• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제32권2호
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• pp.224-232
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• 2019

Objective: Apart from various climatic differences, corn harvest stage and varieties are two major factors that can influence the yield and quality of corn silage in the tropics. A study was conducted to determine the optimum harvest stage of four corn varieties for silage production in Malaysia. Methods: Corn was harvested at four growth stages; silking, milk, dough, and dent stages from four varieties; Sweet Corn hybrid 926, Suwan, breeding test line (BTL) 1 and BTL 2. Using a split plot design, the treatments were then analysed based on the plant growth performance, yield, nutritive and feeding values followed by a financial feasibility study for potential commercialization. Results: Significant differences and interactions were detected across the parameters suggesting varying responses among the varieties towards the harvest stages. Sweet Corn was best harvested early in the dough stage due to high dry matter (DM) yield, digestible nutrient, and energy content with low fibre portion. Suwan was recommended to be harvested at the dent stage when it gave the highest DM yield with optimum digestible nutrient and energy content with low acid detergent fibre. BTL 1 and BTL 2 varieties can either be harvested at dough or dent stages as the crude protein, crude fibre, DM yield, DM content, digestible nutrient and energy were not significantly different at either stage. Further financial analysis showed that only Sweet Corn production was not financially feasible while Suwan had the best financial appraisal values among the grain varieties. Conclusion: In conclusion, only the grain varieties tested had the potential for silage making according to their optimum harvest stage but Suwan is highly recommended for commercialization as it was the most profitable.

• Mycobiology
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.467-474
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• 2015

Development of efficient substrate formulas to improve yield and shorten production time is one of the prerequisites for commercial cultivation of edible mushrooms. In this study, fifteen substrate formulas consisting of varying ratios of palm press fibre (PPF), mahogany sawdust (MS), Gmelina sawdust, wheat bran (WB), and fixed proportions of 1% calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) and 1% sucrose were assessed for efficient Lentinus squarrosulus production. Proximate compositions of mushrooms produced on the different substrate formulas were also analysed and compared. Substrate formulations containing 85% PPF, 13% WB, 1% $CaCO_3$, and 1% sucrose were found to produce the highest carpophore yield, biological efficiency and size (206.5 g/kg, 61.96%, and 7.26 g, respectively). Days to production (first harvest) tended to increase with an increase in the amount of WB in the substrate formulas, except for PPF based formulas. The addition of WB in amounts equivalent to 8~18% in substrate formulas containing 80~90% PPF resulted in a decrease in the time to first harvest by an average of 17.7 days compared to 80~90% MS with similar treatment. Nutritional content of mushrooms was affected by the different substrate formulas. Protein content was high for mushrooms produced on formulas containing PPF as the basal substrate. Thus, formulas comprising PPF, WB, $CaCO_3$, and sucrose at 85% : 13% : 1% : 1%) respectively could be explored as starter basal ingredients for efficient large scale production of L. squarrosulus.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.102-106
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• 2001

Berberis aristata (family Berberidaceae), known as 'Daruharidra' in Ayurvedic system of medicine, is an important medicinal plant used extensively for treating a variety of ailments in various systems of indigenous medicine. Being an important medicinal plant it is being adulterated and in the absence of any pharmacognostic information it is very difficult to check the adulteration. The present study was therefore, carried out to provide the requisite pharmacognostic details. Morphological, anatomical and phytochemical aspects of B. aristata were carried out. Diagnostic features of B. aristata root were identified and characterized from the above investigations and presented in the present communication. Some of the diagnostic features of the root drug noted from the anatomical study are patches of pericyclic fibre, pitted sclerieds, berberine containing cells and heterocyclic medullary rays. HPTLC analysis showed three distinct bands of which berberine was identified as the major constituents. The $R_f$. value of other bands was also calculated.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.672-676
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• 2018

Objective: An experiment was conducted to study the effect of a blend of essential oils (BEO) on enteric methane emission and growth performance of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Methods: Twenty one growing male buffaloes (average body weight of $279{\pm}9.3kg$) were divided in to three groups. The animals of all the three groups were fed on a ration consisting of wheat straw and concentrate mixture targeting 500 g daily live weight gain. The three dietary groups were; Group 1, control without additive; Group 2 and 3, supplemented with BEO at 0.15 and 0.30 mL/kg of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively. Results: During six months feeding trial, the intake and digestibility of dry matter and nutrients (organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre) were similar in all the groups. The average body weight gain was tended to improve (p = 0.084) in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Feeding of BEO did not affect feed conversion efficiency of the animals. The calves of all the three groups were in positive nitrogen balance with no difference in nitrogen metabolism. During respiration chamber studies the methane production (L/kg DMI and L/kg digestible dry matter intake was significantly (p<0.001) lower in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Conclusion: The results indicated that the BEO tested in the present study have shown potential to reduce enteric methane production without compromising the nutrient utilization and animal performance and could be further explored for its use as feed additive to mitigate enteric methane production in livestock.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.872-879
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• 2007

A study was conducted to investigate the seasonal changes in nutrient composition of pasture, voluntary intake and digestibility of sheep grazing an introduced Leymus chinensis pasture located in western Jilin Province, China. The whole-plant of L. chinensis and the samples simulating ingestion by sheep (simulating sample) were collected in spring (May, 2004), summer (July, 2004), autumn (September, 2004) and the end of winter (April, 2005). The contents of gross energy (GE), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and alkanes were determined. Voluntary intake and apparent digestibility of the nutrients in each season were also examined using 6 mature Chinese Northeast Merino ewes (differed among the seasons) grazing on a paddock of 1 ha size. The apparent digestibilities of GE, dry matter (DM), OM, CP, NDF and ADF of L. chinensis were significantly greater (p<0.05) in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. Metabolizable energy (ME) content was 12.13, 11.62, 8.66 and 10.40 MJ/kg DM for L. chinensis in spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively, and the corresponding voluntary feed intakes were 91, 119, 59 and 58 g/d per kg metabolic weight ($LW^{0.75}$). The ME contents and DM intakes in autumn and winter were significantly lower than in spring and summer (p<0.05). The intake of L. chinensis pasture was sufficient to provide ME requirements for maintenance by the dry ewes in all the seasons, but inadequate for maintenance protein requirement in winter. (Supported by funds from National Basic Research Program of China, Grant No. 2007CB106800).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.802-810
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• 2007

Fibrobacter succinogenes, a Gram-negative, anaerobic ruminal bacterium is a major fibre digesting species in the rumen. It intensively degrades plant cell walls by an erosion type of mechanism, burrowing its way through the complex matrix of cellulose and hemicellulose with the release of digestible and undigested cell wall fragments. The enzymes involved in this process include a combination of glucanases, xylanases, arabinofuranosidase(s) and esterases. The genome of the bacterium has been sequenced and this has revealed in excess of 100 putative glycosyl hydrolase, pectate lyase and carbohydrate esterase genes, which is greater than the numbers reported present in other major cellulolytic organisms for which genomes have been sequenced. Modelling of the amino acid sequences of two glycanases, CedA and EGB, by reference to crystallized homologs has enabled prediction of the major features of their tertiary structures. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis in conjunction with mass spectroscopy has permitted the documentation of proteins over expressed in F. succinogenes grown on cellulose, and analysis of the cell surfaces of mutant strains unable to bind to cellulose has enabled the identification of candidate proteins with roles in adhesion to the plant cell wall substrate, the precursor to cellulose biodegradation.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.135-138
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• 2009

Studies on the effect of different secondary nutrients in different doses on the leaf yield and biochemical constituents of Terminalia tomentosa revealed that secondary nutrients have promotary effect in increasing the leaf yield and foliar constituents of Terminalia tomentosa. Among all the treatments under study, foliar application of magnesium sulphate (2g/plant, w/v) is the best in respect of leaf yield and biochemical constituents of T. tomentosa. This treatment gave 29.15% increase in leaf yield over control. Chemoassay results further confirmed significant improvement in biochemical constituents. Except crude fibre, moisture, minerals, crude protein and total carbohydrate increased significantly over control.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.115-134
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• 1988

In view of the wide range that occurs in the nutritive value of cereal straw, the factors that may contribute are discussed under the heading of : (a) genetic factors; (b) environment factors affecting the pattern of plant growth; and (c) management factors associated with grain harvest and threshing and straw storage. The possible ways of improving the nutritive value of cereal straw without pretreatment may be achieved by selecting and breeding better cereal straw, by controlling environmental factors, by controlling management practices and by appropriate supplementation strategies to alleviate deficiencies of essential nutrients. Thus improvement in the nutritive value of cereal straw would be attained without pretreatment.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.241-246
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• 2006

Alstonia scholaris is known as 'Saptaparna' in Ayurvedic System of Medicines and the bark is used for the treatment of various diseases. It has various ethnomedicinal values as different traditional communities find diverse medicinal properties. The present communication deals with the seasonal variation studies of the stem bark of this plant. The bark was collected in the month of January, July and November. There is no macro-microscopical changes in all the three seasons but the ash values showed significant differences. Crude fibre content showed sharp decline from January to July to November. Total tannin percentage was found maximum in January and minimum in June. TLC finger print profile showed more concentration of constituents in January as compared to June and November. Hence, the bark may show more efficacy when collected in January.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.125-130
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• 2013

An attempt was made on pulp production from the fast growing plant, Acacia hybrid to determine the total yield, screened yield, Kappa number, and fibre morphology of organosolv Acacia hybrid pulp. Uniform-sized chips were taken to undergo pulping in a digester with five different concentrations of ethanol, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90% (v/v) with 1 M of sodium hydroxide as catalyst. All chips were digested in a temperature-controlled digester with constant amount of water added and temperature of $185^{\circ}C$ with the duration of three hours cooking time and correspond pressure 1.1-1.2 MPa. It was observed that increasing of ethanol concentration has led to pulp yield increment and decreased in the degree of delignification at the same time. This study was aimed to focus on the effect of the varied concentration of organic solvent towards the pulp yield and its relationship with Kappa number and pulp yield.