School gardening in early childhood education in Oman: a pilot project with grade 2 students

While school gardens are familiar in many Western contexts and research has reported significant pedagogical and affective is correct benefits of these resources, there is limited reporting of their use in non-western contexts. A pilot school gardening project involving a quasi-experimental mixed method design was undertaken in the Sultanate of Oman with several Grade 2 and Grade 7 classes to determine if this resource might provide benefits in this particular context. This paper reports on the findings for the Grade 2 cohort. While these findings were somewhat mixed and need to be treated tentatively given that the study was a pilot, they do suggest that school gardens in Oman could provide affective and possible health benefits for students. The potential health benefits could be particularly significant because the Omani population is beginning to exhibit a rapid increase in “lifestyle diseases,” most notably diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses. These illnesses appear to be linked to poor dietary habits and a more sedentary lifestyle among the younger generation

Introducing school gardens to the Omani context: a preliminary study with grade 7 classes

The Sultanate of Oman is beginning to experience a rapid increase in ‘lifestyle’ diseases, most notably diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These may be linked to increasing poor dietary habits, and a more sedentary lifestyle, amongst the younger generation. In a number of Western contexts, school gardens have been shown to improve not only student attitudes to diet but also improved learning and affective outcomes. A pilot school gardening project involving a mixed method quasi-experimental design was undertaken in Oman with a number of Grade 7 classes. While the outcomes of this study should be treated tentatively, the quantitative findings indicate that employing school gardens as an educational resource might improve learning outcomes in the area of science skill development. The qualitative findings suggested that the project had a positive impact on the affective domain of students and in some cases encouraged them to pursue healthier eating habits

The use of high throughput DNA sequence analysis to assess the endophytic microbiome of date palm roots grown under different levels of salt stress

Date palms are able to grow under diverse abiotic stress conditions including in saline soils, where microbial communities may be help in the plant’s salinity tolerance. These communities able to produce specific growth promoting substances can enhance date palm growth in a saline environment. However, these communities are poorly defined. In the work reported here, the date palm endophytic bacterial and fungal communities were identified using the pyrosequencing method, and the microbial differential abundance in the root upon exposure to salinity stress was estimated. Approximately 150,061 reads were produced from the analysis of six ribosomal DNA libraries, which were prepared from endophytic microorganisms colonizing date palm root tissues. DNA sequence analysis of these libraries predicted the presence of a variety of bacterial and fungal endophytic species, some known and others unknown. The microbial community compositions of 30% and 8% of the bacterial and fungal species, respectively, were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) altered in response to salinity stress. Differential enrichment analysis showed that microbe diversity indicated by the Chao, Shannon and Simpson indices were slightly reduced, however, the overall microbial community structures were not significantly affected as a consequence of salinity. This may reflect a buffering effect by the host plant on the internal environments that these communities are colonizing. Some of the endophytes identified in this study were strains that were previously isolated from saline and marine environments. This suggests possible interactions with the plant that are favorable to salinity tolerance in date palm. [Int Microbiol 19(3):143-155 (2016)]Keywords: Phoenix dactylifera · endophytes · salt stres

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Effects of saline irrigation water on morphological characteristics of banana (Musa spp.)

Banana is one of the most important food crops after rice, wheat and corn around the world. It is susceptible to a wide spectrum of non-infectious problems such as abiotic stresses resulting in restricting growth and production. Studies were conducted to determine the effects of four salinity levels (0.17 (control), 3.0, 6.0, and 9.0 dS m-1) on morphological characteristics of four banana cultivars at vegetative growth stage. Banana cultivars from the Cavendish group (Williams, Malindi) and plantains group (FHIA18 and Diwan) were grown in 61 x 76 cm polyethylene bags filled with soil mixture comprising of top soil, sand and peat moss (3:1:2 v/v), with pH ranging from 6 - 6.5 and EC 0.02 mScm-1. The experiment was carried out under a rain-shelter in split-plot design with three replicates. Plants were irrigated manually. Data were collected at 3, 6 and 9 months after transplanting. The results revealed that, the number of leaves, stem height, stem girth and total leaf area were significantly affected by salinity, variety and plant age. Significant interaction was also found between salinity and variety, salinity and plant age, as well as variety and plant age. The morphological characteristics of banana were negatively affected by higher salinity levels (6.0 and 9.0 dS m-1). Under similar salinity level, cultivar Malindi had higher number of leaves, stem height, stem girth and total leaf area as compared to cultivar Williams. Among plantains banana, cultivar FHIA18 was more tolerance to high salinity levels than Diwan cultivar, while Malindi from Cavendish group shows high salt tolerant than Williams. Therefore cultivars Malindi and FHIA18 could be grown in arid and semiarid environment depend on their tolerance to high salinity level above 1.0 dS m-1

Biotic and Abiotic Stresses of Major Fruit Crops in Oman: A Review

Oman is located in an arid region of the world that is characterized by adverse climatic conditions, including heat and drought. In recent years, it has also been affected by climate turbulence and the occurrence of severe weather, such as cyclones and heat/cold waves affecting large agricultural areas of the country. Fruit cultivation area represents 31% of the total cultivated area (97,239.58 ha) in the country. However, the production share is only 17% of the total crop production in the country (2.6 million tons). About 90% of the fruit cultivation area is dominated by date palm, banana, lime, and mango. In addition to the abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, and salinity, major fruit crops have declined in recent years due to various biotic stressors, primarily insect pests, and diseases. For several decades, the date palm has suffered from the Dubas bug and in recent years from Red Palm Weevil. Lime has been infected with Witch’s Broom Disease of Lime (WBDL) caused by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’ that has led to the decline of production to 25% from its peak in the nineties. Banana is Oman`s second-largest fruit crop in production and export. It has also been the subject of studies due to losses incurred by farmers during pre-and post-harvest stages, in addition to several pests and diseases that affect bananas in Oman. Mango is another major fruit crop that is primarily cultivated in northern Oman. Severe infection with mango decline has led to the eradication of mango orchards from many regions of Oman, particularly in Batinah Coast, where increased salinity has led to a decline in mango yield. Research conducted in Oman has investigated several aspects of these challenges. This review paper summarizes the outcome from studies conducted in the country and proposes directions towards resolving current and future challenges to the fruit industry

Development and morphological changes in leaves and branches of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) affected by witches’ broom

Witches’ broom (WB), associated with the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’, is one of the most serious diseases of acid lime. This study determined incidence, distribution, and development of the disease, and morphological changes in leaves and branches of affected host plants. Survey in different parts of Oman showed that WB occurs in most regions in the country, where 108 out of 158 (68%) surveyed farms were found to have diseased trees. A survey of 6,926 acid lime trees showed that severity of WB was positively related (r = 0.948; P<0.01) to tree age. The mean percentage of symptomatic branches was 1% in 3-year-old trees compared to 63% in 12-year-old trees. To further characterize morphological changes in WB-affected limes, apical stems (40 cm long) were collected from three infected trees during the autumn of 2009 and spring of 2010. Increases in the numbers of leaves (1,208%), numbers of branches (309%) and total length of branches (712%) were recorded for symptomatic branches relative to non-symptomatic branches. In the spring of 2009 these respective increases were 159%, 243% and 121%.Overall area of leaves in the symptomatic branches was 81% less than for non-symptomatic branches in the autumn of 2009 and 34% less in the spring of 2010. This study is the first to characterize morphological changes in leaves and branches of acid lime affected by WB

Sozialpädagogen zwischen Professionalisierung und Arbeitsmarkt

Der Aufsatz analysiert den Zusammenhang von Arbeitsqualifikation in der Praxis und sozialpädagogischer Ausbildung im Rückblick. Er beruht auf einer Befragung von 310 Absolventen der Sozialpädagogik der FHS Esslingen und Reutlingen und der Universität Tübingen, die seit zwei bis sechs Jahren im Beruf stehen, sowie von Anstellungsträgern in Baden-Württemberg. Die FHS-Absolventen hatten zu 60 v. H. vor dem Studium eine Berufsausbildung abgeschlossen, die Universitätsabsolventen zu 20 v. H. Rund drei Viertel der Befragten hatten spätestens sechs Monate nach dem Examen ein Beschäftigungsverhältnis angetreten, weitere 12 v. H. erst später. Ca. ein Zehntel geben an, zwischen Examen und erster Stelle arbeitslos gewesen zu sein. Über 40 v. H. sind zum Befragungszeitpunkt noch in ihrer ersten Stelle. Auf "Akademiker-Gehaltsniveau" bezahlt werden 22 v. H. der Absolventen, von diesen sind 91 v. H. Diplom-Pädagogen. Es wird aber nur jeder dritte Diplom-Pädagoge besser als BAT IVa bezahlt. Beruflicher Aufstieg ist, auch bei Stellenwechsel und Aufbaustudium, selten. Die rückwärtige Beurteilung der Ausbildung ergibt vor allem den Wunsch nach mehr Praxis. Illusionen im Studium bezogen sich vor allem auf die Veränderbarkeit sozialer Probleme und die eigenen beruflichen Handlungsspielräume. Die Anstellungsträger sehen keine prinzipiellen Unterschiede zwischen Diplom-Pädagogen und FHS-Absolventen. Dies entspricht den Ergebnissen der Absolventenbefragung. (MH

Sideroxylon mascatense: A new crop for high elevation arid climates?

This paper reviews the existing research on Sideroxylon mascatense, and provides an argument for being considered a fruit crop in cultivated production systems in the Sultanate of Oman and elsewhere. Climate change due to global warming has adverse effects on the agro-ecosystems of mountain regions in marginal climate zones. For example, in the Western Hajar Mountains of Oman, yields of the temperate fruit crops have decreased in recent years as temperature and other climate anomalies have increased. Other fruit-bearing wild plants have also been impacted by extreme weather fluctuations, particularly those that occupy a narrow altitudinal range. One such plant is S. mascatense, a currently underutilized fruiting plant found growing in the wild all through the Middle East and other arid mountainous regions. Two fruiting types of S. mascatense are found in Oman, both of which are seasonally wild harvested by mountain inhabitants and sold in markets as well as along the roadsides. While some specimens exist in cultivated areas, propagation and new plantings are non-existent. Regeneration in the wild is also in decline in Oman, possibly due to climate change. Increasing S. mascatense populations could be achieved via propagation, as well as commercial cultivation, although further research is needed into cropping systems and best practice methods

Fruit growth characteristics of four pomegranate cultivars from northern Oman

Introduction. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is the main and most valuable fruit crop of the northern mountainous region of Oman. Pomegranates are cultivated utilizing traditional farming methods including the determination of harvest dates, harvesting and postharvest handling. Materials and methods. Fruit of four native pomegranate cultivars [‘Hamedh’, ‘Malasi’, ‘Helow’ and ‘Qusum’, literally translated as sour, smooth, sweet and hard-seeded, respectively] were tagged and monitored for 3 months up to commercial harvest. Fruit length (L) and diameter (D) were measured at weekly intervals starting from 66 d after full bloom until harvest (136 d after full bloom). Results and discussion. During the time course of fruit growth and development, significant changes occurred in fruit shape assessed by the [fruit length / fruit diameter] ratio in two cultivars (‘Malasi’ and ‘Hamedh’), but not in the ‘Helow’ and ‘Qusum’ cultivars, which also had larger fruit size at harvest. The lack of obvious changes in fruit shape during growth and development of ‘Qusum’ and ‘Helow’ pomegranate cultivars indicates that the attainment of characteristic fruit shape may not be a good indicator of their maturity for harvest management. Thus, fruit harvesting based solely on size and shape is not sufficient and other physico-chemical fruit attributes should be taken into account when assessing readiness to harvest to ensure optimum income returns to growers