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Effect of a Hormone Containing Nitrobenzene in Combination with Fertilizers on Early Flower Induction of Ixora coccinea Hybrids under Outdoor and Shaded Conditions
Hapu Arachchige Ruwani Kalpana Jayawardana,
Mohamed Cassim Mohamed Zakeel,
Channa De Zoysa
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
124-126
Received:
3 November 2014
Accepted:
12 November 2014
Published:
2 June 2015
Abstract: Ixora or Jungle Geranium (Ixora coccinea) is an invaluable plant in tropical landscapes for its beautiful foliage, easiness of growing and fabulous flowers freely formed and artfully presented. Sri Lanka exports Ixora hybrids as planting materials after rooting the Ixora cuttings on a coir dust media. Exporting potted Ixora plants with flowers is more beneficial than that without flowers as flowers increase product quality and gain customer attraction. In commercial floriculture venture, flower induction at young age using plant growth regulators and fertilizers is a popular practice. An experiment was conducted to investigate the most effective combination of a plant growth regulator and fertilizers for early flower initiation of Ixora hybrids; Vulcanus, Chanmai, Nora grant and Kontiki under outdoor and shaded conditions. Six-month-aged healthy plants of Ixora hybrids grown in containers were treated with a flowering hormone containing Nitrobenzene in combination with two fertilizer types: F1 – Bloom special and F2 – Krista K 44. Flowering hormone was sprayed in four concentrations; H1= 0.075% (V/V), H2 = 0.100% (V/V), H3 = 0.125% (V/V) and H4 = 0.150% (V/V) once in two weeks. Both fertilizers were applied as a liquid spray in same concentration (1 g/L of water) once a week. All the cultural practices were similarly applied to the plants under two light levels (outdoor light ‘L1’and shaded conditions ‘L2’). There were 16 treatment combinations and control, each with five replicates. Each treatment combination consisted of three plants. The number of flower-initiated plants per treatment combination was recorded as a percentage for five weeks. Percentage values after five weeks of treatments were transformed into log values and used for the analysis of variance. All the hybrids except Vulcanus showed a significant flower induction compared to the control. Outdoor light and shaded conditions were not significantly different to each other showing the potentiality of early flower initiation of hybrids under shaded condition. However, no significant difference in flower induction was observed among four levels of the flowering hormone and the two types of fertilizers (p> 0.05) in all four Ixora hybrids despite differences among the hybrids. Therefore, it could be concluded that the least expensive combination of hormone and fertilizer type could play a profitable and a positive role in early flower induction of Ixora at an age of six months.
Abstract: Ixora or Jungle Geranium (Ixora coccinea) is an invaluable plant in tropical landscapes for its beautiful foliage, easiness of growing and fabulous flowers freely formed and artfully presented. Sri Lanka exports Ixora hybrids as planting materials after rooting the Ixora cuttings on a coir dust media. Exporting potted Ixora plants with flowers is m...
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Agriculture: From a Development Perspective to Plant Resource Domestication
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
127-134
Received:
12 May 2015
Accepted:
25 May 2015
Published:
6 June 2015
Abstract: Plant Resource Domestication (PRD) is generally accepted as a continuum of different phases of human-plant interactions but its value in the development of agriculture remains to be explored. The origin of PRD can be traced to an initial transfer of valuable native plants from their natural habitats to agricultural ecosystems. The later phase of the domestication process involves the genetic improvement of cultivated plants. Plants subjected to the different aspects of domestication manifest a modification to their form and an enhancement of their function. As cultivated plants manifest profound changes in morphology and physiology so also they progress into becoming crops that are highly productive. The higher productivity that defines the latter stages of PRD is often achieved through series of selection and plant breeding programmes. These stages or Plant Development Levels provide clues into the development pattern intrinsic to agriculture and inform the proposal concerning the nature of agriculture as well as its development.
Abstract: Plant Resource Domestication (PRD) is generally accepted as a continuum of different phases of human-plant interactions but its value in the development of agriculture remains to be explored. The origin of PRD can be traced to an initial transfer of valuable native plants from their natural habitats to agricultural ecosystems. The later phase of th...
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Comparative Study on the Effect of Citrillus lanatus and Cucumis sativus on the Growth Performance of Archachatina marginata
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
135-139
Received:
2 June 2015
Accepted:
16 June 2015
Published:
2 July 2015
Abstract: Feeding accounts for a reasonable percentage of the cost of livestock production and a major factor that determines the viability and profitability of livestock farming ventures. Also scarcity and high cost of meat for human consumption has necessitated the need for intensive rearing of some non-conventional livestock such as the snail hitherto hunted from the wild, in view of this, this study evaluated the effects of two fruits, Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and Watermelon (Citrillus lanatus) on the growth performance of Archachatina marginata. The study was conducted using One hundred and thirty five (135) snails, 15 snails per treatment and each treatment was replicated three times and the experiment lasted for a period of eight weeks. In terms of growth, results showed that the snails fed with watermelon and cucumber performed generally better than others but statistically, no significant difference (P>0.05) existed between the snails (in terms of weight, length, circumference of the snail) fed with the two fruits and the combination of both. From the result, it was observed that the mean weight gain of snails fed with Citrillus lanatus ( Cage A) was 5.43g, those fed with Cucumis sativus (Cage B) had mean weight gain of 1.22g , while those fed with both fruits (Cage C) had 7.53g. The mean shell length increase in snails fed with Citrillus lanatus was 10.74mm, those of Cucumis sativus was 10.52mm, while those fed with both had 12.24mm. The mean shell circumference of snails fed with Citrilus lanatus was 14.47mm, those fed with Cucumis sativus had 14.15mm, while those fed with both had 15.16mm. From the results, snails fed with both Citrillus lanatus and Cucumis sativus performed best while snails fed with Citrillus lanatus performed better than those fed with Cucumis sativus in all parameters measured. Therefore, snail farmers are advised to use the combination of cucumber and watermelon for a better yield.
Abstract: Feeding accounts for a reasonable percentage of the cost of livestock production and a major factor that determines the viability and profitability of livestock farming ventures. Also scarcity and high cost of meat for human consumption has necessitated the need for intensive rearing of some non-conventional livestock such as the snail hitherto hun...
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Herbaceous Species Diversity in Kanawa Forest Reserve (KFR) in Gombe State, Nigeria
Abba Halima Mohammed,
Sawa Fatima Binta Jahun,
Gani Alhassan Mohammed,
Abdul Suleiman Dangana
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
140-150
Received:
4 June 2015
Accepted:
19 June 2015
Published:
8 July 2015
Abstract: The study was conducted between 2009 and 2011 in Kanawa Forest Reserve (KFR) in order to determine the impact of anthropogenic pressures and environmental changes of the herbaceous species. The project area was divided into six sites following the variety of land forms in the forest and three transects measuring 100m were laid within each site. Point Centered Quarter (PCQ) sampling method was used. Data obtained were analyzed for relative density, relative frequency, and importance value index. A total of (35) species were identified in KFR out of which 16 species belonged to grasses within three families and 19 genera. The family Poaceae had the highest number, 10 species, the Cyperaceae had 5 species, while the Typhaceae had only l. 19 species belonged to forbs within fourteen families and 16 genera. The families Asteraceae and Leguminosae: Fabaceae had 3 species each: Rubiaceae had 2 species each. Acanthaceae, Capparidaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Portulacaceae, Polygonaceae, Solanaceae, Onagraceae, Labiatae and Commelinaceae all had 1 species each. Simpson’s index of diversity was 0.998 and Shannon-Wiener Index was 4.57. This condition indicates complex vegetation. Chi square and its related statistics showed significant positive associations between site I and IV, lI and IV, V and VI. Only site I and IV, II and IV, V and VI were significantly negatively associated at (P < 0.05). The species with the lowest importance value indices were:- Pennisetum pedicellatum, Polygonum senegalense, Vetiveria nigrinata, Zornia glochidiata. These plants therefore require more efforts on conservation.
Abstract: The study was conducted between 2009 and 2011 in Kanawa Forest Reserve (KFR) in order to determine the impact of anthropogenic pressures and environmental changes of the herbaceous species. The project area was divided into six sites following the variety of land forms in the forest and three transects measuring 100m were laid within each site. Poi...
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Evaluation of Some Performance Traits and Carcass Characteristics of Archachatina marginata Snails Fed Plant Wastes
Olubukola Omolara Babalola
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
151-155
Received:
2 July 2015
Accepted:
8 July 2015
Published:
17 July 2015
Abstract: There is inadequate information on quality feedstuffs for large scale production and all year round availability of snails in Nigeria. This study evaluated the performance, carcass analysis and sensory evaluation of cooked meat of growing Archachatina marginata snails fed plant wastes as a sole feed ingredient. 120 growing snails of mean weight of 132.91±2.13g were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments of pawpaw leaves (PL), whole lettuce (WL), lettuce wastes (LW) and cabbage wastes (CW). Each treatment was replicated thrice with 10 snails per replicate in a completely randomized design. The feeding trial lasted 6 months. Treatment effect on shell length and width was significant (P<0.05) with snails on LW recording highest while no significant differences were observed in the shell thickness gain (P>0.05). The highest dressing percentage of 43.2% was obtained for snails on LW while the lowest value of 35.19% was recorded for snails on PL. The treatments had no appreciable effect on the nutrient composition and sensory quality of the snail meat. The highest dry matter digestibility of 83.50% was recorded in snails on CW which was statistically similar to those on LW (83.33%) while the least value of 78.33% was recorded in snails on PL. The weight gain and feed per gain followed the same pattern as the dry matter digestibility. It can be concluded that growing snails can utilize lettuce waste as well as cabbage waste as sole feed thereby increasing the feed data base for snail production in the Tropics.
Abstract: There is inadequate information on quality feedstuffs for large scale production and all year round availability of snails in Nigeria. This study evaluated the performance, carcass analysis and sensory evaluation of cooked meat of growing Archachatina marginata snails fed plant wastes as a sole feed ingredient. 120 growing snails of mean weight of ...
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Utilization of Mangrove Forest Plant: Nipa Palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb.)
Md. Farid Hossain,
Md. Anwarul Islam
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 4, July 2015
Pages:
156-160
Received:
15 May 2015
Accepted:
23 May 2015
Published:
17 July 2015
Abstract: This review paper discusses the production, uses and importance of Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb., Arecaceae). It is a mangrove palm that grows well in ‘Sundarbans’ mangrove forest of Bangladesh. Nipa palm is locally called ‘Golpata’ used for multipurpose such as roof thatching, partitioning, foods, medicinal purposes and as a source of fuel wood. The sugary sap from the inflorescence stalk is used as a source of treacle (molasses), amorphous sugar, vinegar and alcohol. Newly developed shoots are to be used as a vermicide. Ash from Nipa palm is used as an analgesic against tooth pain and headache. Dry leaves, petiole, stem wood, fruit residues etc. are used as fuel. In fishing, rhizomes of Nipa palm are extensively used, facilitating the fishing net to float over the water surface. This palm helps stabilizing soils, protecting against erosion, reducing the forces of cyclones and high sea waves in the coastal zones. The demand of Nipa palm products is increasing day by day in the different countries of the world including Bangladesh.
Abstract: This review paper discusses the production, uses and importance of Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb., Arecaceae). It is a mangrove palm that grows well in ‘Sundarbans’ mangrove forest of Bangladesh. Nipa palm is locally called ‘Golpata’ used for multipurpose such as roof thatching, partitioning, foods, medicinal purposes and as a source of fuel wood...
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