T4 Treatment Research Articles

EFFECT OF ADDING NATURAL AND NANO ZINC OXIDE TO THE DITE ON SOME GROWTH PARAMETERS OF CYPRINUS CARPIO L .

The research aimed to study the effect of natural and nano zinc oxide on some growth parameters of common carp Cyprinus carpio. Seven treatments were used, including the control without any addition, the second, third and fourth treatments by adding nano-zinc oxide at concentrations of 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg feed, respectively, and the fifth, sixth and seventh treatments by adding natural zinc oxide in the same concentrations above. The results showed that the fourth treatment was superior to the traits of the total weight gain, daily growth rate, relative and specific growth rate over the other treatments, which is an indication that the fish benefit from feed enhanced with nanoparticles by 75%, and it differed significantly )p (0.01>from the rest of the treatments. T4 treatment was recorded the best daily growth was 0.29 g/day The best feed conversion ratio was recorded in the same treatment. It can be concluded from the study that the addition of zinc nanoparticles to the diet of fish improves the level of performance and growth without causing any harm to the fish.

Effect of IBA on Rooting and Growth of (Ixora chinensis L.) Terminal Cutting

The experiment was conducted at College of Horticulture, Dapoli under Dr. Balasaheb Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, in 2023. It comes under tropical location with an average well distributed rainfall 3500-4000 mm during June to October. The soil is come under lateritic textural class varied with loam, clay, sandy loam. Ixora is popular ornamental but difficult to root plant was used for the experiment. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with eight treatments and three replications. Mature terminal cuttings of size 10-15 cm length with 4-5 leaves are dip for 5 min in the solution consisting different Indole Butryic Acid concentrations i.e. (control) 250, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 ppm solutions. The cuttings under study recorded significant variation with respect to all the parameters, The results showed that among all treatments survival percentage (60%) maximum plant height (18.17cm), maximum number of leaves (14.08), stem girth (3.91 mm), longest root length (9.03cm), number of secondary roots (17.93), fresh and dry weight of shoot ( 3.55, 1.03g), fresh and dry weight of root (1.40, 1.18g) was recoded in T4 treatment consisting 1000 ppm IBA solution. However, for maximum number of primary roots (7.27) was observed in T3 (500 ppm) treatment.

Enhancing yield and economics of banana cultivar Rasthali (Silk-AAB) through bunch spray of growth regulators and nutrients

Aim: Poor finger filling is often observed in Rasthali bananas, which results in low fruit yield. Hence, different growth regulators and nutrients were sprayed at various concentrations to enhance the yield and economics of Rasthali banana. Methodology: The experiment was conducted at Dharumathupatti village, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu during 2022 and 2023 in a Randomized Block Design with eight treatments, replicated thrice. The treatments included Gibberellic acid @ 50 ppm (T1), NAA @ 50 ppm (T2), 2,4-D @ 25 ppm (T3), Ethephon @ 100 ppm (T4), Urea @ 10000 ppm (T5), Potassium nitrate @ 10000 ppm (T6), Potassium sulphate @ 20000 ppm (T7) and Control (T8). The spraying was done twice; the first spray at emergence of the last hand and the second, one month after the first spray. The observations on various growth, bunch and finger parameters as well as the benefit: cost ratio (B:C ratio) were recorded. Results: T7 treatment produced the highest number of leaves (8.97) whereas T4 treatment registered the minimum number of days taken from last hand opening to harvest (98.67). The highest bunch, finger parameters and benefit-to-cost ratio were also recorded in T7 treatment. Interpretation: Potassium sulphate (20000 ppm) effectively enhanced the growth, yield and economics of Rasthali banana. Key words: Banana cultivar, Bunch spray, Growth regulator, Potassium, Yield

Optimal antioxidant enzyme activity estimation in melon plant leaves based on microhyperspectral imaging technique

BackgroundIn order to select the most suitable type of light for plant growth, we have developed a quantitative model for the detection of antioxidant enzyme activities on melon leaves, which allows us to monitor plant growth in a timely and accurate manner. Leaf of melon ‘M5147’ and ‘M5346’ were used as test material. Six treatments have been established with different illuminance ratios. By the measurement of leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) activities, the varying response of melons leaf to different grades of light have been studied using microscopic hyperspectral imaging at the plant factory. ResultThe original spectrum has been pre-processed and optimized. And then the characteristic wavelengths were extracted by ant colony optimization (ACO), iterative retained information variable (IRIV), un-information variable elimination (UVE) and genetic partial least squares (GAPLS). Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) and convolutional neural network (CNN) are built based on the optimal feature wavelengths. T4 treatment (Light ratio: 7R/3B/5W/1UVa, Flux: μmol (m2-s), photoperi 12 h) was found to be optimum. In the pre-processing of the raw spectral data, orthogonal signal correction (OSC) methods were selected for SOD, POD and CAT. The best performance of SOD prediction model was constructed based on GAPLS-CNN (Rc = 0.751, Rp = 0.638); The best performance of POD prediction model was constructed based on UVE-CNN (Rc = 0.753, Rp = 0.530); The best performance of CAT prediction model constructed based on ACO-CNN (Rc = 0.742, Rp = 0.504). SignificanceThe aim of this study was to provide technical support for the dynamic monitoring of antioxidant enzyme activity in the leaves of other plants by establishing a quantitative detection model for antioxidant enzyme activity in melon leaves by combining chemical methods with microscopic hyperspectral imaging technology. This work provides data and a theoretical basis for screening light ratios in other plants and offers technical guidance for dynamically monitoring antioxidant enzyme activities in their leaves.

EFFECT OF SOIL CONDITIONERS APPLIED TO SEED ON GRAIN YIELD AND YIELD CHARACTERISTICS IN WHEAT

This study, researching the effect of seed treatment with liquid soil conditioners on yield properties of bread wheat varieties, was completed in 2017 and 2018 in the experimental field of Tekirdag Namik Kemal University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops. The experiments were conducted with 3 bread wheat varieties and 4 soil amendments (control + 3 different liquid soil amendments) in 3 repetitions. Flamura 85, Selimiye and Esperia bread wheat varieties, commonly sown in the Thrace region were used as experimental material. In the experiment, 4 different treatments including 3 different soil regulators and 1 control (T1: Control; T2: 13-5-8+glycine betaine; T3: 15% organic matter, 15% humic and fulvic acid+0.03% potassium and T4: 25% organic matter + 65% humic acid + 6% potassium (T4) were made. Seeds treated with a spray and then dried were sown as split plot experimental design. In the study, the variations in the plant height (PH), spike length (SL), number of spikelets per spike (NSS), number of grains per spike (NGS), grain weight per spike (GWS), spike fertility index (SFI), harvest index (HI) and grain yield (GY) parameters were investigated for the bread wheat varieties. According to the research results, all soil conditioners applied to seeds were determined to affect the investigated characters at a statistically significant level. T4 treatment caused clear increases in the SL, NSS, NGS, GWS and GY parameters. For the PH parameter, T3 treatment caused a significant increase, while for the SFI parameter, T2 treatment caused a significant increase. For the HI parameter, treatments T2 and T3 had the highest effect. T4 treatment caused an increase in plant height for the Flamura 85 variety, reduced the plant height of the Selimiye variety and had no statistically significant effect on the Esperia variety. Spike characteristics like SL, NSS and NGS increased compared to controls with all soil conditioner treatments, while parameters like GWS and BFI differed according to variety. For the HI parameter, the T2 treatment of the Selimiye and Esperia varieties and the T3 treatment of Flamura 85 variety provided highest results. Grain yield, the most important parameter for wheat, provided the highest results in different soil conditioner treatments depending on the variety; the most significant increases were observed in Esperia variety with T2 treatment and in Flamura 85 variety with T3 treatment.

Chemical composition of city wastewater and its effect on germination of some vegetable seeds

Due to increasing shortage of fresh water, the use of city wastewater in agricultural purpose has become more popular day by day. This experiment was conducted to analyze the physico-chemical parameters of the city wastewater and its effect on seed germination and seedling growth of Abelmoschus esculentus (Lady’s Finger), Vigna unguiculata (Yard Long Bean) and Cucumis sativus (Cucumber) plants during the period of January, March and May, 2023 with the application of five treatments i.e. T0 (control), T1 (3ml), T2 (5ml), T3 (7ml) and T4 (10ml). The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Analyses included pH, EC, hardness, cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+ and Fe3+), anions (CO32-, HCO3-, SO42-, PO43- and Cl-) and TDS (total dissolved solids), SAR (sodium adsorption ratio). The pH (6.9 ~ 7.23) was neutral to alkaline and could be suitable for agricultural uses. According to TDS and SAR values, all samples of wastewater were classified as ‘Freshwater’ and ‘excellent’ categories. T0 (control) and T3 (7ml) were showed the highest germination percentage (100%) for every month and T4 (10ml) was showed the lowest germination percentage (80%). The speed of germination, relative germination ratio and germination index were also highest at T0 (control) and lowest was in T1 (3ml) condition and again the shoot and root length of the vegetables were gradually enhanced with increasing concentration and highest shoot and root length found in T4 (10 ml) treatment and lowest shoot and root length observed in T0 (control) treatment. Thus, the city wastewater, after proper dilutions can be used as a promising source of water in agricultural practice.

Productivity and Profitability of Moringa-Brinjal-Based Agroforestry Farming System

An investigation was carried out to assess the productivity and profitability of brinjal during the initial phase of Moringa establishment. Experimental design employed a Randomized Complete Block Design with four distinct treatments: (i) T1 (30 cm distance from the tree base), (ii) T2 (40 cm distance from the tree base), (iii) T3 (50 cm distance from the tree base), and (iv) T4 (open field, control), each treatment being replicated four times. Data were systematically collected from randomly selected plants within each plot and subjected to statistical analysis. The findings indicated that the T4 (control) treatment exhibited superior performance for various parameters, namely plant height, leaf number, branch number, fruit number, fruit weight, and yield. Treatment T4 produced the highest values for fruit weight per plant (1.9 kg), single fruit weight (72.6 g), and fruit yield (34.2 t/ha). Following closely, T3 ranked second with values of 1.6 kg, 67.4 g, and 28.3 t for fruit weight per plant, single fruit weight, and fruit yield per hectare, respectively. In contrast, T1 yielded the lowest results in fruit weight per plant (0.76 kg), single fruit weight (59.6 g), and fruit yield (13.4 t/ha). The analysis of the land equivalent ratio revealed that treatment T3 achieved the highest ratio at 1.81, indicating a positive correlation between a greater distance from the Moringa tree base and an increased brinjal yield. The study concludes that cultivating brinjal in association with one-year-old Moringa trees, while maintaining a 50 cm distance from the tree base, results in optimal yield. J. of Sci. and Tech. Res. 5(1): 09-20, 2023

Microbial regulatory mechanisms of disease-resistant tobacco varieties in the prevention and control of bacterial wilt disease

Bacterial wilt disease poses a significant threat to the production and quality of tobacco. Disease-resistant varieties of tobacco are the primary means of preventing bacterial wilt, but the soil microbial mechanisms that alleviate this disease require further in-depth research. In our study, we analyzed the physicochemical and microbial properties of rhizosphere soil in four different disease-resistant varieties of tobacco. The treatments included: T1 (Chang Bo Huang; 100 % infection rate); T2 (Yun Yan 87; 80 % infection rate); T3 (K326; 50 % infection rate) and T4 (YAN YAN 97; 0 % infection rate). Our results showed that the T4 treatment improved the fresh biomass of tobacco by 35.42 % compared to the T1 treatment. In addition, a significant increase in soil pH and soil organic matter (SOM) from 4.98 and 1.24 % under T1 treatment to 5.86 and 1.38 % under T4 treatment, respectively. As the disease resistance of the tobacco variety improved was found, there was a noticeable upward trend in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the rhizosphere soil, showing higher sensitivity compared to fungi. Additionally, rhizosphere soil from susceptible varieties exhibited higher levels of metabolites, resulting in the accumulation of acidic substances (6-aminopenicillanic acid, garcinia acid, and 4-decan-4-ylbenzenesulfonic acid). Moreover, these soil metabolites might have attracted certain pathogenic fungi (Monoblepharomycota), contributing to the spread of soil diseases. This study suggests that the rhizosphere soil of disease-resistant tobacco variety provides a better microecological environment which could inhibit accumulation of allelopathic substances and reduce the spread of bacterial wilt disease.

Antioxidative and Antimycotoxigenic Efficacies of Thunbergia laurifolia Lindl. for Addressing Aflatoxicosis in Cherry Valley Ducks.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Thunbergia laurifolia extract (TLE) in the diets of Cherry Valley ducklings. Our investigation covered growth indicators, blood biochemical indices, meat quality, intestinal morphology, immune response, and CP450 enzyme-related gene expression. We conducted the study with 180 seven-day-old Cherry Valley ducks, randomly divided into five dietary treatments. These treatments included a basal diet without AFB1 (T1 group), TLE, or a commercial binder; the basal diet containing 0.1 mg AFB1/kg (T2 group), 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 100 mg TLE/kg (T3 group), 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 200 mg TLE/kg (T4 group), and 0.1 mg AFB1/kg and 0.5 g/kg of a commercial binder (T5 group), respectively. Ducklings fed with the T2 diet exhibited lower final body weight (BW), average body weight gain (ADG), and poor feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the 42-day trials. However, all ducklings in the T3, T4, and T5 groups showed significant improvements in final BW, ADG, and FCR compared to the T2 group. Increased alanine transaminase (ALT) concentration and increased expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 indicated hepatotoxicity in ducklings fed the T2 diet. In contrast, ducklings fed T3, T4, and T5 diets all showed a decrease in the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, but only the T4 treatment group showed improvement in ALT concentration. AFB1 toxicity considerably raised the crypt depth (CD) in both the duodenum and jejunum of the T2 group, while the administration of 200 mg TLE/kg (T4) or a commercial binder (T5) effectively reduced this toxicity. Additionally, the villus width of the jejunum in the T2 treatment group decreased significantly, while all T3, T4, and T5 groups showed improvement in this regard. In summary, T. laurifolia extract can detoxify aflatoxicosis, leading to growth reduction and hepatic toxicosis in Cherry Valley ducklings.

Enterobacter cloacae Rs-2 inoculum replaces fertiliser application by half in the field and modifies microbial community structure

Using microbial inoculant partial substitution synthetic fertilizer is a new type of environmentally friendly way to significantly improve the corps production and ecological environment. The effects of supplementing Enterobacter cloacae Rs-2 with synthetic fertilizer on the maize growth and soil microbial community diversity in field were investigated in this paper. The optimal fermentation conditions were determined as 5 g·L−1 industrial glucose, 30 g·L−1 industrial peptone, 1 g·L−1 MgSO4 and 0.5 g·L−1 KCl firstly. Field experiment showed that the fresh weight of shoots and roots was increased by 39.69% and 32.46% when half synthetic fertilizer was replaced by microbial inoculant. The soil physical and chemical properties were also greatly improved, especially the contents of available phosphorus, water-soluble calcium and alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen were significantly increased in T4 (Rs-2 and half chemical fertilizer) and full chemical fertilizer treatment. This result was accompanied by increased the relative abundance of genes related to phospholipid metabolism, phosphotransferase system (PTS) and oxidative phosphorylation metabolism, indicating that Rs-2 may play an important role in the transformation and utilization of phosphorus in soil. The richness, dominance of Proteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae in the microbial communities were further improved when the microbial inoculant applied. Function prediction PICRUSt analysis indicated that amines and amino acids were the most representative of the total carbon source utilization by the soil microbial communities. It was concluded that the application of 50% of the synthetic fertilizer supplemented with 30 mL microbial inoculant enhanced both the functional diversity of soil microbial communities and maize yield.

Partial substitution of nitrate by chloride in fertigation recipes allows for lower nitrate input in hydroponic lettuce crops.

The management of nitrogen (N) fertilization is of fundamental importance in hydroponics. To reduce the supply of nitrate (NO3 -) in fertigation recipes for Batavia lettuce crops grown in closed hydroponics, partial replacement of nitrate by chloride (NO3 -/Cl-) at different ratios but with the same equivalent sum was experimentally tested. The experiment included four nutritional treatments in the replenishment nutrient solution, particularly T1; 0.7 mM Cl-/19 mM NO3 -, T2; 2 mM Cl-/17.7 mM NO3 -, T3; 4 mM Cl-/15.7 mM NO3 - and T4; 6 mM Cl-/13.7 mM NO3 -. The results showed that reducing nitrate supply combined with equivalent increase in chloride application gradually reduced the gap between nitrate input and nitrogen uptake concentrations, with the smallest differences occurring in T4 treatment, which reduced the nitrate concentration in the drainage by 50%. The tested treatments led to very small variations in plant water uptake, production of fresh biomass and nutritional quality, which is justified by the proper functioning of key physiological mechanisms, such as stomatal conductance, which was followed by an increased efficiency of nitrogen use up to 25% (kg fresh biomass kg-1 N supply). The steady level of C/N ratio in the plant tissue irrespective of NO3 -/Cl- supply ratio points to sufficiency in photosynthetic products and adequacy in the supply of nitrogen, although leaf Cl- content increased up to 19.6 mg g-1 dry weight in the lowest NO3 -/Cl- treatment. Nutrient uptake concentrations were determined as follows: 13.4 (N), 1.72 (P), 10.2 (K), 3.13 (Ca), 0.86 (Mg, mmol L-1), 27.8 (Fe), 5.63 (Mn), 5.45 (Zn) and 0.72 (Cu, μmol L-1). This study suggests that replacing 30% of NO3 - supply with Cl- in fertigation recipes for hydroponic lettuce crops reduces leaf nitrate content without affecting physiological processes, growth, and quality, verifying in parallel the role of chloride as a beneficial macronutrient. Finally, a relationship between Cl- uptake and its concentration in the root zone solution was established enabling the simulation of chloride to water consumption.

Optimizing the Nitrogen Fertilizer Management to Maximize the Benefit of Straw Returning on Early Rice Yield by Modulating Soil N Availability

Straw returning has gradually been adopted as an effective approach to address the serious degradation of farmland. However, the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of rice straw is generally too high for microorganisms to decompose the organic materials and release nutrients, which may minimize the benefits of straw returning to the agricultural production system. This study aimed to investigate the effects of straw returning on rice production and propose optimum nitrogen (N) management for early rice production under a straw returning system. The total N fertilizer that was evaluated was 165 kg N ha-1, urea (46% N), applied in different proportions in three stages of rice cultivation: basal, tillering, and panicle. Using no straw returning with the N fertilizer ratio of basal:tillering:panicle = 5:2:3 treatment (T1) as the control, four different N fertilizer ratios of basal:tillering:panicle, including 5:2:3 (T2), 5:2:2 (T3), 5:4:1 (T4), and 5:5:0 (T5) were set under straw returning. The return of straw decreased the available N in the soil at the tillering stage, and impeded root growth and the crop canopy from establishing, which decreased the effective panicles by 10.1% compared with that of T1, limiting the increases in rice grain yield. Increasing the N fertilizer ratio 10–20% (T3 and T4) at the tillering stage effectively increased the content of soil ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, improved the root growth, and increased the root activities by 16.0–40.5% at the tillering stage. As a result, the effective panicle number increased by 5.1–16.2%. Among these, T4 treatment maximized the benefits of straw returning the most. Additionally, increasing the N fertilizer ratio at the tillering stage increased the shoot uptake across the early rice growing season and synchronized crop N uptake with the accumulation of carbon assimilates, which enhanced the crop growth rate and increased the rice yield by 13.5–25.1%. It is concluded that increasing the N fertilizer ratio by 20% at the tillering stage is a promising strategy to increase the availability of N in the phases of high demand for this nutrient.

Thyroid hormone T4 mitigates traumatic brain injury in mice by dynamically remodeling cell type specific genes, pathways, and networks in hippocampus and frontal cortex

The complex pathology of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a main contributor to the difficulties in achieving a successful therapeutic regimen. Thyroxine (T4) administration has been shown to prevent the cognitive impairments induced by mTBI in mice but the mechanism is poorly understood. To understand the underlying mechanism, we carried out a single cell transcriptomic study to investigate the spatiotemporal effects of T4 on individual cell types in the hippocampus and frontal cortex at three post-injury stages in a mouse model of mTBI. We found that T4 treatment altered the proportions and transcriptomes of numerous cell types across tissues and timepoints, particularly oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia, which are crucial for injury repair. T4 also reversed the expression of mTBI-affected genes such as Ttr, mt-Rnr2, Ggn12, Malat1, Gnaq, and Myo3a, as well as numerous pathways such as cell/energy/iron metabolism, immune response, nervous system, and cytoskeleton-related pathways. Cell-type specific network modeling revealed that T4 mitigated select mTBI-perturbed dynamic shifts in subnetworks related to cell cycle, stress response, and RNA processing in oligodendrocytes. Cross cell-type ligand-receptor networks revealed the roles of App, Hmgb1, Fn1, and Tnf in mTBI, with the latter two ligands having been previously identified as TBI network hubs. mTBI and/or T4 signature genes were enriched for human genome-wide association study (GWAS) candidate genes for cognitive, psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders related to mTBI. Our systems-level single cell analysis elucidated the temporal and spatial dynamic reprogramming of cell-type specific genes, pathways, and networks, as well as cell-cell communications as the mechanisms through which T4 mitigates cognitive dysfunction induced by mTBI.

Co-composting of dewatered sludge and wheat straw with newly isolated Xenophilus azovorans: Carbon dynamics, humification, and driving pathways

Composting is a biological reaction caused by microorganisms. Composting efficiency can be adequately increased by adding biochar and/or by inoculating with exogenous microorganisms. In this study, we looked at four methods for dewatered sludge waste (DSW) and wheat straw (WS) aerobic co-composting: T1 (no additive), T2 (5% biochar), T3 (5% of a newly isolated strain, Xenophilus azovorans (XPA)), and T4 (5% of biochar-immobilized XPA (BCI-XPA)). Throughout the course of the 42-day composting period, we looked into the carbon dynamics, humification, microbial community succession, and modifications to the driving pathways. Compared to T1 and T2, the addition of XPA (T3) and BCI-XPA (T4) extended the thermophilic phase of composting without negatively affecting compost maturation. Notably, T4 exhibited a higher seed germination index (132.14%). Different from T1 and T2 treatments, T3 and T4 treatments increased CO2 and CH4 emissions in the composting process, in which the cumulative CO2 emissions increased by 18.61–47.16%, and T3 and T4 treatments also promoted the formation of humic acid. Moreover, T4 treatment with BCI-XPA addition showed relatively higher activities of urease, polyphenol oxidase, and laccase, as well as a higher diversity of microorganisms compared to other processes. The Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) analysis showed that microorganisms involved in the carbon cycle dominated the entire composting process in all treatments, with chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy being the main pathways of organic materials degradation. Moreover, the presence of XPA accelerated the breakdown of organic materials by catabolism of aromatic compounds and intracellular parasite pathways. On the other hand, the xylanolysis pathway was aided in the conversion of organic materials to dissolved organics by the addition of BCI-XPA. These findings indicate that XPA and BCI-XPA have potential as additives to improve the efficiency of dewatered sludge and wheat straw co-composting.

QUALITATIVE STUDIES OF CREAM CHEESE MADE BY USING BIFIDOBACTERIUM BIFIDUM & LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS

World is facing a lot of health problems especially in under developed countries of Asia. This crucial situation demands beneficial foods. This study was planned to produce quality Cream cheese. Probiotic Cream cheese had been promoted for health benefits by using Bifidobacterium bifidum & Lactobacillus acidophilus. Buffalo milk was used to produce Cream cheese. Five treatments were handled; T₀ was the regular treatment in which yoghurt culture was inoculated to make Cream cheese while a combination of yoghurt as well as Bifidobacterium bifidum & Lactobacillus acidophilus was inoculated in T1, T2 and T3. Besides T4 was produced by using only Bifidobacterium bifidum & Lactobacillus acidophilus. In the process milk was standardised up to 5% milk fat then it was pasteurized (63°C for 30 minutes). Cooled to 42°C and 2% starter culture was inoculated in that mixture. After incubation the pH reached up to 4.6. Salt (0.5-1%) was added and product packed into plastic cups and stored (4°C, 4 weeks). Qualitative study of the product showed that T4 treatment was better as compare to T₀, T1, T2 and T3. Conclusively, probiotic Cream cheese produced by using buffalo milk is beneficial for reducing health problems like gastric problems, colon cancer etc. This product can play a vital role in functional foods industry as well as cheese industry.

Foliar Impact of Urea and Nano Urea Application on Growth and Yield Attributes of Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle.) Cv. Kagzi

Background: Acid lime being the nutrient exhaustive fruit crop and requires regular annual application of macro and micronutrients and there was a need to study the response of foliar application of Urea and Nano urea as a source of nitrogen to assess its impact on Kagzi lime trees. The reason to undertake this research was based on response of foliar Urea and Nano urea on nutrient supplementation, rapid nutrient uptake, improved nitrogen utilization along with enhanced nutrient mobility and its effect on growth and yield attributes in acid lime cv. Kagzi plants. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at the Fruit Instructional Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar during June 2022 to December 2022 in established Kagzi lime orchard of 14 years age. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The experiment consisted of foliar application of nine treatments comprising Urea and Nano urea. Result: On the basis of results obtained in the present investigation, the foliar application of T4 treatment (Urea @ 2.0%) was found beneficial in the improvement of growth and yield attributes in acid lime cv. Kagzi. The foliar feeding response through T4 treatment (Urea @ 2.0%) resulted in enhancement of plant height (m), plant spread [E-W and N-S (m)], canopy volume (m3), number of fruits plant-1, yield plant-1 (kg) and estimated yield (kg/ha) in acid lime cv. Kagzi trees.The overall maximum percentage increase in growth attributes viz. plant height (6.46%), E-W plant spread (6.09%), N-S plant spread (6.27%) and canopy volume (20.34%) were found in T4 treatment consisting (Urea @ 2.0%). The application of T4 treatment (Urea @ 2%) resulted in enhancement of number of fruits plant-1 (480.33), fruit weight (67.90 g), yield plant-1 (27.87) and estimated yield (77.21 q/ha).

Effects of MARDI Nano-Fertilizer Application Frequency on the Growth of Rock Melon

For many years, fertilizers have been utilized in agriculture to increase the fruit yield and quality of various crops, which in turn will increase the nutritive content of products. Recently, MARDI has developed a nano-fertilizer based on nanoemulsions to increase the productivity of rock melon. The development of nanoemulsion-based fertilizer was carried out using the high-energy emulsification method which has significant advantages, such as enhancing the solubilization of active constituents while preserving biological activity. In this work, the effects of the vegetative growth of rock melon on different application frequencies (T1=0, T2=2, T3=4, T4=6, and T5=8 times) of MARDI nano-fertilizer through foliar treatment were studied. The results showed that the vegetative growth of the rock melon including plant height, stem diameter, relative chlorophyll content, and leaf area of rock melon were significantly (p≤0.05) increased by 15.07%, 7.8%, 41.5% and 41.5%, respectively at T3, photosynthetic pigments of Chlorophyll a by 21.1% at T5, Chlorophyll b and carotenoid by 24.99% at T4 treatment. The dry weight biomass did not vary significantly in all treatments but showed an increase in dry biomass over the nano-fertilizers treatment compared to the control. These findings indicate that adding the foliar application of MARDI nano-fertilizer produces optimal growth in rock melon plants.

Effect of Enzyme Supplementation on Nutrient Utilization and Production Performance in Lactating Murrah Buffaloes

Background: Enzyme stimulates metabolic and digestive processes leading to increased feed intake and improved nutrient availability in animals. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of enzyme supplementation on nutrient utilization and production performance in lactating Murrah Buffaloes during winter season. Methods: Twenty four lactating Murrah buffaloes were selected for the study from Livestock Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Modipuram, Meerut (UP). All the selected animals were randomly allocated into four treatment groups having six animals in each group on the basis of body weight, lactation length and milk yield. The daily nutrient requirements of lactating Murrah buffaloes in term of DM, DCP and TDN were provided as per the feeding standards of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi (2013). Total Mixed Ration for buffaloes was prepared by mixing of roughage and concentrates in the ratio of 60:40 after grinding/chaffing. Roughage part was consisting of available winter season green fodder e.g. oat and wheat straw available at research centre. Feeding trial was planned into four treatment groups viz. T1 (Basal diet without enzyme supplementation), T2 (Basal diet with supplementation of Xylanase @ 800000 IU), T3 (Basal diet with supplementation of Cellulase @ 240000 IU) and T4 (Basal diet with supplementation of Xylanase @ 800000 IU and Cellulase @ 240000 IU). Result: From the present study, it was observed that the average milk yield (5.34 litre/day) was higher in T4 as compared to other treatment groups, but the difference was non-significant. The average milk fat percent was recorded as 7.52, 7.58. 7.60 and 7.65 in T1, T2, T3 and T4 treatment groups, respectively. Although the results of T4 group animals were comparatively higher in all major milk constituents the differences were found to be statistically non-significant. The average DM intake (kg/d, kg/100 kg BW and g/kg W0.75) and CP intake (g/d, g/100 kg BW) were almost similar in all treatment groups. The TDN intake (kg/d, kg/100 kg BW and g/kg W0.75) was significantly (P less than 0.05) higher in enzyme supplemented groups. The digestibility coefficient of CP, CF, NDF and ADF were higher (P less than 0.05) in buffaloes of T4 over control (T1) group. So, it was concluded from the above study that the milk production and milk composition could be improved with the combine use of Xylanase and Cellulase enzyme in murrah buffaloes due to improved CP and fibre digestibility.

Effects of Different Modified Materials on Soil Fungal Community Structure in Saline-Alkali Soil

Studying the effects of different modified materials on the physicochemical properties and fungal community structure of saline-alkali soil can provide theoretical basis for reasonable improvement of saline-alkali soil. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to explore the effects of five treatments, namely, control (CK), desulfurization gypsum (T1), soil ameliorant (T2), organic fertilizer (T3), and desulfurization gypsum compounds soil ameliorant and organic fertilizer (T4), on soil physicochemical properties and fungal community diversity, composition, and structure of saline-alkali soil in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that compared with those in CK, the contents of available phosphorus, available potassium, organic matter, and alkali hydrolysis nitrogen were significantly increased in modified material treatments, and the T4 treatment significantly decreased soil pH. Modified treatments increased the Simpson and Shannon indexes of fungi but decreased the Chao1 index. The dominant fungi were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota, and the dominant genera were Mortierella, Conocybe, Botryotrichum, Fusarium, and Pseudogymnoascus. The application of modified materials increased the relative abundance of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Fusarium, and Pseudogymnoascus, while decreasing the relative abundance of Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Mortierella. LEfSe analysis showed that modified treatments altered the fungal community biomarkers. Correlation analysis showed that pH and available potassium were the main environmental factors affecting fungal community structure. The results can provide scientific basis for improving saline-alkali soil and increasing soil nutrients in Hetao Plain, Inner Mongolia.

Chitosan nanoconjugation of GnRH analogue augments reproductive performance in Clarias magur (Hamilton, 1822)

A breeding trial was conducted to investigate the impact of a chitosan nanoconjugated formulation of Salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (ChN-sGnRH-a) on the induced breeding performance of female Clarias magur (magur). A total of 72 magur breeders were divided into six treatment groups: Cn, the Negative Control (injected with bare chitosan nanoparticles); Cp, the Positive Control (injected with Gonopro-FH®, a commercially available inducing hormone, at a dose of 1 mL/kg body weight of fish); T1, injected with ChN-sGnRH-a at a dose of 1 mL/kg; T2, T1 + 10 mg/kg domperidone; T3, injected with ChN-sGnRH-a at a dose of 0.5 mL/kg; T4, T3 + 10 mg/kg domperidone. Blood was collected at 0 (before injection), 6, 12 and 18 h post-injection to determine the serum steroid profile. In the Cp treatment group, the serum steroid levels of testosterone, estradiol, and 17α, 20β-dihydroxy progesterone in the fish, displayed a sharp increase, peaking at the 6-h post-injection, followed by a significant decrease. However, the fish in the T2 and T4 treatment groups exhibited serum steroid peaks at the 12-h post-injection and maintained those levels up to the 18-h post-injection. The reproductive performance, as measured by spawning fecundity, fertilization rate, and hatching rate, was significantly higher in the T2 treatment group (p < 0.05). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between the Cp and T4 treatment groups. Compared to the Cn treatment group, the mRNA expression levels of pituitary follicle stimulating hormone subunit beta and luteinizing hormone subunit beta, as well as ovarian 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3, were significantly higher in the T2 treatment group, followed by Cp and T4 treatment groups. Fish in the T2 treatment group displayed fewer mature oocytes and numerous post-ovulatory follicles in their ovaries. Additionally, the ovarian histology of fish in the T4 treatment group closely resembled that of the Cp treatment group. The results indicate that the chitosan nanoconjugated formulation of Salmon GnRH analogue might contribute to maintaining elevated levels of gonadotropic and steroid concentrations, resulting in improved reproductive output in female magur breeders. It is also revealed that the induced breeding of magur cannot be achieved without using dopamine inhibitors in GnRH analogue injection. Using chitosan nanoparticles as a nano-delivery system could reduce the Salmon GnRH analogue dose without compromising the reproductive performance of female magur breeders.