Nitrogen Production Research Articles

Enhancement of Yield, Nitrogen use Efficiency, Production Economics of Fodder Oat through Selection of Appropriate Genotype and Nitrogen Fertilizer Application

Growing fodder oat (Avena sativa L.) genotype with high yielding potential with adequate nitrogen could enhance the fodder yield and quality to bridge the gap between demand and supply of green fodder. Therefore, an experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of different genotypes and nitrogen levels on yield, nitrogen use efficiency, production economics, and agro-meteorological parameters of fodder oat at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar. Six oat genotypes, viz., Kent, JO-07-28, OS-403, OS-6, HFO-904 and HFO-906, were sown with 40, 80 and 120 kg of nitrogen per hectare. The experiment was set up using a split-plot design, with three replications of the genotypes in the main plots and N levels in sub-plots. Results revealed that genotype JO-07-28 was significantly superior to Kent (check) with respect to green fodder yield whereas both were comparable to each other with respect to dry matter yield, crude protein content and yield. Kent showed maximum N, P and K uptake and heat use efficiency, helio-thermal and photo-thermal unit efficiency. However, genotype JO-07-28 yielded the highest net returns (Rs. 27421/ha), B:C ratio (1.85), and economic efficiency (Rs. 271/ha/day). Among other nitrogen levels, application of 120 kg N/ha recorded the maximum yields of green fodder (371 q/ha) and dry matter (91 q/ha), crude protein content and yield, N uptake, net returns (Rs. 23096/ha), B:C ratio (1.71) and economic efficiency (Rs. 231/ha/day) and heat use efficiency (7.60), helio-thermal and photo-thermal unit efficiency which were statistically equivalent to 80 kg N/ha. Genotype JO-07-28 and HFO-904 were the most N efficient genotype in terms of partial factor productivity of N fertilizer and nitrogen utilization efficiency, respectively. Enhancement in level of N application reduced the nitrogen use efficiency.

Clinical profile of pediatric acute renal failure patients requiring renal replacement therapy age less than 15 years: an ambivalent COHORT study

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by a reversible increase in the blood concentration of creatinine and nitrogenous waste products and by the inability of the kidney to regulate fluid and electrolyte homeostasis appropriately. There is minimal data on the clinical profile of pediatric AKI patients age less than 15 years who required renal replacement therapy (RRT). Methods: A total of 301 patients (3%) were diagnosed with AKI, amongst them 66 patients who required RRT from January 2021 to December 2022 were enrolled. Their clinical, biochemical, and etiological profile were studied to find out their influence in modifying the outcome of AKI patients requiring RRT. Results: AKI was noted in 301 patients (3%), amongst them 66 patients we had analyzed who underwent RRT. Result were analyzed in three age group (0-2 month, 2 month-8 year, 8 year-15 year). Male preponderance was seen amongst all age groups with male: female ratio being 2:1, 5:1 and 1.8:1 respectively and rural area preponderance seen in all age groups. Birth asphyxia, neonatal sepsis and septicemia were leading etiologies in different groups. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) was only RRT modality in the 0-2 month age group, while hemodialysis and PD modalities were used in rest groups. Multi-organ dysfunction syndrome was commonly seen comorbidity associated with all groups along with pyogenic meningitis, and encephalopathy. Mortality rate was observed at 47% (n=31). Conclusions: From our study, we conclude that to expand the facility of point of care, hemodialysis facility in ICUs with a larger study or multicentric study in the pediatric age group is required.

Expanding the reach of commercial cell therapies requires changes at medical centers

The clinical application of cell therapies is becoming increasingly important for the treatment of cancer, congenital immune deficiencies, and hemoglobinopathies. These therapies have been primarily manufactured and used at academic medical centers. However, cell therapies are now increasingly being produced in centralized manufacturing facilities and shipped to medical centers for administration. Typically, these cell therapies are produced from a patient’s own cells, which are the critical starting material. For these therapies to achieve their full potential, more medical centers must develop the infrastructure to collect, label, cryopreserve, test, and ship these cells to the centralized laboratories where these cell therapies are manufactured. Medical centers must also develop systems to receive, store, and infuse the finished cell therapy products. Since most cell therapies are cryopreserved for shipment and storage, medical centers using these therapies will require access to liquid nitrogen product storage tanks and develop procedures to thaw cell therapies. These services could be provided by the hospital pharmacy or transfusion service, but the latter is likely most appropriate. Another barrier to implementing these services is the variability among providers of these cell therapies in the processes related to handling cell therapies. The provision of these services by medical centers would be facilitated by establishing a national coordinating center and a network of apheresis centers to collect and cryopreserve the cells needed to begin the manufacturing process and cell therapy laboratories to store and issue the cells. In addition to organizing cell collections, the coordinating center could establish uniform practices for collecting, labeling, shipping, receiving, thawing, and infusing the cell therapy.

Phenogenetic profile and agronomic contribution of Azospirillum argentinense Az39T, a reference strain for the South American inoculant industry

Azospirillum sp. is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria largely recognized for its potential to increase the yield of different important crops. In this work, we present a thorough genomic and phenotypic analysis of A. argentinense Az39T to provide new insights into the beneficial mechanisms of this microorganism. Phenotypic analyses revealed the following in vitro abilities: growth at 20–38 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 6.0–8.0 (optimum, pH 6.8), and in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl; production of variable amounts of PHB as intracellular granules; nitrogen fixation under microaerophilic conditions; IAA synthesis in the presence of L-tryptophan. Through biochemical (API 20NE) and carbon utilization profiling (Biolog) assays, we proved that A. argentinense Az39T is able to use 15 substrates and metabolize 19 different carbon substrates. Lipid composition indicated a predominance of medium and long-chain saturated fatty acids. A total of 6 replicons classified as one main chromosome, three chromids, and two plasmids, according to their tRNA and core essential genes contents, were identified. Az39T genome includes genes associated with multiple plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits such as nitrogen fixation and production of auxins, cytokinin, abscisic acid, ethylene, and polyamines. In addition, Az39T genome harbor genetic elements associated with physiological features that facilitate its survival in the soil and competence for rhizospheric colonization; this includes motility, secretion system, and quorum sensing genetic determinants. A metadata analysis of Az39T agronomic performance in the pampas region, Argentina, demonstrated significant grain yield increases in wheat and maize, proving its potential to provide better growth conditions for dryland cereals. In conclusion, our data provide a detailed insight into the metabolic profile of A. argentinense Az39T, the strain most widely used to formulate non-legume inoculants in Argentina, and allow a better understanding of the mechanisms behind its field performance.

Land Use Change from Natural Tropical Forests to Managed Ecosystems Reduces Gross Nitrogen Production Rates and Increases the Soil Microbial Nitrogen Limitation.

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of soil microbial nitrogen (N) utilization under land use change is critical to evaluating soil N availability or limitation and its environmental consequences. A combination of soil gross N production and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry provides a promising avenue for nutrient limitation assessment in soil microbial metabolism. Gross N production via 15N tracing and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry through the vector and threshold element ratio (Vector-TER) model were quantified to evaluate the soil microbial N limitation in response to land use changes. We used tropical soil samples from a natural forest ecosystem and three managed ecosystems (paddy, rubber, and eucalyptus sites). Soil extracellular enzyme activities were significantly lower in managed ecosystems than in a natural forest. The Vector-TER model results indicated microbial carbon (C) and N limitations in the natural forest soil, and land use change from the natural forest to managed ecosystems increased the soil microbial N limitation. The soil microbial N limitation was positively related to gross N mineralization (GNM) and nitrification (GN) rates. The decrease in microbial biomass C and N as well as hydrolyzable ammonium N in managed ecosystems led to the decrease in N-acquiring enzymes, inhibiting GNM and GN rates and ultimately increasing the microbial N limitation. Soil GNM was also positively correlated with leucine aminopeptidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The results highlight that converting tropical natural forests to managed ecosystems can increase the soil microbial N limitation through reducing the soil microbial biomass and gross N production.

Huizache Leaves and Agave Bagasse Incorporated into Granulated and Pelletized Concentrates and Their Effects on Methane Production and in vitro Fermentation Patterns in Ruminant Diets

Background: The use of non-conventional food sources is a key element in facing the current problems derived from climate change and food shortages that demand the establishment of new sustainable feeding systems for ruminants. Moreover, densification methods like pelleting constitute a way to improve the quality and acceptability as well as to facilitate the handling of supplements. The objective of this study was to evaluate Huizache leaves and agave bagasse incorporated into granulated and pelletized concentrates and their effects on methane production and in vitro fermentation patterns in ruminant diets. Methods: A protein concentrate granulated and pelletized containing Huizache leaves and agave bagasse were mixed with a high-quality forage (alfalfa hay) using a 2×3 factorial arrangement with a total of six treatments. In each treatment were determined crude protein, carbohydrates, in vitro digestibility, in vitro gas, methane, carbon dioxide, volatile fatty acids, ammoniacal nitrogen and microbial nitrogen. The variables were submitted to an analysis of variance using the procedure MIXED SAS and statistical differences were declared at P less than 0.05. Result: There was an interaction (P less than 0.01) between concentrate source (granulated vs pelleted) and relation (alfalfa hay + concentrate source) on maximum gas production “A” (P less than 0.05). Also, there was an interaction between concentrate source (granulated vs pelleted) and relation (alfalfa hay: concentrated) on microbial nitrogen production (P less than 0.05). The microbial nitrogen production increased in 55 % with pelleted concentrate in relation to granulated concentrate (P less than 0.05).

Interação de plântulas de soja com rizobactérias benéficas

Beneficial rhizobacteria are multifunctional microorganisms that stimulate plant growth through direct mechanisms such as the solubilization of phosphorus and potassium present in soil minerals, biological nitrogen fixation and production of plant hormones. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of beneficial rhizobacteria on the initial development, promoting growth and resistance of soybean seedlings, aiming not only for increased production but also for agricultural sustainability through the maximization of biological efficiency in the early development of soybean seedlings. The experiment, under controlled conditions, was conducted in a completely randomized design, with four treatments and ten replications. The treatments consisted in the microbiolization of soybean seeds with: 1. Control (without microorganism); 2. Serratia marcenses (BRM 32114); 3. Bacillus spp. (BRM63573) and 4. BRM 32114 + (BRM63573). After the microbiolization of the seeds, they were sown and placed to germinate, after 12 days, the seedlings were harvested and divided into shoots and roots. The roots were washed and photographed with digital camera. The images were analyzed and determined length, diameter, surface area and volume of roots. Then, root and shoot were dried and weighed for biomass determination. Co-inculation, BRM 32114+ BRM63573, promoted greater robustness of the root system of soybean seedlings with increased length (16.2%), diameter (22.5%), volume (43.4%) and dry biomass (29.7%). The dry matter of shoots and total soybean seedlings was superior to the control treatment in all treatments with rhizobacteria. Therefore, plant growth promoting

Oxytocin alleviates periodontitis in adult rats.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the expression of oxytocin receptors in normal and inflamed gingiva, as well as the effects of systemic administration of oxytocin in bone loss and gum inflammatory mediators in a rat model of experimental periodontitis. Current evidence supports the hypothesis of a disbalance between the oral microbiota and the host's immune response in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Increased complexity of the microbial biofilm present in the periodontal pocket leads to local production of nitrogen and oxygen-reactive species, cytokines, chemokines, and other proinflammatory mediators which contribute to periodontal tissue destruction and bone loss. Oxytocin has been suggested to participate in the modulation of immune and inflammatory processes. We have previously shown that oxytocin, nitric oxide, and endocannabinoid system interact providing a mechanism of regulation for systemic inflammation. Here, we aimed at investigating not only the presence and levels of expression of oxytocin receptors on healthy and inflamed gingiva, but also the effects of oxytocin treatment on alveolar bone loss, and systemic and gum expression of inflammatory mediators involved in periodontal tissue damage using ligature-induced periodontitis. Therefore, anti-inflammatory strategies oriented at modulating the host's immune response could be valuable adjuvants to the main treatment of periodontal disease. We used an animal model of ligature-induced periodontitis involving the placement of a linen thread (Barbour flax 100% linen suture, No. 50; size 2/0) ligature around the neck of first lower molars of adult male rats. The ligature was left in place during the entire experiment (7 days) until euthanasia. Animals with periodontitis received daily treatment with oxytocin (OXT, 1000 μg/kg, sc.) or vehicle and/or atosiban (3 mg/kg, sc.), an antagonist of oxytocin receptors. The distance between the cement-enamel junction and the alveolar bone crest was measured in stained hemimandibles in the long axis of both buccal and lingual surfaces of both inferior first molars using a caliper. TNF-α levels in plasma were determined using specific rat enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). OXT receptors, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α expression were determined in gingival tissues by semiquantitative or real-time PCR. We show that oxytocin receptors are expressed in normal and inflamed gingival tissues in male rats. We also show that the systemic administration of oxytocin prevents the experimental periodontitis-induced increased gum expression of oxytocin receptors, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β (p < .05). Furthermore, we observed a reduction in bone loss in rats treated with oxytocin in our model. Our results demonstrate that oxytocin is a novel and potent modulator of the gingival inflammatory process together with bone loss preventing effects in an experimental model of ligature-induced periodontitis.

Possibility of Using the By-Product of Fatty Acid Extraction from Fish in Fertilization as an Element of the Circular Economy

The study aimed to compare the effect of urea fatty fraction (UFF) and Pulrea® (urea fertilizer) on plant yield and selected plant and soil parameters determined after the plants were harvested. UFF is a by-product of essential unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) extraction from fish oil using urea, and Pulrea® is a commercial urea fertilizer. Both products were applied to the soil and the leaves (foliar application). The effect of Pulrea® on plant yield was generally stronger than that of UFF but depended on soil properties and plant species. Both fertilizers, but especially UFF, increased the total N content in the plant and effected nitrate accumulation. The plants used 45–90% of fertilizer nitrogen, with the plants generally using more N from Pulrea® than from UFF. Higher nitrogen production efficiency was achieved using Pulrea® than UFF and when plants were cultivated on medium soil than on light soil. Fertilizers increased the acidity and electrolytic conductivity of both soils but did not induce soil salinization. They increased the content of mineral nitrogen forms in soils, which was generally the case more in soil with Pulrea® application than with UFF application. As a rule, the soil dehydrogenases activity did not change significantly or even decrease after fertilizer application. It was visibly higher in medium soil and after foliar Pulrea® application than after foliar UFF application. This may be due to the content of accompanying substances in UFF that affect nitrogen absorption from this fertilizer. Based on the results, it cannot be clearly stated that one of the tested fertilizers had a better effect on the studied parameters. Generally, the less favorable effects of UFF compared to Pulrea® may indicate the necessity of removing from UFF the accompanying substances that may adversely affect plants and soil microorganisms. This aspect needs to be investigated under controlled conditions in field experiments.

Exploiting synergies between sustainable ammonia and nitric acid production: A techno-economic assessment

The decarbonization of the fertilizer industry is an important step towards a climate-neutral society. Nitric acid produced via the Ostwald process is a key precursor to nitrogen-based fertilizers, with the production of ammonia representing an important intermediate step. This work focuses on the search for synergies between the sustainable production of ammonia feedstocks – hydrogen and nitrogen – and nitric acid production in the Ostwald process: Oxygen a by-product of sustainable hydrogen and nitrogen production was considered for injection in the Ostwald process at 4 points. A techno-economic assessment was performed to identify the technical and economic potential of this air enrichment. In addition, the safety implications of applying a higher oxygen concentration in the ammonia combustion step of the Ostwald process was evaluated based on explosion limit simulations. The techno-economic assessment was based on a mono-pressure nitric acid plant with a plant capacity of 700t/d of pure nitric acid at a concentration of 60wt% in water. The investigations of injecting oxygen at four different points of the plant show that daily nitric acid production can be increased by 0.31% and final NOx concentration of the absorption column can be reduced by up to 43.6% by enriching the main air pipeline with oxygen. Optimal oxygen injection could reduce the capital costs by 0.41M€. Nevertheless, the operating costs dominated the final cash flow analysis with ammonia costs accounting for ca. 60% of the total operating costs. The CO2 price would need to increase to at least 233€/t to compensate for the higher green ammonia price and equalize the minimum selling price. As the oxygen injection at the main air line comes with safety risks due to the ammonia explosion limits, we evaluated the effect of O2-enrichment on the explosion limits of NH3-O2-N2 mixtures. The foreseen oxygen enrichment reduced the lower explosion limit only marginally. For a medium pressure plant at 5.8bar the lower explosion limit is reduced to 10.3% for the highest considered oxygen injection case, which is close to the applied ammonia concentration.

Procena primene azotnog đubriva i nano-silicijum spreja na performanse i komponente prinosa semena suncokreta

Considering the climatic altering and the noteworthy increment within the late seasonal dry stress on sunflower in semi-arid regions, it is fundamental to utilize modern administration like application nano silicon to reduce the unfavourable impacts of such stresses. A field trial was performed to study the effects of nitrogen levels (40, 80, and 120 kg ha-1 ) and foliar spray treating of nano silicon (50, 100, and 150 ppm) on some traits of sunflower. The first two factors explained 79% of the variation and showed strong positive association of yield and thousand-seed weight. The N4-Si3 (120 kg ha-1 nitrogen plus 150 ppm nano silicon) indicated the higher values for most traits, leaf and head properties and seed yield. For confirmation findings of factor analysis, the clustering of traits and treatments was performed and categorized the measured traits and treatments into three clusters. The medium and high concentrations of nitrogen and nano silicon (80 and 120 kg ha-1 nitrogen; 100 and 150 ppm nano SiO2) were grouped with each other in the same cluster and were the best treatments. The nitrogen is one of the important fertilizers for sunflower production and low magnitudes of nitrogen could not be sufficient in semiarid environments. The nano silicon has beneficial ability to minimize the harmful influences of environmental stresses and can provide the goals of sustainable and low input agricultural systems in production of sunflower under semi-arid regions.

Problems of fertilizer application in developed agriculture and their solution

One of the important ways to obtain heavy and high-quality crops is to increase soil fertility by fertilizing to a level that fully meets the needs of crops in nutrients. According to the results of the research, the function and role of fertilizers in increasing crop yields were revealed. The data on the production and use of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash mineral fertilizers in Uzbekistan and worldwide were summarized. The ways of increasing soil fertility and crop yields through the use of fertilizers are outlined.

Maternal oxidative imbalance in symptomatic SARS-COV-2 during pregnancy

The coronavirus infection (Covid-19) leads to overactive immune responses, resulting in oxidative stress (OS), excessive reactive oxygen/ nitrogen (ROS/RNS) production, reduced antioxidant enzymes, and disrupted total redox balance. Pregnant women are more susceptible to respiratory pathogens, i.e. to Covid-19. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of symptomatic Covid-19 during pregnancy on oxidative/antioxidant status in blood during pregnancy and the consequences for the mother. The patients were divided: 1) Controls (n = 100); singleton pregnancy, without Covid-19; and 2) Covid-19 group (n = 65), singleton pregnancy, with symptomatic Covid-19 (&gt;30 gestational weeks). Serum superoxide dismutase (p &lt; 0.01), catalase (p &lt; 0.01), protein carbonylation (p &lt; 0.001), ROS production (p &lt; 0.01) and albumin oxidation (p &lt; 0.05) were increased in symptomatic Covid-19 pregnancies vs. controls. The increased maternal OS/ redox imbalance in pregnant mothers with symptomatic Covid-19 could be associated with preterm labour.

High-pressure study of the conversion of NH3/H2 mixtures in a flow reactor

Carbon free fuels such as hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) will probably play a fundamental role owing to their potential for clean combustion without CO2 emissions. To contribute to the knowledge and development of technologies based on carbon free combustion, the present work deals with an experimental and kinetic analysis of ammonia oxidation in its mixtures with hydrogen at high pressure (up to 40 bar), in the 250–1250 K temperature range using a quartz tubular reactor and argon as bath gas. The impact of temperature, pressure, stoichiometry and H2/NH3 ratio on the concentrations of NH3, NO, NO2, N2O, and N2 obtained as main products of oxidation has been analyzed. The main results indicate that either increasing pressure, H2/NH3 ratio or oxygen availability results in a shift of NH3 and H2 conversion to lower temperatures. The NH3 and H2 consumptions are promoted by the reactions that produce NH2, H, OH, O, HO2 and HNO species. The pressure effect is particularly significant in the low range of pressures studied. The main ammonia oxidation nitrogen products are N2 and N2O, while NO and NO2 concentrations are below the detection limit under all considered conditions. N2O formation is favored by increasing stoichiometry, pressure and H2/NH3 ratio. The experimental results are simulated and interpreted in terms of a literature detailed chemical kinetic mechanism, which, in general, is able to describe quite well both the H2 and NH3 conversion profiles under the studied conditions.

Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to hydroxylamine on gold electrode.

In this study, we explore the efficacy of gold (Au) as a selective electrocatalyst for the reduction of nitrate to hydroxylamine, a valuable nitrogen-based chemical, while also evaluating the by-product formation of ammonia. We systematically optimized various experimental parameters including nitrate concentration, pH, and applied potential. We found that at an applied potential of -0.7 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M HNO3, Au achieves a 230.1 ± 19 μmol NH2OH h-1 cm-2 yield, with a 34.2 ± 2.8% faradaic efficiency. This study underscores the potential of Au as an efficient and selective electrocatalyst for generating value-added nitrogen products through an electrochemical pathway.

Productivity Analysis on Liquid Nitrogen (LIN) and Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Production Using Objective Matrix (OMAX) Method

The amount of liquid nitrogen (LIN) and liquid oxygen (LOX) production capacity experienced significant fluctuations, so it took several months before it reached the production target implemented by the company. It is necessary to measure productivity on the production floor. This study aims to determine the level of productivity of the production section, and the results of this measurement can be used to evaluate the company's productivity level. Productivity measurement using the Objective Matrix (OMAX) method. The criteria used in this study are material productivity, energy productivity, labor productivity, and finished product productivity. The highest productivity values achieved during measurements from January to December were 900 in LIN production in July and 790 in LOX production in January. Factors that cause low productivity are workers who are less careful or negligent in handling machine damage, the absence of a quality control system in checking raw materials before being placed in the storage warehouse, the lack of a shut-off valve between pipes, causing free air to enter, causing products to be rejected and also machines that work continuously for 24 hours.

Nitrogen retention capacity of paddy soil improved under long-term garlic-rice rotation

ABSTRACT Although significant differences in soil nitrogen levels exist under different paddy-upland rotations, the main reason for this is unclear. The nitrogen retention capacity and loss of ammonia volatilisation, leaching, etc. of paddy soil with large differences in nitrogen levels from two long-term rotations, garlic-rice and wheat-rice, were measured using the soil column simulation method. The results showed that the loss rate of leaching was only 5.4%, whereas that of ammonia volatilisation was up to 22.8%, which was the main nitrogen loss way of paddy soil under the two rotations. The average ammonia volatilisation rates under wheat-rice rotation with high and low nitrogen application rates were 12.1% and 40.2% higher than that under garlic-rice rotation, leading to a decrease in the total nitrogen loss amount and rate through ammonia volatilisation by 29.8% and 8.8%, respectively. As a result, nitrogen retention in the soil under garlic-rice rotation increased by 12.7%. In conclusion, the long-term garlic-rice rotation could significantly inhibit ammonia volatilisation, thus improving the soil nitrogen retention capacity. The straw return may increase soil organic matter content, reduce ammonia volatilisation loss, and enhance soil nitrogen retention capacity and productivity.

Unclenching the potentials of global core germplasm for root nodulation traits for increased biological nitrogen fixation and productivity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea being an important food legume crop is able to fix the atmospheric nitrogen and form root nodules that support biologicalnitrogen fixation- a sustainable alternative for nitrogen supply to agriculture worldwide. In order to support findings on nodule formation in chickpeas, a diverse core set of 300 chickpea genotypes, including four checks, was evaluated for morphological and nodulation traits in four different environments. The maximum genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for a number of nodules, nodule fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and number of seeds per plant. The heritability for most of the characters ranged from 26.56 for days to 50% flowering to 99.61 for a number of pods per plant. The genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficient analysis revealed that the number of nodules was positively correlated with seed yield. Further, seed yield was partitioned into direct and indirect effects at genotypic and phenotypic levels through path coefficient analysis. Significant genotypic correlations and direct positive effects were exhibited by a number of nodules and number of pods per plant on grain yield. Based on the D2 statistics, the number of seeds per plant, number of pods per plant, shoot fresh weight and number of nodules have been identified as top-ranking yield contributing traits. The genotypes ICC1013 and ICC16569 for a number of nodules and ICC1049 for the trait number of seeds per plant were identified as potential stable donors for the respective traits with high mean yield, heritability and genetic advance across the locations and can be used as donors in the chickpea breeding programs for increasing biological nitrogen fixation and enhancement of the crop productivity.

The effects of galacto-oligosaccharides on faecal parameters in healthy dogs and cats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) on faecal parameters in healthy dogs and cats. To this end, 20 dogs and 20 Domestic shorthair cats were fed a commercially available adult dog food, or cat food, respectively, with either syrup containing GOS (at 1% w galacto-oligosaccharides/w formulated feed) on top (test group) or no topping (control group) for 56 days in a cross-over design. The study consisted of 2 periods of 24 days adaptation, followed by 4 days of collection of faeces. Faecal samples were tested for moisture, nitrogen, pH, macronutrients, enzymes, and fermentation products. The faecal microbiota were analysed by 16S rDNA profiling. It appeared that GOS have different effects in dogs compared to cats. In dogs, the addition of GOS resulted in increased carbohydrate fermentation (increase of acetic and butyric acid), whereas in cats GOS resulted in increased amino acid fermentation (increase of isovaleric acid). The α-diversity of the canine faecal microbiota was reduced by dietary GOS (Inverse Simpson Index, p = 0.063; Shannon index, p = 0.035) whereas the α-diversity of cat faecal microbiota was unaffected (Inverse Simpson Index, p = 0.539; Shannon index, p = 0.872). Lachnospiraceae spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. positively responded to GOS in both cats and dogs. Lactobacillus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae spp. positively responded to GOS in dogs. In both dogs and cats, GOS may therefore improve stool microbiota and result in the production of specific metabolites that are beneficial to gut health.

Application of Biofloc Technology in Rearing of Two IMC Fish Species Cirrhinus mrigala and Labeo rohita and Estimation of Length – Weight Relationship under the Same Feeding Regime

Biofloc technology (BFT) is an innovative technology which is based upon zero or minimal water exchange where heterotrophic bacteria which consume organic carbon are grown on unconsumed feed, fish excreta and inorganic nitrogenous products resulting in the removal of these unwanted components from the water. The present study demonstrates the effective application of Biofloc technology to culture Indian Major Carps (mainly C. mrigala and L. rohita) in semi-indoor conditions with less water requirements. After conducting the study for a period of 6 months, relationship between length-weight was derived in both the fishes. The value of ‘b’ showed an increase with 2.8701 (in C. mrigala) and 2.7567 (in L. rohita) after the study period. The value of Kn lied within the range of 0.9545-1.0511 (in C. mrigala) and 0.925-1.01 (in L. rohita). Coefficient of determination (R2) and correlation coefficient (r) were prominent with R2=0.9071 (r=0.952) and R2=0.9517 (r=0.975) in C. mrigala and L. rohita respectively. The findings of the current study demonstrates that IMC can be reared effectively using this technique rather than going for large scale culture where cost of feed and space limitation is a major problem.