseudomonas stutzeri NR 116489 and NR 113652.1. One phytopathogenic fungus St-bt (Stemphylium botryosum) was isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris L. Macroscopic and microscopic identification attributed it to the genus Stemphylium. Antifungal activities of the two Pseudomonas strains P4 and P5 against fungus isolate St-bt had revealed very highly significant inhibition percentages of 38.46± 3.85% and 56.56± 2.22% for each strain, respectively.

Distribution of major diseases of shallot in South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Safitri YA, Hasanah U, Salamiah, Samharinto, Pramudi MI. 2019. Distribution of major diseases of shallot in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Asian J Agric 3: 33-40. Shallot is a vegetable crop with high economic value, but its productivity in Indonesia is still relatively low. One of the causes is due to attack of the diseases. The research was conducted from November 2017 to April 2018, with the purpose of studying the distribution of major diseases of shallots in South Kalimantan. It consisted of field, laboratory, and greenhouse research. Field research involved the survey of shallots’ extensive planting in eight villages of six districts in South Kalimantan, disease symptoms, the broad of attack, and the collection of secondary data. Laboratory research included the isolation and identification of the pathogen causing diseases. The greenhouse research was conducted to perform the Postulate Koch test. The research result showed that there were two major diseases of shallots, namely Moler and Anthracnose. Pathogen causing Moler disease (Fusarium oxysporum) attacked shallot plant in six districts (Tabalong, Balangan, Tanah Laut, Kotabaru, Tapin, and Banjarbaru) and pathogen causing Anthracnose disease (Colletotrichum sp) attacked shallot plant in five districts (Tabalong, Balangan, Tanah Laut, Kotabaru, and Tapin).

Effect of container and potting media on raising quality seedlings of Acacia auriculiformis in the nursery

Islam MDA, Rahman MDA, Hossain MK. 2019. Effect of container and potting media on raising quality seedlings of Acacia auriculiformis in the nursery. Asian J Agric 3: 26-32. The study elucidates the effect of container and potting media on raising quality seedlings of Acacia auriculiformis in the nursery of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong to find out a suitable container and potting media for raising large scale quality seedlings. The seedlings were evaluated by five container and seven potting media treatments for eight months. A Completely Randomized Block Design (CRBD) was adopted for the study with three replications for each treatment. The Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was tested for the analysis to explore the possible treatment variations. However, the study reveals nodulation with growth parameters; shoot and root dry biomass production and quality index were highest in 20 cm × 15 cm size polybags whereas the highest root length and shoot-root ratio was observed in 15 cm × 10 cm and 15 cm × 13 cm size polybag respectively. Considering the potting media, highest nodulation, growth parameters, shoot dry and fresh weight, shoot- root ratio and biomass were found in combination of soil + cow dung + phosphorus (0.16 g/polybag). Highest root length, root fresh and dry weight, and quality index were found in the combination of soil + cow dung (3:1). Therefore, it is recommended that containers of 20 cm × 15 cm size polybag and with a potting media of soil + cow dung + phosphorus (3 parts soil, 1 parts cow dung + 0.16 g/polybag) combination produce quality A. auriculiformis seedlings in the nursery.

Effect of inoculation of two Aztobacter and nitrogen fertilizer on of peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil

Bidgoli RD. 2019. Effect of inoculation of two Aztobacter and nitrogen fertilizer on of peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil. Asian J Agric 3: 22-25. This study was conducted to study changes of percentage and yield of essential oil of peppermint (Mentha piperita) as a split factorial in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in 2016-2017. The experimental treatments were nitrogen at four levels 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg/ha as the main factor and two strains of PGPR (Aztobacter chroococcum MZ11, MZ26) in two state of (use and non-use) was considered as sub factors. Results showed that use of these two of A. chroococcum strains has led to increase in the percentage and yield of peppermint essential oil more than all Nitrogen fertilizer treatments. Also, the highest peppermint essential oil percentage (0.73%) obtained the in the of triple interaction of Nitrogen (100 kg/ha) A. chroococcum MZ11 and A. chroococcum MZ26 The highest essential oil yield (91.65 kg/ha)observed under the influence of the triple interaction of Nitrogen (100 kg/ha) , A. chroococcum MZ11 and A. chroococcum MZ26.

The feasibility and farmer perception of true shallot seed technology in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Rahayu HSP, Muchtar, Saidah. 2019. The feasibility and farmer perception of true shallot seed technology in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Asian J Agric 3: 16-21. Shallot is one of horticultural commodities that plays a significant role in both national and regional economy. A fluctuating supply of shallot influences the inflation level. Shallot production is currently still facing many problems, including high production cost. The high shallot production cost mostly goes to expenses for labor and seed while Indonesian shallot is mainly produced from the bulbs seed. This high-cost production causes a lower shallot competitiveness. Therefore, introduction of True Shallot Seed (TSS) technology, which lowers the cost for shallot seed, could be an ideal option to improve the shallot competitiveness in Indonesia. However, the shallot farming feasibility and the farmer’s perception of this technology are two critical aspects that need to be considered in the adoption of this new technology. This research aimed to study the potency of true shallot seed development in Central Sulawesi based on the TSS’s farming feasibility and farmer perception on TSS. The research was conducted in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi. The results showed that the farming of shallot using TSS was feasible, and within 14.9 t.ha-1 productivity, the Revenue-Cost Ratio was 3.15 while the Benefit-Cost Ratio was 2.15. The perception was examined based on three aspects namely technical, economic, and social aspects. The results showed that farmers were interested in planting true seed of shallot based on its high productivity, lower production cost, and market acceptance of the product; while in the social aspect, the extension and farmer group’s support still need to be improved for development of TSS.

Review: Rice momilactones, potential allelochemical for weeds suppression

Estiati A. 2019. Rice momilactones, potential allelochemical for weeds suppression. Asian J Agric 3: 6-15. Weeds become one of the important biological constraint declining the productivity and quality of rice. Among the weeds, barnyardgrass is reported as the most destructive weed species. Synthetic herbicides are preferred method to control weeds. However, the excessive and continuous use of synthetic herbicides can have a negative impact on the environment, health and even the emergence of herbicide-tolerant weeds. Therefore, another alternative to overcome weed problems become the concern of scientists. Rice plants have been proven to be able to suppress the growth of weeds nearby by secreting secondary metabolites called allelochemicals. In this article, the achievements of research on rice allelochemicals at laboratory level will be reported. Among rice allelochemicals, momilactones are potential growth inhibitor. The biosynthetic pathway of momilactones and its coressponding genes have been extensively investigated in rice. OsCPS4, OsKSL4, CYP99A2, CYP99A3 and OsMAS are genes that co-regulated in momilactones biosynthetic pathway and production, and they form a gene cluster which is located on chromosome 4. Reverse genetic approach by inserting genes knock-out of OsCPS4 and OsKSL4 into two rice cultivars from Japonica subspecies showed that insertional mutant lines harboring cps4 or ksl4 exhibited a significant loss in inhibition potential due to the lack of momilactones production.

Various antioxidant assays of agarwood extracts (Gyrinops versteegii) from West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Prihantini AI, Rizqiani K. 2019. Various antioxidant assays of agarwood extracts (Gyrinops versteegii) from West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Asian J Agric 3: 1-5. However, the species have not been widely explored as a source of natural products in particular antioxidant agents, which protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. The present study was aimed to evaluate antioxidant activities of agarwood extracts from West Nusa Tenggara using various antioxidant assays. The antioxidant activity of leaf, fruit and fruit bark extracts were investigated based on DPPH radicals scavenging activity, reducing power, and β-carotene bleaching assays. The total phenolic content was also investigated. The result showed that leaf extract revealed the strongest antioxidant activity on all assays performed such as DPPH radicals scavenging activity (IC50 22.13±0.71 μg/mL); reducing power (251.85±0.03 mg QE/g dry extract); and β-carotene bleaching activity (IC50 24.23±2.60 μg/mL). The total phenolic content (TPC) in the leaf was higher (184.90±0.76 mg GAE/g dry extract) than fruit bark and bark extracts. The high content of phenolic compounds in G. versteegii leaves indicated that these compounds might contribute to the antioxidant activities. In conclusion, these findings showed that G. versteegii leaves are potential for development as an antioxidant source.

Determinants of technical efficiency in cotton production in the southern cotton growing zone of Nigeria: A stochastic production frontier approach

Olatidoye MS, Alimi T, Akinola AA. 2018. Quality assessment of the physico-chemical properties of vermiwash produced from different sources during successive storage periods. Asian J Agric 2: 58-63. The study investigated on socio-economic factors and estimated the technical efficiency indices and factors influencing technical efficiency of the sampled cotton farmers in the Southern Cotton growing zone of Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total sample of 300 cotton farmers. The study made use of only primary data which was collected through the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production parametric model. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that majority (83%) of the cotton farmers in the study area were males while the mean age of the respondents was 49 years. The average household size was 8 persons per household and majority (69%) of the respondents had formal education. Majority of the respondents (59%) had no access to credit facilities while majority (80.4%) of the cotton farmers had reasonable years of experience ranging between 11 and above in cotton production. Furthermore, the study found that the technical efficiency of the farmers range from 0.35 and 0.99 with a mean of 0.79. This indicates ample opportunity for farmers to increase their productivity through improvement in their technical efficiency. Seed, fertilizer, pesticides and farm size were found to be statistically significant and positively related to farmers’ output while education, credit, extension contact and farming experience of the respondents negatively influenced farmers’ technical inefficiency. The farmers therefore need to increase their output through more intensive use of seed, land, pesticides and fertilizers.

Quality assessment of the physicochemical properties of vermiwash produced from different sources during successive storage periods

Jaikishun S, Adonis S, Ansari AA. 2018. Quality assessment of the physicochemical properties of vermiwash produced from different sources during successive storage periods. Asian J Agric 2: 52-57. Organic farming is crucial for maintaining our health together with improving quality and quantity of crop production in environmentally friendly farming practices. Vermiwash is poised to be one of the key components in organic farming and reducing the enormous amounts of pollutants from the environment. This study aims to determine the physicochemical characteristics related to vermiwash from different sources (Jamun, Neem and Grass with combination and mixed with cattle dung) during a three-month storage period with monthly assessments and compared to fresh sample. While an increase in Electrical Conductivity (EC) was seen at the first month, successive decreases were noted thereafter with a significant difference (p=0.05) being observed among the treatments (p=0.05) after three months. Total dissolved salts decreased over the storage period with significant difference being observed among the treatments and storage period revealed that at p=0.05, F (7, 21) = 3.9>2.49 Fcrit. and F (3, 21) = 3.8>2.49 respectively. Phosphorous decreased while potassium increased with T7 having the highest. Calcium showed a significant difference (p=0.05) among the treatments while magnesium fluctuated during the period but deceased at the end of the storage period. Analysis of ferrous content revealed a significant difference (p=0.05, F (7, 21) = 3.8>2.48 Fcrit.) with the time period being significantly different (p=0.05, F (3, 21) = 6.8>3.0) with an increase at the end of the storage period. Fresh form of vermiwash is best to use to obtain maximum nutrients as the general nutrient composition deteriorates over with time