AN AUTOMATIC INTERACTION DETECTOR (AID) TECHNIQUE FOR SOCIOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF FARMER'S PERFORMANCE ON TOPPING AND DESUCKERING OF TOBACCO PLANTS
MOHAMMED B. HALIB, MD. KHIR ABD. RAHMAN AND ABD. WAHID ABU
SUMMARY
Topping and desuckering of tobacco plants is a recommended practice towards the production of high quality cured leaves. However, the majority of farmers still show reluctance in adopting the practice despite the efforts of the various agencies to encourage it. Lack of manpower aside, there might be other factors contributing to this situation. This study is an attempt to identify the factors leading to the 'non topping' behaviour of the tobacco farmers. A multi variate statistical grouping technique, the Automatic Interaction Detector (AID). is used in the analysis.
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FISH SAUSAGE - ITS PREPARATION AND QUALITY CHANGES DURING STORAGE
WAN RAHIMAH BT. WAN ISMAIL
SUMMARY
Fish sausages have been successfully developed from tuna (Euthynnus affinis Cantor.). Tuna sausages have the following chemical composition - 63.7% moisture content, 13.7% crude protein (N x 6.25), 5.2% fat and 1.67% ash. Skinless sausages were canned in 2% brine and were found to be highly acceptable after six months storage at ambient temperature (30°C). No significant changes were observed chemically, or organoleptically throughout the study period. Vacuum packed skinless sausages stored under chilled and frozen conditions were found to have a shelf life of 12 weeks and six months respectively based on chemical and microbiological tests.
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THE TOXICITY OF BROMADIOLONE TO THE MALAYSIAN WOOD RAT RATTUS TIOMANICUS
LEE, C.H. AND MASTOR. T.
SUMMARY
Oral intubation and no-choice feeding tests were conducted to determine the toxicity and efficacy of trromadiolone against R. tiomanicus trapped from cocoa-coconut fields in Hilir Perak. The single dose oral LD 50 is 2.27 (1.89-2.67) mg/kg while the mean lethal feeding period LFP 50 is 1.29 (0.79-1.68) days. The mean duration to death was five to seven days with the shortest being two days and the longest was eleven days. No acute poisoning svmptoms were seen indicating that bait shyness would not be induced. The variability in susceptibility of the rats to the poison showst he possibility of selectiont for resistant rats after the poison has been in use for a long time. As such the LD 95 and the LFp 95 within the upper 95% fiducial limits can be used as a baseline to monitor/detect resistance. The anticoagulant nature of the poison renders it safe for use. With good bait acceptance, the advantage of a single dose effect and the short duration to death, bromadiolone is an effective rodenticide for the control of R. tiomanicus and would be an addition to the current convenrional rodenticides.
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TRANSMISSION OF RAGGED STUNT VIRUS DISEASE OF RICE IN MALAYSIA
HABIBUDDIN HASHIM and ONG CHING ANG
SUMMARY
Rice ragged stunt virus in Malaysia could only be transmitted by the brown planthopper, N. lugens (Homoptera: Delphacidae) in a persistent manner but not by Nephotettix virescens nor Sogatella furcifera. It is also not seed-transmitted. The insect needed a minimum of 30 minutes for acquisition feeding and 10 minutes of inoculation feeding period. The latent period of the virus in the insect body was less than 30 hours, and the virus persisted inside the planthopper until the vector died. The transmission efficiency between the two wing-forms of planthopper was statistically significant at P<0.05. There was no significant difference in the life-pan of brown planthoppers caged on virus-infected and healthy rice plants.
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INDUCTION OF FERTILE OESTRUS USING PROGESTERONE RELEASING INTRAVAGINAL DEVICE (PRID) IN JERSEY CATTLE
MOHAMAD BIN NGAH
SUMMARY
This study was conducted to determine the effect of Progesterone Releasing Intravaginal Device (PRID) (Abbott Laboratories) on conception rate of Jersey cattle following fixed time insemination. Sixty-two Jersey cows were allotted into: Group I - Control females (n : 31 ) received no steroid (PRID) treatment but were heat checked twice daily at 7 am and 7 pm. Animals in standing oestrus were inseminated once in the 25-day trial, 8-12 hr after detected oestrus. Group 2 - Females (n : 31) were implanted with PRID for 12 days. Oestrus detection was done similarly as in Group 1, however, females were inseminated once at 54 hr following PRID removal. Frozen semen from the same bull diluted at 50 x 106 sperm/dose in 0.25 ml French straw were used in both groups. Pregnancy was determined per rectum 60 days after breeding. The overall pregnancy rates of PRID-treated and control animals were 65% and 55%, respectively. The rate of PRID loss or rejection during the trial was 6.5 percent. This study demonstrates that fertile oestrus can be induced by using PRID as an agent for synchronization, particularly, cows with palpatable CL. The satisfactory conception rate following fixed time insemination at 54 hr poost-PRID removal eleviate the need for oestrus detection.
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