African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 7 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The effect of different packaging materials on proteolysis, sensory scores and gross composition of tulum cheese

Songul Cakmakci, Mustafa Gurses* and Engin Gundogdu

Department of Food Engineering, Agricultural Faculty, Ataturk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey.

Accepted 4 April, 2018

Abstract

In this study, tulum cheese was manufactured using raw ewe’s milk and was ripened in goat’s skin and plastic bags. The effect of ripening materials (skin bag or plastic) on proteolysis was investigated during 120 days of ripening. In addition, sensory scores of the cheeses were assessed at the 90th and 120th days. The gross composition was also determined at the initial stage of ripening. The results showed that, some significant differences were noted between cheeses ripened in goat’s skin and plastic bags in terms of gross composition due to the porous structure of skin bag, which causes moisture loses during ripening. Significant differences were observed in proteolysis indices including water, 12% tricholoroacetic acid and 5% phosphotungstic acid- soluble nitrogen fractions among the cheese samples during ripening. Proteolysis levels were higher in tulum cheeses ripened in goat’s skin.

Key words: Tulum cheese, packaging material, sensory analysis, ripening, proteolysis.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 7 (1), pp. 001-008, January, 2019. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The long-term effects of alfalfa on soil water content in the Loess Plateau of northwest China

Xiaolong Ren^1,2,3,4, Zhikuan Jia^1,2,3,4*, Sumei Wan², Qingfang Han^1,2,3,4 and Xiaoli Chen³

¹Agronomy Department, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.

²Research Center of Dryland Farming In Arid and Semiarid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.

³Institute of Water Saving Agriculture in Arid Regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.

⁴The Key Laboratory of Crop Production and Ecology in Dryland, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.

Accepted 14 May, 2018

Abstract

Soil desiccation is the most serious problem in forest vegetations and grassland, which lead to widespread land degradation in the Loess Plateau of China. The soil water variations at 0 to 1000 cm depth of different vegetations were studied to explore the hydrological effects of vegetations and determine the optimal length of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) phase at the Zhenyuan Agri-ecological Station of the Loess Plateau in China. Eight treatments were designed in this study: waste land, wheat land and six continuous growing alfalfa treatments, including 4-year-old (4 year), 6-year-old (6 year), 8-year-old (8 year), 12-year-old (12 year), 18-year-old (18 year) and 26-year- old (26 year) alfalfa grasslands. Results showed that the wheat field had the best soil water content and no dry soil layer, while slightly dry soil layer occurred in wasteland and 4, 6 and 8 year alfalfa grasslands. After alfalfa grew for > 8 years, moderately dry soil layer appeared in the grassland and expanded beyond 500 cm soil depth. The result also showed that wheat field, wasteland and the alfalfa grasslands growing for 4, 6 and 8 years had no unfavorable impacts on the ecological environments of the soil moisture but the grasslands for 12, 18 and 26 years did exert relatively stronger unfavorable influences on the hydrological effects. Considering all the factors, this study recommends that the optimal length of alfalfa phase should be 8 years.

Key words: Different vegetation, alfalfa grasslands, soil water content, ecological effect, soil desiccation, Loess Plateau of China.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 6 (6), pp. 001-007, June, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The genetic mineralogical characteristics of fish otoliths and their environmental typomorphism

Li Shengrong¹*, Du Fengqin¹, Yan Lina¹, Cao Ye¹, Luo Junyan¹, Gao Yonghua², Yang Liangfeng³ and Tong Jinggui⁴

¹State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences,Beijing 100083,China.

²Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

³The Geological Museum of China, Beijing 100034, China.

⁴Shenzhen College of Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, China.

Accepted 21 November, 2018

Abstract

Otolith is a typical biomineral carrier growing on insides of fish skull with prominent zoning structure formed by alternating layers of protein and calcium carbonate around the nucleus. The zoning number and the thickness of the rhythmic zone can reflect the age and the growing velocity. The δ¹⁸O values of the calcium carbonate are indicators of the temperature of the water where the fish lives. The geometry, color, common and trace elements, oxygen and carbon isotopes of the zones can be employed effectively to classify the species, trace the source, migration habits, nutrition level of the fish and the variation of the ocean environment, in order to predict the environmental variation trend of related waters and make strategic plan for fishery production. Thermoluminescence technique can be taken as a new tool in the investigation of fish otolith to describe the heavy metal pollution of related waters, and the thermoluminescence parameters can be used to deduce the source and manage fishery resources.

Key words: Fish otoliths, age, temperature, species, migration, water environment.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 6 (5), pp. 001-007, May, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of seed priming and water potential on seed germination and emergence of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties in laboratory assays and in the field

F. S. Murungu

Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, P. O. Box 12363, JACOBS 4026, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +27 31 907 7673. Fax: +27 86 558 5673.

Accepted 4 April, 2017

Abstract

Poor crop establishment is a major problem in wheat production due to low soil moisture. Two experiments were undertaken to determine the effects of seed priming on seed germination and seedling emergence of wheat varieties. The first experiment determined the effects of water potentials (0, -0.01, -0.1, -0.2, -0.5 and -1.5 MPa), seed hydro -priming treatments including non-primed, primed (without seed drying), primed and 12 h drying on seed germination of wheat varieties. The second experiment determined the optimum seed soaking duration in wheat for maximum emergence. The factors used were seed treatment (soaking for 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h and 12 h soaking and 12 h drying) and variety. In the first experiment, there was a significant (P < 0.01) interaction between seed treatment and water potentials. Seed germination percent for all the treatments decreased as water potentials decreased. The non-primed seeds had the greatest decrease in germination percent as water potential was lowered. At low water potentials (-0.2 and -0.5 MPa), priming improved the germination of all the varieties. In the second experiment, there was a significant (P < 0.05) seed treatment effect on wheat emergence. Priming resulted in an increased final percent emergence and lower time to 50% emergence when compared with the non-soaked seed. It was concluded that priming wheat seed up to 12 h may be recommended were soil water potential is low enough to limit emergence. Delay of planting after soaking for 12 h did not affect the final emergence.

Key words: Seed priming, wheat, water potential, germination rate.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 6 (3), pp. 001-008, March, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Preliminary investigation of cryopreservation by encapsulation-dehydration technique on Brassidium Shooting Star orchid hybrid

Lim Li Yin, Ranjetta Poobathy, Jessica James, Advina Lizah Julkifle and Sreeramanan Subramaniam*

School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden Heights, 11800 Penang, Malaysia.

Accepted 8 April, 2017

Abstract

Protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Brassidium Shooting Star, a new commercial ornamental orchid hybrid, were cryopreserved by an encapsulation-dehydration technique. The effects of PLB size, various sucrose concentrations in preculture media and sodium alginate concentration for encapsulation were the main parameters assessed. Four-week old PLBs (1 to 2 and 3 to 4 mm) were precultured in half strength semi- solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with six different sucrose concentrations (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 M) for 24 h, followed by encapsulation in 2.5, 3.0 or 3.5% sodium alginate, with 0.1 M calcium chloride been used as the hardening agent. The beads formed were then osmoprotected in half-strength liquid MS media supplemented with 0.75 M sucrose and dehydrated for three hours in 50 g heat -sterilized silica gel before cryostorage in sterile cryovials. The beads were thawed in a 40 ± 2°C water bath and then directly placed in recovery media for two weeks under tissue culture conditions. After two weeks of recovery, the survival rates of the encapsulated PLBs were evaluated by the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) assay. The best conditions for the encapsulation -dehydration of Brassidium Shooting Star were discovered to be the preculture of 3 to 4mm PLB in half strength semi-solid MS media supplemented with 0.8 M sucrose, followed by encapsulation in 3.5% sodium alginate. Further biochemical analysis (chlorophyll, total soluble protein and peroxidases activities) were conducted to investigate the physiological responses of the PLBs after cryopreservation.

Key words: Encapsulation-dehydration, cryopreservation, Brassidium Shooting Star, protocorm-like bodies.

African Journal of Water Conservation and Sustainability ISSN: 2375-0936 Vol. 6 (2), pp. 001-009, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Biological efficacy of the ecotoxically favourable insecticides and their mixture in the control of gypsy moth

Mara Tabakovi -Toši ¹*, Miloš Koprivica¹, Dragutin Toši ² and Vesna Golubovi - urguz¹

¹Institute of Forestry Belgrade, Str. Kneza Viseslava 3 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

²Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Accepted 06 April, 2017

Abstract

Forest certification is one of the ways of adapting forestry to modern ideas of “sustainable management“, by meeting demands of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard. By joining this process, Serbia obligated to follow FSC pesticides policy. Almost all insecticides registered in Serbia and applied for control of the most dangerous outbreaking defoliating species in forests, are on the list of prohibited ones. In certificated forest ecosystems in Serbia, microbiological insecticides (active ingredient: Spores and protein-crystals of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki) are most widely used pesticides for the control of one of the most important economically harmful defoliators – gypsy moths, in progragation phase, when the number of pests is relatively small. When the number is greater, it is assumed that the so- called “soft“ ecotoxicologically favourable preparations Avaunt^®, Alverde^®, Coragen^®, registered for application in agriculture, but not in forestry can be used for inhibition of multiplication. Studies of biological efficacy of the aforementioned preparations and their mixtures with biological insecticide Foray^® showed that they have preconditions for application in forest ecosystems. The high biologic efficacy, mechanism of action, resistance to water rinsing, high selectivity, and small quantities of application, anticipated a bright future for them. Since results of researches of biological efficacy of insecticides in laboratory and field conditions are statistically different, studies done in natural conditions should be favored.

Key words: Insecticides, gypsy moth larvae, efficacy, validity of different research methods.