Dry Matter Percentage Research Articles

Comparative analysis of red and green lettuce microgreens under different artificial LED lighting conditions

This study investigated how LED light exposure influences the growth and nutrient content of two lettuce microgreens over 10 days in a randomized setup. Lettuce seeds underwent surface sterilization, germination in prepared soil, and exposure to different LED light conditions. Morphological parameters and pigment analysis, including stem length, petiole length, leaf area, plant height, root length, fresh weight, dry matter percentage, were evaluated. Green lettuce outperformed red lettuce in the studied morphological parameters, including stem length (2.74±0.22 cm), plant height (4.54±0.21 cm), and fresh weight (3.79±0.32 g/100 plants) under different LED. White light promoted taller plants with higher fresh weight (4.45±0.43 g/100plants), dry matter (4.84±0.38%), and leaf area (0.76±0.06 cm2) in both lettuce species. In contrast, red light reduced overall growth and development, as evidenced by a 54% decrease in leaf area, despite a 23.36% increase in plant height. Chlorophyll levels varied significantly among LED treatments, with white LED yielding the highest levels in both red and green lettuce. Highest chlorophyll a (146.37±6.27 µg/g FW), chlorophyll b (86.74±2.44 µg/g FW), total chlorophyll (233.11±8.69 µg/g FW) and relative chlorophyll (215.84±8.05 µg/cm²) content was found in green lettuce under white light condition. Similarly, green lettuce grown under white LED had the highest total carotenoid, β-carotene, and lutein. The study concludes that optimizing white LED illumination has the potential to improve the nutritional value of lettuce microgreens by enhancing growth and pigment content, particularly in green varieties. These findings emphasize the crucial role of LED light color in optimizing the nutritional quality of microgreens.

Rehydrated corn grain silage with wet brewery residue and different inoculants

The objective was to evaluate the effects of including different proportions of Wet Brewery Residue (WBR) using inoculants on rehydrated ground corn silage quality. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme with four replications. Four combinations of WBR and ground corn were evaluated to achieve 45 (DM45), 50 (DM50), 55 (DM55), and 65% (DM65) of dry matter (DM) in the homogenized material before siling, and three types of inoculation: without inoculant, with L. plantarum + P. acidylactici (Homo) and with L. buchneri (L. B). Ensiling was done in experimental PVC silos (±4.0kg) and stored for 180 days. The variables obtained were analyzed by the analysis of variance and regression procedures (P<0.05) using the R software. The percentage of real DM included in the treatments was 47%, 52%, 56%, and 66%. No impairment of the pH-reducing capacity of corn rehydrated with WBR was observed. Total dry matter losses were within the acceptable limit in silage with 52% DM (DM50), regardless of the type of inoculation. Gas losses were within the permissible limit only in the DM50 treatments with Homo inoculant and in the DM50 treatment without inoculation. Effluent losses were outside the tolerable limit in the treatment with 47% DM (DM45) in the presence of the inoculant LB. There was a significant interaction between the inoculant LB and the silages, with 47% (DM45) and 56% (DM55) DM for the Crude Protein (CP) levels. The ADF and NDF variables reduced linearly as a function of the increase in dry matter of the ensiled material, with a tendency for the lowest values to be found in treatments without inoculation. For all variables, an increase in energy levels (Non-Fibrous Carbohydrates, starch, Total Digestible Nutrients, and Net Energy gain) was observed with the increase in the DM content of the silage. It is concluded that silage with 52% DM (DM50) obtained the best results for fermentative losses. For bromatological and energetic characteristics, silage with 66% DM was the best, except for the CP variable, where 47% DM silage achieved superior results. In general, the addition of additives did not show any improvement in relation to treatments without inoculants.

Dihydrogibberellin improves grain yield and lodging resistance of direct seeded rice

AbstractDihydrogibberellin (DIH) is an eco‐friendly and low‐toxic regulator with immense potential for application in the current rice industry, specifically for increasing yield and lodging resistance. However, limited research has been conducted to explore the impact of DIH on the yield and lodging resistance of direct‐seeded rice (DSR, Oryza sativa L.). Therefore, a 2‐year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of spraying different concentrations of 5% DIH emulsifiable concentrate on DSR during the tillering (1) and jointing (2) stages. Three concentrations of DIH were used: 27 (DIH27), 54 (DIH54), and 108 g ha−1 (DIH108). The commonly used paclobutrazol concentration in rice production (112.5 g ha−1) was compared and a clear water treatment was used as control (CK). The results of the experiment showed that the DIH treatments increased the DSR yield by 1.22%–22.64% and reduced lodging index by 8.9%–54.2% compared to the CK treatment. Additionally, the DIH treatments resulted in significant reductions in the length of the 1–3 basal internodes and plant height, as well as increases in the diameter and culm wall thickness of internodes. Moreover, the DIH treatments also led to higher dry matter percentages in stalks and leaf sheaths, as well as increased lignin and cellulose content. Furthermore, the best effect of DIH application was observed at the jointing stage in terms of increasing yield and lodging resistance. Therefore, this research demonstrates that the application of DIH to DSR at the jointing stage can be an effective strategy for increasing yield and improving lodging resistance.

CRUZAS SIMPLES PROGENITORAS E HÍBRIDO TRILINEAL DE MAÍZ H-53 AE: DENSIDADES Y PRODUCTIVIDAD

<p><strong>Background</strong>. The use of improved seeds in Mexico is limited. To increase its use and improve its supply, it is necessary to promote the generation of micro-enterprises; for this, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP) work in a coordinated manner on the development of new varieties. <strong>Objective</strong>. To determine the seed productivity by effect of the population density of the trilinear hybrid of H-53 AE maize and its simple progenitor crosses in two environments of Valles Altos. <strong>Methodology</strong>. In the spring-summer cycle of 2014, in Cuautitlán Izcalli and Texcoco, State of Mexico, three genotypes were evaluated: the simple female cross androsterile (M53AE x M59) and fertile version (M53F x M59), as well as the trilineal hybrid H-53 AE. Population densities were 55,000, 70,000, and 85,000 ha<sup>-1</sup> plants, respectively. The variables evaluated were male and female flowering, plant and ear height, volumetric weight, weight of 200 grains, ear length, grains per row, dry matter percentage, and grain percentage. The experimental design employed a factorial design with random complete blocks, and the Tukey method was used for mean comparison. <strong>Results</strong>. The simple crosses, androsterile and fertile, exceeded the performance of the hybrid trilineal H-53 AE (7280 Kg ha<sup>-1</sup>). The population density where genotypes expressed a higher yield was 70, 000 ha<sup>-1</sup> plants, with 8602 Kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, significantly different to 7813 Kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, and 7748 Kg ha<sup>-1</sup> for 85,000 and 55, 000 ha<sup>-1</sup> plants, respectively. <strong>Implications</strong>. Further analysis of other environmental factors should be carried out to strengthen the recommendation of the evaluated trilinear hybrid. <strong>Conclusion. </strong>The best responses were presented in the population density of 70,000 plants ha<sup>-1</sup>, and the highest average yield of three genotypes and three population densities with 8768 Kg ha<sup>-1</sup> was in the FESC environment (Cuautitlán Izcalli).</p>

IMPACT OF POLYMERS, DIFFERENT IRRIGATION PROGRAMS AND SELENIUM FOLIAR ON REDUCING AMOUNT OF IRRIGATION WATER FOR IRIS PLANTS

The experiment was carried out in one of the green houses of the research station A of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design during fall season 2020/2021 This study was aimed to reducing the amount of irrigation water using factorial experiment with in split plot designed by The study included three factor , First factor, the quality of irrigation water (main plots) and at three levels: (irrigation with water from the Tigris River 0.92 dm s-1(I0), alternating irrigation (one irrigation with saline water followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I1), Alternating irrigation (two irrigations with saline water, followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I2), Second factor was the addition of Polyacrylamide (0, 1.5,2.5) g of soil-1 his symbol(P0,P1.P2). Third factor was spraying with selenium with three concentrations (0, 10,20) mg L-1 his symbol (S0,S1,S2) The results showed The addition of polymers led to decrease in the amount of irrigation water used to irrigate Iris, as the amount of irrigation water decreased with an increase in the concentrations of added polymers. Also, the polymers contributed at a concentration of 2.5 g kg of soil-1 percentage of dry matter in leaves, percentage of carbohydrates in leaves, N, P, K, percentage the water potential in the leaves, relative water content, stomata area and the reduction in the activity of the enzyme Superoxide dismutase led to an increase in the salinity of the irrigation water to a decrease in all characteristics and an increases in the activity of the sod and spraying with selenium at a concentration of 20 mgL-1 increased all study parameters and reduced enzyme activityed.

Canteen waste as food for black soldier fly larvae: risk of heavy metals accumulation? Variability during one year of rearing

Abstract Worldwide, about 244 million t/yr of waste are produced by canteens and restaurant, of which 4.7 million t/yr are generated at the Italian level. Canteen waste (CW) could be used for feeding larvae of insect to obtain new marketable products (e.g. protein meal, frass and chitin). Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) are voracious and polyphagous species, and CW is a complete food for them. Furthermore, BSFL are capable to bioaccumulate some heavy metals thus allowing to obtain safe organic frass, but the bioaccumulation in larvae intended for feed purpose needs to be evaluated. The CW was sampled once a month and the sampling was carried out for a year from a local canteen, located in the northern part of Italy. The feeding was conducted in quadruplicate in plastic containers (12 l) and 2,000 g of CW and 2,000 5 days-old larvae were allocated in each box. Each trial ended after 7 days and growth performances were evaluated. The results reported an average dry matter final larval biomass, along the year, of 83.8 ± 46.05 g and an average dry matter frass quantity equal to 199.9 ± 140.32 g. The percentage of dry matter for initial diet was 21.7 ± 14.10, for final larval biomass was 34.3 ± 7.39%, and for the residue of 62.2 ± 17.01%. The initial diet, BSFL before and after feeding, and the residue were sampled and oven dried. Elemental analyses were performed with a mass spectrometer in triplicate for evaluating arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury quantities within CW, residues and BSFL before and after feeding. This trial certifies the ability of BSFL to accumulate (BAF > 1) arsenic (average of 0.165 ± 0.1480 ppm), lead (average of 0.238 ± 0.1562 ppm), cadmium (average of 0.077 ± 0.0367 ppm), and mercury (average of 0.008 ± 0.0043 ppm) during feeding, and it proves that the bioaccumulation complies with European legal limits on the amount of heavy metals in larvae.

Revealing Consequences of the Husking Process on Nutritional Profiles of Two Sorghum Races on the Male Sterility Line.

The male sterility line is a vital approach in the genetic breeding of sorghum. The husking process affects the grain's nutritional composition, emphasizing the intricate relationship between genetic enhancement and dietary requirements. The current study assessed the influence of the Husking Fraction Time Unit (HFTU) process, which was set at 30 (S) and 80 (S) time units per second (S). The study assessed the impact of the (HFTU) process on fifty-one inbred line sorghum race varieties, which implied diverse nutritional profiles considering the pericarp color variations. The assessment of the nutritional profile involved dry matter, total protein, and minerals (P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, and Mn). The variety groups showed a significance value of p ≤ 0.05, indicating the study hypothesis's truth. While results demonstrated substantial impacts implied by the Husking Fraction Time Unit (HFTU) technique, the occurrence was noted when the dry matter percentage was increased in the husked products, specifically the endosperm (grits) and bran. Conversely, the protein variation percentage between the bran and endosperm (grits) for the S. bicolor race was calculated at 33.7%. In comparison, the percentage was 11.8% for the Kafirin race. The 80 (S) time unit, on the other hand, had an observable effect on the mineral reconcentration when the Kafirin race had the highest averages of K mg/kg-1, Ca mg/kg-1, and Fe mg/kg-1, which were 5700.5 mg/kg-1, 551.5 mg/kg-1 and 66.5 mg/kg-1, respectively. The results of this study could benefit breeders and nutrition specialists in developing genotypes and processing sorghum grains, promoting research, and aiding several industrial sectors owing to the grain's adaptability and nutritional properties.

Salicylic Acid Alleviates the Adverse of Salinity Stress in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

Aims: To discover the resistance of the Yemeni genotype of fenugreek to salt stress and the impact of salicylic acid on alleviating salt stress. Study Design: The experimental design adopted a completely randomized block design (RCBD), with pots filled with a 1:2 mixture of sand and soil serving as the experimental units. Place and Duration of Study: in a mini greenhouse covered with white polyethylene plastic sheet at Taiz University during the spring season 2021. The average temperature ranged from 32 ℃ during the day to 29 ℃ at night. chemical analyses were performed at the pharmaceutical laboratory in Al-Saeed University. Methodology: The fenugreek genotype was subjected to varying salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mM) and the impact of salicylic acid (at concentrations of 0, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/l) in alleviating salt stress effects was examined at two time points: 15 and 30 days after 2 weeks of germination. Results: Increasing salinity significantly reduced shoot and root length and exhibited slight fluctuations influenced by salinity levels above 100 mM. Salicylic acid (SA) significantly reduced shoot length but had no effect on root length. Salinity had no appreciable effect on shoot dry matter (SDM%), while the application of SA significantly decreased it. Root dry matter percentage (RDM%) showed a notable and sharp increase with salinity. However, no appreciable changes in RDM% were observed in response to the SA application. In response to salinity, the ratio of SDM% to RDM% in treated plants decreased sharply, with the lowest ratio achieved when 0.1 SA was used for treatment. There were no significant modifications observed in the amounts of photosynthetic pigments in fenugreek leaves, including chl a, chl b and total chl. Nevertheless, using high concentration of Nacl led to a signifcantly reduced in the carotenoids and the chl. b. The protein content of fenugreek plants treated with salt was much higher than that of control plants. Also, protein levels increased with SA treatment across all NaCl concentration. Proline levels sharply increased with rising salinity, reaching a peak in approximately 22.28 ug/g DW. Application of 0.1 SA led to the highest proline level in comparison to other treatments, which was the highest level of Nacl in the second measurement time. Proline levels in plants treated with 200 Nacl and 0.1 SA were the highest, averaging roughly recorded 49.95 ug/g DW. APX significantly affected on fenugreek plants, the highest APX content was found in plants treated with 50 mM NaCl, the application of 0.1 SA produced the highest level of APX (0.373nm/g protein/minuet) in fenugreek. Catalase (CA) levels significantly decreased, but SA application did not affect CA levels. The data obtained may help in determining fenugreek cultivation areas and in managing breeding programs.

Economic supply chain modelling of industrial insect production in the Netherlands

Abstract Defatted larvae meal (dLM), specifically from black soldier flies, could help overcome the animal protein gap. As insect production is an emerging sector, current economic research is scarce and very diverse. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop a simulation model that enables the analysis of full industrial scale costs of producing dLM and to provide insight in the distribution of these costs in the insect supply chain. The deterministic supply chain model is built on three modules, technical, transition and economic module, which all follow a previously defined supply chain structure and allow to extract quantity and price information for intermediate or final products. The model was parameterized and checked for plausibility in multiple consultation rounds with the INSECTFEED consortium and business partners. Additionally, model behaviour was checked with scenario, sensitivity, and break-even price analyses. In the default situation 5.57 tDM raw substrate and 26.7 million neonates are required to produce 1 tDM dLM for a price of €5,116/tDM. Most costs are added in the raw substrate delivery (€1,952/tDM) and production and collection (€821/tDM) step. Important cost factors are the raw substrate (€1,939/tDM) and building and inventory (€1,459/tDM). Parameters with high relative response rate towards the price of dLM are the feed conversion rate, dry matter percentage of larvae, raw substrate price, larvae density, labour wage and growth rate. To reach break-even prices for substituting fish meal with alive grown larvae (AGL) (€1,318/tDM AGL), improving production parameters is not sufficient. Just changing prices of raw substrate to −€78/tDM or frass to €1,175/tDM would enable a profitable operation. However, these are not deemed as realistic in mass production. Although there is some insecurity in data, the model results are the most realistic representation of industrial scale production amounts and costs.

Responses to incremental nutrient supply on energy and protein metabolism in preweaning dairy calves

Recently reviewed development objectives and feeding practices in young dairy calves require an adaptation of nutrient recommendations set for milk replacer (MR) composition. Nutrient requirements of calves younger than 21 d of age, and those of calves fed with high levels of MR are insufficiently quantified. The efficiency at which macronutrients are utilized, particularly protein, substantially diminishes with age, and little data exists for the first weeks of life. In addition, in older preruminant and ruminant calves, protein and energy can be simultaneously limiting for protein gain. Whether this also applies to calves in the first weeks of life is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the responses in protein and fat gain to incremental supply of protein, fat, or lactose to MR in very young calves. Thirty-two groups of 3 mixed-sex Holstein-Friesian newborn calves (3.4 ± 1.6 d of age), were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments applied for 19 d: a basal MR (23.3% crude protein, 21.2% crude fat, and 48.8% lactose, percentages of dry matter), provided at 550 kJ/kg of metabolic body weight (BW0.85) per day (CON; n = 24), or the basal MR incrementally supplied with 126 kJ of digestible energy per BW0.85 per day as milk fat (+FAT; n = 23), lactose (+LAC; n = 24), or milk protein (+PRO; n = 23). Calves were fed MR in 2 daily meals and had ad libitum access to water, but did not have access to calf starter nor any other solid feed. After 2 wk of adaptation to their respective diets, groups of calves were placed for 1 wk in an open-circuit respiration chamber for nitrogen and energy balance measurements (5 d). The incremental nutrient efficiencies indicate what percentage of extra intake of nutrients is retained. In this study, we observed that with every 100-g increase in protein intake, 52% was converted into protein deposition, and 44% contributed to heat production. Similarly, a 100-g increase in fat intake resulted in 67% being stored as fat, 22% being released as heat, and only 5% being retained as protein. Likewise, a 100-g increment in lactose intake led to 49% being stored as fat, with 38% being released as heat. Additional protein intake was not deposited as fat; extra energy intake (fat and additional lactose) increased postabsorptive N efficiency in young calves.

Effect of different light intensities on agronomic characteristics and antioxidant compounds of Brassicaceae microgreens in a vertical farm system

Microgreens are vegetable or edible herb shoots harvested in the early stages of development. They have an important number of bioactive compounds and add color, texture, and flavor to dishes and salads. Given their benefits, small size, and high market prices, they can grow in indoor systems, where light is determinant. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different light intensities on agronomic characteristics, color, chlorophylls and carotenoids content, and antioxidant activity represented by total phenolic content (TPC), eliminate, and antioxidant capacity (AC) in four Brassicaceae species in two colors (green and red). The experiment was conducted in a controlled light-emitting diode (LED) environment growth chamber (day/night temperatures of 25/20 ± 1.2°C, 16 h photoperiod, and 79 ± 2% relative humidity). Three light intensities were used for microgreen growth with the same LED light spectrum: low (120 ± 5.1 μmol m−2 s−1), medium (160 ± 3.6 μmol m−2 s−1), and high (210 ± 5.9 μmol m−2 s−1). Eight g of the seeds of green and red cultivars of cabbage, kale, mizuna, and mustard were sown in a plastic tray (64 cm x 35 cm x 6 cm) with a mixture of peat and perlite (1:2 = v: v). Overall, the high intensity increased dry matter percentage and dry weight, except in green and red kale and green cabbage cultivars. In contrast, low intensity promoted a larger hypocotyl in all species than with high intensity; moreover, it enhanced the cotyledon area in green and red mizuna. Cabbage, kale, and mustard green cultivars were greener under medium intensity, whereas the low intensity enhanced the purple color of mizuna. In addition, chlorophyll a and b increased under low intensity in most species except the red kale and mustard cultivars. The high intensity raises the antioxidant activity, promoting a higher TPC and AC. The findings revealed that the light intensity generated variations in agronomic characteristics, color, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activity of Brassicaceae microgreens, and the changes were based on the specific species and cultivars.

Effect of organic substrates on growth, yield, and quality of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

The experiment was conducted on organic substrates to determine the efficiency of reusing waste on spinach growth, yield, quality, and economic efficiency. The result showed treatment 2 (the mix of coffee grounds, cow manure, abalone mushroom residue, and rice husk ash) and treatment 6 (coffee grounds, cow manure, abalone mushroom residue, rice husk ash, and soil) were the best results in 9 treatments. Analysis of nutrition showed that these substrates had total N > 0.11%, P205 > 0.22%, and K2O > 7.39%. Treatment 2 had 25.0 cm of tree height and 29.1 leaves/tree. Leaf length, leaf width (23.8 cm - 8.3 cm), canopy diameter (23.9 cm), chlorophyll 39,6 SPAD Units, root length 14.3 cm, and stem diameter 0.8 cm. The average tree weight and theoretical yield had the highest (76.0 g-2.50 tons/1000 m2). The dry matter percentage was recorded at 12.9%. Treatment 6 was the treatment with the highest Vitamin C content (0.12%). The results of profit, capital efficiency, and marginal income index of treatment two were recorded (45.3 million VND/1000 m2-2.2 - 21.6). The formula, including coffee grounds, cow manure, abalone mushroom residue, and rice husk ash, was the best prospect for application in production practices.

Analysis of Proximate, Mineral and Phytochemical Composition of fresh and dry Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter Leaf) in Bida Metropolis, Niger State

Vernonia amygdalina is tropical shrub with high biomass yield which is used to prepare several dishes, it is also utilized as herb for health improvement. This study was carried out to determine, the proximate, mineral and phytochemicals composition of fresh and dry bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) leaves in Bida metropolis. The Vernonia amygdalina leaf samples were evaluated using standard procedures. The result of the proximate analysis show that percentage dry matter and moisture content shows significant (p<0.05) difference between the samples. The percentage ash content and the crude fiber of both samples does not differ significantly (p>0.05). The mean percentage of crude protein, crude fat and carbohydrate were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the dry bitter leaf when compared with the values of the fresh bitter leaf. The mineral composition shows Sodium (0.07 ± 0.00 and 0.08 ± 0.00), potassium (0.04 ± 0.00 and 0.06 ± 0.00), calcium content (0.20 ± 0.03 and 0.47 ± 0.02), magnesium (1.33 ± 0.10 and 0.98 ± 0.00) and Phosphorus (2.11 ± 0.17 and 2.18 ± 3.41). The phytochemical analysis shows that flavonoid value was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the fresh bitter leaf sample than the dry bitter leave sample. The dry bitter leaf sample significantly (p<0.05) recorded high value in alkaloid, oxalate and cyanide when compares to the values obtain from the fresh bitter leaf sample. Both the dry and fresh better leaf sample did not differ significantly in term of phytate and tannin composition. According to this study, the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina, both fresh and dry, have varying and significant amounts of secondary metabolites (alkaloid, flavonoid, cyanide, oxalate, and phytate), mineral elements (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and Phosphorus), and proximate compositions (moisture, ash, crude fat, crude fibre, protein, and carbohydrate). The outcomes demonstrate the significant health benefits of the two leaves.

Ammonia Capturing Capacity of Biochar and Kaolinite

Emission of ammonia from poultry litter has numerous negative impacts on poultry, poultry house workers and the environment. When applied as a litter amendment, acidified biochar (ABC) and Kaolinite are reported to lower the emission of ammonia. Apart from reducing ammonia formation, both amendments have a capacity to capture ammonia before being released into the environment. However, capacity of those materials to capture ammonia has not been estimated. The objective of this study was to determine the ammonia capturing capacity of ABC, kaolinite and three different mixtures of them; 75% Kaolinite and 25% ABC, 50% kaolinite and 50% ABC and 25% kaolinite, 75% ABC. Each of the five amendment mixture was tested in five separate completely randomized design experiments. Poultry litter samples were incubated in ten sealed-conical flasks; each fitted with flexible tubes through which emitting ammonia was conveyed to another sealed-flask containing either a known weight of amendment (five replicate flasks) or Styrofoam; control (five replicate flasks). The weight of the amendment or Styrofoam was adjusted to have same volume of material in flasks. A flexible tube originating from the second flask was connected to another sealed-flask containing a boric acid solution so that ammonia that has not been captured by the amendment or Styrofoam in the second flask is captured. A set of tubes originating from each of the ten boric acid flasks were fitted to a vacuum pump.N content, pH, dry matter percentage of the litter before and after the incubation and the amount of N captured by the boric acid were determined. The difference between N released and that captured by the boric acid solution was considered to be captured by the material added to the second flask. Though assumed to have no capacity to capture ammonia, in all five experiments, Styrofoam reported significantly higher ammonia capturing capacity compared to respective amendments. Ammonia capturing capacity of Styrofoam was as high as 1.24g/100g/hr while that of ABC and Kaolinite were 0.40g/100g/hr and 0.14g/100g/hr), respectively. In all five experiments, the percentages of ammonia captured (of the total released during incubation) were not significantly different between tested amendments and the Styrofoam. Percentage capture of ammonia by ABC, Kaolinite and Styrofoam were 91%, 83% and 84%, respectively. The study concludes that acidified biochar, Kaolinite and Styrofoam have capacity to capture ammonia releasing from poultry litter. Further studies are needed to understand the nature of capturing. 
 Keywords: Ammonia, Biochar, Kaolinite, Litter, Poultry

The cotton swab method: an accurate and less invasive way to assess fecal consistency in weaned pigs

BackgroundResearchers and pig veterinarians are interested in assessing pigs’ fecal consistency. This study developed a standardized protocol and scale for the cotton swab method, which is a way of assessing the fecal consistency in pigs. The accuracy of the cotton swab method was evaluated in weaned pigs using fecal dry-matter analysis as a golden standard. The study also proposed fecal dry-matter percentage thresholds for the categorization of fecal consistency on a four-point scale.ResultsThe thresholds of 10.3%, 16.6%, and 21.9% fecal dry-matter were suggested for categorization of the consistency of fecal samples on a four-point scale. The accuracy of the cotton swab method was high. The agreement to the four-point fecal consistency score derived from the fecal dry-matter percentage was almost perfect (weighted Gwet’s agreement coefficient = 0.87 [95% confidence interval: 0.84; 0.91]). The cotton swab method had a sensitivity of 85.0% (95% confidence interval: 76.5; 91.4) and a specificity of 95.2% (95% confidence interval: 92.0; 97.3) when used to diagnose whether pigs had diarrhea or not. For non-diarrheic pigs, the method almost always (n = 287/289) required less handling than the collection of a fecal sample by digital rectal manipulation.ConclusionThe cotton swab method is an accurate way to assess fecal consistency in pigs, both on a four-point scale and as a dichotomous diarrhea score. The method is quick to perform and less invasive than methods relying on the collection of fecal samples. New fecal dry-matter thresholds between feces of different consistencies were proposed.

Chemical Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Apilarnil, Royal Jelly, and Propolis Collected in Banat Region, Romania

Bee products have a millennia-old tradition in human apitherapy, thanks to their numerous curative properties. The aim of this study was to perform a physicochemical characterization, including the percentage of water content, dry matter, pH, acidity, impurity content, protein, ash, and macro and micro minerals, and to evaluate the antioxidant activity of apiculture products, including apilarnil, royal jelly, and propolis. Samples were collected from our apiary in the Banat region of Romania in 2022 as well as from the market. Apilarnil and royal jelly were analyzed in pure and freeze-dried form, and propolis in pure and tincture form. Our results show that there is a large variability in the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the three bee products studied, depending on the form of presentation and source of origin. In the case of commercial bee products, the best results were obtained in terms of chemical composition, including the content of macro and micro nutrients. All the samples analyzed showed acidity, pH, and impurity content values within the limits allowed by the quality standards. Apilarnil from our own apiary recorded the highest values for antioxidant activity, followed by propolis tincture and fresh propolis from own apiary.

EFFECTS OF MINERAL FERTILIZATION AND SPRAYING WITH SALICYLIC ACID AND AMINO ACIDS ON THE GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF INDUSTRIAL POTATOES

This experiment was carried out at a private field in the eastern Radwaniyah Baghdad for the fall season 2020/2021 and spring 2021 to study the effects of adding mineral fertilizers, spraying salicylic acid and amino acids on some growth traits and yield of industrial potato plants. 200 kg N h-1 , 100 kg P2O5 h-1, 100 kg K2O h-1 and F2 consist of 275 kg N h-1, 180 kg P2O5 h-1, 200 K2O h-1 and F3 consist of 350 kg N h-1, 360 kg P2O5 h-1, 300 K2O h-1 and salicylic acid in three concentrations of 0,50 and 100 mg L-1 ( S1, S2, S3) and amino acids in three concentrations of 0, 1.25 and 2.5 ml L-1 ( A1, A2 , A3) It was carried out as a factorial split plot experiment, where the fertilizer levels (F1, F2 and F3) are in the main plot and the interaction between salicylic acid and amino acids is in the sub plot with three replications. The results showed the superiority of the F3 level by giving the highest plant height in the spring season and the largest number of leaves and leaves area for the two seasons, while the F2 level gave the highest tuber weight and the highest percentage of dry matter for fall seasons, and the concentration S3 and A2 was differed in most of the growth indicators and the yield for both seasons of the experiment.

THE ROLE OF NISIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND SODIUM LACTATE AS ADDITIVE IN IMPROVING THE CHEMICAL AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILLED GROUND BEEF.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of nisin, potassium sorbate and sodium lactate and their interactions as preservatives in fat oxidation, some quality and microbial characteristics of chilled ground beef meat stored at 4C˚ for 0,4,8 and 12 days. The study included nine different treatments: T1 (control treatment without addition), T2 (nisin at a concentration of 150 mg/kg), T3 (potassium sorbate 0.075 g/kg), T4 (sodium lactate 3%), T5 (nisin 150 mg/kg + potassium sorbate 0.075 g/kg), T6 (nisin 150 mg/kg + sodium lactate 3%), T7 (Sodium Lactate 3% + Potassium Sorbate 0.075 g/kg), T8 (Nisin 150 mg/kg + Sodium Lactate 3% + Potassium Sorbate 0.075 g/kg) and T9 (Addition of Butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA 0.01%)). All treatments showed significant (p<0.01) decreases in dry matter percentage of (fat and ash) and increase in protein and moisture and water holding capacity (WHC) percentage as compared with the control treatment at any refrigerated storage time. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) were lower (P<0.01) in nisin, potassium sorbate and sodium lactate treatments when compared with the control treatment at any refrigerated storage time. Nisin, potassium sorbate and sodium lactate treated samples reduced (P<0.01) the total plate count of bacteria during refrigerated storage times. It can be concluded that nisin, potassium sorbate and sodium lactate had positive significant influence on quality characteristics and microbial safety of ground beef meat when stored under refrigeration at 4C° up to 12 days.

The Dewatering Performance of a Compact Screw Press Manure Separator for Non-Typical Substrates

The dewatering of substrates is one of the key tasks in the handling of material flows in a circular economy. Besides belt filters, sedimenters, and decanters, screw presses are frequently used to reduce the water content of substrates. However, screw presses available on the market are usually designed for high throughputs (>5 m3/h). The dewatering of smaller feed rates (<1 m3/h), however, requires more compact solutions. For this reason, a compact screw press (short screw length), which is normally used in agriculture for cow manure dewatering, was investigated in this work, as there exist no publications on this type of compact screw press. A mobile test setup was developed and loaded with different material such as digested sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, commercially available potting soil, wood shavings, and biological waste. The dry matter content of the feed material, the feed material itself, the screw rotational speed, and the weight setting (pressure) at the back plate were varied, and the effects on the dewatering result were recorded. A significant influence on the dewatering result was found for the weight setting, the type of substrate (particle size), and the dry substance content of the feed material. The tests confirmed that the compact screw press separator is suitable for the dewatering of wood shavings and biological waste (with an increase in dry matter percentage of up to 7.7%). The direct dewatering of potting soil and digested sludge is not possible and can only be implemented by using structural support material. This study fills the gap between published work on large screw presses and potentially new application fields of compact screw press manure separators, which, until now, have only been used in agriculture.

Impact of phosphorus rate, soil fumigation, and cultivar on potato yield, quality, phosphorus use efficiency and economic returns in a high phosphorus soil

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource that will become an economic limiting factor for food production in the future. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a relatively shallow rooted crop and often responds positively to P fertilizer even in soils with high soil-test P. Therefore, high-rate P fertilizers are commonly applied to produce high tuber yields in commercial potato fields. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of P rate, cultivar, and soil fumigation on potato yield, quality, P uptake, P use efficiency and economic returns under high soil test P conditions. A field study with a split-plot randomized complete block design was conducted in 2021 and 2022, with fumigation treatments (no fumigant or fall-applied metam sodium) being the main plots and cultivars (Ivory Russet or Russet Burbank) as subplots. Each subplot was further divided into five sub-subplots with different P rates: 0, 37, 73, 147 and 220 kg P ha-1. The results indicated that Russet Burbank produced higher total yield than Ivory Russet. Fumigation significantly increased tuber yield and dry matter percentage. Both cultivars responded to P application and tuber P uptake increased with P rate even under very high soil test P conditions. Both partial factor productivity (PFP) and P recovery efficiency (PRE) were very low and significantly decreased with the P rate. Russet Burbank had higher PFP and PRE than Ivory Russet, and fumigated plots had significantly higher PRE than non-fumigated plots. The tuber yield output and net revenue of Russet Burbank was higher than Ivory Russet, and the highest economic return was obtained in fumigated plots at 147 kg P ha-1. These results suggest that cultivar selection and control of soil-borne diseases should be considered to optimize P input, tuber yield, and to conserve P resources.