COVID-19: Transportation and Tashkent State Agrarian University

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has considerably and negatively affected the global community. To restrain the transmission of viruses, a restricted mobility has been highly imposed across the world and Uzbekistan as well. Our paper which responds to one of the directions of UI GreenMetric University Rankings provides a novel dataset on attitude-behaviors and personal perceptions of university students and academic staff in the term of transportation collected after the severe quarantine regime within the COVID-19 outbreak in Uzbekistan. We formulated a questionnaire design hinged on employing qualitative virtual interview and a short survey with students and university staff, estimating the sensitivity toward the potential crisis in crucially deciding on daily routines with restricted transportation and future mobility modes in the company of an urgent health concern. An online survey was distributed through Internet platforms such as Telegram within the period April-May 2020, with a total of 600 students, while a Zoom interview was organized for 50 of academic staff of Tashkent State Agrarian University. Our dataset comprises 362 out of 600 valid and full responses from students. Our survey was split into two sections. The first one has characterized the using frequency of all transportation modes before and after restricting the mobility, whereas the second section has considered potential risks of contracting COVID-19 from multi-modal transportation and potential effectiveness of travel mitigation measures. In general, the dataset was conveniently used to quantify and investigate students’ and staff’s attitude behavior towards traveling options and modal shifts due to COVID-19. Aligning with descriptive statistics, our paper also shares the results of possible explanatory emission calculations in transportation, serving as a reasonable reference for future studies during the pandemic.Keyword: Multimodal transportation, attitude-behavior, COVID-19, questionnaire, interview, emission, Uzbekista

Egg color ratio change in a new genetic method developed for improving the mulberry silkworm (Bombyx Mori L.) balanced with embryonic z-lethality

The mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. is a rare insect that has been domesticated it for 5000 years and used to satisfy its needs. The Mulberry silkworm is one of the most convenient species for scientific research in terms of its structure, rearing, and rapid reproduction. In our study, the egg stage sex-linked balanced with embryonic Z-lethal (SLBL), the rare C-8ngl (NGL - new genetic line) breed of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx Mori L., was improved gradually with genetically simple strains with high technological traits. The balance of ℓ1 and ℓ2 embryonic non-allelic lethality linked with the Z chromosome in the F1, F2, and F3 generations was analyzed, and the extent to which they were in balance in each generation was determined. The female-to-male ratio in each generation was strictly checked at the egg stage. In the F1, F2, F3, and F4 generations obtained from backcross breeding, genetic schemes have been developed that show the degree to which embryonic lethal ℓ1 and ℓ2 linked to the Z chromosome are expressed in each generation. Using this genetic method, the balance of embryonic non-allelic genes was achieved in the selection line by the F4 generation, and as a result, a new line was obtained

Exploring the micromorphological diversity of palynomorphic flora from lesser Himalaya biodiversity hotspot

Palynology, a prominent field in plant systematics and biodiversity studies, plays a vital role in identifying and determining the plant species present in a specific region. The current study was performed to evaluate the micromorphological traits of pollen from flora of Lesser Himalaya. Pollen microstructural variations aid in the identification of species belonging to specific botanical families and various geographic habitats. Flowers of 24 selected species categorized into 16 families were collected, preserved and then acetolysis protocol followed. Pollen was examined under a light and scanning microscopy (LM and SEM) for palynomorph description. The palynomorphs characteristics such as size, shape, exine surface, and aperture orientation, were examined. Status of these plants show that herbs are being dominant (11 species), while shrubs (7 species), climbers (3 species), bulbous plants (2 species), small tree, sedge, weed (1 species each).  Pollen shape determined in equatorial view were; spheroidal, sub-prolate, oblate-spheroidal, prolate, spherical and sub-oblate. The variations were seen among pollen types; tricolpate, tricolporate and polyporate in most of the species. Exine stratification was observed mostly scabrate while echinate, cristate-reticulate, granulate, punctate, rugulate-perforate, striate-rugulate, verrucate, cristate-foveolate was visualized in each different species. Palynomorph apertural patterns were observed sunken, furrowed, slightly bulged, scabrate, granulate, slit like, and perforate. The largest polar diameter was measured in Hymenocallis littoralis (138.6 µm) whereas smallest in Parthenium hysterophorus (14.70 µm). Equatorial distance was calculated maximum for Cascabela thevetia (110.1 µm) and minimum for Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (1.7 µm). P/E ratio was calculated largest in Hymenocallis littoralis (1.8) and lowest in Duranta erecta (0.89). The palynomorphs taxonomic characters investigated can be helpful in species level identification and provide a baseline to conduct more systematic research with respect to specific plant families and genera

Effect of mineral and organic fertilizers on the growth and development of African millet

African millet is small, about 1000 seeds 5-10 gram and is the best feed for birds. The stalk is superior to all other fodder crops in silage and dry state in terms of its nutritive value and high protein content. Alcohol is extracted from grain and used in the production of beer in the food industry, flour is made from grain and added to wheat flour to make high-quality bread containing various minerals. Another fact is that grain yield is around 0.7-1.2 t/ha, and in some conditions, it reaches 1.8-2.0 t/ha. The root reaches more than 2 meters deep, which ensures drought resistance and wind resistance. The important biological properties of African millet are its high yield, disease resistance, rapid reproduction, high fodder and nutritional properties of the grain, drought resistance, high temperature deficiency resistance, green mass gives an abundant yield. Furthermore, it is less affected by pests and diseases than other cereal crops. African millet “HHVBC tall” and “EEBC” varieties were investigated in eight variants with three iterations according to feeding standards. According to the results, on May 22, 2015, the plant height was 44-45 cm in the EEBC variety and 47-48 cm in the HHVBC tall variety. It was found that when the phenological observations were made on June 20, the average plant height was 130-125 cm in the EEBC variety, whereas it was 95-120 cm in the HHVBC tall variety. It can be seen that the height of EEBC variety compared to HHVBC tall variety was greater

Influence of the chemical composition of mulberry on the growth dynamics of silkworm larvae

In countries where sericulture is well-developed, there is a pressing need to create new systems, varieties, and hybrids of the Morus alba L. species, which is the only food source for the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. These new systems should be suitable for the care of silkworms, and their nutritional and chemical composition should be studied. The introduction of these new systems into production is considered a crucial problem that needs to be addressed. Research experiments were carried out in 2013-2017 at the Tashkent State Agrarian University and the Silk Research Institute. The results showed that in 2017, the new varieties contained 75.1-74.3% water, while in 2018, the water content was 76.0-77.3%. Meanwhile, the Tajikskaya bezsemyannaya variety showed an increase in this indicator, reaching 75.2-76.2%. However, these results were still lower than the benchmark of 98.8-101.4%. The amount of protein is one of the most important indicators of mulberry leaf composition

Agronomic Performance of Soybean with Bradyrhizobium Inoculation in Double-Cropped Farming

Land degradation is a serious problem in arid regions, including in Central Asian countries. Soybean symbiosis with rhizobia microbes has an essential role in improving crop productivity and sustaining soil fertility in an arid environment. An experiment was conducted in light straw-colored sierozem soils in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan (41.4° N, 64.6° E) under arid conditions over the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 growing seasons. This study aimed to assess the beneficial N fixation (BNF) ability of soybean in association with the Bradyrhizobium R6 strain and the Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110 strains and their combined effect on soil fertility and crop yield. The residues of winter wheat and soybean improved soil structure, i.e., soil humus and N and P contents, significantly differing from those on the soybean followed by summer fallow treatment. Furthermore, soybean in association with dual inoculation had the highest N derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa) (62.9 kg N ha−1), followed by individual soybean treatments with the R6 and USDA110 strains at 51.9 and 40.6 kg N ha−1, respectively. Improved soil quality positively impacted crop output, increasing winter wheat and soybean yields by 36.5% and 34.6%, respectively. Likewise, the yield parameters, i.e., the number of pods, weight of grain per pods, and 1000 seeds were significantly higher in the inoculated treatment with the highest value observed in the dual-inoculated treatment. These results suggest the insertion of soybean with symbiotic bacteria into the cropping system has considerable potential to contribute to sustainable land management practices in arid zones

Agronomic Performance of Soybean with <i>Bradyrhizobium</i> Inoculation in Double-Cropped Farming

Land degradation is a serious problem in arid regions, including in Central Asian countries. Soybean symbiosis with rhizobia microbes has an essential role in improving crop productivity and sustaining soil fertility in an arid environment. An experiment was conducted in light straw-colored sierozem soils in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan (41.4° N, 64.6° E) under arid conditions over the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 growing seasons. This study aimed to assess the beneficial N fixation (BNF) ability of soybean in association with the Bradyrhizobium R6 strain and the Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110 strains and their combined effect on soil fertility and crop yield. The residues of winter wheat and soybean improved soil structure, i.e., soil humus and N and P contents, significantly differing from those on the soybean followed by summer fallow treatment. Furthermore, soybean in association with dual inoculation had the highest N derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa) (62.9 kg N ha−1), followed by individual soybean treatments with the R6 and USDA110 strains at 51.9 and 40.6 kg N ha−1, respectively. Improved soil quality positively impacted crop output, increasing winter wheat and soybean yields by 36.5% and 34.6%, respectively. Likewise, the yield parameters, i.e., the number of pods, weight of grain per pods, and 1000 seeds were significantly higher in the inoculated treatment with the highest value observed in the dual-inoculated treatment. These results suggest the insertion of soybean with symbiotic bacteria into the cropping system has considerable potential to contribute to sustainable land management practices in arid zones

Transesterification of Persea americana seed oil to methyl ester using bio-based heterogeneous catalyst: Optimization and techno-economic analysis

The techno-economic analysis of producing biodiesel from agrarian wastes at optimal condition was carried out. The acid activated empty palm fruit bunch ash (AAEPFBA) catalyzed the methyl ester production. The AAEPFBA catalyst was synthesized from waste palm fruit bunch, and modified with phosphoric acid. The activation was best achieved by adding H3PO4 acid in a ratio of 1:2 (g/ml). The modification of the catalyst increased the alkaline properties and surface area and decreased the particle size and adsorption energy. The process variables of temperature 61.9 °C, reaction time of 3.09 h, methanol/oil molar ratio of 10.2:1, catalyst concentration of 3.14wt%, and agitation speed of 321.54 rpm at a desirability of one gave an experimental optimal yield of biodiesel as 90.3%. Based on the experimental study, 3062 litres (2728 kg) of biodiesel was evaluated annually. The annual operating cost, payback period, and internal rate of return are ₦2201288, 1.5 years, and 7.6%, respectively. The sensitivity analysis of oil purchase cost, biodiesel selling price, and labour cost on Return on investment, PBP, IRR, and Net present value were investigated. In this study, the relative biodiesel selling price is a determinant of the profitability of producing avocado pear seed oil methyl ester. The overall results show that investors can embark on biodiesel production using avocado pear seed oil, and AAEPFBA as feedstocks