Genotypes by environment effect on flowering and seed set in cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz in Uganda

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) production has been constrained by biotic and abiotic factors, which could be solved by conventional breeding. However, cassava hybridization is difficult because many genotypes do not flower or set seeds and yet cassava sexual reproduction is essential for breeding programs. Consequently, this study was undertaken to identify agro ecologies in Uganda that best promote cassava flowering and seed set in order to facilitate breeding. Field evaluation of eight genotypes in randomized complete block design with three replications at three agro-ecologies of Uganda for two cropping seasons was conducted. Weather data were monitored and cassava flowering/seed set-related traits were collected at one-month interval commencing from 1.5 Months after planting. Results indicated that varieties previously categorized as high flowering and seed set performed differently than those identified as poor flowering and seed set, although with varying genotypic differences in each environment. Genotypes mean performances, additive main effect and multiplicative interaction and genotype main effect and genotype by environment interaction bi-plots model’ results indicated Rwebitaba in Western savannah grassland agro-ecology and Namulonge-NaCRRI in Lake Victoria Crescent agro-ecology as the most favorable environments for the performance of all the evaluated traits, and season one as the most favorable season. However, the most stable environment for all the evaluated traits was Abi-ZARDI. Conclusively, the high proportion of variation which occurred between genotypes and environments was explained by the genotypic variances. Dry months had poorer cassava flower initiation and development than wet months of the cropping season. Therefore, Abi-ZARDI in North-western savannah grassland agro-ecology and season one could be recommended for the establishment and timing of cassava breeding nursery.

Seasonal rainfall prediction in Juba County, South Sudan using the feedforward neural networks

Historical rainfall data from 1997-2016 of Juba County, South Sudan were used in a Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN) model to make future predictions. Annual rainfall data were aggregated into three seasons MAMJ, JAS and OND and later trained for best forecasts for the period 2017-2034 using the Alyuda Forecaster XL software. Best training of the time series was attained, once the minimum error of the weight expressed as MSE or AE between the measured variable and predicted was achieved during gradient descent. The results showed that for MAMJ and JAS months, the number forecasts were over 85% whereas this was between 60-80% for OND months. The Seasonal Kendal (SK) test on future rainfall forecasts as well as the Theil-Sen slope showed negative monotonic trends in the mean values till the end of 2034 of all three seasons with MAMJ, JAS at OND at 100, 150 and 80 mm respectively. Rainfall forecast showed that the MAMJ months for the years 2019 to 2027 will be moderately wet except in April 2021 which will experience some severe wetness (due to intensive rainfall). Interdecadal severe drought with less than 60, 100 and 10 mm for MAMJ, JAS and OND respectively, is expected between 2028 to 2033 after almost two decades. The declining onset of MAMJ rains is expected to significantly affect the timing for land preparation and crop planting.

Incidence and severity of major diseases of coffee in highland of eastern Ethiopia

This study was conducted with the objective to assess the incidence and severity of coffee berry disease (CBD) and coffee leaf rust (CLR) in the highland of Eastern Ethiopia. In the east Hararge Zone of Eastern Ethiopia, coffee was grown by 331,651 holders on 7,584 ha with a production output of 3,722 tons and a yield of 0.5 ton/ha in 2017. Bedeno is the leading coffee producer district in the Zone followed by Melka-ballo, Deder and Meta districts. In Bedeno, coffee is mainly grown in altitudes ranging from 1690 to 2260 masl. Coffeeberry disease and leaf rust are the two major diseases of coffee in the area. A total of 34 representative coffee farms at nine study sites (3-4 coffee farms at the interval of 3-5 kilometers) were selected through discussion with Bedeno district’s coffee experts. The study sites were selected using sequential sampling techniques through discussions with the district’s coffee experts. Incidence of coffee berry disease and leaf rust was determined as percentage of diseased trees. Disease severity was determined as percentage of diseased coffee berries per plot. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result of this study revealed the incidence of CBD in Bedeno district ranged from 30.0 to 93.3% with a mean of 70.19%. The severity of the CBD was from 13.3% to 44.4% with an average severity of 28.53%. Both incidence and severity of CBD were high at Barkalle followed by Barakat and Hindhessa areas. On the other hand, the incidence of coffee leaf rust varied from 18.9 to 87.4% with a mean of 52.7%. The high mean incidence of CLR at highland areas of eastern Ethiopia is clear evidence for the occurrence of climate change in the area. Hence, it is advisable to introduce improved coffee varieties that are resistant to coffee berry disease and leaf rust for production in the area. Training farmers to implement proper cultural disease management practices such as prunning and sucker management will also help alleviate the constraint.

Strengthening agriculture-nutrition linkages to improve consumption of nutrient-dense perishable foods in India - existing evidence and way forward

The triple burden of malnutrition in India is largely contributed by poor quality diets lacking adequate intake of nutrient dense perishable foods (NDPFs) - milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. This is intriguing because India is one of the largest producers of NDPFs. This review examines possible reasons for this disparity. Poor post-harvest infrastructure, price volatility, unorganized supply chains, long-standing government policies favouring cereals and increasing consumer preference of convenience foods are identified as major reasons for the low intake of NDPFs. While nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions appear promising to improve intakes of NDPF, stronger evidence is needed to scale up these interventions.

Biologically upgraded cocoa pod husk: Effect on growth performance, haemato-biochemical indices and antioxidant status of broiler chickens

A 49 day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of biologically upgraded cocoa pod husk meal (BCPHM) on the growth performance, haemato-biochemical indices and antioxidant status of broiler chickens. Three experimental diets were formulated at both starter and finisher phases in which BCPHM was added as an active feed ingredient at 0, 10, 20% and designated as diets 1, 2 and 3 respectively. One hundred and fifty day old Marshal broiler chicks weighing 39±2.5g/bird were allotted to 3 dietary treatments (10birds/replicate, 50birds/treatment) in a completely randomized design. The Average daily weight gain (ADWG), total weight gain (TWG) and final body weight (FBW) of broiler chicks fed diets containing 10% BCPHM was significantly (p˂0.05) higher than that of control and diet containing 20% BCPHM at starter phase. At finisher phase, the values of ADWG, TWG and FBW were at par with that of control. Feed Intake was seen to increase as BCPHM increased in the diet at finisher phase. Carcass traits, relative internal organ weight, haemato-biochemcal indices of broiler chickens were similar across dietary treatment. Superoxide dimutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) of birds fed control diet were significantly (p˂0.05) higher than those of birds fed BCPHM based diets. Ten percent dietary inclusion of BCPHM appears optimal in broiler diet since beyond this level growth performance declined.

Performance and egg qualities of old-laying hens fed with diets containing selected phytogenic feed additives

Performance and egg qualities of old-laying hens fed with diets containing ginger, turmeric and garlic were evaluated in a twelve (12) week feeding trial. A total of 135 laying birds of Isa-Brown strain which were sixty-four (64) weeks old were used for the trial and arranged in a completely randomized design. Five diets were formulated for the trial: Diet 1 (control), Diet 2 (3% inclusion level of turmeric), Diet 3 (3% inclusion level of ginger), Diet 4 (turmeric and garlic at 2.25% and 0.75%, respectively) and Diet 5 (ginger and garlic at 2.25% and 0.75%, respectively). Proximate compositions of the Phytogenic Feed Additives (PFAs) were determined with the moisture content ranging between 5.03-7.50%; ash (3.26-6.11%); ether extract (7.39-14.58%); fibre (10.28-13.79%); protein (3.07-7.23%) and Nitrogen Free Extract (58.88-61.54%). The performance indices, though not significantly (P˃0.05) influenced by the test diets except for Hen Day Production (HDP) had the highest weight gained (0.16kg) recorded for birds fed on a diet containing ginger. The highest (62.92 and 62.04 %) HDP were observed in birds fed diets containing ginger and ginger + garlic; respectively. However, the lowest weight gained (0.04kg) was recorded in birds fed a diet containing turmeric + garlic; this diet also recorded the lowest % HDP and FCR with values of 57.50% and 2.37 respectively. The overall values for the qualities of eggs from laying hens fed the PFAs showed that only the Haugh Unit, yolk colour and albumen height were significantly (P˂0.05) affected; with those on Turmeric + Garlic diets having the highest for these parameters. However, the fatty acid variables were not significantly (P˃0.05) affected by the dietary treatments. It could be concluded that the inclusion of PFAs in the diets of laying hens especially at an older age would help to sustain performance with improved quality.

Leaching behavior of vitreous fertilizers for application as plant nutrients

In view of significant role of macro and micro nutrient elements for increasing the food production to feed the growing population along with maintaining soil fertility, glassy fertilizers to supply the said need were prepared in the laboratory. The main objective of the present work is to study the role of different nutrient elements in the glass composition to be used as fertilizers. This has been aimed to provide a better substitution of chemical fertilizers because of its specific nature of leachability in aqueous medium. In the present research paper, the combined varying effect of different nutrient elements such as P, B, Zn, Fe, Cu, K and Si has been investigated using different experimental techniques.

Toxicity of insecticides to predators of rice brown planthopper: Wolf spider and carabid beetle.

Field toxicity two insect growth regulators (IGR) viz. Award 40 SC (Buprofezin) and Haron 5 EC (Lufenuron) and one newer Thiacloprid viz. Calypso 280 SC against wolf spider, Lycosa pseudoannulata and carabid beetle, Ophionea indica, the predators of rice brown planthopper (BPH) was examined in the Entomology field laboratory, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Effectiveness of insecticides was assessed on the basis of populations of wolf spider and carabid beetle under field condition at 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7 days after treatment. The abundances of wolf spider and carabid beetle were not changed significantly even when rice plants were treated with either Award or Haron. In contrast, Calypso 280 SC had significantly reduced wolf spiders (about 78%) and carabid beetle (about 57%) populations compared to the control. Therefore it is concluded from the present study that Award 40 SC @ 0.75 ml/L or Haron 5 EC @ 1.00 ml/L would be applied as the protector of predators of BPH in rice-ecosystem. On the other hand, Calypso 280 SC has adverse effects on the populations of wolf spider and carabid beetle in rice-ecosystem as well as other environmental components.

Effect of liquid feeding at different water-to-feed ratios on the morphological adaptations in the gastrointestinal tract of growing pigs

The study examined the morphology of the gastro-intestinal tract (GI) of growing pigs offered dry feed or liquid feed with differing water-to-feed ratios. Twenty male pigs were randomly allocated to one of four treatment groups; treatments included a standard dry pelleted diet (D) or the same diet soaked in water at a feed-to-water ratio of 1:1.5 (T1:1.5), 1:3 (T1:3) or 1:3 with the addition of lactic acid to adjust the feed to pH 4 (T1:3[4]). Animals were humanely slaughtered after 6 weeks to enable sampling and histological examination (light, scanning electron (LSEM) and binocular dissection microscope) of the GI tract. Samples were taken at the 2% position (duodenum), the 20% position and 50 % position (jejunum) along the small intestines (SI). Liquid-fed pigs were heavier (P < 0.05) and exhibited improved feed conversion ratios (FCR) when compared to D animals. These differences in live weight were attributed to alterations in the weight and volume of the stomach and SI, which were also heavier and larger in liquid-fed pigs (P < 0.05). However, these differences were no longer apparent when intestinal weights and stomach volumes were adjusted for animal live weight. Differences in villus type between the treatments were noted throughout, particularly in the duodenum and proximal jejunum sections. Mean villus height was taller in all liquid-fed animals when compared to D pigs (P<0.05); this was particularly apparent in T1:1.5 and T1:3[4] pigs. There were no differences in crypt depths between treatment groups at the 2% and 20 % positions, but at the 50 % position the T1:1.5 group crypts were deeper (P < 0.05) than those in the D and T1:3 pigs. It is concluded that liquid feeding alters the morphology of the GI tract, which may in part, explain the differences in growth performance observed between liquid and D fed pigs. The inclusion of organic acid in the diets of T1:3[4] pigs appeared to exert an effect on villus height and crypt depth when compared to those pigs receiving the T1:3 diet.

Association between feeding patterns and nutritional status of the under five children (6-59 months) in Mtwara Rural District, Tanzania

This study was conducted to determine the association between feeding pattern and nutritional status of the under-five children in Mtwara rural district. Nutritional assessment information was collected using three survey tools: food frequency survey, 24 hours diet survey and anthropometric assessment survey. Anthropometric measures of weight and height were used to assess the nutritional status and WHO Anthro Plus was used to compute the anthropometric data to obtain Height for Age Z-score, Weight for Age Z-score and Weight for Height Z-score. The questionnaire was administered to mothers / caregivers of 329 children aged 6 -59 months. The children’s feeding patterns were determined using the 24-hour dietary recall. Dietary diversity score was computed to understand the quality of the diet consumed by the children. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0 using descriptive statistics. Chi-square was used to determine the association between nutrition status and the independent variables including gender. The findings indicated 41% stunting rate, 18.8% underweight and 7.3% wasting implying poor nutrition. The cassava feeding frequencies varied among households and between and within the two children age groups, (6 – 10 months) and (11-59 months). Overall 87.23% of children (6-59 months) had a feeding frequency of 2 days, 3 days or 6 days in a week. The dietary diversity indicated an average IDDS of 2.5 implying poor diversity of consumed food groups which was similarly far below the target IDDS of 5 established for this study. The results however indicated no significant association (p ≥ 0.05) between cassava consumption pattern and prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight and also between gender and nutrition status. The high prevalence rate of malnutrition could thus be attributed to a synergistic effect of several factors.