Two dormant varieties of rice were harvested three times at intervals of 7 days after grain development and the seeds were subjected to different sunning and controlled humidity storage treatments. Germination percentages and moisture contents of the grains were recorded at intervals of seven days after harvest.

It was noted that the dormancy of the dormant rice seeds was broken early when the seeds were subjected to continuous sunning from sunrise to sunset, followed by the treatment where the seeds were preserved under 0 % humidity conditions at room temperature. There was no break of dormancy of rice seeds when the seeds were preserved under 94 % humidity conditions.

It was further noted that when the age of the seeds at the time of a germination test remained the same, the earlier the harvest, the earlier was the break of dormancy; and when the lapse of time after harvest remained the same at the time of a germination test, the later the harvest, the better was the germination.

It is suggested that dryness of the seeds helps in the early break of dormancy and wetness retards or completely stops the dormancy-breaking reactions. On drying, the kernels of rice seeds shrink in volume more than the glume covers resulting in an air-space between the glumes and the kernels. This air-space helps air-diffusion in and out of the seeds, resulting in quicker oxidation-reaction processes or possibly embryo respiration, and consequently the dormancy is broken early. Increase in temperature accelerates such reactions. It is further suggested that the dormancy of rice seeds depends on the interactions between the ‘embryo-sensitivity to inhibitors’ and the ‘state of oxidation-reaction processes’ inside the seeds.

Keen and Coutts(8) and Coutts(1) have suggested that the percentage of water in a soil at the sticky point is related to the colloidal content of the soil, as measured by “loss on ignition,” in the following manner:

S = mI + c,

i.e. by a rectilinear equation, and point out that the figure obtained for c approximates to the theoretical percentage of water held in the interstitial spaces of an ideal soil.

The Papaya tree is common in all parts of India and is grown also in the Philippine Islands, Federated Malay States, Java, Ceylon, and other tropical countries.

Estimates of dry matter intake reported by Barlow el al. in this journal in 1988 appeared low for grazing beef cows during early lactation. Further estimates for 144 crossbred and Hereford cows at Grafton, NSW, support the contention that the previous estimates for early lactation were biased downward. This appears to have been simply a scale effect as rankings of pastures and cow genotypes remained unchanged, although the magnitude of differences did alter.

Chemical-mutagen treatment of Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) line C-101 seeds (which contained about 441 g/kg C22[ratio ]1) led to isolation of a mutant, L-935, which contained about 190 g/kg erucic acid (intermediate C22[ratio ]1) in the seed oil. The objective was to determine the inheritance of the intermediate C22[ratio ]1 level in this mutant. The mutant L-935 was reciprocally crossed to C-101 and to the mutant line L-2890 (which contained 112 g/kg C22[ratio ]1; low). The F1, F2 and BC1F1 generations were obtained. Cytoplasmic effects were not observed in any of the crosses. The analysis of the fatty acid composition in the F2 populations from the crosses of L-935 with C-101 revealed a segregation pattern fitting a ratio 1[ratio ]2[ratio ]1 for intermediate, high and very high C22[ratio ]1 content. The segregation patterns fitted a one-locus (designated M2) model with two alleles (M2 and mi) and with partial dominance of high over intermediate C22[ratio ]1 content. The segregating generations of the crosses L-935×L-2890 showed a strong transgressive segregation with C22[ratio ]1 values ranged from 1·3–406·5 g/kg. The analyses of the F2, BC1F1 and F3 generations indicated that the combination of alleles at two loci, M1 and M2 controlled the transgressive segregation for C22[ratio ]1 content. The proposed genotypes (C22[ratio ]1 content) for each parent were as follows: L-935 (190 g/kg 22[ratio ]1)=MMmimiEEEE; L-2890 (112 g/kg C22[ratio ]1)=mmmmEEEE; and C-101 (441 g/kg C22[ratio ]1)=MMMMEEEE.

Botanical analyses of trials grazed at 3·6, 2·4, 1·2, 0·8 and 0·6 ha/300 kg animal for 4 years are detailed. The two heaviest grazing pressures encouraged Brachiaria decumbens, a high quality grass, at the expense of Themeda triandra and Hyparrhenia filipendula. Rotational grazing allowed the weed grass Cymbopogon afronardus to regenerate after clearing more rapidly than did continuous grazing.

Bullocks with oesophageal fistulas sampled pastures grazed at 2·4, 1·2 and 0·6 ha/animal at 4-weekly intervals for 12 months. The 0·6 ha/animal treatment was repeated on pasture cleared of the weed grass Cymbopogon afronardus. Cattle growth rates, both long term and at the time of sampling, were recorded.

Cattle growth rates were greatest at 2·4 ha/animal but fistula sampling demonstrated that the diet was significantly lower in CP and higher in CF than the more heavily stocked treatments, which is contrary to the normal pattern. It is concluded that the differences in cattle growth rates at the different stocking rates were due to differences in dry-matter intake rather than the recorded differences in diet quality. The higher CP in the diet at the heavier stocking rates is ascribed to the increase of B. decumbens in the diet.

An unexplained ceiling to cattle growth rates of ca. 0·5 kg/day, and a calculated drymatter intake of < 2·1% body weight/day, in the presence of unlimited forage of 10% CP and 55% apparent digestibility, makes it more economic to stock for maximum production per ha than per animal.

An insignificant short-term increase in the natural dose of ionizing radiation during the embryogenesis period is beneficial not only for the embryonic development of the chicks, but also for their postembryonic growth and development as well as the egg production of the pullets.

Irradiation of incubated eggs with microdoses of radioactive radiations is another possibility for the utilization of atomic energy bringing about an improvement in the economically useful properties of poultry.

Applying coffee pulp biochar (BC) can be a complementary practice to the application of chemical fertilizers (CF) of crops; however, little evidence of its combined effects on coffee cultivation has been reported. A field trial was carried out during two evaluation years (2019 and 2020) to analyse the effect of the application of different BC doses (0, 4, 8 and 16 t/ha) in combination with four levels of fertilization (0, 33, 66 and 100% of the nutritional requirements) on physiological responses of 3-year-old coffee (Coffea arabica L. var. Castillo) trees. The results indicated that trees with 0 t/ha BC and 0% CF showed the lowest values in all the physiological variables studied (gs = 269.9 and 126.8 mmol/m2/s; Chl = 61.7 and 54.7 At-leaf readings; yield = 0.21 and 0.22 kg of dry parchment coffee (DPC)/tree for 2019 and 2020, respectively). Coffee trees treated with 8 t/ha BC and CF levels of 100% registered the highest results in gs (424.9 and 366.9 mmol/m2/s), Chl (71.1 and 69.8 At-leaf readings), yield (0.41 and 0.57 kg of DPC/tree) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In conclusion, the application of BC from coffee pulp, especially at a dose of 8 t/ha, generates a positive effect on yield, gs, leaf nutrient concentration and Chl of coffee trees. The use of BC can be an alternative to complement the mineral nutrition of commercial coffee crops to help reduce the application of CF.

It is now generally recognized that the pH of a silage is the best single criterion of its quality. In other words, it is regarded as the best single guide to the type of fermentation that has taken place in the mass in the silo and thus serves to indicate the degree of success achieved in the ensilage process, whatever the crop or its stage of growth. For instance, in the case of silages, made with or without molasses, where the pH is at or below 4·0, the silage would be deemed to be of ‘excellent’ quality, that at 4·0-4·5 would be designated ‘good’, that at 4·5–5·0 only ‘moderate’, and at or above the latter figure the silage would be classified as ‘bad’. To get a complete picture of the chemical changes that have taken place and to assess the feeding value of a silage is quite a different matter and is not the object of the present note.

This study sought to determine whether increases in live weight (LW) of steers implanted with Compudose 200®, a growth promotant that contains 17β-oestradiol, arose in part from increases in resistance of those steers to cattle ticks and gastro-intestinal nematodes (worms) to which the steers were exposed while they were growing. Half of a group of interbred Hereford × Shorthorn (HS) and interbred Brahman × HS (BX) steers was implanted with Compudose 200 on two occasions 200 days apart. Half of each of the implanted and nonimplanted groups in each breed was treated every 3 weeks to control cattle ticks and worms. All animals grazed together and were regularly monitored for parasite burdens and LW changes. Both breeds responded positively to Compudose 200, to which BX responded most, and to treatment to control parasites. Resistance to either ticks or worms was unaffected by the presence of the implant so that, within each breed, increases in LW gain in response to the implant were similar regardless of parasite control. Thus the increases in LW gain resulting from the use of Compudose 200 arose directly from the action of the implant on metabolism, not indirectly through any effect on resistance to parasites.

Fibres of anomalous length or diameter are undesirable in the Merino, a breed noted for uniformity of fleece characters. Previous studies which have aimed at estimating adult fleece quality have been based on visual appraisal of the birthcoat. This study was undertaken to test the prediction of uniformity of fibre length at 10½ months and fibre diameter at 15 months from the objective measurement of birthcoat fleece and skin follicle characters.

The results indicated that fibre length uniformity at 10½ months cannot be predicted from measurement of fleece or skin characters at birth. It was found that fibre diameter uniformity at 15 months can be predicted from objective measurement of mean fibre diameter of the birthcoat but not by visual appraisal.

Seeds from individual heads of wild safflower (Carihamus oxyacantha Bieb.) plants collected from five locations were used in this study. Locations were situated on a roughly east-west transect passing through Shiraz, Iran. The western locations were cooler with higher annual rainfall than the eastern sites. Wild safflower plants of different locations produced about an average of 150 heads per plant, but only 60% of them contained seeds. Frequency distributions constructed for number of seeds per head, germination percentage, and seedling length showed trends of change in the skewness of the distribution for the latter two characteristics parallel to the environmental selective pressure, i.e. the skewness was towards the left for eastern locations but it gradually moved to the right for western ones. Striking amounts of polymorphism were also observed for these characters. A very high proportion of total variance was concerned with differences between heads of the same plant for number of seeds, germination ercentage, and seedling length. Very little variability was found among plants of the same ecotype.

Nine experiments in the East of Scotland were completed in the years 1966, 1967 and 1968 to test the response of potatoes grown for ware to five levels of a 15½–15½–21 fertilizer applied at rates of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 cwt per acre.

1. Mean yield of ware tubers increased up to the highest fertilizer level.

2. Mean yield of small tubers increased only up to the 8 cwt per acre level and then declined.

3. Dry matter content of ware tubers decreased with increasing levels of fertilizer.

4. Increasing fertilizer levels lowered soil pH. At one site this was associated with a significant reduction of common scab on the tubers.

Low temperature is one of the critical factors for determining agricultural production. Therefore, the main objective was to develop the durum wheat lines, which are tolerant to cold particularly in Central Anatolia. The recombinant inbred lines (RILs) (141) derived from F6 progeny of durum wheat, developed from Kunduru-1149 (female parent) and Cham-1 (male parent) cross, were characterized in terms of their cold tolerance both in the field and under controlled (in growth chamber) conditions. A 0–9 scale was used for the visual evaluation of cold damage under field conditions, and a quantitative measure of photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm = variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence) method was used for the evaluation of cold damage under controlled conditions. Seventeen RILs displayed the scores within the range of 1–2.5 in 0–9 scale evaluation, while 41 RILs showed the scores equal to or higher than 0.70 approaching to optimal (~0.83) in Fv/Fm evaluation. Some quality parameters tested and some gliadin fragments and random amplified polymorphic DNA loci showed meaningful correlations with the data of 0–9 scale and Fv/Fm ratios from lower to the medium level. The RILs considered as cold resistant; might have the potential to be used as parental lines to develop cold-resistant durum wheat varieties in the future durum wheat-breeding programmes.

The current study evaluated the nutritional impact of crude glycerine (CG) supplementation to wethers fed only forage grass. Eight Polwarth wethers were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square. Treatments consisted of no CG (control, CON) or intra-ruminal infusion of CG at daily rates of 0·5, 1·5 or 3·0 ml/kg body weight (BW). In each Latin Square, four animals were fed Avena strigosa and four were fed Cynodon sp. hay ad libitum. The actual concentration of glycerol in diet was similar for both forage types and varied from 21 to 364 g/kg dry matter. No interactions between forage type and CG treatments were detected and no differences were observed between the CON and 0·5 CG treatment for most variables. Both the organic matter (OM) and the digestible OM intake decreased linearly at increased levels of CG infusion, whereas no treatment effect was observed on OM and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility. The duodenal flow of rumen microbial nitrogen (N) was not affected, whereas the duodenal flow of α-amino N decreased linearly at increased levels of CG infusion. In conclusion, CG supplementation at a rate of up to 0·5 ml/kg BW/day did not change the nutrient supply whereas greater amounts of CG supplementation negatively impacted the nutrient supply to wethers fed only grass forage. The forage digestibility, in turn, was not affected by CG supplementation.

In earlier papers, it has been demonstrated that many features of the production system in the lowland tropics affect the growth and development of pigeon pea differentially depending on the prevailing conditions (Tayo 1982 a, b, c, 1983 a, b). It has also been noted that when plant size is reduced as a consequence of reduced soil moisture, slight variations in production input tend to have a more significant effect on crop performance (Tayo, 1983b).

In a study of two breed groups, coarse wool Barki and ⅜ Merino ⅜ Barki, data were obtained on skin histology from birth to the age of 1 year, birthcoat fibre type arrays and fibre-follicle relationship.

The ⅜ Merino exceeded Barki lambs in the maximum S/P ratio, values of which were 3·40 and 5·64 obtained at 6 and 8 months in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.

Internal diameters of primary follicles ranged from 39·0 to 64·7 and from 41·0 to 56·8 μm; those of secondaries ranged from 19·8 to 34·9 and from 22·6 to 33·3 μm in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.

The ratio of primary to secondary follicle diameters showed high values in both breed groups; averages were 1·89 and 1·71 for internal diameter and 1·86 and 1·71 for external diameter in Barki and ⅜ Merino respectively.

Birthcoat fibre type arrays were mostly saddle, only 8·3% were plateau (P3) in both breed groups.

In Barki primary centrals grew halo hairs, super sickle (A, A′, B), primary laterals produced super sickle (A, A′, B), sickles, coarse and medium curly tips, and secondaries mostly grew medium and fine curly tips and histerotrichs.

In ⅜ Merino primary centrals produced halo hairs, super sickle (A, A′, B), primary laterals grew super sickle (A, A′, B), sickles, medium curly tips, and secondaries produced medium and fine curly tips and histerotrichs.

In Part I of the current volume of this Journal Green and Ampt make certain assumptions regarding the factors which control the rate of flow of water and air through soils, the basis of which is that the channels in a soil may be regarded as a bundle of capillary tubes, and that the velocity of flow of a liquid will consequently conform to Poiseuille’s formula. Such an assumption cannot however be maintained. Poiseuille’s formula was deduced from the ascertained rate of flow of liquids through straight tubes of approximately uniform diameter; the latter being 1 mm. or so. The formula is not however really accurate even under these limited conditions, as was shown by Thorpe and Roger, who found it necessary to add the correction – ρV/8πlt. But the passages through the soil are not straight or of uniform diameter for any measurable distance, in fact they are wholly irregular, which Green and Ampt recognise, for they describe them as “irregular in area, length, direction and shape.” But this being the case, Poiseuille’s formula obviously cannot be expected to apply.

Differences between sites accounted for a large proportion of the variation in the oil percentage of cotton seed from variety and agronomic trials conducted in Northern Nigeria but were not consistent between seasons. Reduced oil percentages from the drier areas of the north and from later sowings suggested that length of season is an important factor but insect attack and differences in the amounts of nitrogen, potash and boron applied to the soil also contributed to the variation. Application of insecticide, potash and boron increased and nitrogen decreased oil percentages. The latter effect usually resulted from an increase in seed size without a corresponding increase in oil content. The variation in the oil percentages of commercial varieties derived from the same Nigerian Allen stock and the relatively small interactions between varieties and environments suggested that this character might be improved by selection.