Asian Research Journal of Agriculture

Aims: To evaluate the effect of different levels of cotton seed meal (CSM) on performance traits and meat composition in commercial broilers.

Place and Duration of the Study: The experiment was carried out at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur during the period from 26 February, 2018 to 10 April, 2018.

Study Design and Methodology: Two hundred fifty two Cobb-500 day-old broiler chicks with good health were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments in three replications with fourteen birds per replication in a complete randomized design for 35 days period. The dietary treatments were: T0, soyabean meal (SBM) based diet; T1, 10% CSM protein with 90% SBM protein; T2, 20% CSM protein with 80% SBM protein; T3, 30% CSM protein with 70% SBM protein; T4, 40% CSM protein with 60% SBM protein and T5, 50% CSM protein with 50% SBM protein. The mash feed was supplied ad libitum basis.

Results: Average feed intake (g/d) was increased (P=0.001) in higher amount of CSM group. Dressing percentage was tended to higher (P = 0.089) in T0 and lower value was showed in T5. Crude protein (CP) content of breast meat significantly (P < 0.01) affected among the treatments. The highest CP content was observed in T5 (22.57%) and lowest CP content was in T1 (21.12%). Crude fibre (CF) content was significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the diet contained higher amount of CSM (0.35%, 0.32%, 0.31%, 0.22%, 0.13% for T5, T4, T3, T2 and T1; respectively) and the lowest CF was observed for T0 (0.11%). Ether extract (EE) of breast muscle was also significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the diet contained higher amount of CSM (1.27%, 1.15%, 1.12%, 1.09%, 1.05% for T5, T4, T3, T2 and T1; respectively) and lower EE was observed in T0 group (1.01%). Ash content was higher (P < 0.05) in T0 (1.49%), T2 (1.48%) and T3 (1.45%) group compare to others. The second higher value was observed for T1 (1.4%) diet and the lowest ash content was observed in T4 (1.25%) and T5 (1.32%).

Conclusion: It would be concluded that CSM can be a substitute of soyabean meal in broiler ration and up to 40% CSM protein can be incorporated in broiler chicken diet without any adverse effects.

The watermelon bug, Coridius viduatus (F.) is a real threat to watermelon Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) in western Sudan, where over 80% of the population relies economically on agriculture. In order to overcome this constraint, a study was carried out at University of Alfashir, North Darfur State, to investigate biology, food preference and dispersal of watermelon bug. A survey was conducted on season (2013/2014) to determine the movement and dispersal of the watermelon bug in the area around Alfashir. Biology of the bug was studied under laboratory conditions, preoviposition, oviposition, incubation and post oviposition periods were calculated. Food preference and non-preference by the bug to four watermelon varieties and tow cucurbit ones were also evaluated; a field experiment was conducted, a randomized complete block design was used. The field survey results indicated that there was a regular movement from plant shelters, mountain crevices and soil cracks to the field crop and back again to aestivation sites. Results showed that the bugs preferred improved watermelon varieties (Crimson, Sugar baby and Congo) to the local watermelon variety (Saphinga), the different life cycle stages of the bug were determined. The bug aestivation shelters were determined, local watermelon varieties could be cultivated however further work should be done to improve their productivity.

Further epidemiological studies on the Sudanese isolates of onion yellow dwarf (OYDV) and its effect on production of onion crops were carried out during two consecutive seasons under field conditions. Four OYDV isolates were recovered from four different localities in Khartoum and River Nile States where the common bulbing onion (Allium cepa L.) is the major crop. These isolates were named after their respective localities [viz., Gezira Islanj (GI), Wad Ramly (WR), Wad El basal (WB) and El Damar (D) isolates] and their characteristics were studied. Five different types of symptom patterns were encountered in the different onion growing seasons surveyed and hence could not be assigned to any specific OYDV isolates. Field surveys and ʺon growingʺ tests revealed that the true disease incidence was consistently substantially higher than the observed disease incidence and they were positively correlated (r² = 0.63). This may prove to have an important epidemiological consideration in disease forecast and disease management. The different OYDV isolates were found to reduce significantly the onion bulb yield as measured by bulb size, bulb weight and onion bulb quality (total soluble solids and dry matter content). In the field experiment, the various OYDV isolates were found to significantly reduce plant growth in terms of leaf width and leaf length. They also reduced significantly the seedstalk height and seedstalk diameter but not the number of seedstalks. The productive capacity in terms of number of days to anthesis, flowering percentage, umbel diameter, total number of florets per umbel and percent of abortive florets, were seriously affected by the different OYDV isolates. Consequently, the seed yield was drastically reduced and losses were 61.2, 65.3, 71.8 and 83.9% due to infection with WB, WR, GI-and D isolates, respectively.

In Bangladesh, the average yield of blackgram is not satisfactory level. There are many reasons for a lower yield of blackgram. Nitrogen and weed management in winter season is of them. This study is to find out the effect of nitrogen sources on the yield of different black gram varieties. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot Design with three replications. Nitrogen source was assigned to main plots and varieties to sub-plots. The field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy field of Central Research Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from September 2014 to January 2015. The experiment consisted of two factors such as nitrogen sources and blackgram varieties. The treatments were as follows: Factor A: nitrogen sources (3 types) viz. T₁: prilled urea, T₂: biofertilizer, T₃: no nitrogen (control) and Factor B: varieties (4 types) viz. V₁: BARI mash-1, V₂: BARI mash-2, V₃: BARI mash-3 and V₄: local mash. In case of different nitrogen sources, the highest grain yield and harvest index (1.45 t ha^-1 and 40.05%) was found from biofertilizer application. This treatment also showed highest pod length (5.28 cm), pods plant^-1 (34.80), seeds pod^-1 (7.08) and 1000-seed weight (40.55 g). Among the blackgram varieties, BARI Mash-3 gave the highest pod length (5.60 cm), pods plant^-1 (39.93), seeds pod^-1 (7.57) and 1000-seed weight (45.73 g), grain yield and harvest index (1.49 t ha^-1 and 40.49%). These findings we observed that BARI Mash-3 applied with biofertilizer produced the highest grain yield and harvest index (1.84 t ha^-1 and 48.04%).

Stem borer (Chilo partellus) is one of the major pest of economic importance which affects sorghum production in the South eastern region of Zimbabwe. The experiment to establish the relationship between stem borer insect suppression by intercropping and grain yield in sorghum and six legumes was conducted under field conditions at Chiredzi Research Station which is in the South Eastern Lowveld (21^°01’S, 31^°33’E) from 2013 to 2015 cropping seasons. Treatments laid in randomized complete block design and replicated three times consisted of sorghum combined with cowpea, groundnut, pigeon pea and bambara. Monocropped treatments of legumes were cowpea, groundnut, pigeon pea, bambara and two sole sorghum treatments as controls. On one of the controls, an insecticide was applied while the other one remain untreated.  Data collected on stem tunnel length, yield (grain and stover), land equivalent ratio and other pests, indicated that in sorghum sole plots where no chemical was applied, yield was reduced by 28% compared to sole plots where a pesticide was applied. In intercropped combinations of sorghum/groundnut, sorghum/pigeon pea and sorghum/cowpea, an incremental benefit of 10-38% was observed than all other treatments. No benefit was observed in sorghum bambara combinations. Stem borer and aphid had lower thresholds in intercrops. Predators populations recorded in intercrops reduced insect pest density than in monocrops. Thus, these findings indicated that intercropping can form a component of an integrated pest management program.