Volume 7 Number 1 (January 2022)

An Assessment of Water Management at a Major Global Hub Airport: A Case Study of Frankfurt Airport

Glenn Baxter

Increasingly, airports have increased their focus on sustainable water management. Airports consume large quantities of water to maintain their infrastructure and to facilitate both air and ground-based operations. Airports are also the source of runoff or waste waters, which can be very substantial in nature. Using an in-depth qualitative longitudinal research design, this study has examined Frankfurt Airport, a major global hub airport, sustainable airport water management practices. The qualitative data was examined by document analysis. The study period was from 2008 to 2019. The case study found that Frankfurt Airport’s annual water consumption, water consumption per workload unit (WLU), and water consumption per aircraft movement largely exhibited an upward trend over the study period. This growth was influenced by strong growth in passenger traffic and aircraft movements recorded during the study period. The annual consumption of drinking water and the annual sewage waters fluctuated over the study period. There was an overall general upward trend in the sewage waters per workload unit (WLU). Frankfurt Airport has installed extensive water management infrastructure. Frankfurt Airport operates its own sewage treatment plant. Wastewaters generated at the airport is treated in Frankfurt Airport’s fully biological water treatment together with the fully biological water treatment plants in Frankfurt Niederrad and Frankfurt Sindlingen. Frankfurrt Airport also operates several rainwater treatment plants. The airport also has grease and oil separators and demulsification plants. The case study found that Frankfurt Airport is making greater use of rainwater, treated water from the River Main, as well as well water.

Mitigating Aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions During the Aircraft Turnaround Process from the Use of Solar Power at the Airport Gate: The Case of Moi International Airport, Kenya

Glenn Baxter

One of the most pervasive trends in the global airport industry in recent times has been the adoption of green renewable technologies. Many airports around the world have now installed photovoltaic (PV) solar systems as a key environmental measure. One of the critical areas of energy management at an airport is the provision of power and cooling at the gate, which is used during the aircraft turnaround process. Historically, the aircraft auxiliary power unit (APU) was the primary power source during the aircraft turnaround process. In recent times, airports have transitioned to the use of fixed electrical ground power (FEGP) and preconditioned air to mitigate the emissions from use of aircraft auxiliary power unit (APUs). Based on an instrumental case study research approach, this study has examined how Moi International Airport in Kenya has mitigated the airport’s carbon footprint by using a green, renewable energy system. The study’s qualitative data was examined by document analysis. The case study revealed that Moi International Airport has installed a photovoltaic (PV) solar system with a 500kW capacity that is used to primarily provide solar power at the airport’s apron area. The photovoltaic (PV) solar system has delivered Moi International Airport with an important environmental related benefit as it has enabled the airport to reduce it carbon footprint, as the photovoltaic (PV) solar system has reduced the airport’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an estimated 1,300 tonnes per annum.

Broiler Chickens Fed Chromium Propionate Supplemented Diets in a Tropical Environment: Serum Biochemical and Intestinal Morphology

Aims: The effects of dietary supplementation with Chromium Propionate (CrProp) on serum aspartate aminotransaminase, alanine aminotransaminase, and intestinal morphology in broiler chickens are investigated in this study. Study Design: The completely randomised design was used for this study. Methodology: A total of 644 Cobb 500 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to eight dietary treatments (10 birds per replication). Diets 1 to 4 were designed by dividing a base diet into eight equal halves. Diets 1 to 4 were supplemented with 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 mg/kg CrProp, respectively. For a 42-day trial period, the birds had unrestricted access to feed and water sources. The gross pathological alterations were documented during necropsy. The intestinal tissues were fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histological investigation. Results: Serum ALT and AST levels were measured to investigate Cr toxicity. There was a significant increase with CrProp supplementation, indicating that the Cr levels administered were hepatotoxic. Intestinal morphology was also enhanced by CrProp supplementation. Conclusion: In conclusion, serum metabolites such as ALT and AST were affected following 0.8 mg/kg of CrProp supplementation, and jejunal morphological qualities were improved.

Revenue Analysis and Marketing of Seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) in Wajo Regency

Andi Utami Batari, Sutinah, Sri Suro Adhawati

Seaweed (Khappaphycus alvarezii) is a fishery commodity that is in great demand in the world. South Sulawesi is one of the largest seaweed-producing areas in Indonesia and Wajo Regency occupies the first position with the largest production of 433,817.4 tons/year, however, it is still experiencing several obstacles, starting from the selection of land/location, seeds, pests and diseases, institutions, limitations capital, marketing and processing. This study aims to analyze the level of income and marketing of seaweed (K. alvarezii) cultivation in Wajo Regency. This research uses income and marketing analysis. The results showed that the total profit of seaweed cultivators in one year of production was IDR 176,111.484, - where, on a land area of

Implementation of Corporate Farming Program on Rice Farming (Case Study on Farmer Group Semangat 45)

Marwah Pratiwi, Rahim Darma, Mahyuddin

The Corporate farming is a form of economic cooperation from a group of farmers with an agribusiness orientation through consolidation of expansive land management (Department of Agriculture, 2000). Spirit 45 Farmers Corporation Program which is located in Kel. Panrannuangku, Kec. North Polongbangkeng, Kab. Takalar which has focused on rice commodities since 2018 but in the field shows that the implementation of the program has not run optimally, therefore a study is needed to thoroughly understand the implementation of the program as an improvement material for further implementation or for the replication process in other areas. This study uses descriptive analysis to see the performance of all stakeholders involved in implementing the program. The results of the study show that the activities are not in line with the concept of integrated areas and corporations, farmers still carry out activities as individuals who are only responsible for their cultivated land and corporations have not been able to become institutions that are extensions of farmers' hands.

Pollen in Forensic Palynology: An Exploration into a Crime Solving Tool

Ammna Rakshanda, Jayarama Reddy

Palynology is the study of pollen grain and spores. The term forensic when inserted into the picture marks the usage of pollen into a crime-solving and suspect finding tool. Pollen grain has an outer layer made up of sporopollenin which gives high durability and resistance due to which pollen can survive at adverse and extreme conditions. The samples collected from the crime scene are analysed, studied and investigated along with the samples obtained from the suspects. A relation is derived which acts as evidence during the judicial custody. Pollen analysis is highly useful if a crime that has happened long back, and now needs to be opened up. Advancement of this technique in India is still awaited.

The Quality of Fresh Mackerel Tuna (Euthynnus affinis) Preserved with Different Icing Methods

Sulfiana, Nursinah Amir, Arni Mahmud, Metusalach

Fish is a highly perishable food material, so the quality is very susceptible to degradation. The damage to the fish may occur starting from catching or harvesting, post-harvest handling to distribution, and consumers. The primary factor causing quality degradation in fish is the activity of enzymes and bacteria, which ultimately shortens the shelf life of the fish. This study aimed to analyze the effect of different icing methods on the quality of mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis). This study used a completely randomized factorial design (RAL)involving 2 factor treatments with 3 levels, and each treatment was carried out in 3 replicates. The treatments used were the fish icing method (bulk, 1-layered fish, and 2-layered fish)with a ratio of ice and fish 1:1 and a storage durationof 12, 24, and 36 hours. The quality indices analyzed included histamine level, total volatile bases nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value, and total plate count (TPC). Results indicated that after 36 h of storage the histamine, TVB-N, peroxide and TPC contents of the mackerel tuna had increased to 8.1-19.4 mg/100g, 47.9 mgN/100g, 48.1 mEq/kg, and 1.8 x 103 colony/g, respectively from the initial values of 8.1 mg/100g, 25.7 mgN/100g, 5.3 mEq/kg and 2.6 x 102 colony/g, respectively. Sharp increases were observed in the 1-layered and especially in the 2-layered fish icing methods, while in the bulk icing methods the values of the parameters remained similar to that of the control fish.

Effect of Preparation Treatments on the Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Protein Concentrate

Istyqamah Muslimin, Syahrul, Metusalach

Fish protein concentrate (FPC) is a concentrated protein derived from fish meat and its characteristics are highly dependent on the methods of preparation used. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different preparation treatments on the physico-chemical properties of niletilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) fish protein concentrate.The nile tilapia used. Was collected alive from shrimp ponds in Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The fish was then filleted, red meat trimmed and white meat was chopped in a commercial food processor and stored in a zipped plastic bags at – 20°C until used. The meat was divided into two groups for treatments of pressing and unpressing. The pressed and unpressed chopped meat was then washed with 90% ethanol (1:2 or 1:4, w/v) for 20, 40 and 60 min. to remove lipid and pigments. The treated meat was then dried overnight in a forced-air convection oven. The dried nile tilapia FPC was then analysed for its physico-chemical characteristics. The results indicated that the preparation treatments significantly affected the characteristics of the nile tilapia FPC. The best results from each treatment showed characteristics according to FAO standards (1976) namely the ratio of washing ratio 2:1 with an extraction time of 60 minutes and the variation of the sample before extraction was pressed having a chemical composition of 85.32% protein, 0.55% fat, water content of 11.91% and ash content of 1.25%. And the physical characteristics include 85.9% whiteness, 2.43 g/ml water absorption and 2.37 g/ml oil absorption. The results of this study indicated that the tilapia fish FPC is classified as type A FPC and is well applied to food ingredients.

Environmental Significance of Perchlorate in Aqueous Systems and its Removal Technologies

Atreyi Ghosh

Perchlorate (ClO4-) is a naturally occurring anion, commonly found in ammonium, potassium, and sodium salts. It is extensively used as an oxidizer in solid rocket propellant, fireworks, batteries and automobile air-bags. Its contamination to environment is generally associated with the release of ammonium perchlorate by defense contractors, military operations and aerospace programs. This anion is very much persistent in the environment due to high activation energy associated with its reduction. At high concentration perchlorate can affect thyroid gland functions, where it is mistakenly taken up in place of iodine. Also, perchlorate has recently been added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water Candidate Contaminant List. It has been found at high concentrations (>1000 mg/L) in surface water and groundwater. Due to the stability in water systems it is difficult to remove by existing physico-chemical techniques such as adsorption, anion exchange and membrane filtration, therefore bioremediation is a promising method to reduce perchlorate from water systems. Biological perchlorate degradation depends on several environmental factors such as presence of nitrate and chlorate, dissolved oxygen, carbon-source and temperature. In this review, environmental occurrence of perchlorate, it’s toxicity in various living organism and remediation processes from water environment have been discussed.

A comparative study between a pure strain and a mixed consortium for utilization of carbonâ€“sources in perchlorate biodegradation

Atreyi Ghosh

A comparative study between pure strain and a mixed culture isolated from wastewater treatment plant was done for carbon-source utilization during perchlorate degradation in batch system. Wide varieties of carbon-source which are commonly utilized by microbes were tested to serve the purpose. A pure strain Dechlorosoma sp. KJ which is reported for perchlorate degradation was compared with a mixed microbial culture. The mixed consortium has shown greater adaptability to utilize carbon sources for perchlorate degradation than the pure strain. Amongst all the carbon-sources utilized, acetic acid showed best result for perchlorate degradation by the pure strain but succinic acid for the mixed culture. Three microbial strains capable of degrading perchlorate were isolated from the mixed population and preliminary morphological and biochemical characterization were done for all the individual strains. The 16SrDNA has shown that the three strain belonged to three different genera and all of them belong to same family proteobacteria.

Measuring Regulating Ecosystem Services for the Impacts of Global Climate Change and Air Quality Service in Wageningen Case Area

BetÃ¼l TÃ¼lek

Wageningen is a city of some 38.000 people and is located in the province of Gelderland on the North bank of the Lower Rhine. In this research, Lower Rhine river and around which covers 75.16 km2within the boundaries of Wageningen city, has chosen as a research area. The aim of this research is to evaluate the contribution of the vegetation canopy formed by trees and tall shrubs to the regulating ecosystem services in terms of improving the air quality and the economic estimation of these contributions in research area. İ-tree canopy v7.1 tool was used to perform to analyse within the scope of the research. 8 land cover types and their distributions were identified in the area and a total of 3000 points were randomly assigned for each class. As a result of the research, it has been estimated that the vegetation covering 16.03 % of the research area removes a total of 103.34 tons of pollutant gas and particles from the air, the carbon amount captured by the tree canopy annually is 13.490 tons, and the total carbon stored by the tree canopy is estimated as 338.840 tons. In this context, increasing the amount and quality of open-green areas in the selected region, protecting trees and tall shrubs and increasing their diversity, ecosystem services provided from these areas will also increase and contribute to the city economy in the future.

Contribution to the study of the perception of the risk of water-related diseases in Abéché

Dombor Djikoloum Dingao, Tidjani Assouni, Adimatcho Aloua, Tchiadeu Gratien

Vulnerability is a combination of factors, damage and social response. The latter depends on the perception of the exposed population. The perception of the phenomena and the risks incurred, their causes and their consequences leads the inhabitants to expose themselves to these threats. This contribution analyzes the behavior of the Abéché’s population according to their perception of the health risk associated with water. To achieve the objectives set, a focus group was carried out with 250 and a household survey with 1516 households distributed differently by district. It follows that knowledge, perceptions and attitudes in the event of morbid episodes highlight a major paradox. The study population is characterized by very heterogeneous representations and attitudes in matters of health. Contrary to simplistic or ideologically marked interpretations, the perception of water-related diseases is primarily based on lessons learned from deep experience of its medical and epidemiological characteristics. However, these diseases remain poorly understood in Abéché. Despite their major impact on morbidity and mortality, the perception of their causes, manifestations and treatments is most often approximate and is the subject of multiple amalgamations.

An Analysis of the Annual Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO2) of a Major European Hub Airport: A Case Study of Frankfurt Airport

Glenn Baxter

Underpinned by an in-depth longitudinal case study research design, this study examines Frankfurt Airport’s annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as well as the methods and technologies that have been implemented to reduce the environmental impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at the airport. The study period was from 2008 until 2019. The study’s data was examined by document analysis. Frankfurt Airport’s total annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased from 1,653,658 tonnes in 2008 to 1,744,201 tonnes in 2019. Frankfurt Airport’s annual climate gas intensity of traffic performance ratio largely displayed a downward trend decreasing from a high of 3.4 kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2009 to 1.5 kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2019. Despite the strong traffic growth in passenger traffic, the airport’s annual direct carbon dioxide emissions per traffic unit largely exhibited an overall downward trend, declining from a high of 0.51kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2010 to a low of 0.41kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2019. The airport’s annual indirect carbon dioxide emissions per traffic unit decreased from a high of 2.88 kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2009 to a low of 1.46 kg CO2 per traffic unit in 2019. Frankfurt Airport has implemented extensive carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction measures which include the hydraulic balancing of heating systems, upgrading windows and doors, optimizing lighting, air conditioning and heating systems, optimizing the energy usage of the airport’s baggage handling system, the use of highly efficient LED lighting, the use of low emission vehicles, the electrification of ground service equipment, the optimization of energy usage in all new buildings at the airport, and the planned widespread use of renewable energy sources (wind and solar power).

Evaluation of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) Genotypes for Yield, Dry Matter, Starch and Beta-Carotene Content in Uyo, Southeastern Nigeria

Gamaliel I. Harry, Joseph I. Ulasi

Six orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, namely, Naspot-12, Umuspo-1, Lourdes, Erica, Delvia and umuspo-3, sourced from National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike were evaluated for fresh storage root yield, dry matter, starch and Beta-carotene content in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Uyo. The experiment was laid in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance, correlation and principal component analysis were performed for yield and yield related traits while standard procedure was followed to determine dry matter, starch and beta-carotene content. In this study, results from the analysis of variance showed that the six orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes differed significantly (P≤ 0.05) in number of marketable roots, weight of marketable roots and fresh storage roots yield. Umuspo-3 produced the highest storage root yield (28.78t/ha, 27.55t/ha) in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons, respectively. The result of the correlation analysis also revealed that number of marketable roots and weight of marketable were highly significantly and positively (P< 0.01) correlated with fresh root yield. Principal component analysis (PCA) had two main principal components explaining 70.25% of the total variation with number of marketable roots, weight of marketable tuber and storage root yield contributing the most to the first PCA. Umuspo-3 recorded the highest dry matter content of 42.78%. Lourdes had the highest starch content, 65.23mg100g-1 while Umuspo-3 had the lowest starch content, 24.55mg100-1. Beta-carotene content of the six OFSP genotypes ranged from 1.03mg/100g FW to 9.19mg/100g FW. Umuspo-3 recorded a Beta-carotene content of 9.19 mg/100g FW.Umuspo-3 genotype could be recommended for cultivation in Uyo agro-ecology for high yield and as an excellent source of beta-carotene, it could be consumed to ameliorate vitamin A deficiency in children and pregnancy women within the State and its environs.

Micronutrients and Fertilizers for Improving and Maintaining Crop Value: A Review

Anil K. Yadav, Gaurav G. Gurnule, Nikita I. Gour, Uma There, Vikas C. Choudhary

The eﬀect of mineral and organic fertilization on the contents of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, B, and Mo in soil and the dirt solution just as on accessibility of these elements for crops were researched in the drawn-out preliminary. The most elevated contents of Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu in soil and soil solution were seen in the treatment with the least pH (NPK). In this equivalent mix, the substance of B and Mo was the least. On the convergence of Zn, B, and Fe in the dirt solution, signiﬁcantly expanded under farmyard manure application. Natural fertilizers provide the normal and physical activities of the soil but contain very few supplements, so more are needed to improve plants. Plant take-up of nutrients can continue when they are available in a plant-accessible structure. Much of the time, nutrients are caught up in an ionic structure from (or along with) soil water. Even though minerals are the beginning of most nutrients, and most supplement components in the dirt are held in a glasslike structure inside essential and optional minerals, the climate is too leisurely to help quick plant development. For instance, the use of finely ground minerals, feldspar, and apatite, to soil rarely gives the fundamental measures of potassium and phosphorus at a rate adequate for great plant development, as a large portion of the nutrients stays bound in the precious stones of those minerals.

Optimization of fermentation conditions of chitosanase enzyme produced by Aspergillus ornatus

K. El-Sherbiny, A. Abdelhameed

The potentiality of 28 fungal species belonging to 10 genera isolated and identified from Egyptian soils to produce chitosanase in their culture filtrates under submerged culture conditions using colloidal chitosan as the sole carbon source were tested. Aspergilli, particularly Aspergillusornatus were distinguished by its capacity to release exo-chitosanase when grown on a selected medium. Best results were achieved after on 7 days incubation at 30°C and pH 5.0. The impact of aeration, mechanical agitation as well as the volume and age of inoculum upon chitosanase and biomass production were also discussed briefly. The present paper gives an account of observations made on the production of chitosanase and biomass in relation to the chemical constituents of fermentation medium. 1% colloidal chitosan followed by crystal chitosan were more initiative for chitosanase production than any other carbon compounds. Peptone (0.45%) followed by yeast extract were the best nitrogen source for both biomass and chitosanase production. The optimum chitosanase and biomass production were achieved on medium containing 0.1% KH2PO4, 0.5% KCl and 0.5% MgSO4.7H2O. The impacts of the levels of glucose and NaCl on both experimental parameters were also examined. In addition, the supplementation of various B-group vitamin and some trace elements individually to the bioprocess caused no significant effects on chitosanase production. However slight inhibition was obtained with a mixture of tested metal ions. The productivity of chitosanase supported by addition of tween 80 as surfactant agent and enhanced on sand and soil extracts than other natural sources investigated.

The Postmodern Absurd in the context of Corona

Ria Chowdhury

A pandemic is an aporia to the human culture and existence which presents before us a lack of human engagement as well as in the coexistence of Culture and Nature. The outbreak of Corona virus/ Covid-19 was an unanticipated event that brought a rupture in the culture of human existence and while rupturing the cultural history of human race it is also documenting a new history as Albert Camus in The Plaguesays human existence can never be immune. The mention of Corona will cease to remain complete if the most significant precautionary event, the world-wide Lockdown is not mentioned. Lockdown in the history will remain documented as an event that broke down the dichotomy of Life/Death as to prevent death of the masses due to the virus, employment and economy falls in a deep pit which gives rise to starvation, hunger and death. Jean Francois Lyotard in his The Postmodern Condition theories it and as P. K Nayar writes - "Lyotard inaugurated the key theoretical note in postmodernism when he characterizes it as a resistance to the great narratives, and focused on the marginal, the liminal and the fragmented, arguing against totalising systems of thought." In this study I would like to state an argument that killing of Culture can be Cleansing of Nature and how a pandemic can be a postmodern absurd where the human existence is the cause of human death re-presenting how Camus' Absurd philosophy has already left an open-ended solution.

Characterization of the diversity of peri-urban farms in the metropolis of Casablanca in Morocco to facilitate their agroecological transition to more sustainable food systems

Fatiha Hakimi

A characterization based on agricultural practices was carried out using surveys of 50 farmers in six agricultural zones in peri-urban area of Casablanca in Morocco. The objective was to assess the potential of peri-urban farms for transition towards more ecological production methods. The study revealed that 96% of farmers use chemical inputs, only two of them adopt organic or agroecological production methods and 14% of respondents plan to convert to organic farming. The typology allowed deducing that peri-urban farms are medium to large (> 3 ha), mostly family-owned and 24% of them adopt subsistence farming (vegetable crops, cereals, leguminous and fruit trees). All farms have common strengths, such as the widespread practice of crop rotation and associations and organic fertilization. Thus, they are playing a major role in environmental management by recycling livestock products in form of organic manure and by using crop compost for soil maintenance. However, farms are facing global challenges in terms of the significant expansion of urban spaces, insufficient and high cost of agricultural labor, lack of technical support and water shortage. But also, specific challenges in terms of use of synthetic pesticides and sustainable fertilization for an agroecological transition. Producers are unaware about the effects of their practices on the environment, especially in peri-urban areas where technical support is insufficient and awareness of health and environmental impacts of agricultural practices needs to be consolidated.

Pathophysiologic Mechanism of Erythrocyte Morphological Alteration in Freshwater Fish Channa punctatus Under Exposure of Nigrosine Black (Acid Black-2 a Tanning Industry Dye)

Jyoti Prakash Srivastava

The present study deals with the pathophysiological effects of Nigrosine black on the morphology of fish's erythrocyte. An exposure of 1/5th LC50 of Nigrosine black (378 mg/liter) was produced abnormal morphology in fish blood erythrocytes. After 14 days toxicant produced a spherical shape of erythrocyte with cytoplasmic vacuolation around the periphery of the cytoplasmic membrane of erythrocytes. After the third-week cytoplasmic vacuolation was appear around the lateral side of the nucleus. After the 35th day of the experiment, cytoplasmic vacuolation increased around the nucleus, while in a few erythrocytes, nuclei also showed their acentric condition. Chronic toxicity test (1/20th of LC50 i.e. 94.5 mg/ litter), produced cytoplasmic vacuolation and acentric nucleus condition in fish erythrocyte that enhanced after two weeks. Degeneration and fragmentation of cytoplasmic membrane of erythrocytes appeared after the 4th to 6thweek of the experiment. Schistocytosis has appeared after the 60th day of the experiment along with a few ghost nucleuses. Pathophysiological condition of erythrocytes showed that it may produce alteration in cytoskeleton protein formation, disturbance in ion transport, gas transport, immune responses, deficiency of G6PD, increased lipid peroxide formation, altered ion permeability of cell membrane, and failure of tubulin polymerization in fishes.

Monitoring water stress and arboreal forests situation under different irrigation systems using satellite images

Amr. K. Mahmoud, A.M. El-Gindy, A.H. Mohamed

Egypt offers a great opportunity for large-scale afforestation due to availability of sufficient desert lands and huge volume of sewage water. Several forest plantations were established that irrigated with treated waste water using different irrigation systems. Improper management and failure of irrigation system led to water stress and negative impact of wood trees planted in this man made forests. This study was amid to investigate the use Sentinel-2 satellite images for monitoring the condition of planted wood trees in Luxor Forest planation under the developed surface irrigation system and Serapium Forest planation under drip irrigation system, and estimating the efficiency of biophysical indices and NDWI derived from high resolution satellite imagery for detection spatial and temporal water stress of woody trees at planted forests in Egypt. Biophysical indices including leaf area index (LAI), canopy chlorophyll content (CCC), canopy water content (CWC), fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR), and fraction canopy cover (FCOVER), in addition to NDWI were derived from Sentinel-2 high resolution images using SNAP software. Results indicated that LAI values for Serapium forest during the winter and summer seasons show no changes. However in Luxor forest, LAI values ranged from 0 to 1.293 in winter season and in the summer season LAI recorded higher values that ranged from 0 to 2.383. This shows that woody trees in Luxor forest planation were flourish and had higher growth rates and better condition comparing with woody trees in Serapium forest. Overall, both Serapium forest and Luxor forest had low values of canopy water content during winter and summer season, which indicates that woody trees were under water stress due to not receiving the recommended amount of irrigation water. However, using developed surface irrigation system in Luxor forest resulted in better forest condition compared with drip irrigation.

Bioprospection, morphological and biochemical characterization and evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of the bacterial strains of chicken breeding soil (Gallus gallus domesticus) in the city of Igarapé-Açu, Pará

The soil is a propitious place for the development of decomposer microrganisms, mainly fungi and bacteria. The soil colonization from those organisms occurs in places with great availability of organic matter, like the rhizosphere and animal breeding soils, like poultry farming. Among the microrganisms present in this type of soil, there are the actinomicetes, which belong to phylum of gram-positive bacteria with filamentous estructures that constitute aerial mycelia. The objective of this article was to isolate, bioprospect, characterize morfologically and biochemically and to assess the antimicrobial potential of strains of bacterias from chicken breeding in the city of Igarapé-Açu, Pará. As a result, bacterial colonies with variable features that indicate the genus Actinobacteria were found, amongst them one showed potential antibacterial against a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Effect of date of sowing of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) in minimizing climatechange impact and in its performance in inner Terai region of Nepal

Dinesh Bahadur Basnet, Prof. Komal Bahadur Basnet, Prakash Acharya

Research was conducted during 2008/09 at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Rampur, Chitwan to assess the influence of date of sowing in minimizing climate change impact and performance of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) The experiment was laid out in split- plot design comprising 3 dates of sowing (October 21st, November 5th and November 20th) as main plot factor with fivelevels of nitrogen in three replications. The soil of the experimental plots was sandy loam with acidic (pH 6.33) in nature and PDR 14 (or Uday) variety was planted. The important crop growth stages like reproductive period of the French bean sown on November 5th (mid-sown crop) was exposed to the optimum temperature, reflected to higher grain yield production, as compared to the early and late sown crops. The French bean sown on October 21st (early sown crops) was exposed to lower temperature in its critical reproductive stages like flower bud formation, flowering, pod formation and pod development while the November 20th sown (late sown) crop was exposed to higher temperature in pod setting to maturity stages. The crop sown on November 5th produced significantly higher grain yield (2.16 t/ha) than October 21st (2.0 t/ha) and November 20th (1.75 t/ha) sowings. So, in order to minimize the impact of climate change and achieve higher productivity of french bean, November 5th can be considered as an optimum time of sowing in the humid sub-tropical condition of Chitwan.

Optimization of Grafting Season on Cleft Grafting for Deploying Commercial Propagation of Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) in Tamil Nadu

Mayavel A., Chitra P., Bhagatsingh C., Dharani M., Nagarajan B.

Tamarind is one of the most important multipurpose trees grown in farm land, backyards, bund and avenues. The acidic pulp is digestive, astringent, laxative, refrigerant antiseptic and uses as main ingredient for many south Indian food preparations. Grafting is an important tool for propagation and conservation of tree genetic resources without altering genetic makeup of the species. This investigation aimed to study the effects of grafting season on the success and survivability of different Tamarind clones. Cleft grafting experiments were laid out in Completely Randomized Block Design with four replications in GTI Propagation Complex, IFGTB, Coimbatore. The Experiment comprises of 12 grafting time viz., 15th every month from January 2019 to December 2019. Significant variations on the number of days for bud breaking, number of sprouts, number of leaves per grafts, and final survival percentage were observed on the season of grafting. The minimum number of day for bud breaking (9.25 days) was observed in the 15th April followed by 30th April (9.78 days)s while the maximum days for bud breaking (17.47 days) was recorded in 15th October grafted plants. Grafting carried out on 15th April was showed high performance in number of sprouts (8), ant height (62 cm) number of leaves per grafts (66.6) and final survival percentage (85% ) whereas lowest values (35%) were recorded on 15th October . It is concluded that the best season for clef grafting of Tamarind for deploying large scale multiplication is April to May.

Conservation Agriculture, Crop Intensification and Cultivation of Mustard in the Northeastern Bangladesh

Deteriorating soil quality and lower crop yields due to continuous monocropping in the small-scale farmers’ fields have led to a quest for sustainable production practice with greater resource use efficiency in Bangladesh. Conservation agriculture is one such good practice that can successfully address soil quality improvements and crop productivity using locally available resources. Therefore, the objective of the study was to determine the effect of conservation agriculture practices on mustard productivity and soil quality in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. The study also cultivated mustard crops as a part of crop intensification of existing two cropping patterns into four crops. The study was conducted at two locations following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in the farmers' fields of Netrokona and Sunamganj Districts of Bangladesh during the period from November 2021 to January 2022. The results revealed that the conservation agriculture practice had significantly improved mustard seed yield and the trial variety Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI-14) mustard produced the highest yield of 1035 kg/ha in the Dharmapasha area. In conservation agriculture practice, 50% of less fertilization, 12 t/ha organic manuring, minimum tillage, permanent crop residues and crop rotation had substantially improved the soil organic matter content, total nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and also neutralize pH for crop cultivation. So, improvements in mustard productivity, overall economic gain and soil quality have made the conservation agriculture practice an attractive system for small-scale farmers in the northeastern region and other areas with similar conditions in Bangladesh. Thus, the present study concluded that in the next decade, agriculture will have to sustainably produce more food using less and through the more efficient use of natural resources, creating a minimum impact on soil and environment, in order to meet the demands of the growing population.

Prioritization of sub watersheds based on hydro morphometric analysis in the Sankarani watershed, upstream tributary of the Niger River

Any hydrological study of watersheds requires morphometric analysis. This analysis is a powerful tool in watershed management (Biswas et al., 1999, Yasmin et al., 2013). Climate change coupled with land-use changes raises development issues, including the availability of water resources for people's needs. Faced with these ever-increasing needs of the population, land development becomes a requirement. Thus, the objective is to analyze the morphometric characteristics of the Sankarani basin in order to prioritize its sub-basins. To this end, the satellite images of the digital terrain model (DTM) of the SRTM (30mx30m) type of 2012 were used. Under the Grass GIS open source program, five sub-basins (BV1-I, BV2-M, BV3-Y, BV4-G and BV5-S) have been delimited. The measured parameters are the number of rivers and their classifications, to define the geometry of the basin (area, perimeter, length), the various indices (drainage density, slope ratio, texture ratio, elongation ratio and ratio of form factor) and to determine hypsometric curves. The hierarchy was performed by assigning ranks to the individual indicators and a compound parameter (Cp) value was calculated. The method established that BV2-M (upstream) has the highest priority of the other sub-basins of Sankarani for land conservation actions and the sustainable management of water resources.

Combined Effects of Nitrogen, Mulch and Gibberellic Acid on Postharvest Physiology of Multi-Purpose Pumpkin Leaves and Fruits

D.K. Isutsa, M.M. Mwaura

The leaves, fruits and seeds of multi-purpose pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) species are consumed as vegetables, snacks and blended dishes to boost household health, food and nutritional security. However, cultivation without using inputs leads to poor postharvest physiological attributes. Consequently, a study was conducted to assess the effects of combined nitrogen, mulch and gibberellic acid(GA3) on postharvest physiology of pumpkin. The treatments comprised fourN rates (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N/ha)supplied as CAN, three mulch types (none, unpainted, andblack-painted rice straws) and three GA3rates (0, 40 and 80 mg/L). Experimentation was done in two seasons using split-split plots arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications,and2 m x 2 m plant spacing. Nitrogen occupied main plots, mulch sub-plots, and GA3split plots. Post-harvest measures reported in this paper were harvested edible leaf weight, leaf and fruit moisture losses. Data values were subjected to analysis of variance using SAS Version 9.3. Separation of significant means was done using the least significant difference test at α=0.05.Nitrogen fertilizer did not significantly (P>0.05) affect leaf weight and physiological weight loss, but it significantly (P

Enzyme Supplemented Neem Leaf Meal Based Diets: Effects on Carcass and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

Aanuoluwapo. A. Akintomide; Gbenga. E. Onibi

The study investigated the influence of neem leaf meal (NLM) with or without enzyme supplementation on carcass and meat qualities of broiler chickens. Two hundred and eighty eight (288) broiler chickens were randomly allocated to diets in which NLM was included at 0, 1.5, 3 and 5% with and without enzyme supplementation to form eight (8) dietary treatments. There were three (3) replicates per treatment and twelve (12) birds per replicate in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement. At the end of the 8th week, three chickens/ replicate were humanely slaughtered for assessment of carcass and organ characteristics and meat quality of the thigh, chest and drumstick muscles. The results showed that only the relative weights of back (g/kgLW) was significantly influenced (P