Kufa Journal for Agricultural Sciences

During the present study, 300 adults along with 30 larvae of Episyrphus balteatus and 212 adults along with 25 larvae of Ischiodon scutellaris were collected from 15 and 13 host plants, respectively from Bahawalpur, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The adults of these two species were found mostly on all vegetables and crops together hovering for nectar and oviposition site. For studying the occurrence pattern and foraging behavior of hoverflies fields were studied systematically and adults were collected using hand nets along with photographs in the field. The data was analyzed using modern tools of data analysis SPSS23. These species were found to be frequent visitors of flowering plants and aphid-infested plants, which was later confirmed in our data that they have a strong relation to aphid colonies for oviposition to provide a healthy diet and enough nectar to develop their eggs. Owing to this, both flies possess a variety of host plants and hence were dominant and abundant in most of the vegetative fields. Moreover, it has also been brought into being that March is most preferred for both species in which the highest number of specimens were collected and observed in the field due to the availability of flowering crops and vegetables in the studied site. Exploring host-plant relation and their foraging ecology in deep molecular ecology is highly recommended, because feeding behavior and host plants preferences are highly corelated, plant traits effect on the feeding behavior of insect pests and their predator. In addition nutritional quality of plants, plant associated factors and sometimes availability of prey or other predator influence the feeding behavior of many insects. By learning the dynamics of these natural enemies and host plants, our study shows the possibility of improving biological control strategies. This insect-host plant relationship is a promising solution to sustainable pest management, highlighting the significance of ecosystem-based approaches in agriculture.

A study conducted in the Al-abbasiya district, Najaf, during the 2022 agricultural fall season utilized a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and a normal factorial experiment. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of bio-fertilizer addition and seaweed extract spraying on maize yield parameters. The findings indicated that the application of bio-fertilizer, specifically the B2 treatment, outperformed the control treatment in various traits, including plant height, leaf surface area, total chlorophyll, total plant weight, and grain yield. The respective measurements for these traits were 195.1 cm, 0.642 m² plant-¹, 2.829 mg g⁻¹ plant, 21.75 tons ha-¹, and 8.74 tons ha-¹. Similarly, most of the analyzed parameters, such as plant height, leaf surface area, total chlorophyll, total plant weight, and grain yield, were superior to the control treatment, with measurements of 196.3 cm, 0.398 m² plant-¹, 2.738 mg g⁻¹ plant, 21.32 tons ha-¹, and 10.68 tons ha-¹, respectively. The B2N2 treatment exhibited higher values for several analyzed parameters, including plant height, leaf surface area, total chlorophyll, total plant weight, and grain yield, which measured 203.9 cm, 0.681 m² plant-¹, 2.99 mg g-¹ plant, 23.45 tons ha-¹, and 11.73 tons ha-¹, respectively, compared to the control treatment.

The study aimed to find out the effect of raisins pomace powder additives on the drip and cooking loss, sensory qualities. Broilers were fed on diets containing 0, 10, 20, and 30 grams of raisins pomace powder per kilogram of diet for 5 weeks. There have been significant changes, as the percentage of cooking loss in the breast muscles has decreased, and there has been an increase in relative weight of heart. Raisins pomace powder additives did not affect the percentage of drip loss, nor the percentage of edible giblets (liver, spleen, and gizzard). These levels of raisins pomace powder which studied for the first time have changed the loss of cooking making meat available in a great way by manufacturing, especially the breast muscles used in the manufacture of various products, as well as improving flavor, tender, and completely concealing the unacceptable flavor which is very common in meat chicken in Iraq.

This study was done using 30 Local mountain does, 20 Maraz does and 19 Damascus does raised at three commercial flocks at Rasel Ain, Gali and Khalilka village in Akre region, during December, 2022 to July, 2023. Overall mean of milk traits which consist of average daily milk yield (ADMY), milk yield before weaning (MYBW), milk yield after weaning (MYAW) and total milk yield (TMY) were 0.928, 117.15, 77.81 and 194.97 kg, respectively. Breed and sex of kids had a high significant effect on all the above traits, while age of doe and month of kidding didn't affect the mentioned traits significantly. Overall mean of milk composition% (fat(F), protein(P), lactose(L), total solid(TS) and solid non-fat(SNF) before weaning were 2.86, 3.84, 4.81, 11.55 and 8.67 %, respectively and after weaning were 3.97, 3.41, 4.45, 12.48 and 8.57%, on the same order. Effect of breed was significant before weaning on all milk composition% except L%, while this effect was significant (P≤0.01) after weaning on all milk composition%. The effect of age of doe before weaning was significant (P≤0.01) on F%, P% and SNF% only, in addition, this effect was not significant on all milk composition after weaning. The effect of month of kidding was not significant of all milk composition before and after weaning except TS% was significant (P≤0.01). The effect of sex was significant (P≤0.01) on F%, P% and SNF%, before weaning and on F, TS and SNF% after weaning. The correlations between average daily milk yield (ADMY) and each of MYBY, MYAW and TMY were positive and highly significant. The correlations between ADMY with milk composition before and after weaning including P, L, TS and SNF% were all negative except that with F% and were significant.

The study was conducted during the winter agricultural season of 2021-2022 in a field located in the Najaf province to study the effect to three factors on growth and production of to two hybrids of cabbage plant. The experiment included three factors. The first factor was two hybrids of the cabbage plant including the red Cabbage hybrid (Glope Star F1) and the white Cabbage hybrid (Cabbage Liza F1). The second factor was irrigation with three concentrations of with fish pond water including 0, 50, and 100%. The third factor was the addition of three zeolite levels: which were 0, 10,and 20 g plant-1. The results showed that the white cabbage hybrid was significantly superior in terms of average of head weight, recording 1204.40 g and the total yield of 40.15 ton ha-1 compared to the red cabbage hybrid. The results also showed that irrigation with fish pond water at a concentration of 100% was superior in increasing both plant height and the leaf area reaching 22.31cm and 162.43 cm2 leaf-1 compared to untreated plants. The results showed that adding zeolite at the level of 20 g plant-1 was significantly superior in giving the highest average of dry weight of the shoot reaching to 717.10 g plant-1. The results documented the triple interactions between the white cabbage hybrid, irrigation with 100% fish pond water, and the addition of zeolite at a level of 20g. increases both plant height to 25.03 cm and the leaf area to 168.63 cm2 Leaf-1. The interactions recorded 958.90 g of dry weight of the shoot, 19.70 cm diameter of the head, 1685 g the average weight of the head, and 56.18 ton ha-1 total yield.

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to estimate the larva densities of Liriomyza sativae on tomato and cucumber crops in the greenhouses of the Plant Protection Department at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad / Al-Jadriya for the season 2021-2022. The average larva densities on tomato and cucumber crops were 4.67 and 9.67 larva / 15 leaves, respectively whereas, the average a number of tunnels was 12.33 and 25.33 tunnels / 15 leaves , respectively. The percentage of leaf infection was 28.88% and 33.33% for cucumber and tomato respectively in the first week of December 2021 and increased larva densities to 23.00 and 41.33 larva / 15 leaves, the average of number of tunnels was 61.00 and 87.33 larvae / 15 tunnels and the percentage of leaf infection was 93.33and 97.77% for cucumber and tomato respectively in the third week of April 2022. These results suggest that the variation in the densities of larvae, number of tunnels and the percentage of infection is related to variations in temperature and humidity during the planting season.

The study was ‎carried out at the apiary and in the ‎laboratory of the Bee Research ‎Department, Plant Protection Research ‎Institute, Agricultural Research Center, ‎Ministry of Agriculture, Giza, Egypt, ‎during the year, 2023. Honey bee workers, the supporting force of the colony, and a measure of the queen\'s efficiency, as the increase in the size of the colony population and the presence of age sequence, are evidence of the efficiency of the queen and the goodness and efficiency of the pasture. The absence of natural nectar or pollen sources may force beekeepers to use alternatives, some beekeepers may resort to feeding bees with things that are not suitable for human use as a result of poor storage, long-term storage, or heat treatment of honey, which increases the levels of HMF. Accordingly, the level of HMF content in the fresh clover honey sample was estimated using a spectrophotometer, which was estimated at 1.92, it was divided and exposed to heat to reach HMF levels of 40 mg/Kg، 80mg/Kg, 200mg/Kg, 400mg/Kg, 700mg/Kg, 3700mg/Kg. The experiment was conducted on newly hatched bees inside small cages, containing 100 workers. The results obtained show that food consumption is inversely proportional to the levels of HMF in honey which are recorded as 7.02±0.07 for fresh honey and 1.78±0.30 for honey with HMF level of 3700 mg/Kg, the proportion of longevity is also directly proportional to its proportion HMF (33, 27, 24, 24, 18, 15 and 9 days for fresh honey, 40mg/Kg، 80mg/Kg, 200mg/Kg, 400mg/Kg, 700mg/Kg, 3700mg/Kg, respectively). Therefore, using honey with HMF High in feeding bee colonies is not recommended as an alternative in scarce pasture or during the winter season.

The current study was conducted in Al-Kafeel apiaries, traveling between Babylon and Baghdad to collect weekly pollen from 10/30/2021 to 10/30/2022. To collect and know the sources of nectar and pollen in the research area. The annual average amount of pollen collected was 654.3 gm/hive/year. The highest amount of pollen collected was obtained during March. The most abundant target pollen, clover, was collected in May, and beans in February (69.3, 68.35) gm/hive, respectively. As for non-target pollen, the highest collection was recorded in March, 212.32 gm/hive. The highest bee density (12.09 and 11.65) frames/hive was recorded for May and April, and the lowest (3.49 and 3.733) frames/hive, was recorded for November and December. The density of bees was positively related to pollen collected in the field, whether total, targeted, or non-targeted. The nutritional value and amino acids of the pollen collected were analyzed.

Fungi cause economic losses to the poultry industry either due to their direct infectious nature or due to the production of mycotoxins. The aim of the study is to isolate the most important fungi that cause mycotoxin secretion.One hundred samples were collected from poultry farms in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. The samples were taken from 70 sick broiler chickens and 30 newly dead (liver, lung and air sacsfrom each bird) after clinical examination and post-mortem examination. The results of the present study showed the isolation and identification of (26) isolates as Aspergillus spp. It was observed that the most frequent mold isolates were Asperigellius spp. specifically Aspergillus flavus at a percentage of 8 (8%) followed by 5 (5%) for A.fumigatus and A.terrus while 4(4%) for A.niger and 3(3%) for A.parasiticus and1(1%) for other Aspergillus spp. Also showed the prevalence of mold isolates from different sites of poultry farms as it showed the highest incidence in lung and air sac with 19 (19%) and 15 (15%), respectively followed by liver with 5 (5%).In this study to investigate Gliotoxin gene was detected 4/5 (8%) in A.fumigatus, with PCR product of this gene was approximately 512 bp, While it was observed aflatoxin (aflR) gene was found 8/8 (%100) in A.flavus, with PCR product of this gene was approximately 588bp. In ours study lipase gene was detected by PCR in 5/5 (100%) samples of A. terreus. The PCR amplification of lipase gene was approximately 591bp.Conclusions, It has been concluded that the most common isolate was A.flavusand amplifying the ITS1 region of all Aspergillus isolates by PCR and the virulence gene responsible for mycotoxins such as gliotoxin and aflatoxin was revealed.

The date palm is regarded as one of the most important economic fruit trees worldwide. The experiment was carried out to find the fingerprint and variance for eight date palm cultivars. Utilizing fruit\'s morphological characteristics and molecular (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers. The molecular markers of SSR primers yielded 152 bands, with an average of 25.33 bands per primer. The results showed that there were 51 polymorphic alleles in total, with a range of 1 to 6 alleles in the genotype loci and an average of 8.5 alleles. This resulted in a percentage of the total polymorphism of 100%. Additionally, primers produced distinctive bands totaling 18 distinct bands for the cultivar. Major allele frequency was on average 0.313. Genetic diversity was measured using a value of 0.794, which shows that cultivars have a high level of genetic variation. The expected mean heterozygosity was 0.875, while the mean value of the information content was 0.766 for polymorphisms. According to the results of the morphological study, there were two groups that contained cultivars. Hilali and Sultani recorded the highest level of genetic similarity between them, totaling 0.967, while Khalas and Nabtat Seif recorded the lowest level, 0.722. Date palm cultivars are distinguished from one another using morphological traits and molecular SSR markers.

Two field trials were conducted in Babylon governorate, Tufael town which is located in the Al-Kifl district in a mixed sandy soil for the growing seasons 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 to assess the impact of hornwort extract, phenylalanine amino acid, and Nano-potassium and it’s interactions on growth and antioxidants accumulation of carrots plant. The treatments were implemented within Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D) with three factors and three replications. The trial comprised three factors, the first is spraying hornwort extract with three concentrations of 0, 4 and 8 ml. L-1, and the second factor included the spraying amino acid Phenylalanine with three concentrations 0, 75 and 150 mg.L-1 and the third factor included the spraying Nano-potassium fertilizer with three concentrations 0, 1 and 2 g.L-1 . The averages were compared according to the least significant difference (L.S.D) test at a probability level of 0.05. The results showed that the triple-interaction (A3B3C3) between hornwort extract (8ml.L-1), phenylalanine (150mg.L-1) and Nano-potassium (2g.L-1) was superior to all treatments in achieving the highest values in leaf area (112.30, 116.10 cm2), leaves fresh weight (61.25, 66.56 g), total chlorophyll content of leaves (290.09, 305.20 mg.100 f. w ), beta-carotene (10.05, 10.19 mg.100 f. w) and ascorbic acid (7.80, 8.20 mg.100 ml f. w) for two seasons respectively. The favorable formulation that carrots strongly respond to is thevA3B3C3 treatment.