Volume 46 (2013): Issue 4 (December 2013)

The objective of this study was to induce mitotic polyploidization in Drosera capensis. Tetraploid plants of D. capensis were induced successfully by treating leaf segments in vitro with oryzalin solution with four different concentrations (20, 40, 60 or 80 μM) for 12, 24 or 48 hours. Three tetraploid (2n = 4x = 80) plants were obtained in three treatments (20 μM for 48 h, 60 μM for 24 h and 80 μM for 12 h). Tetraploidy was confirmed by flow cytometry. The survival rate of these plants was not significantly influenced by oryzalin concentration or exposure time.

Increasing concern about the problem of risk associated with poultry business has highlighted the need for its comprehensive understanding. A clear knowledge of financial risk in broiler enterprise will pave the way to efficient mitigation strategies among broiler producers. This study investigates financial risk programming, and threshold analysis in broiler enterprises in Delta State, Nigeria. Probabilistic (multi-stage) sampling procedure was adopted in selecting 200 broiler farmers for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to collect 6 years time series data (2004-2009) from the respondents. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, QSB version of linear programming model, and threshold model. The results of the study showed that broiler enterprise is profitable with optimum net profit of N47,925 and N357,558 per small scale and large scale producers, respectively. An optimum profit of N389.9 per bird was earned by broiler producers. The output of QSB version of linear programming showed that at the stocking rate of 20, 692 birds, financial risk is optimized at 15%. The threshold regression model revealed that the broiler enterprise in the study area generally operated below the risk threshold. Simple regression indicated that expected return is positively and significantly (P < 0.05) related with financial risk. Incorporating financial risk as a constraint in the broiler farm plan is a useful contribution that will enhance efficient farm planning. The optimal return and financial risk threshold provided in this study will improve the confidence level of stakeholders in poultry industry such as current and potential investors, insurance institution and institutional lenders. This will translate to growth in the broiler subsector of the poultry industry in Delta State

The main objective of this work was to test the suitability of rice husk waste biomass for anaerobic digestion and to examine the energy potential of the co-digestion of rice husk with zebu dung. Rice husk and zebu dung were studied under batch anaerobic conditions as separate wastes as well as mixed in various proportions. All experiments were carried out at 5% of total solids. The methane yield achieved by single substrate digestion of rice husk and zebu dung was 13.9 l and 44.58 l CH4/kg volatile solids (VS), respectively. The co-digestion of 50% total solids (TS) rice straw with 50% total solids zebu dung gave the result of 38.42 l CH4/kg VS. According to these results, the degradation and methane production potential of rice husk were not sufficient and it was found that this residue material is less suitable for single substrate digestion without additional pretreatment than for co-digestion. Even if co-digestion of rice husk with zebu dung improved the digestibility of rice husk and hence increased the biogas production, the methane yield was lower in comparison with the result for zebu dung, due to the high lignin content in rice husk. Nevertheless, the proof of digestibility of rice husk showed the possibility of rational exploitation of this waste material.

Year-round availability of feed is a major concern for dairy farmers in many parts of the tropics. Silage making is a reliable means of providing feed for dairy cattle during periods of forage scarcity. In this study, Elephant grass (EG) (Pennisetum purpureum) was ensiled with cassava peel (CSP) at 0, 10, 30 and 50% levels of inclusion on a wet basis. At 21, 42 and 63 days of ensiling, silage samples were taken for chemical analysis and the remaining materials were fed to four lactating Sokoto Gudali cows for a period of 84 days using a Latin square design. Dry matter (DM) content of silage mixtures increased from 18.22 to 28.70% as level of CSP in the silage mixture increased while crude protein (7.33 to 6.08%) and crude fibre (32.80 to 23.95%) decreased. Dry matter intake of cows, milk yield and feed conversion ratio (FCR) varied (P < 0.05) with inclusion of cassava peel in the silage mixtures. Dry matter intake of cows increased from 2.56 to 3.84% of body weight (BW) and milk yield from 2.90 to 6.70 kg/d as proportion of CSP in the grass silage increased. Feed conversion ratio of cows ranged from 2.08 to 3.23 and improved with inclusion of CSP in the silage. These results show that addition of cassava peel to Elephant grass silage improved intake and milk production in Sokoto Gudali cows fed Elephant grass silage.