International Journal of Agricultural Sciences

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (10), pp. 294-311, October, 2014.© International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Mycotoxines and/or aflatoxines in milk and milk products: Review

Melkamu Bezabih Yitbarek¹ and Birhan Tamir²

¹Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Debre Markos University,

Debre Markos, Ethiopia.

²College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 07 August, 2014.

Abstract 

This review was conducted to evaluate micotoxin and or aflatoxines in milk and milk products through critical review. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by the three major fungus genera Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. The contamination of food and feeds by Mycotoxin remains a worldwide problem, according to FAO estimation   up to 25% of the world’s food crops are significantly contaminated with mycotoxin. Aflatoxin is one of aclasses of mycotoxin. The major aflatoxins are afflation B1, B2, G1 and G2.  Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1)   is the hepatic hydroxylated metabolites of AFB1. AFM1 is found in milk and milk products obtained from livestock that have ingested AFB1contaminated feed. In lactating animals the conversion rate of AFB1 to AFM1 ranges between 0.5 and 6%. Several research workers reported that there is a linear relationship between the amount of AFM1 in milk and AFB1 in feed which is consumed by dairy cattle. Aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products is considered to pose certain hygienic risks for human health. These metabolites are not destroyed during the pasteurization and heating process. Many countries standards limits of Aflatoxins M1 ranged between 0 to 0.5 ppb, in milk and dairy products.

Key words: Mycotoxin, aflatoxin, milk, milk products. 

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (10), pp. 289-293, October, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research paper

Effect of tillage practices on soil physico-chemical characteristics and wheat straw yield

Kahlon M.S.* and Singh Gurpreet

¹ Department of Soil Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 14 August, 2014.

Abstract 

Tillage practices affect physico-chemical characteristics of soils and straw yield. Therefore, a field study was conducted for two years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014) with four tillage practices i.e., happy seeder (HS), roto –tillage (RT), no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Effect of these treatments was observed on soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic carbon content (SOC), Av. N, P and K and straw yield of wheat in two soils i.e., sandy loam (SL) and loamy sand (LS) separately. Among tillage practices, the mean highest SOC was found under HS (3.44 g kg^-1) followed by RT (3.26 g kg^-1), NT (3.01 g kg^-1) and the lowest under CT (2.58 g kg^-1) for SL soil. Mean highest Av. N (kg ha^-1) was observed under HS (128.4) and the lowest under CT (102.6) for SL soil. Effect of tillage and residue management practices on soil pH, EC and CEC was not significant in both the soils.  The mean highest straw yield (t ha^-1) in SL and LS soil was observed under HS (7.5 and 6.9) followed by RT (7.1 and 6.5), NT (6.8 and 6.2) and least under CT (6.3 and 5.8) in SL and LS soils respectively.

Key Words: Tillage, physico-chemical, organic carbon, straw yield, wheat.

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (9), pp. 281-288, September, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Interaction effects of Glomus fasciculatum and Trichoderma viride inoculations on groundnut plants inoculated with pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina

Khirood Doley* and Paramjit Kaur Jite

Department of Botany, Mycology, University of Pune, Maharashtra. , India, Pune- 411007. Email: [email protected]

Accepted May, 2014

Abstract 

An investigation was undertaken to evaluate interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus (Glomus fasciculatum) and Trichoderma species (Trichoderma viride) for their possible role in biological control ability in groundnut plant against soil-borne root pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina which is causal agent of root-rot. For this, groundnut seeds were treated with both AM fungi and Trichoderma singly or in combination of both in presence or absence of pathogen M. phaseolina. In the obtained results, the overall plant growth parameters such as shoot, root length, fresh, dry weight and leaf, pod numbers, disease severity, mycorrhizal dependency, physiological, bio-chemical activities and antioxidant enzyme activities were calculated after 30 and 60 days of sowing. The interaction result showed that the effect of pathogen was significantly reduced due to single or dual inoculation of either AM fungi or Trichoderma in terms of plant growth or disease severity. In defense related physiological, biochemical and antioxidant enzyme activity also showed marked increase due to single or dual inoculations of AM fungi or Trichoderma species. However, the dual inoculations of AM fungi/Trichoderma were more pronounced in increasing overall growth, reducing the disease severity caused by M. phaseolina and bringing about defense related physiological, bio-chemical, antioxidant enzyme activities in the presented pot culture investigation.

Key words: AM fungi, biological control, groundnut, M. phaseolina, Trichoderma.

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (9), pp. 268-280, September, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Conservation tillage implementation under rainfed agriculture: Implication for soil fertility, green water management, soil loss and grain yield in the Ethiopian Highlands

Desale  Kidane Asmamaw^1*

Samara University, department of Geography, P.O. Box 132, Samara Ethiopia,

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 4 August,2014.

Abstract 

Soil degradation and declining agricultural productivity due to soil erosion and poor soil management using repeated cross plowing by the traditional plow had been the major problem in the Ethiopian highlands. To reduce the impacts of land degradation, research institutes, researchers and NGOs cooperatively developed and or adopted conservation tillage tools and had been implemented in an on-farm experiment for the last decades. Thus, this paper reviewed scientific conservation tillage researches which had been conducted on its impact on soil fertility, soil water properties, runoff, soil loss and agricultural productivity in the Ethiopian highlands. Majority of the implemented conservation tillage had brought significant effect on soil fertility improvement, moisture conservation, increased yield, reduced runoff and soil loss compared to the traditional tillage. Although, tillage changes soil properties, the effects had been usually inconsistent and not repeatable from site to site and time to time.  Environmental and socio-economic factors especially weed infestations and unaffordable costs are among the major challenges for its adoption in Ethiopia. To optimize the productivity and maintain the sustainability of soils, further studies on the effect of long-term tillage particularly on soils and soil water properties under various tillage practices and environments would be essential.

Key words: Conservation tillage, grain yield, soil loss, infiltration, runoff, soil moisture, Ethiopia. 

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (9), pp. 261-267, September, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Pathological and physiological studies on root rot disease in white lupine (Lupinus termis Forsik)

Montaser Fawzy Abdel-Monaim ^1*; Mohamed R. Gabr ²; Saad M. El-Gantiry¹; Mohamed N. Shaat² and Ali M. El-Bana²

¹Legume Diseases Res. Dep., Plant Pathology Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Cen., Giza, Egypt.

² Plant Pathology Dep., Fac. of Agric., El-Minia Univ. Minia, Egypt. Email: [email protected]

Accepted 26, May 2014

Abstract 

Fusarium solani and Macrophomina phaseolina is common fungal pathogens on lupine plants causing damping-off and root rot diseases resulting in serious economic losses. In this study, six isolates of F. solani and four isolates of M. phaseolina were isolated from lupine plants. The obtained resulted indicate that, all isolate able to attack lupine plants causing damping-off and root rot symptoms. Tissue extracts prepared from experimentally diseased root systems showed great pectolytic and cellulolytic activities while healthy tissue extracts of both organs showed slight activities of the enzymes. In varietal response test, four lupine cultivars i.e. Australian, Balady, Giza 1 and Giza 2 were tested for their susceptibility to F. solani (FR2) and M. phaseolina (MR1 ) and the cultivar Balady was most sensitive to both pathogens. Under field conditions, Balady cultivar was highly susceptible towards damping-off and root rot diseases and produced the least seed yield followed by Australian cultivars. On contrary, Giza 2 recorded the least damping-off and root rot severity and gave the highest seed yield followed by Giza 1. The first of December was more suitable to minimize the infection with damping-off and root rot diseases in field. Sowing lupine at 1st November gave the highest seed yield in both growing seasons.

Key words: Lupine, damping-off, root rot, cultivars, sowing dates, pectolytic and cellulolytic activities.

International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 4 (9), pp. 257-260, September, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Insecticidal activities of some plant extracts against subterranean termites, Psammotermes hybostoma (Desneux) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abdullah  Z. Alshehry,  Ahmed A. Zaitoun and  Refaat  A. Abo-Hassan

Department of Arid land Agriculture, Faculty of  Meteorology, Environment and Arid land Agriculture - King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah,  Saudi Arabia. Email:[email protected]

Accepted 5, May 2014

Abstract 

The present study was carried out to determine the toxicity of four local plants extracts Rhazya stricta Decne, Lantana camara L., Ruta chalepensis L.  and Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk. against subterranean termites Psammotermes hybostoma (Desneux). All extracts demonstrated remarkable toxicities due to hexane extracts. Of the four extracts, the hexane extract from R., stricta has shown a relatively more pronounced  toxic effect , having an acute (24 hr) and chronic (48hr) LC50s of 194.8 and 147.4 ppm  comparing to 221.7 and 149.9;  288.9, 185.6 ; and 391.3 and 244.5 ppm for  L. camara, R. chalepenesis and H.  bacciferum, respectively.  Toxic effect was found to be both dose and exposure-time. No significant differences were observed between Rh. stricta , L. camara and positive control (Fipronil (Agenda® 2.5 EC). These safe materials could have promising practical application in protection against attacks by subterranean termites Psammotermes hybostoma.

Key words: Plant extract, Subterranean termites, Bioassay, Mortality, Insecticidal activity.