This study investigated the response of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) to water stress during its pre-flowering and post-flowering stages, aiming to inform sustainable agricultural practices and optimize water resource use under future climate challenges. This research was conducted during the 2024 growing season in the greenhouse, College of Agriculture, Samarra University, to study the effect of three different irrigation periods (4, 7, 14 days) on the growth and productivity of millet (Proso) during the pre- and post-flowering stages. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used. Results confirmed that water shortages significantly impacted millet plants during both pre- and post-flowering stages. Extending the irrigation interval to 14 days consistently led to a significant decline across all evaluated traits, with the most pronounced declines observed in plant height (57.44%) and total dry weight (69.07%) for the pre-flowering stress group compared to the control treatment. Conversely, the post-flowering stress group showed the greatest reductions in panicle number per plant (77.71%), 1000-grain weight (50.43%), panicle length (52.08%), grain yield per plant (57.93%), and drought resistance index (58%), also relative to the control. These reductions indicate that irregular irrigation and prolonged drought negatively impact physiological performance and overall productivity. Water stress during the post-flowering growth phase was more effective in reducing growth and yield, confirming that this phase is sensitive to water shortages. Irrigation every four days also yielded the best results for all traits, indicating the importance of regular water availability to ensure healthy growth and high yield. Keywords: Global warming, carbon emissions, food security, Poaceae, semi-arid region, fodder crops, stress tolerance, drought stress

The Tungka system represents a traditional livestock partnership in Sinjai Regency, South Sulawesi, grounded in oral agreements, mutual trust, and kinship between farmers (pattungka) and investors (mattungka). This study aimed to examine its implementation, evaluate its socio_cultural sustainability, identify key influencing factors, and explore managerial implications. A qualitative approach was employed, integrating thematic analysis and Multiaspect Sustainability Analysis (MSA). Results revealed that Tungka remains in practice, with farmers responsible for livestock management and investors providing capital and operational costs. Two profit_sharing models were identified: breeding_based and calf_sale_based. The MSA generated a sustainability index of 63.36%, categorizing the system as moderately sustainable. To strengthen long_term viability, improvements are necessary in investor monitoring mechanisms, the establishment of clear loss_sharing arrangements, and increased supervision frequency. These measures are crucial for preserving Tungka as a resilient local institution supporting smallholder beef cattle farming. Keywords: Rural livestock economy, informal partnership, cultural governance, livestock ownership, rural finance, social sustainability, sustainability assessment.

Diatomaceous earth (DE), composed primarily of amorphous silica from fossilized diatoms, has garnered attention as a natural alternative to synthetic antiparasitic agents in livestock production. This study evaluated the effectiveness of DE in controlling gastrointestinal parasites and improving growth performance in fattening cattle under tropical conditions in Orellana, Ecuador. Forty crossbred cattle were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: Control group (0 g/day), T1 (150 g/day), T2 (175 g/day), and T3 (200 g/day) of DE administered daily for 120 days. Faecal samples were collected and analysed using the McMaster technique to quantify parasitic loads of Eimeria sp., Cryptosporidium sp., and Haemonchus sp. Weight gain was measured periodically. Statistical analysis was conducted using a completely randomised design. The results showed significant improvements in weight gain in the DE-treated groups compared to the control (p < 0.01). The highest dose group (T3) achieved an average total gain of 34.6 kg (288.33 g/day), while the control group only reached 20.5 kg (170.83 g/day). The use of DE significantly reduced the oocyst count of Eimeria sp., with T3 showing the highest efficacy at 57.76%, in contrast to the control group treated without ivermectin, which exhibited a negative efficacy of −13.71%. No statistically significant differences were observed for Cryptosporidium sp.; however, numerical reductions were noted in all DE-treated groups. Additionally, Haemonchus sp. eggs were absent in all final faecal analyses, suggesting a strong suppressive effect of DE, although environmental factors such as temperature and humidity cannot be entirely ruled out. The study concludes that daily supplementation of DE at levels between 175 and 200 g/day is effective in enhancing weight gain and reducing gastrointestinal parasite loads in fattening cattle. DE presents a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional anthelmintics, especially in tropical systems where parasitic resistance and reinfection pressure are high. Keywords: Diatomaceous earth, animal health, gastrointestinal parasites, natural anthelmintic, tropical livestock.

The creation of Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) was exigent on poor credit delivery to agricultural sector in Nigeria occasioned by high percentage financial risks of most formal financial institutions who lent to the sector. The study assessed the role of NIRSAL in de-risking institutional lending to farmers in Cross River State. Specifically, the study assessed the current challenges and risks faced by farmers regarding institutional lending for agricultural purposes; investigated the level of awareness and understanding of farmers concerning NIRSAL and its risk-sharing mechanism; identified the key factors influencing accessibility and utilization of NIRSAL services; and evaluated the effectiveness of NIRSAL in mitigating and de-risking institutional loans to farmers in the study area. Primary and secondary data were used for the study, and 684 respondents were selected for the study. The data obtained were analyzed using a Likert, Ordered Probit Model, Logit Model and Propensity Score Matching models. The study established a significant gender disparity in awareness and access to NIRSAL services, with female farmers facing considerable barriers (p-values =0.060, 0.072, and 0.050, for the Ordered Probit). The study further showed that previous experience (p-value = 0.000) of earlier government schemes/programmes and how far they were from farmers (p-value = 0.000) positively influenced access to these services, but the overall participation rate remained low at 15.76%. Although farmers could gain substantial financial benefits (N208, 750 ≡ 130.47USD per farmer) from NIRSAL's risk-sharing mechanisms, they were often limited by the distance to financial institutions and to NIRSAL. The study, therefore, recommends among others, that NIRSAL collaborate with Non-governmental organizations and Community-based organizations to facilitate training and outreach efforts, ensuring more farmers are informed about its services; create incentive programmes that encourage farmers to engage with it, such as reduced fees for participation or additional support for first-time users; and collaborate with financial institutions to establish agent banking system in the rural farming communities to serve farmers in these areas due to distance problem to urban centers. Keywords: Farm business, agricultural financing, financial management, institutional loans, rural employment, food supply.

Strawberry is mainly a temperate fruit crop but grow in tropical and sub-tropical regions due to the development of day-neutral varieties. Mulching plays an important role in adaptability, performance, and yield. However, there has been no report describing the performance of strawberry genotypes with mulching practices in Bangladesh. Therefore, this research was aimed at determining the impact of mulching on morpho-physiology, yield and yield attributes. The study was two factorial RCBD with three replications with six genotypes. Various morph-physiological, biochemical and yield attributing data were recorded. Mass distribution and pigments content of the leaves of American festival and BARI 1 decreased in comparison to Linosa and Rabi 3. Genotype Linosa provides fruit for longer periods followed by BARI 1 and Rabi 3 under mulch condition while Sweet Charlie does opposite. However, sugar content (ºBrix) was maximum in Linosa and Rabi 3 but has low level of antioxidant activity, where Rabi 3 has low level of vitamin B and C. BARI 1 has high level of Vitamin B and C with lower level of sugar content and antioxidant activity (64.75%). In this case, the American festival had the medium levels of sugar contents with balanced levels of vitamin B and C and antioxidant activity Among all the genotypes, the Sweet Charlie has the highest level of antioxidant activity. Although the BARI 1 with mulches provided better yield despite of heat sensitivity but Rabi 3 with mulches showed the best performance in terms of its response in growth, yield and biochemical parameters compared to rest of the genotypes. Keywords: Morphophysiology, intercultural operations, organic mulch, soil microbial biomass, nutrient cycling.

Traditional knowledge on medicinal plant cultivation and utilization have long been existing and a significant part of the culture of Indonesian people. Such traditional knowledge, however, is slowly disappearing which threatens the potentials of medicinal plants as well as the values of social capital of local communities. This research describes the myths and the factors influencing the development of a medicinal plant center on the slopes of Mount Lawu with the aim of reconnecting and sustaining the local wisdom and the values of social capital of the local community for their own benefits as well as for their environment. The research used qualitative method to gather detailed and holistic information about the myths that exist in the community, and quantitative method to discover the factors that influence the development of the medicinal plant center. The quantitative data analysis uses multiple linear regression. The research results show that the mythicizing of medicinal plants is a strategy used by the mountain community to transfer local knowledge to the next generation. Social capital, local wisdom, social quality, age, and education have a positive regression coefficient which means they have a significant effect on the development of the medicinal plant center. Keywords: Community, local wisdom, medicinal plant center, myths, social capital, traditional knowledge.

Using essential oils (EOs) and their primary compounds to protect stored grains from insect infestations offers a promising alternative to synthetic insecticides. This study tested thymol, a major constituent of thymus EO (Thymus vulgaris), for its insecticidal effects on the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (S. zeamais). The repellent activity was evaluated using a preferred zone method, where insects were given the choice between treated and untreated areas. This method demonstrated significant repellent effects across all tested concentrations, with repellency rates exceeding 80% at a concentration of 300 µL/mL. In fumigant activity tests, the concentration of 300 μL/mL achieved highly significant results, with a mortality rate of 98% by the fourth day of treatment. Additionally, topical exposure of insects to thymol showed significant insecticidal activity, with mortality rates of 81% and 100% at doses 0.06 and 0.12 μL per insect, respectively. Insects exposed to grains treated with concentrations of 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4 µL/mL exhibited 100% mortality within 7 days. Significant differences were also found between treated and untreated grains for weight loss, hole percentage, and the inhibition of progeny insects, irrespective of the concentration. The molecular docking simulations of thymol against the Acetylcholinesterase protein (PDB ID: 7E3H), showed that thymol interacts strongly with this protein target (binding energy of -7.291 kcal/mol), suggesting potential neurotoxic effects on S. zeamais. These findings highlight thymol's potential as a natural and effective alternative to synthetic insecticides for the protection of stored grains against weevil infestations, offering a promising solution for safer post-harvest management. Keywords: Insecticidal activity, fumigation, repellency, molecular docking, sitophilus zeamais, thymol.

In this study, the dynamics of flavonoids during the flowering phenological phase of narrow-leaf vetch (Vicia angustifolia L.) grown on weak and moderately saline soils of the Syrdarya region was studied. The content of apigenin, gallic acids, kaempferol, quercetin and rutin was determined in the leaves, stems and roots of this plant using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Gallic acid levels in narrow-leaf vetch grown in moderately saline soils increased to 173.479 mg/L in the leaves, 157.502 mg/L in the stems, 142.645 mg/L in the roots, and 157.013 mg/L in the flowers. Kaempferol content reached 12.242 mg/L in the leaves and 12.706 mg/L in the flowers, but decreased to 12.245 mg/L in the stems and 12.007 mg/L in the roots. Quercetin increased to 48.623 mg/L in the flowers under moderately saline conditions, was not detected in the roots, decreased to 29.707 mg/L in the leaves, and was absent in the stems under weakly saline soil. Level of increased to 148.286 mg/L in the leaves and 56.728 mg/L in the flowers under moderately saline soil conditions, but decreased to 114.731 mg/L in the stems and 54.975 mg/L in the roots. In conclusion, these changes indicate the role of flavonoids in plant adaptation to salinity stress and open up opportunities for optimizing the cultivation of narrow-leaf vetch as a cover crop in saline areas. Keywords: Adaptation, flavonoids, narrow-leaf vetch, quercetin, salinity stress.

This study aimed to detect and characterise phenotypically and molecularly Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolates of canine origin (Canis lupus familiaris). Initially, a bank of 122 E. coli strains was screened for the O157:H7 serotype, yielding 4 positive samples. Among the total strain bank, the virulence genes eaeA and hlyA were detected in 5.74% (7/122) and 0.82% (2/122) of isolates, respectively, while stx1 and stx2 were not found. To further investigate horizontal gene, transfer and resistance profiles, transconjugation experiments were performed using the O157:H7-positive isolates, resulting in nine transconjugants. PCR analysis of the transconjugants revealed the presence of eaeA (88.88%), hlyA (44.44%), and resistance genes such as blaTEM (77.77%), blaCTX-M (88.88%), and tetA (22.22%). Disk diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) assays confirmed that 88.88% of isolates were phenotypically resistant to ESBL and AmpC antibiotics. Resistance to specific antimicrobials included cefotaxime (55.55%), ciprofloxacin (22.22%), enrofloxacin (33.33%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (44.44%). Notably, resistance to ampicillin, vancomycin, and erythromycin was observed in 88.88% of isolates. This study highlights the significant prevalence of multi-drug resistant E. coli O157:H7 and the potential for plasmid-mediated gene transfer in canine populations in central Ecuador, raising important concerns for public health. Keywords: Canine, enterobacteriaceae, shiga toxigenic, gram-negative, enterohemorrhagic, human disease.

The bacteriophage cocktail (BC) was therapeutically used as an effective alternative to antibiotics for the control of colibacillosis in local chickens. The present study aimed to determine the alternative biocontrol effectiveness of BC against Escherichia coli (E. coli) in one-day-old broiler chicks in Tra Vinh province. Herein, the experiment design showed that BC was given at 109 CFU/mL, whereas E. coli was given at 107,7 CFU/mL. A total of 120 chicks were randomly divided into three treatments in Experiment 1, including (i) negative control (NC) (gavaged with PBS); (ii) positive control (PC) (challenged with E. coli); and (iii) E1 (challenged with E. coli and gavaged with BC at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days of age). In Experiment 2, 160 chicks were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups consisting of (i) NC (gavaged with PBS); (ii) PC (challenged with E. coli); (iii) E2-1 (challenged with E. coli and gavaged with BC at 2 hours post-challenge, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, and 21 days of chick age); and (iv) E2-2 (challenged with E. coli and gavaged with antibiotic at the same time point as E2-1). According to the results of the present study, the mortality rate in the experiment groups using BC in both Experiments (E1 and E2-1) were significantly lower than those in the PC group. Besides, the results indicated that E. coli bacteria were only found in the heart, liver, and spleen of experimental chicks at 9 days of age in both Experiments. The bacterial density was lower than those in the PC group in both Experiments. Notably, there were no noticeable changes in BC and antibiotic groups. The findings of this study exhibited the promising effects of BC for controlling colibacillosis infections in native poultry. Keywords: Bacteriophage, broiler chicken, colibacillosis, Escherichia coli, protection efficiency, treatment efficiency.