Towards saving freshwater: halophytes as unconventional feedstuffs in livestock feed: a review

Water represents 71% of all earth area and about 97% of this water is salty water. So, only 3% of the overall world water quantity is freshwater. Human can benefit only from 1% of this water and the remaining 2% freeze at both poles of earth. Therefore, it is important to preserve the freshwater through increasing the plants consuming salty water. The future prosperity of feed resources in arid and semi-arid countries depends on economic use of alternative resources that have been marginalized for long periods of time, such as halophytic plants, which are one such potential future resource. Halophyte plants can grow in high salinity water and soil and to some extent during drought. The growth of these plants depends on the contact of the salted water with plant roots as in semi-desert saline water, mangrove swamps, marshes, and seashores. Halophyte plants need high levels of sodium chloride in the soil water for growth, and the soil water must also contain high levels of salts, as sodium hydroxide or magnesium sulfate. There are many uses for halophyte plants, including feed for animals, vegetables, drugs, sand dune stabilizers, wind shelter, soil cover, wetland cultivation, laundry detergents, and paper production. This paper will focus on the use of halophytes as a feed additive for animals. In spite of the good nutritional value of halophytes, some anti-nutritional factors as nitrates, nitrite complexes, tannins, glycosides, phenolic compounds, saponins, oxalates, and alkaloids may be present in some of them. The presence of such anti-nutritional agents makes halophytes unpalatable to animals, which tends to reduce feed intake and nutrient use. Therefore, the negative effects of these plants on animal performance are the only objection against using halophytes in animal feed diets. This review article highlights the beneficial impact of considering halophytes in animal feeding on saving freshwater and illustrates its nutritive value for livestock from different aspects.     

Chemistry of the postpharyngeal gland secretion and its implication for the phylogeny of IberianCataglyphis species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Summary A comparative morphological and chemical study of six endemic species ofCataglyphis from the Iberian Peninsula:C. ibericus, C. rosenhaueri, C. hispanicus, C. humeya, C. velox andC. floricola and the Moroccan speciesC. bombycinus is described. The morphological study relied primarily on genitalia characteristics, whereas the chemical study concentrated on the postpharyngeal gland constituents. Cladograms based on the morphological and chemical data were performed using Ward's method. The dendrogram based on morphological features revealed that the IberianCataglyphis can be classified into three species groupsalbicans, altisquamis andemmae. The same pattern occurred when the dimethylalkanes constituents of the postpharyngeal gland were utilised as character states, with a slight displacement of species within thealtisquamis group. However, when the complete hydrocarbon blend was utilised major discrepancies in the dendrograms occurred.Cataglyphis velox proved to be very similar toC. bombycinus, whereasC. floricola clustered with the other two species of thealtisquamis group. Based on the geographical distribution and paleontological data (Tinaut 1993) it is assumed thatC. floricola recently invaded the Iberian Peninsula. Based on the chemical findings we postulate that chemical character displacement occurred inC. floricola as a result of its sympatry withC. velox after the former colonized the Iberian Peninsula. We further discuss the possible reason for the different dendrograms obtained when only the dimethylalkanes are considered and its implication for the communicative role of the postpharyngeal gland secretion in these ants.     

Development and application of cross-linked polyethylenimine for trace metal and metalloid removal from mining and industrial wastewaters

Pollution of water bodies by trace metals is an established problem and several studies have been conducted to deal with it. South Africa is amongst those countries whose water systems are most affected as a result of intensive mining activities. This research was dedicated to the development of an insoluble chelating polymer for use as an adsorbent for abstraction of metal ions from mining and industrial wastewaters. Polyethylenimine (PEI), well known for its metal chelating potential, was cross-linked by epichlorohydrin (ECH) in order to convert it into a water-insoluble form for direct use as an adsorbent. The binding affinity of the cross-linked polyethylenimine (CPEI) to heavy metal ions was assessed as well as its ability to be regenerated for re-use. CPEI exhibited good complexation ability to metal ions with high affinity to Cr and most divalent metal ions. The observed order of complexation was: Cr?>?Zn>?Fe?>?Ni?>?Mn?>?Pb. On the other hand, it showed very poor ability to bind oxo-anions such as SeO₃ ^2? and AsO₂ ^? which has been attributed to the unavailability of suitable functional groups to interact with these ions.     

Organochlorines and PCBs in Tilapia zillii from Lake El-Manzala,Egypt

Abstract

The mercury content has been determined in samples of fumarolic gases, phreatic waters, soil and vegetation collected at Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy. Volcanic activity is demonstrated as a source of natural mercury pollution whose extent has been evaluated here by studying the contribution of different components of the surface environment. The possible influences for living organisms are examined.     

Study of worker’s exposure to Tantalum-bearing particles in a mining and metallurgical plant

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The objective of this study was to assess worker exposure to mineral dust particles, and a metabolic model, based on the model adopted by ICRP, was applied...     

She Came, She Saw, She Sowed: Re-negotiating Gender-Responsive Priorities for Effective Development of Agricultural Biotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper, we argue for the importance of incorporating a gendered perspective for the effective development of sustainable agricultural biotechnology systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Priority setting for agricultural policy and project development requires attention to gender issues specific to the demands of agricultural biotechnology. This is essential for successfully addressing food security and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). There has been a great deal of debate and literature on the implications of gender in agricultural development and policy. However, the implications of gender in agricultural biotechnology and have received relatively less attention, especially in SSA. Based on interviews with key stakeholders in agricultural biotechnology across SSA, review of pertinent literature and field observations, we have found that incorporating a gendered perspective is critical for the sustainable development of agricultural biotechnology and requires attention in five areas: the inclusion of women, particularly women farmers, in decision-making around biotech/genetically modified (GM) crop and trait selection; equal representation of women as men in education for agricultural science and in agricultural biotechnology research and development professions; greater involvement of women in extension services and farmers’ associations for successful delivery of information about biotech crops equality between men and women in access to resources for biotech/GM crop cultivation; and increased control for women farmers over biotech/GM crop management and income generation. We explain the consequences of failing to include such gender-responsive considerations into priority setting for agricultural biotechnology development and policy in SSA and provide recommendations for how policy makers and project partners of development initiatives can avoid such oversights.     

Prevalence and predictors of occupational asthma among workers in detergent and cleaning products industry and its impact on quality of life in El Asher Men Ramadan,Egypt

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cleaning products are mixtures of many chemical ingredients that are known to contain sensitizers, disinfectants, and fragrances, as well as strong...     

Acidic bioleaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge

The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the use of controlled bio-acidification prior to land application as a decontamination process to remove heavy metals from sludge. The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were naturally available in the sludge samples and were activated by providing sulfur and aeration at 28°C–30°C. Activation resulted in bio-acidification to pH 2 within 5–11 days. Successive inoculation of fresh sludges with 5% acidified samples reduced the acidification time to 2–3 days in most samples. Bio-acidification resulted in dissolving significant quantities of heavy metals from all sludge types tested. The maximum solubilization results were: 86%–97% for Ni; 48%–98% for Pb; 26%–71% for Cr; 18%–91% for Zn; 16%–90% for Cu; 7%–60% for Cd. Limited metal solubilization results were observed in the various control samples that accompanied the bio-acidified samples. The leaching results in the control samples were limited to 2%–19% for Ni, 0%–7% for Pb, 0%–5% for Cr, 0.3%–4% for Zn, 0.2%–4% for Cu and 0%–3% for Cd. The results confirmed that Ni and Pb were the easiest metals to dissolve from the various sludge types. On the other hand, the lowest solubilization results were observed for Cu and Cd, and moderate solubilization results were achieved for Cr. The bio-acidification process resulted in moderate gains in terms of improving the suitability of tested sludges for land application. Received: April 19, 1999 / Accepted: November 4, 1999     

Uptake studies of environmentally hazardous (51)Cr in Mung beans

Attempt has been made to study the accumulation behaviour of a common plant, Mung bean (Vigna radiata) towards Cr(III) and Cr(VI) to have an insight on the migration and bio-magnification of Cr. For this purpose healthy germinated Mung bean seeds were sown in the sand in the presence of Hoagland's nutrient solution containing measured amount of K(2)(51)Cr(2)O(7) and (51)Cr(NO(3))(3).9H(2)O. Growth rate was also studied in the presence and absence of phosphate salts in the medium. It has been found that the transfer of chromium from soil to plant is significantly low (maximum 5% for both Cr(III) and Cr(VI)). Maximum accumulation of Cr occurs in the root with respect to the total chromium accumulation by the plant. Other parts of the Mung bean plant, e.g. cotyledons, shoot and leaves, show negligible accumulation. Therefore, the chance of direct intake of Cr through food as well as through the grazing animals to human body is less.     

Patterns of animal diversity in different forms of tree cover in agricultural landscapes.

As tropical regions are converted to agriculture, conservation of biodiversity will depend not only on the maintenance of protected forest areas, but also on the scope for conservation within the agricultural matrix in which they are embedded. Tree cover typically retained in agricultural landscapes in the neotropics may provide resources and habitats for animals, but little is known about the extent to which it contributes to conservation of animal species. Here, we explore the animal diversity associated with different forms of tree cover for birds, bats, butterflies, and dung beetles in a pastoral landscape in Nicaragua. We measured species richness and abundance of these four animal taxa in riparian and secondary forest, forest fallows, live fences, and pastures with high and low tree cover. We recorded over 20,000 individuals of 189 species including 14 endangered bird species. Mean abundance and species richness of birds and bats, but not dung beetles or butterflies, were significantly different among forms of tree cover. Species richness of bats and birds was positively correlated with tree species richness. While the greatest numbers of bird species were associated with riparian and secondary forest, forest fallows, and pastures with >15% tree cover, the greatest numbers of bat species were found in live fences and riparian forest. Species assemblages of all animal taxa were different among tree cover types, so that maintaining a diversity of forms of tree cover led to conservation of more animal species in the landscape as a whole. Overall, the findings indicate that retaining tree cover within agricultural landscapes can help conserve animal diversity, but that conservation efforts need to target forms of tree cover that conserve the taxa that are of interest locally. Preventing the degradation of remaining forest fragments is a priority, but encouraging farmers to maintain tree cover in pastures and along boundaries may also make an important contribution to animal conservation.