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Integrated farming system producing zero emissions and sustainable livelihood for small-scale cattle farms: Case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Thanh Hai L, Tran QB, Tra VT, Nguyen TPT, Le TN, Schnitzer H, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2020 Oct;265(Pt B):114853.
PMID: 32480006 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114853

This study proposes an integrated cattle breeding and cultivation system that provides zero emission and sustainable livelihood for the community in rural areas. The proposed integrated farming system improves agricultural productivity and environmental and sanitation conditions, minimizes the amount of waste, and increases the family income up to 41.55%. Several waste types can be recycled and transformed into valuable products, such as energy for cooking, organic fertilizer for crops, and cattle feed for breeding. Wastewater effluent from the biogas tank can be treated by biochar and results show that it then meets the standards for irrigation purposes. Also, the waste flow from cattle breeding supplies enough nutrients to cultivate plants, and the plants grown supply are adequate food for the 30 cows living on the farm. This research shows that the use of an integrated farming system could achieve zero-emission goal. Thereby, it provides a sustainable livelihood for cattle breeding family farms. The proposed integrated cattle breeding and cultivation system improves agricultural productivity, environmental and increases the farmer income up to 41.55%.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Dense populations of the microsporidian Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) in feces of Penaeus vannamei exhibiting white feces syndrome and pathways of their transmission to healthy shrimp

Tang KFJ, Han JE, Aranguren LF, White-Noble B, Schmidt MM, Piamsomboon P, et al.

J Invertebr Pathol, 2016 Oct;140:1-7.
PMID: 27530403 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2016.08.004

White feces syndrome (WFS) is an emerging problem for penaeid shrimp farming industries in SE Asia countries, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and in India. This occurrence of this syndrome is usually first evidenced by the appearance of white fecal strings floating on surface of the shrimp ponds. The gross signs of affected shrimp include the appearance of a whitish hindgut and loose carapace, and it is associated with reduced feeding and growth retardation. To investigate the nature of the white feces syndrome, samples of white feces and shrimp hepatopancreas tissue were collected from Penaeus vannamei in affected farms in Indonesia, and these were examined histologically. Within the white feces, we found densely packed spores of the microsporidian Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (abbreviated as EHP) and relatively fewer numbers of rod-shaped bacteria. From WFS ponds, hepatopancreas samples form 30 individual shrimp were analyzed by histology and in situ hybridization. The results showed that all of the shrimp examined were infected with EHP accompanied by septic hepatopancreatic necrosis (SHPN). Midgut epithelial cells were also infected and this increased the number of tissue types being affected by EHP. By PCR, EHP was detected in all the samples analyzed from WFS-affected ponds, but not in those sampled from healthy shrimp ponds. To determine the modes of transmission for this parasite, we performed feeding and cohabitation bioassays, the results showed that EHP can be transmitted through per os feeding of EHP-infected hepatopancreas tissue to healthy shrimp and through cohabitation ofinfected and healthy shrimp. In addition, we found the use of Fumagillin-B, an antimicrobial agent, was ineffective in either reducing or eliminating EHP in infected shrimp.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Occurrence of virulent multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium in the pigs, farmers and farm environments in Malaysia

Tan SC, Chong CW, Teh CSJ, Ooi PT, Thong KL

PeerJ, 2018;6:e5353.
PMID: 30123701 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5353

Background: Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are ubiquitous opportunistic pathogens found in the guts of humans and farmed animals. This study aimed to determine the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance, virulence, biofilm-forming ability and genotypes of E. faecalis and E. faecium from swine farms. Correlations between the genotypes, virulotypes, antibiotic resistance, and the environmental factors such as locality of farms and farm hygiene practice were explored.
Methods: E. faecalis and E. faecium strains were isolated from the oral, rectal and fecal samples of 140 pigs; nasal, urine and fecal samples of 34 farmers working in the farms and 42 environmental samples collected from seven swine farms located in Peninsular Malaysia. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the disk diffusion method, and the antibiotic resistance and virulence genes were detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction. Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic-Polymerase Chain Reaction and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis were performed to determine the clonality of the strains. Crosstab/Chi-square test and DistLM statistical analyses methods were used to determine the correlations between the genotypes, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance, and the environmental factors.
Results: A total of 211 E. faecalis and 42 E. faecium were recovered from 140 pigs, 34 farmers and 42 environmental samples collected from seven swine farms in Peninsular Malaysia. Ninety-eight percent of the strains were multidrug-resistant (resistant to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin). Fifty-two percent of the strains formed biofilms. Virulence genes efa, asaI, gelE, esp, cyl and ace genes were detected. Virulence genes efa and asaI were most prevalent in E. faecalis (90%) and E. faecium (43%), respectively. Cluster analyses based on REP-PCR and PFGE showed the strains were genetically diverse. Overall, the strains isolated from pigs and farmers were distinct, except for three highly similar strains found in pigs and farmers. The strains were regional- and host-specific.
Discussion: This study revealed alarming high frequencies of multidrug-resistant enterococci in pigs and swine farmers. The presence of resistance and virulence genes and the ability to form biofilm further enhance the persistence and pathogenicity of the strains. Although the overall clonality of the strains were regionals and host-specific, strains with high similarity were found in different hosts. This study reiterates a need of a more stringent regulation to ensure the proper use of antibiotics in swine husbandry to reduce the wide spread of multidrug-resistant strains.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Chemopreventive effects of standardized papaya leaf fraction on oxidatively stressed human liver cells

Tan SA, Goya L, Ramanathan S, Sulaiman SF, Alam M, Navaratnam V

Food Res Int, 2014 Oct;64:387-395.
PMID: 30011665 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2014.06.040

Extract from papaya leaves, a waste material from fruit farms in Malaysia was previously reported to possess remarkable antioxidative activities. In this study, papaya leaf extract was separated into fractions of different polarities [petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (NB) and water (W) fractions]. The aim of this research was to determine the most active fraction in terms of its chemopreventive effects towards oxidative stress and the chemical constituents involved. The cytoprotective nature of the papaya fractions was observed against t-BOOH-induced oxidative stress on HepG2 liver cell line. ROS assay indicated that only PE and EA effectively reduced the increment of radical due to the pro-oxidant, t-BOOH. Nevertheless, PE was a stronger ROS scavenger by demonstrating ROS reducing activity in a dose-dependent manner to the basal level. This fraction was also found to inhibit cell death caused by t-BOOH toxicity, attenuating lactate dehydrogenase enzyme leakage by more than 90% (p<0.05). In addition, gene expression of phase II antioxidant enzymes (hmox-1 and nqo-1) and their transcription factor (nrf-2) were shown to be upregulated upon PE treatment during a time-course study. A GC-MS fingerprint of the active fraction was subsequently obtained with standardization using the marker compound; α-tocopherol, a well known antioxidant. However, this pure compound was not as effective as its corresponding PE concentrations in ROS reduction. Hence, PE of papaya leaf extract was a strong antioxidant and cytoprotectant with tremendous potential to be harnessed into the next therapeutic remedy against oxidative stress of the liver.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Characterisation of ESBL/AmpC-Producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated from poultry farms in Peninsular Malaysia

Tan HS, Yan P, Agustie HA, Loh HS, Rayamajhi N, Fang CM

Lett Appl Microbiol, 2023 Jan 23;76(1).
PMID: 36688778 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovac044

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpCs)-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been increasingly reported and imposing significant threat to public. Livestock production industry might be the important source for clinically important ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This study aims to investigate the resistance profile, phenotypic ESBL production, beta-lactamase genes, virulence factors, and plasmid replicon types among 59 Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from poultry faecal samples in Malaysia's commercial poultry farm. There were 38.7% and 32.3% of Escherichia coli resistant to cefotaxime and cefoxitin, respectively, while Klebsiellaspp. demonstrated resistance rate of 52.6% to both mentioned antimicrobials. Majority of the E. coli isolates carried blaTEM and blaCMY-2 group. blaSHV was the most prevalent gene detected in Klebsiellaspp., followed by blaDHA and blaTEM. Resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporin in our isolates was primarily mediated by plasmid mediated AmpC beta-lactamase such as CMY-2 group and DHA enzyme. The CTX-M genes were found in two ESBL-producing E. coli. IncF, IncI1, and IncN plasmids were most frequently detected in E. coli and Klebsiellaspp. The virulence factor, including EAST1 and pAA were identified at low frequency. This study highlights the poultry as a reservoir of resistance and virulence determinants and prevalence of plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae might drive their dissemination.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Seasonal and year-round use of the Kushiro Wetland, Hokkaido, Japan by sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis)

Takafumi H, Kamii T, Murai T, Yoshida R, Sato A, Tachiki Y, et al.

PeerJ, 2017;5:e3869.
PMID: 29038752 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3869

The sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) population in the Ramsar-listed Kushiro Wetland has increased in recent years, and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan has decided to take measures to reduce the impact of deer on the ecosystem. However, seasonal movement patterns of the deer (i.e., when and where the deer inhabit the wetland) remain unclear. We examined the seasonal movement patterns of sika deer in the Kushiro Wetland from 2013 to 2015 by analyzing GPS location data for 28 hinds captured at three sites in the wetland. Seasonal movement patterns were quantitatively classified as seasonal migration, mixed, dispersal, nomadic, resident, or atypical, and the degree of wetland utilization for each individual was estimated. The area of overlap for each individual among intra-capture sites and inter-capture sites was calculated for the entire year and for each season. Our results showed that the movement patterns of these deer were classified not only as resident but also as seasonal migration, dispersal, and atypical. Approximately one-third of the individuals moved into and out of the wetland during the year as either seasonal migrants or individuals with atypical movement. Some of the individuals migrated to farmland areas outside the wetland (the farthest being 69.9 km away). Half of the individuals inhabited the wetland all or most of the year, i.e., 81-100% of their annual home range was within the wetland area. Even among individuals captured at the same site, different seasonal movement patterns were identified. The overlap areas of the home ranges of individuals from the same capture sites were larger than those for individuals from different capture sites (e.g., mean of annual home range overlap with intra-capture sites: 47.7% vs. inter-sites: 1.3%). To achieve more effective ecosystem management including deer management in the wetland, management plans should cover inside and outside of the wetland and separate the population into multiple management units to address the different movement patterns and wetland utilization of the population.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Introducing a technique in sustaining adult worker bees of Heterotrigona itama (Cockerell, 1918) in laboratory to facilitate future health research on Kelulut honey

Syazana Jumaan, Jahangir Kamaldin, Rosliza Jajuli, Izfa Riza Hazmi

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(102):22-30.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The study is introducing a laboratory technique to sustain the longevity of Heterotrigona itama sting- less bees collected from the farm in order to facilitate future health research on Kelulut honey. Methods: The worker bees were held in laboratory at 26 ± 2 oC, 57 ± 8 % relative humidity (RH) and 12:12 hours (light:dark period) in a cup covered with meshed cloth and installed with an inverted-wick system consists of a drinking straw with the bottom end loosely plugged with cotton wool. The artificial diet was pipetted into the straw to wet the cotton wool. The bees were divided into five diet groups, namely a) unfed - control, b) distilled water, c) purified tap water, d) non-carbonated isotonic drink or e) 5% honey solution. Feeding activity and survival of worker bees were observed daily. Results: The worker bees are seen to frequent and lick the cotton wool wetted with artificial diets. Comparison between the artificial diets, Kaplan-Meier statistical analysis showed that the 5% honey solution and non-carbonated isotonic drink have significantly (P < 0.05) extended the longevity of the worker bees with 50% survival probability at least 8 days. When the similar holding and feeding technique used for the bees from commercial farms, the 50% survival probability was extended to 14 days. Conclusion: The inverted-wick system with the use of 5% honey solu- tion or isotonic drink as the artificial diet is capable to hold the H. itama worker bees at least for a week with survival above 50% for laboratory experiments.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Prevalence of Ectoparasitism on Small Ruminants in Kelantan, Malaysia

Syamsul VS, Okene IA, Yahya SNC, Hamdan RH, Lee SH, Tan LP

Trop Life Sci Res, 2020 Apr;31(1):45-56.
PMID: 32963710 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2020.31.1.3

Kelantan is a chiefly agrarian state with abundant small-holder ruminant farms in the East Coast economic Region of Malaysia. Ectoparasitism affects small ruminant production in Malaysia. It often causes reduction in meat quality and milk production which affect the farmers' income. To date, no report for the prevalence of ectoparasitism on small ruminant in Kelantan compared to other state in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the prevalence and associated risk factor of ruminant ectoparasitism in Kelantan. Ectoparasites were collected by manual picking and skin scrapping from 462 sheep and goats in Kelantan between April and September 2017 (during dry season). 60% of the sampled animals were infested with at least one species of the ectoparasites. In this study, lice and ticks were the most prevalent ectoparasites on small ruminant, which were 43.64% and 22.98%, respectively. The high biotic potential of lice population on host might be one of the factors they become the most prevalent species found on the animals. There was no significant relationship between ectoparasitism prevalence and species of small ruminants (χ2 = 1.12, p = 0.293). However, there was significant variations in prevalence between the regions where the animals were sampled from (χ2 = 30.25, p = 0.002) and farm management system for both species. This present study provides baseline epidemiological data on the prevalence of ectoparasitism in small ruminant. This information is useful for the formulation of prevention and control measures in order to enhance ruminant productivity in Kelantan.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
First Report of Lasiodiplodia theobromae Causing Stem Canker of Jatropha curcas in Malaysia

Sulaiman R, Thanarajoo SS, Kadir J, Vadamalai G

Plant Dis, 2012 May;96(5):767.
PMID: 30727556 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-06-11-0482-PDN

Physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) is an important biofuel crop worldwide. Although it has been reported to be resistant to pests and diseases (1), stem cankers have been observed on this plant at several locations in Peninsular Malaysia since early February 2008. Necrotic lesions on branches appear as scars with vascular discoloration in the tissue below the lesion. The affected area is brownish and sunken in appearance. Disease incidence of these symptomatic nonwoody plants can reach up to 80% in a plantation. Forty-eight samples of symptomatic branches collected from six locations (University Farm, Setiu, Gemenceh, Pulau Carey, Port Dickson, and Kuala Selangor) were surface sterilized in 10% bleach, rinsed twice with sterile distilled water, air dried on filter paper, and plated on water agar. After 4 days, fungal colonies on the agar were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C. Twenty-seven single-spore fungal cultures obtained from all locations produced white, aerial mycelium that became dull gray after a week in culture. Pycnidia from 30-day-old pure cultures produced dark brown, oval conidia that were two celled, thin walled, and oval shape with longitudinal striations. The average size of the conidia was 23.63 × 12.72 μm with a length/width ratio of 1.86. On the basis of conidial morphology, these cultures were identified as Lasiodiplodia theobromae. To confirm the identity of the isolates, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was amplified with ITS1/ITS4 primers and sequenced. The sequences were deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. HM466951, HM466953, HM466957, GU228527, HM466959, and GU219983). Sequences from the 27 isolates were 99 to 100% identical to two L. theobromae accessions in GenBank (Nos. HM008598 and HM999905). Hence, both morphological and molecular characteristics confirmed the isolates as L. theobromae. Pathogenicity tests were performed in the glasshouse with 2-month-old J. curcas seedlings. Each plant was wound inoculated by removing the bark on a branch to a depth of 2 mm with a 10-mm cork borer. Inoculation was conducted by inserting a 10-mm-diameter PDA plug of mycelium into the wound and wrapping the inoculation site with wetted, cotton wool and Parafilm. Control plants were treated with plugs of sterile PDA. Each isolate had four replicates and two controls. After 6 days of incubation, all inoculated plants produced sunken, necrotic lesions with vascular discoloration. Leaves were wilted and yellow above the point of inoculation on branches. The control plants remained symptomless. The pathogen was successfully reisolated from lesions on inoculated branches. L. theobromae has been reported to cause cankers and dieback in a wide range of hosts and is common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (2,3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of stem canker associated with L. theobromae on J. curcas in Malaysia. References: (1) S. Chitra and S. K. Dhyani. Curr. Sci. 91:162, 2006. (2) S. Mohali et al. For. Pathol. 35:385, 2005. (3) E. Punithalingam. Page 519 in: CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, Surrey, UK. 1976.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Prevalence of salmonella sp. In African catfish (clarias gariepinus) obtained from farms and wet markets in Kelantan, Malaysia and their antibiotic resistance

Sing CK, Md. Zahirul Islam Khan, Hassan Hj. Mohd Daud, Abd. Rahman Aziz

Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1597-1602.

The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella sp. isolated from
African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). A total of 30 catfish were harvested from four different farms and four different
wet markets. A total of 60 samples (30 catfish skins and 30 catfish intestines) were used for Salmonella sp. isolation
(pellet-method), its biochemical and serological test. Confirmation of Salmonella sp. were determined by polyvalent
O antisera and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genus specific primers for invA genes (DNA amplification
showed one distinct band with molecular weight of 389 bp) and the species of isolated Salmonella sp. were identified
by serotyping. The result showed 6/30 (20%) of fish or 6/60 (10%) of organ samples were positive for Salmonella sp.
Among those positive for Salmonella sp., 4/6 were from intestine samples and 2/6 were from skin samples. No significant
difference was found in the prevalence of Salmonella sp. isolates between fish harvested from farms and wet markets
(p-value= 0.406). The Salmonella serovars identified were Salmonella corvallis (n=3), Salmonella mbandaka (n=2)
and Salmonella typhmurium (n=1). Salmonella sp. isolates were resistance to Penicillin (P 10, 100%), Clindamycin
(DA 2, 100%), Tetracycline (TE 30, 100%) and Rifampicin (RD 5, 100%) and all of the isolates were susceptible or
intermediate resistance to Ceftazidime (CAZ 30) and Trimethopin (W 5). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of
all Salmonella sp. isolates in current study was 0.67 indicating that fish sampled in the present study was under high
risk of been exposed to the tested antibiotics.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Field demonstration of the usefulness of a model of 3D printed mosquito light trap made in Sabah

Shigeharu Sato, Tomonori Hoshi, Bumpei Tojo, Samson Yodot, Joni Jain

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):80-80.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Collecting mosquitoes is essential for research in mosquito-borne diseases, but the light traps used for that purpose are expensive and often difficult to obtain around research fields. We designed a new 3D-printable mosquito light trap that can be made inexpensively anywhere where electricity is available (Hoshi et al, Scientific Reports, in press). In this study, we produced that trap in Sabah and demonstrated its usefulness in the field. Meth-ods: With a 3D printer, the main parts of the trap - body, lid, lamp stand and collection box - were printed in Kota Kinabalu using black polylactic acid (PLA) filaments purchased online. All other parts such as the computer fan and batteries were commercially available at local shops in Sabah. The parts were assembled into the complete units at Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Rural Medical Education Centre (RMEC) in Sikuati, Kudat. Demonstration was performed at two sites in the Kudat district: RMEC campus and the premises of a local farm in Kampung Paradason. Results: The 3D traps collected 6 and 7 different species of mosquitoes at RMEC and Paradason sites, respectively. The numbers of mosquito species collected by the commercially-available CDC model-512 traps in parallel experiments were 2 (RMEC) and 10 (Paradason). The species collected by the 3D traps included Aedes albopictus (vector transmitting Dengue virus), Anopheles barbumbrosus (malaria), Culex quinquefasciatus (Wuchereria bancrofti, avian malaria, and arboviruses including Japanese encephalitis and Zika viruses) and Mansonia indiana (Brugia malayi). Conclu-sion: The 3D light trap which was produced in Sabah demonstrated its usefulness in the field tests performed in the Kudat district. This model can be used as an alternative to the rather expensive commercial light traps to collect the vector insects transmitting mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Zika fever and filariasis.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Detecting and predicting the impact of land use changes on groundwater quality, a case study in Northern Kelantan, Malaysia

Sheikhy Narany T, Aris AZ, Sefie A, Keesstra S

Sci Total Environ, 2017 Dec 01;599-600:844-853.
PMID: 28501010 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.171

The conversions of forests and grass land to urban and farmland has exerted significant changes on terrestrial ecosystems. However, quantifying how these changes can affect the quality of water resources is still a challenge for hydrologists. Nitrate concentrations can be applied as an indicator to trace the link between land use changes and groundwater quality due to their solubility and easy transport from their source to the groundwater. In this study, 25year records (from 1989 to 2014) of nitrate concentrations are applied to show the impact of land use changes on the quality of groundwater in Northern Kelantan, Malaysia, where large scale deforestation in recent decades has occurred. The results from the integration of time series analysis and geospatial modelling revealed that nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations significantly increased with approximately 8.1% and 3.89% annually in agricultural and residential wells, respectively, over 25years. In 1989 only 1% of the total area had a nitrate value greater than 10mg/L; and this value increased sharply to 48% by 2014. The significant increase in nitrate was only observed in a shallow aquifer with a 3.74% annual nitrate increase. Based on the result of the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model the nitrate contamination is expected to continue to rise by about 2.64% and 3.9% annually until 2030 in agricultural and residential areas. The present study develops techniques for detecting and predicting the impact of land use changes on environmental parameters as an essential step in land and water resource management strategy development.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Proposing an ecologically viable and economically sound farming system using a matrix-based geo-informatics approach

Senanayake S, Pradhan B, Huete A, Brennan J

Sci Total Environ, 2021 Nov 10;794:148788.
PMID: 34323751 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148788

Healthy farming systems play a vital role in improving agricultural productivity and sustainable food production. The present study aimed to propose an efficient framework to evaluate ecologically viable and economically sound farming systems using a matrix-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted linear combination method with geo-informatics tools. The proposed framework has been developed and tested in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Results reveal that more than 50% of farming systems demonstrated moderate status in terms of ecological and economic aspects. However, two vulnerable farming systems on the western slopes of the Central Highlands, named WL1a and WM1a, were identified as very poor status. These farming systems should be a top priority for restoration planning and soil conservation to prevent further deterioration. Findings indicate that a combination of ecologically viable (nine indicators) and economical sound (four indicators) criteria are a practical method to scrutinize farming systems and decision making on soil conservation and sustainable land management. In addition, this research introduces a novel approach to delineate the farming systems based on agro-ecological regions and cropping areas using geo-informatics technology. This framework and methodology can be employed to evaluate the farming systems of other parts of the country and elsewhere to identify ecologically viable and economically sound farming systems concerning soil erosion hazards. The proposed approach addresses a new dimension of the decision-making process by evaluating the farming systems relating to soil erosion hazards and suggests introducing policies on priority-based planning for conservation with low-cost strategies for sustainable land management.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
The Singapore cold storage daily farm in its relation to antimalarial control measures

Scharff JW

Malayan Medical Journal, 1931;6:82-7.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Population distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes of bananas in Peninsular Malaysia

Sayed Abdul Rahman S, Mohd Zain S, Bilal Mat M, Sidam A, Othman R, Mohamed Z

Sains Malaysiana, 2014;43:175-183.

A nematode population distribution survey was conducted in banana plantations/farms in Peninsular Malaysia from June 2004 to January 2006. This study highlights differences obtained from the survey compared with previously published reports in terms of species prevalence in banana plantations. As opposed to the widely reported prevalence of Radopholus similis (Cobb 1893) Thorne, 1949, on banana plants worldwide, Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford and Oliveira, 1940, was found to be the most common nematode species in the isolated soil samples (Prominence Value = 824.28; n=63) while Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White 1919) Chitwood, 1949, was predominant in the isolated root samples (Prominence Value = 449.77; n=57) in Peninsular Malaysia. Besides, contradicting previous reports, M. incognita was found to dominate Cavendish plantation areas in this region instead of R. similis. Inter-species interaction resulting in species predominance and co-dominance in banana rhizosphere was also observed in this study.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Assessment of heavy metals contamination and human health risk in shrimp collected from different farms and rivers at Khulna-Satkhira region, Bangladesh

Sarkar T, Alam MM, Parvin N, Fardous Z, Chowdhury AZ, Hossain S, et al.

Toxicol Rep, 2016;3:346-350.
PMID: 28959555 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2016.03.003

This study is aimed to assess the heavy metals contamination and health risk in Shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii and Penaeus monodon) collected from Khulna-Satkhira region in Bangladesh. The results showed that the Pb concentrations (0.52-1.16 mg/kg) in all shrimp samples of farms were higher than the recommended limit. The Cd levels (0.05-0.13 mg/kg) in all samples and Cr levels in all farms except tissue content at Satkhira farm were higher than the permissible limits. The individual concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cr between shrimp tissue and shell in all rivers and farms were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were estimated to assess the non-carcinogenic health risks. Shrimp samples from all locations under the current study were found to be safe for consumption, the possibility of health risk associated with non-carcinogenic effect is very low for continuous consumption for 30 years.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext A Low-Cost Information Monitoring System for Smart Farming Applications

Saqib M, Almohamad TA, Mehmood RM

Sensors (Basel), 2020 Apr 22;20(8).
PMID: 32331212 DOI: 10.3390/s20082367

A low-cost, low-power, and low data-rate solution is proposed to fulfill the requirements of information monitoring for actual large-scale agricultural farms. A small-scale farm can be easily managed. By contrast, a large farm will require automating equipment that contributes to crop production. Sensor based soil properties measurement plays an integral role in designing a fully automated agricultural farm, also provides more satisfactory results than any manual method. The existing information monitoring solutions are inefficient in terms of higher deployment cost and limited communication range to adapt the need of large-scale agriculture farms. A serial based low-power, long-range, and low-cost communication module is proposed to confront the challenges of monitoring information over long distances. In the proposed system, a tree-based communication mechanism is deployed to extend the communication range by adding intermediate nodes. Each sensor node consists of a solar panel, a rechargeable cell, a microcontroller, a moisture sensor, and a communication unit. Each node is capable to work as a sensor node and router node for network traffic. Minimized data logs from the central node are sent daily to the cloud for future analytics purpose. After conducting a detailed experiment in open sight, the communication distance measured 250 m between two points and increased to 750 m by adding two intermediate nodes. The minimum working current of each node was 2 mA, and the packet loss rate was approximately 2-5% on different packet sizes of the entire network. Results show that the proposed approach can be used as a reference model to meet the requirements for soil measurement, transmission, and storage in a large-scale agricultural farm.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Effects of Azolla spp. as feed ingredient on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broiler chicken

Samad FAA, Idris LH, Abu Hassim H, Goh YM, Loh TC

J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 2020 Nov;104(6):1704-1711.
PMID: 32200580 DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13345

The feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of Azolla spp. inclusion in feed ingredient of broiler chickens. Two hundred of day-old broiler chicks were raised in Farm 15, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia. The birds were individually wing banded, weighed and allocated into four treatment groups (control: 0% of Azolla spp., T1: 5% of Azolla spp., T2: 10% of Azolla spp. and T3: 15% of Azolla spp.). Each group has five replicates and ten birds per pen. All the birds were fed ad libitum during the feeding trial, which lasted 42 days. During the end of the starter and finisher phase, two birds from each replicate were slaughtered. Ileal digesta sample was collected to determine the nutrient digestibility of the Azolla spp. on broiler chickens. Azolla spp. nutritional content was 5.14% dry matter, 24.82% crude protein, 16.64% crude fibre, 2.00% ether extract, 11.59% ash, 34.95% nitrogen-free extract, 42.52% neutral detergent fibre, 31.15% acid detergent fibre, 16.86% acid detergent lignin, 11.37% hemicellulose and 14.29% cellulose. The result from this study showed T3 (15% of Azolla spp.) has significantly highest (p .05) among treatments. For the nutrient digestibility experiment, the findings showed compared with a control group, feeding of 10% or 15% of Azolla spp. led to significant improvement (p

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
First Report of Pseudoperonospora cubensis Causing Downy Mildew of Trichosanthes cucumerina in Malaysia

Salati M, Wong MY, Sariah M, Nik Masdek H

Plant Dis, 2010 May;94(5):642.
PMID: 30754434 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-94-5-0642A

In December 2008, infected leaves of Trichosanthes cucumerina were observed on commercial cucurbit farms located in Pontian, Johor (south of West Malaysia). Bright yellow and small necrotic lesions were observed on the adaxial surface of the leaves, whereas sporangiophores were observed on pale yellowish brown-to-brown lesions on the abaxial surface. The length and width of the sporangia ranged from 19 to 36 μm (28.6) and 11 to 23 μm (17.6), respectively. The length of the sporangiophores ranged from 310 to 450 μm, with an average length of 380 μm. The pathogen was identified as Pseudoperonospora cubensis on the basis of the morphological criteria described by Palti and Cohen (2). To confirm the morphological findings, DNA was extracted from symptomatic tissue and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was PCR amplified using primers ITS5-P2 and ITS4 (3). The appropriate-sized amplicon was gel excised and column purified and then submitted for direct sequencing. The resulting 802 bp amplified ITS region was 100% identical to published P. cubensis sequences (GenBank Accession Nos. EU876603, EU876584, and AY198306). This sequence was deposited with NCBI GenBank under the Accession No. GU233293. In this study, pathogenicity tests were conducted using detached leaf disc assays (1) and a P. cubensis isolate obtained from T. cucumerina. For this purpose, leaf discs were excised from 6- to 8-week-old leaves of T. cucumerina using a 20-mm cork borer. Five leaf discs were placed with their abaxial surface facing upward on moist filter paper in petri dishes. Each of four leaf discs was inoculated with four 10-μl droplets of a 1 × 105 per ml sporangial suspension, whereas the fifth disc was inoculated with water droplets and served as a control. Three replications were completed. The leaf discs were placed in darkness at 14 ± 2°C for 24 h and subsequently incubated with a 12-h photoperiod. After 10 days, sporulation was observed on the sporangia-inoculated leaf discs with similar morphological features to the initial field samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. cubensis causing downy mildew of T. cucumerina in Malaysia. References: (1) A. Lebeda and M. P. Widrlechner. J. Plant Dis. Prot. 110:337, 2003. (2) J. Palti and Y. Cohen. Phytoparasitica 8:109, 1980. (3) H. Voglmayr and O. Constantinescu. Mycol. Res. 112:487, 2008.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms
Fulltext Cytological endometritis and its agreement with ultrasound examination in postpartum beef cows

Salah N, Yimer N

Vet World, 2017 Jun;10(6):605-609.
PMID: 28717310 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2017.605-609

BACKGROUND: Endometritis, which is one of the most common diseases in dairy cows postpartum, causes severe economic losses, including increased open days, calving intervals, and numbers of services to achieve conception.
AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the ultrasound method and its agreement with the endometrium cytology method, which is used to diagnose cytological endometritis in beef cows. Moreover, we determined which method has higher sensitivity and specificity at 4 and 5 weeks postpartum.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted 20-35 days postpartum. A total of 53 clinically healthy beef cows (28 Brangus and 25 Kedah-Kelantan breeds) from three beef farms were obtained. All cows were evaluated at 4 and 5 weeks postpartum, using ultrasound and cytobrush endometrial examination methods to diagnose cytological endometritis.
RESULTS: Endometrial cytology result showed that 11.3% (6/53) and 9.4% (5/53) of the cows exhibited cytological endometritis 4 and 5 weeks postpartum, respectively. A weak-to-moderate agreement found between the diagnostic methods (k=0.29 - 0.50; p<0.01 and k=0.38 - 0.49) at 4 and 5 weeks postpartum respectively.
CONCLUSION: The percentage of beef cows that were positive to cytological endometritis was low (polymorphonuclear cells, ≥8%) at 4 and 5 weeks postpartum. Results showed that the ultrasound method is useful and practical for diagnosing endometritis 4 and 5 weeks postpartum. This method exhibited 60% sensitivity, 93.8% specificity, and a 0.50 kappa value, especially when presence of intrauterine fluids and measurement of cervix diameter used in combination.

Matched MeSH terms: Farms

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