Analysis of aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxigenic mold in commercial poultry feeds in Tamil Nadu, India

A total of 48 commercial poultry feed samples collected from different poultry feed manufactures in Tamil Nadu, India were examined for the contamination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Aspergillus flavus. AFB1 in the samples was estimated by sandwich ELISA and the presence of A. flavus was detected by Real-Time PCR assay. Real-Time PCR analysis using A. flavus- specific omt primers confirmed the presence of A. flavus in all the samples tested. ELISA results indicated that the AFB1 contents in the poultry feeds ranged from 1.0 to18.7 ppb, which were below the permissible safe limits for poultry bird consumption and health. The results suggest adoption of good man-ufacturing practices by the commercial poultry feed manufacturers during procurement of feed ingredients, handling, storage and processing which might have suppressed the growth of A. flavus and aflatoxin contamination

Produção da cenoura e efeito na fertilidade do solo e nutrição decorrente da solarização do solo para controle da tiririca.

Dentre os desafios do cultivo orgânico de hortaliças destaca-se o controle de plantas daninhas, devido à proibição do uso de herbicidas. Entre as invasoras, a tiririca (Cyperus rotundus L.) é de difícil controle pela sua alta competitividade. A solarização é uma alternativa para desinfestação do solo, a qual consiste em cobri-lo com plástico transparente, com bons resultados no controle da tiririca. A fim de avaliar a influência do preparo e do revolvimento do solo sobre a eficiência da solarização no controle da tiririca, bem como seu posterior efeito sobre o cultivo da cenoura, foi realizado um experimento na Fazendinha Agroecológica, em Seropédica (RJ). O experimento foi disposto em blocos ao acaso com três repetições, em arranjo fatorial 2 x 3 mais uma testemunha adicional, sendo: 1) solo solarizado, preparado (com grade aradora) e revolvido 30 dias após a solarização (manualmente com auxílio de uma enxada); 2) solo solarizado, preparado e revolvido aos 60 dias; 3) solo solarizado, preparado e não revolvido; 4) solo solarizado, não preparado e revolvido aos 30 dias; 5) solo solarizado, não preparado e revolvido aos 60 dias; 6) solo solarizado, não preparado e não revolvido; solo não solarizado, não preparado e não revolvido (testemunha). A solarização iniciou-se em 29/1/2002, e durou cem dias. A solarização reduziu em 86% a infestação de tiririca no cultivo da cenoura. Até 10 cm de profundidade, a temperatura do solo foi superior nas parcelas solarizadas, porém a 5 cm, a solarização foi mais eficiente quando associada ao preparo do solo, não havendo efeito do revolvimento. A solarização aumentou os valores da biomassa microbiana e dos teores de Ca, Mg e P do solo. O desenvolvimento da cenoura foi influenciado pela solarização que resultou em maior produtividade

Antecedents of Facebook Updates, and the Role of Personality of Facebook Users in Sri Lanka

This study is to prove the impact of different motives in updating Facebook status and role of personality in Facebook updates. Therefore, the study is focus to identify the impact of motive namely validation, communication and self-expression on Facebook status updates while it is examining the moderation effect of individual personality on original relationship. As study is based on the Facebook users, population of the study consist of all Facebook users and based on the convenience sampling method researchers have selected 252 Facebook users in Sri Lanka as the sample of the study. Data were collected from the sample using a researcher developed questionnaire. In order to prove hypotheses and make inferences, regression analysis was employed in the study. Moreover, regression analysis proved that there is an impact from validation, communication and self-expression on Facebook status updates. Further, the relationship between validation, communication and self-expression with Facebook status update is moderated by the extraversion and openness to experience. Based on the inferences of the study, it can be concluded that validation, communication and self-expression act as motives to update Facebook status and the intensity of that motives depend on the personality of an individua

Reclamation status of a degraded pasture based on soil health indicators

Pasture degradation is a concern, especially in susceptible sandy soils for which strategies to recover them must be developed. Microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators are useful in the guindace of soil management practices and sustainable soil use. We assessed the success of threePanicum maximum Jacq. cultivars in the reclamation of a pasture in a sandy Typic Acrudox in the northwest of the state of Paraná, Brazil, based on soil health indicators. On a formerly degraded pasture withUrochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R.D. Webster, a trial with threeP. maximum (cv. Massai, Tanzânia, or Mombaça) was conducted. Lime and phosphate were applied at set-up, and mineral N and K as topdressing. A remnant of degraded pasture adjacent to the trial was used as control. Twenty-three chemical, physical, microbiological and biochemical attributes were assessed for the 0-10 cm topsoil. The procedures for reclamation improved most of the indicators of soil health in relation to the degraded pasture, such as soil P, mineral N, microbial biomass C, ammonification rate, dehydrogenase activity and acid phosphatase. CO2 evolution decreased, whereas microbial biomass C increased in the pasture under reclamation, resulting in a lower metabolic quotient (qCO2) that points to a decrease in metabolic stress of the microbial community. The reclamation of the pasture withP. maximum, especially cv. Mombaça, were evidenced by improvements in the microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators, showing a recovery of processes related to C, N and P cycling in the soil

UTILIZATION OF BIVOLTINE FEMALE PARENTS FOR PREPARATION OF CROSS BREEDS OF BOMBYX MORI L. FOR THE TROPICS

The performance of 25 hybrids involving 5 multivoltine and 5 bivoltine lines was studied to find out the nature and extent of heterosis during May-June-the most adverse commercial season of Eastern India. Marked better and mid parent heterosis was observed in most of the crosses for most of the commercial characters. Better heterosis in absolute silk content, considered as yield, ranged from2.67% to 140.47%. A total of 5 out of 6 yield components viz. ERR No. ERR Wt. SCW, SSW and filament length showed better parent heterosis in most of the crosses, while no appreciable heterosis could be noticed for fecundity and S.R.96. The hybrids were ranked on the basis of evaluation index value and NBus X CBs has screened out as the best hybrid for commercial use followed by NB18 X G. P5.X. CB5, KS(O) X B and NB18 X G. The merits of the study are also discussed