NTU Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

The excessive use of chemical fertilizers, particularly nitrogen-based ones, has significantly exacerbated environmental problems.The excessive accumulation of these fertilizers in soil and water leads to severe pollution, threatening biodiversity, disrupting ecological balance, and adversely affecting human and animal health over the long term., the world uses advanced agricultural methods, including biofertilizers, and natural sources of plant nutrients. For this reason, a field experiment was conducted at University of Tikrit, Iraq on 2022, to evaluate the effect of a bio-inoculant prepared from local bacterial isolates, namely B1 Ensifer meliloti, B2 Pseudomonas azotoformans, and B5 Sinorhizobium meliloti, , on the growth and yield of Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) under different nitrogen levels (0, 40, and 80 kg N ha-1). The experiment demonstrated that seed inoculation with bacteria B1 and B3 significantly positively impacted plant growth compared to uninoculated seeds or those inoculated with pseuodmonas azotoformans. Additionally, increasing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer improved growth, but the best results were obtained when the highest fertilizer level was combined with inoculation using bacteria B3.

Twelve soil samples were selected from the total soils prevalent in northern Iraq, predominating the illicit mineral, from three governors: Nineveh within the Aridisol order and the governors of Dohuk and Erbil within the Mollisol order. They were packed into soil columns of length (13) cm and diameter (4) cm at a bulk density of 1.33 mcg. m-1, Increasing electrolyte solutions of potassium ion (20, 40, 60, 80) mmol.L-1is allowed to flow quietly, mixed with sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions to give a constant level of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and obtain four concentrations of ratios of single to binary ions in terms of CROSS (4.26, 7.57, 10.89, 14.20) mmolc. L-1, up to the tenth pore size, for 16 weeks, then measuring the dispersible clay before and after adding electrolyte solutions. The results indicated an increase in the optical density of the soil suspensions with an increase in the added potassium concentration, up to 15.4 mmolc.L-1. The clay dispersion values as a function of the density of their optical suspensions in all soils of the study, as the optical density was highly correlated with the increase in the added level of CROSS ranged between (0.99 -0.90). The soils varied in their degree of clay dispersion, and the distilled water treatment was less dispersed than the CROSS treatment, and the difference in optical density values between the soils is due to the role of potassium, the high clay content, and the dominance of the minerals montmoronite and illite, due to their dominance. In the study of soil samples, there is a high ability to swell and disperse clay. According to the results, it is suggested that the effect of potassium be taken into account in evaluating the structure of soils, the extent of its deterioration, and its effect on water functions in calcareous soils.

The research aims to estimate the added value of the production outputs of the olive crop (olive oil) from the presses until it reaches the final consumer in the local markets in Nineveh Governorate, and to calculate the revenues and profits, which are preceded by calculating the costs, in addition to diagnosing the internal and external factors of olive oil manufacturing, as the research relied on the data collected through a questionnaire form for a random sample of (5) presses out of a total of (20) presses at a rate of (25%) operating in Nineveh Governorate and diagnosing the problems and obstacles that hinder the manufacturing cycle, in addition to secondary data, as the results indicated that the average total cost of the sample amounted to (474881000)dinars and for one ton it amounted to (7664807) dinars/ton, while the average total added value for pressing one ton of olives (3128210) dinars/ton, while the average net added value (3095929) dinars/ton, so the profits per ton of oil have reached (2335193) dinars/ton, where the revenues of one ton of oil had reached (10,000,000) dinars/ton. Despite the increase in pressing costs, the quantities allocated from the olive crop for pressing increased, which was reflected in the added value that was high and the realization of profits as a result of this increase, accompanied by an increase in the national income. It is concluded from this study that increasing the areas planted with olive trees requires increasing the number of presses to keep pace with the increase in local demand for olive oil, which contributes to raising the value of the local product and selling it at prices that compete with global prices. Therefore, the study recommended promoting the local product in foreign markets by participating in international exhibitions and international markets specialized in the olive oil product.

The research aims to measure the effectiveness of the technical and cost-effective economic performance of the owners of lamb breeding and fattening fields in Nineveh Governorate for the production year 2023-2024 by measuring the economic efficiency and its components using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method, and through it measuring and estimating the surplus and deficit in the amount of feed resources consumed, based on the production function represented by the daily weight gain rate and then the total weight gain in those fields. The research results showed that the technical efficiency reached 95%, the allocative efficiency reached about 75%, and the economic efficiency reached 69%, and that there is a waste in the use of resources by 5%, and that there is a surplus in the use of feed resources, which means that there is a waste in the use of feed resources. Hence, we conclude that there is a gap between technical efficiency and allocative efficiency of about 5%, which may be attributed to the high prices of feed resources, which leads to the lack of optimal use of resources and that there is waste in the use of these resources. The research concluded the necessity of setting a pricing policy for all types of feed and setting a price ceiling that serves its profits and provides them between production seasons and neutralizing black market traders in providing it and establishing feed factories for Ruminants

This study aimed to treat Orange Juice with Ozone Gas and store the juice for 30 days. The characteristics and Laboratory tests were evaluated every 7 days to determine the effect of Ozone treatment on the juice properties during different storage periods. At the end of the storage period, an increase was observed in the Total Phenolic Compound values and Total Acidity values, while the Total Soluble Solids, pH, and Browning Index values decreased. Additionally, the concentration of Ascorbic Acid decreased after 30 days of storage

In this study, we used unsexed broiler chicks of the hybrid (Ross 308), raised in animal production fields/College of Agriculture and Forestry for the period from 7/2/2024 to 19/ 3 /2024. The chicks were subjected to the treatments under study from the first day of the experiment. The experiment included five treatments: T1 : Standard ration (without Azolla and enzyme ).T2: ration contained Azolla 7% and without enzyme .T3: ration contained Azolla 7% + 0.30% enzyme.T4: ration contained Azolla 7% + 0.35% enzyme.T5: ration contained Azolla 7% + 0.40% enzyme. Measurements of production characteristics were taken weekly and statistical analysis showsthat therewas a significant increase in live body weight, weight gain, an improvement in feed conversion ratio, a decrease in the feed consumedIn enzyme addition transactions, and no significant effect of the treatments in the relative growth rate.This study aimed to prepare a feeder containing Azolla with the addition of enzymes as a technical management method that contributes to increasing the decomposition of fibers to increase the rate of utilization as a non-traditional protein source for locally available fodder

Leaving animal tissue waste in the form of waste after slaughter pollutes the environment, so one of the goals of this study is to try to use it to make gelatin. Other goals include examining the functional, physical, and chemical properties of gelatin, comparing them to commercial gelatin, which has practical and economic value and researching some of the characteristics of marshmallows made from it. The findings indicated that the viscosity, in comparison to commercial gelatin, which reached 4.1°cP, hidegelatin's gel strength, elasticity, cohesiveness, melting point, and gelation dropped to 3.5 cP, 271.2 g, 5.00 mm, 0.90, 29.00, and 14.57°C, respectively. cP, 446.6 g, 5.07 mm, 0.99, 32.67, and 17.67 °C, the pH values of skin gelatin were higher, at 5.60 and 4.50, respectively. After 30 and 60 minutes, the gelatin's hide expanded and stabilized the foam more than the commercial gelatin (75.25, 90.96, and 84.75%, respectively) (63.37, 90.91, and 87.88%, respectively).This study discovered 18 distinct types of amino acids, including threonine, tyrosine, asparagine, aspartic acid, leucine, phenylalanine, serine, glycine, histidine, lysine, alanine, arginine, cysteine, valine, isoleucine, methionine, proline and hydroxyproline. The gelatin's hide had lower levels of these amino acids than the commercial gelatin. In contrast to the commercial marshmallows, which achieved the same qualities of 589.5 g, 4.7 mm, and 0.87, the factory-made marshmallows' gel strength, elasticity, and cohesiveness were poor, measuring 465.8 g, 4.4 mm, and 0.87, respectively. The marshmallow sample prepared from commercial gelatin T0 received the highest marks for all qualities in the sensory evaluation, followed by the marshmallow sample made from gelatin from cow hides (T1).This means that it obtained great pleasure scores that were almost similar to the marshmallows made from commercial gelatin; this is due to the properties of the hidegelatin that are similar to those of commercial gelatin. Therefore, gelatin's hide, as an inexpensive by-product that can be used as a stabilizer, thickener and foaming component in many foods, as well as other applications.

Isolation results from corn seeds revealed the presence of two fungal species, F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum .The study demonstrated that treatment with B. subtilis, Bion, and urea was highly effective in inhibiting the mycelia growth of both fungi.The highest rates of growth inhibition were recorded for F. proliferatumat 70.21% and for F. verticillioides at 62.45% when using B. subtilis.The results showed that the highest average infection severity of corn cob rot was recorded with F. verticillioides at 0.51, with a significant difference from F. proliferatumat 0.46.The local variety was the most susceptible to infection, with an infection severity of 0.52, while the hybrid 7776 showed the lowest severity at 0.45. The lowest average infection severity was recorded in the urea treatment, amounting to 0.38, with a significant difference from the control treatment at 0.62.The results also indicated that the highest average amount of fumonisins was recorded in F. verticillioides treatments, at 7.79 mg/kg seed, with a significant difference from F. proliferatumat 7.22 mg.kg-1seed.Conversely, the lowest average amount of fumonisins was recorded in the urea treatment, at 5.39 mg.kg-1seed, with a significant difference from the control treatment.

The research was conducted in the laboratories of the Agricultural Technical College/Mosul during the period from October 2023. The aim was to produce distilled ethanol from Maize and Sorghumin Iraq. The research included collecting parts (fruits, seeds, and leaves), transferring them to the Agricultural Technical College in the laboratory, and storing them in sterile nylon bags. The fermentation treatments were included6 treatments to carry out fermentation processes by adding a 2% solution of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast to the leaves, fruits, and seeds of corn that were previously prepared and sterilized for fermentation. They were placed in fermenters, and after completing fermentation,carbon dioxide CO2 and ethanol CH3CH2OH were measured, and then the mixture was fractionally distilled to obtain pure ethanol. The results of the productivity experiment treatments after 72 hours showed that the treatment (Maize leaves + 2% yeast) gave the highest production of CO2 gas, 220800 ml, and ethanol, 3.61%, while the treatment (Sorghumfruits + 2% yeast) gave the lowest production of CO2 gas, 131840 ml, and ethanol, 2.15%. After conducting fractional distillation on approximately 15 liters of yeast resulting from this experiment for each treatment, the results showed that the percentage of alcohol distilled was 90%. The highest volume obtained from the Maize leaves treatment was 540 ml, while the lowest volume obtained from the Sorghum fruits + 2% yeast treatment was 322 ml. Based on the results, genetically modified yeast strains can be used to increase efficiency and improve the biofuel production process.

The spread of antibiotic resistance has become a global threat in both human and veterinary sectors.In this study, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strains were previously isolated from cats with eye infections have characterised using PCR and DNA sequencing. The mecA resistance gene, in addition to clfA, cfB and coavirulence factor genes were used as molecular markers. The results indicated successful amplification of all these genes with PCR product size 147, 288, 203 and 674 bp, respectively. Additionally, the sequencing results of mecAgene confirm the PCR results, and 4 MRSA isolates were registered in the GenBank under accession no. PQ181561, PQ181562, PQ181563 and PQ181564. The phylogenetic analysis of the mec A gene indicates that the source of these bacteria is human. In conclusion, pet cats serve as reservoir for MRSA and could transmit such zoonotic pathogen to humans in contact with these animals.

The veterinary pharmaceutical residues have generated critical ecological and human health risks. including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, these residues can survive in the environment for decades, veterinary medicines specially the antibiotic considered the primary source for bacterial resistance in humans according to the World Health Organization (WHO) short term health associated effect lead to human allergenicity and toxicity while the long term including sever health issues like disruption of intestinal microflora ,carcinogenicity and teratogenicity.An extensive search related to environmental distribution of veterinary pharmaceuticals was performed through researches online databases like (Google scholar, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and PubMed), then papers collected, analyzed, and explained.The active drugs and their metabolites have contributed globally to aquatics and land contamination. While knowledge is growing, large information gaps remain on their effects. The impacts of these chemicals in the environment are still largely unknown. This review shows a clear need to extensively track not just presence of veterinary compounds in different areas worldwide, but primary sources as well. Identifying sources is key to shaping regulatory monitoring, as it addressing current problems and preventing future issues

This study aims to try to improve the production and quality of laying hens' eggs in the late stages of their productive life by adding some herbal plants to the fodder.288 laying hens at 64 weeks old were used and it was distributed into four treatments, with three replicates for each treatment, and each replicate had 24laying hens .The first treatment was a control free of the addition ,The second treatment included adding1% of rosemary, the third treatment included adding 2% of thyme, and the fourth treatment adding 1% of garlic .The statistical analysis results showed that there was a significant superiority of the rosemary treatment in the average egg weight, while the thyme addition treatment was superior in the average egg mass, feed conversion factor, and egg production percentage.The additives also led to an increase in feed consumption compared to the control treatment

Morus nigra contains a high concentration of chemicals with biological activity, making this plant as an important element in industrial medical products. However, it is still limited information about M. nigrarole in broiler chickens. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the safe amount of M. nigra powder that can be utilized in the feed of broiler chickens by measuring growth performance. The results of GC-MS showed the presence of bio-compounds possess variety of pharmacological activities in M. nigra. It contains six fatty acids Phytol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidonic acid, lauric acid and Squalene. The effect of plant powder at concentrations of 1, 2 and 3 g to the diet was examined in the plasma of Ross 308 chickens using RT-qPCR. Findings showed a noticeable increase in the activity of Growth hormone expression compared to the control. The highest value was at concentrations of 3 g reaching 2.75 fold changes, compared to the control, which was 0.96. In contrast, the expression of the IGF1 hormone in the liver at3g reaching 2.66 fold changes, compared to the control 1.02.

This study determined effectiveness of non-kinetic approaches to conflict resolution between farmers and pastoralists in Kogi State, Nigeria. Three-stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and thirty-two farmers (132), and snowball sampling technique was used to select thirty-one (31) pastoralists. Data collected were analysed using percentages, mean, and logit regression. Findings showed that traditional heads (88.9%), negotiation (78.5%), and open communication (69.9%) were the most approaches for conflict resolution. Traditional heads (Xഥ=2.44), training on conflict resolution (Xഥ=2.25), and capacity building (Xഥ=2.44) were the most effective non-kinetic approaches to conflict resolution. Educational level (0.15), extension (2.86), training (1.14), frequency of conflict (0.26), and number of persons a household lost to conflict (0.37) influenced the effectiveness of non-kinetic approaches in conflict resolution. Religious tolerance should be promoted by religious heads in the study area. Also, experienced and well-informed personnel should be included in conflict resolution committee

The study assessed the impact of ABPon rice farmers’ yield in Niger State, Nigeria. Objectives of the study are to: identify the farmers’ sources of information and determine the impact of ABP on farmers.A total of 138 farmers were randomly selected. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation, t-test, and regression analyses. OLS result showed a significant relationship existed between beneficiaries’ farming experience (ß = 19.23,p˂0.01),farm size (ß = 17.01,p˂0.05), (ß = 1.07,p˂0.03) and productivity. Also, there was significant difference between the beneficiaries’ productivity before and after the introduction of ABP. It was concluded that there is a causal relationship between farming experience, farm size, credit accessibility and farmers’ productivity, and that ABP had a positive effect on the rice farmers’ productivity. The study recommended that more information and enlightenment should be given concerning ABP, and that the programme should be given better supervision.