Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Research

Display of fresh semen quality, frozen semen production, and field fertility of Bali bulls (Bos sondaicus) in different season

2025-04-25T07:40:33+07:00

Bali cattle is one of Indonesia's local cattle that has high economic potential. The quality of the semen used plays an important role as a factor in the success of artificial insemination (AI) programs. Climate change, including temperature variations, rainfall, and length of solar exposure, can affect the quality of fresh semen produced by bulls. Differences in environmental conditions can affect semen characteristics, such as spermatozoa concentration, motility, and morphology, which in turn have an impact on the field fertility rate. The aim of this study is to explore the differences in male fertility based on environmental conditions that change throughout the seasons. The research method used in this study is non-experimental, using secondary data on the quality of fresh semen and frozen semen production collected from the Regional AI Center, Bali Province. In addition, this study also used data from the big data of the National Animal Health Information System (iSIKHNAS) to calculate field fertility represented by conception rate. Climate data was obtained from the Indonesian Agency for Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics (BMKG) Bali Province, the data collected was climate data in Tabanan Regency. The differences in the appearance of fresh semen quality, frozen semen production, and field fertility were analyzed using the Independent T-Test. In this study, there was no significant difference in fresh semen quality, frozen semen production, and field fertility (P>0.05) in all parameters, but the average reproductive performance of bali bulls was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season.

Examining small-scale cattle farmers’ willingness to participate in livestock auction markets in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality

2025-03-21T11:38:20+07:00

This study explored the willingness of small-scale cattle farmers in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, to participate in livestock auction markets. Agriculture, a cornerstone of economies, heavily relies on livestock farming in South Africa. However, small-scale cattle farmers face challenges in market participation. The study investigated the factors influencing farmers' willingness, emphasizing socio-economic characteristics. Using descriptive statistics and logistic regression, the research unveils significant factors, providing insights for targeted interventions. The logistic regression model indicates a statistically significant relationship between education level, farm size, access to agricultural information, farming experience, and farmers' willingness to engage in auction markets. Notably, higher education levels and larger farm sizes positively correlate with willingness, while increased access to agricultural information and excessive farming experience exhibit negative correlations. The findings have crucial implications for policy interventions, suggesting the need for educational programs to enhance farmers' awareness of auction markets, initiatives to increase farm sizes, and improved dissemination of agricultural market information.

Assessment of women involvement in locust beans processing in Ejigbo Local Government Area

2025-03-21T11:34:51+07:00

A two-stage selection technique was employed to randomly pick the benefits, profitability analysis, and restrictions associated with women's participation in locus bean production within designated villages in Ejigbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. A structured interview protocol was employed to collect primary data from 120 respondents. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics executed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The respondent’s average family size was 6 individuals with 73.33% of the respondents between the ages of 14 and 60 being married women. Also, 23.33% of the respondents possessed secondary education, with 2% attaining tertiary education. Likewise, 72% of the respondents identify as Christian, with 62.50% obtaining the requisite abilities for this enterprise from their parents. Furthermore, 67.50% utilized domestic labor for executing procedures involved in locust bean production. The profitability analysis revealed that each N1 invested in the enterprise generated a profit of N0.35, indicating the profitability of the firm as an alternative for additional income. Furthermore, processing experience in terms of year and age exhibited a positive and significant correlation; household size demonstrates a positive yet non-significant correlation, years of education indicate a negative and significant correlation. Conclusively, women's involvement in locust bean processing is a lucrative venture, but face challenges like inadequate financing, high costs of raw materials, firewood, and transportation. Consequently, governments and non-governmental organizations should promote the engagement of young graduates in local bean processing by supplying time-efficient machinery and contemporary processing apparatus, in addition to connecting them with established marketplaces.

Morpho-anatomical characterization of Moringa oleifera in Benue State, Nigeria

2025-01-23T22:55:32+07:00

Morpho-anatomical investigations are invaluable tools for understanding plant ecological strategies and functional adaptations. This study aimed to evaluate the foliar micro and macro morphological variations in Moringa oleifera accessions in Benue State. Methods: Plant materials were collected from three Local Government Areas (Makurdi, Gboko. and Ushongo) in Benue State Nigeria. Quantitative and qualitative foliar features were evaluated from 50 randomly selected trees comprising four plant stands in each population of accession. Epidermal characters were measured and statistically analysed using SIMINT. Results the macro morphological characters evaluated showed that ADGBK (Gboko) accessions had the longest leaflet length (24.00mm), width (15.33mm) and area (367.20mm²). While, the micro-morphological characters (epidermal cell) in NBMKD (Makurdi) accession had the longest cell length (52.10 µm), cell width (UAMKD = 18.44µm) and cell area (808.59 µm²). The stomatal length (UTUSH = 48.00 µm) and width (LSUSH = 24.03 µm) of accessions from Ushongo were the highest. Percental stomatal index value was notably highest (27%) in WUMKD (Makurdi) accessions. The mean leaf morphological and anatomical characters analysed showed significant difference at (p≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Moringa oleifera accessions evaluated showcased unique foliar morphological variations which were due to tolerance and adaptation strategies by each accession to local environmental conditions.

Effects of zeolite-amended sandy soil on moisture, ash, and protein content of Swiss Chard

2025-03-24T16:05:36+07:00

Soil degradation and water scarcity are major challenges affecting crop productivity in sandy soils. Zeolite, a naturally occurring aluminosilicate mineral, has been explored as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and enhance plant growth for various crops. However, limited information on the influence of zeolite soil amendment on Swiss chard nutritional content. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Research Council, Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch, South Africa from late autumn to late spring. The study accessed the effects of zeolite soil amendment on dry matter yield, moisture content, crude ash, and crude protein of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla cv. Ford Hook Giant) over five harvests. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised block design with four treatments 0; 10; 20 and 30% zeolite application to sandy soil, all at 12 kg sandy soil or sandy soil and zeolite mixture. Data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were compared using Fisher’s least significant difference test at a 5% probability level. The results of this study show that zeolite through its porous nature, high cation exchange capacity and alkalinity may be used to improve water availability to plants (moisture content) while at the same time improving dry matter yields and mineral accumulation (crude ash content). However, zeolite did not improve the crude protein contents of Swiss chard, which is a function of nitrogen assimilation. Nevertheless, 20–30% zeolite application levels can be used as an effective method to combat soil degradation and mitigate drought-related challenges. These rates improved dry matter yields, enhanced crop moisture content, and promoted crude ash and/or mineral accumulation in Swiss chard.

Optimizing lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth and yield through enhanced light quality in vertical drip fertigation systems

2025-03-25T10:32:43+07:00

Optimizing light conditions has become crucial for enhancing crop yield, especially in controlled environments like vertical farming. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), highly responsive to light variations, presents an ideal model for studying the influence of light quality on growth. Main objective was to evaluate the effects of light quality on the vegetative growth and yield of two lettuce varieties, ‘Green Coral’ and ‘Red Coral,’ in a home-based vertical drip fertigation system. Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was applied with five replicates and three treatments of T1: Control (no artificial light), T2: two horizontally arranged full spectrum LED light strips, and T3: three horizontally arranged full spectrum LED light strips. Number of leaves (NL), plant height (PH), and fresh weight (FW) were recorded across two growing seasons. Statistical analysis was conducted in one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test revealed that T2 significantly increased NL and PH in both varieties compared to T1 (P<0.05). The variety ‘Green Coral’ showed a significant increase in PH (6.7±0.72 cm) under T2. Wet weight was also significantly higher in T2 for both varieties, with 'Green Coral' yielding 6.2±0.54 g and 'Red Coral' 6.6±0.38 g. These results reported the positive impact of light quality on vegetative growth, suggesting the potential for improved yield in vertical farming.

Differences in fermentation time and various rumen liquids on the nutrient content and tannins of Calliandra leaves (Calliandra calothyrsus)

2025-03-21T13:40:13+07:00

Fermentation is one way to lower tannin levels and improve nutritional quality. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of fermentation time and various rumen liquids on the nutrient content and tannins of Calliandra leaves. In this study, two factors were used, namely Factor 1 of fermentation time (L1:0 day, L2: 7 days, L3: 14 days) and Factor 2 of various types of rumen liquids (C1: sheep, C2: cattle), which were compiled in a Factorial Complete Random Design. The factors observed were crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, and tannins. Based on the results, the interaction of Calliandra leaves fermentation using different fermentation time and rumen liquid had a very real influence (P<0.01) on the average value of crude protein (20.03-25.13%), crude fiber (9.27-12.84%), crude fat (0.97-1.80%), and tannins (23.22–36.65 TAE mg/g). Based on the results of this study, C1L3 and C2L3 which have crude protein content of 22.18% and 25.13%, respectively, crude fiber content of 9.84% and 11.44%, and crude fat content of 1.80% and 1.25% are the most ideal treatment combinations. However, with tannin levels of 2.32% and 3.19%, sheep rumen liquid has been proven to be more successful in reducing tannin levels than bovine rumen liquid.