Kirkuk University Journal For Agricultural Sciences (KUJAS)

The research aims primarily to identify the role of agricultural extension centers in the production and marketing
of tomato in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, as well as determine the variance between the role of agricultural
extension centers in tomato production and marketing according to some variables represented by (Age, Academic
specialization, Academic achievement, Duration of agricultural extension service, and Participation of Training
courses ), in addition identifying the problems facing the process of tomato production and marketing. The research
population included all agricultural extension workers in the Agricultural Extension Directorate and its affiliated
centers in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, numbering (100) agricultural extension workers. After excluding (16)
respondents from them for being included in the survey sample, the number of those included in the research
sample became (84) respondents representing the research population. The result sheds light on the level of the
role of agricultural extension centers in tomato production and marketing is high. The results indicated that there
is no difference in the opinions of agricultural extension workers regarding the role of agricultural extension centers
in both tomato production and marketing according to the research variables (Age, Academic achievement,
Academic specialization, Duration of agricultural extension service), while variations were observed among the
variable (Participation of Training courses). The research results also indicated the existence of many problems
facing the process of producing and marketing tomatoes, the most important of which are the high costs of seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, labor, and importing tomatoes from abroad, consequently, the researchers suggested offering
training for agricultural extension workers and initiating media awareness campaigns to educate farmers about the
functions of extension centers

Shaqlawa Natural Rangeland, located in the Erbil Governorate of the northern region of Iraq, is an important ecological
landscape with varied topographical and microclimatic conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the diversity and
composition of the soil seed bank and its implication for forage productivity on the northern and southern facades of the
rangeland. A total of 1,087 seeds representing 36 plant species were germinated, with Fabaceae and Poaceae dominating
as the most common families. The seed bank comprised mainly native, C₃ annual forbs that possessed high regenerative
ability and ecological adaptability. Slope aspect and altitude had an evident impact on species richness and functional
diversity. North slopes, with their more humid and cooler microclimate, were more favorable for higher diversity in plant
functional characteristics like photosynthetic pathways, life forms, and taxonomic families. The number of
monocotyledonous species was lower than dicotyledons, and no C₄ species were encountered. Maximum weed richness
was at North × High Elevation, and maximum native species richness was at North × Medium Elevation. These findings
indicate that north slopes and higher elevations favor more diversity of annual species, particularly weeds, and lower areas
favor perennial species. These processes can be used to inform land management to enable native species restoration and
the control of invasive species in rangeland systems.
Although both annuals and monocots were more common at higher elevations, dicot and perennial species dominated at
middle to lower elevations. Remarkably, weed cover was more prevalent at higher elevation, mainly on north-facing
slopes, an indicator that is critical of the need for invasive plant management. In general, the findings support the central
role played by topographic and microclimatic gradients in the modulation of soil seed bank diversity and present useful
data to inform sustainable rangeland management, renovation planning, and biodiversity conservation planning.

The study was conducted at the University of Duhok, College of Science, Department of Biology, from October
2021 to February 2023, focused on investigating the micropropagation and genetic diversity of seven pomegranates
(Punica granatum L.) Masafik, Melisse, Radisho, Armishte, Shahraban, Halapja, and Dwarf. The experiments
were conducted in the Plant Tissue Culture and Plant Molecular Laboratories at the Scientific Research Center
(SRC), College of Science, University of Duhok,. The main aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity,
genetic relationships, and gene stability of the pomegranate cultivars being investigated, using Sequence Related
Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) DNA markers.
The results showed that only four tested SRAP primer combinations produced consistent and distinct polymorphic
patterns in all 21 pomegranate genotypes, including the seven cultivars, the produced callus, and the regenerated
plantlets formed from the callus. In the seven cultivars of Punica granatum, the combination of EM29-ME5
primers produced the highest number of banding patterns at 14, while primer EM29-ME17 produced only seven
bands, totaling 42 bands. There were 3 monomorphic bands and 39 polymorphic bands, averaging 91.88%. The
genetic relationship between species was determined using the calculated genetic distance, which ranged from the
lowest value of 0.11989 between Armishte and Melisse to the highest value of 0.73162 between Melisse and
Masafik. The dendrogram recognized three clusters for similarity between the cultivars.

Accurate prediction of environmental events is a result of the combination of climatic and environmental
variables. The Random Forest model was employed in this study to examine the contribution of various climatic
and environmental variables to the phenomenon in question under three scenarios: (1) all variables combined, (2)
climatic variables only, and (3) environmental variables only. Training was conducted using 70% of the data and
testing on 30%. Measures of performance like R-squared, MAE, MSE, RMSE, and MAPE were used to assess
predictive accuracy, whereas the relative contribution of each variable was calculated by employing Gini
importance index.
Results indicate that optimal prediction performance was achieved when all variables were included (R-squared =
0.98, MAE = 0.0271, RMSE = 0.0414), but the performance was lower when climatic variables alone were used
(R-squared = 0.89). Environmental variables alone gave performance which was very close to that of the fullparameter (R-squared = 0.97) case, reflecting their better role in prediction of the model. Variable importance
analysis revealed the top contributing drivers of the variables as urbanization (NDBI) and vegetation condition
(VCI), then Albedo, PDSI, AOD, and LST. Soil moisture and actual evapotranspiration were climatic drivers with
average contribution, while atmospheric pressure and wind speed contributed the least.
These findings demonstrate that Random Forest models can effectively capture complex interactions in
environmental systems and emphasize the core role of environmental variables, particularly urbanization and
vegetation condition, in predictive modeling. This research provides insights for future environmental monitoring
and management strategies in arid and semi-arid regions

The study was conducted during the growing season of 2024 at 28 locations in Erbil plain, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan
Region, to test the influence of the ionic strength of irrigation water on nitrate (NO3-) concentration of the
cucumber plant. The green test and the spectrophotometric method were used for nitrate determination. The
selected locations were similar in soil properties, type, and amount of chemical and organic fertilizers applied by
farmers. The results indicated the permissible nitrate concentration (NO3-) in the studied cucumber samples was
less than the maximum allowable concentration of 400 μg g-1. The highest soil calcium carbonate, active lime,
and soil pH were ranged between (20.76 - 29.31%), (2.09 - 4.39%), and (7.70 - 8.30), respectively. The nitrate
concentration of cucumber in the study ranged between 189.67 to 324.11 and 182.16 to 316.12 (μg g-1 for both
analysis methods, respectively. A significant correlation was recorded between the green analyzer and the
spectrophotometric method, with a correlation coefficient value of (r =0.97**) was recorded between both methods
in determining nitrate concentration. This means that both methods of nitrate analysis are accurate and dependable
for scientific studies. The negative correlation was recorded between cucumber nitrate concentration and the total
and active calcium carbonate, with the correlation coefficient values (r = -0.57* and -0.83 **), respectively. The
statistical analysis results indicated to a significant correlation between nitrate concentration and ionic strength of
irrigation water, with the correlation coefficient values of (r=0.63* and 0.73*) between nitrate concentration in
cucumber and irrigation water ionic strength for green analyzer and spectrophotometric methods, respectively.
Finally, the nitrate concentration of the cucumber plant had no risk on human health due to its low concentration

This experiment was conducted at the University of Sulaymaniyah\'s poultry farm, Animal Science Department,
College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences. This study is a component of my master\'s thesis. The experiment
began on October 10, until November 13 of 2024, and the chicks were raised for 35 days. This study used 160
unsexed one old broiler chicks of the Ross 308 . the chicks divided to treatments by use completely randomized
design in a 2 × 2 factorial was used two feed forms (pellet and crumble) and two feed quality in starter period
(normal starter and super-starter) diet ،after starter period use same feed for grower (11-20) and finisher period
(21-35) in all treatments. In starter period the interaction between pellet and super starter had significant (p<0.05)
difference between treatments in weight gain, FCR, body weight and intestinal jejunal villi length. Consequently,
in grower and finisher period, Within the same feed type, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in
body weight gain between crumble and pellet forms. Pellet super-starter achieved the highest value (3400.66 ±
352.69. Pellet starter had the best early-phase feed efficiency (FCR) (1.13 ± 0.05), while Crumble super-starter
had the highest late-phase FCR (2.05 ± 0.28). Super-starter feeds outperform traditional starter meals in broiler
development, influencing growth more than physical shape, indicating superiority for optimal poultry production
(P < 0.05). observed the higher significant difference (P < 0.05) in body weight, body weight gain, FCR and
intestinal villi length and width was constantly appear in treatments offered super -starter whether it was use pellet
and crumble. this research it’s a part of my master thesis

Climatic, topographical, and soil factors are the main determinants of the distribution and spread of natural
trees. Therefore, Mount Gara one of the most prominent landmarks of the Zagros Mountains, stretching between
Iraq, Turkey, and Iran which located between longitudes (43°17\'31.9˝ - 43°20\'13.3˝ E) and latitudes (36°59\'53.4˝
- 37°01\'02.4˝N) at an elevation ranging from 1,402 to 1,745 meters above sea level. was chosen as a case study
due to its environmental and economic importance. Various species of trees grow naturally there,
including Quercus Aegilops, Quercus infectoria, Acer monspessulanum, Prunus microcarpa, Pyrus
syriaca, Juniperus oxycedrus, Crataegus azarolus, Prunus webbii, Pistacia eurycarpa, and Lonicera arborea.
Scientific tools were used to measure the area-specific diversity of each sample, based on the number of species
present within a defined unit area. The Margalef index indicated clear variation between samples during the two
periods (2014 and 2024), showing a decrease in diversity at sites with southern exposures and steep slopes. The
Menhinick index showed variation in species richness, which was relatively high at an altitude of (1530) m, while
the lowest value was recorded at (1745) m above sea level. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (ShannonWeaver) differed in biodiversity between samples, reflecting environmental effects on tree growth. This is
consistent with the Simpson and Evenness indices, indicating high species equivalence. The chi-square test values
showed low values across all indices (Margalef, Menhinick, and Shannon), suggesting no significant difference
between the two time periods at a significance level of (0.05). Similarly, the insignificant chi-square
results between 2014 and 2024 indicate no statistically significant differences in tree composition or species
distribution within the plant community during this period

The experiment was conducted during the fall season of 2024 and extended until March 2025 inside a 500 m²
plastic house located at Malta Nursery, which is affiliated with the Directorate of Horticulture in Duhok City,
Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of two planting dates
(September 15 and October 1), three broccoli hybrids (Batavia, Covina, and Lucky), and three concentrations of
seaweed extract (Marine-Fert) (0, 1, and 2 ml/L) on various parameters of broccoli, including vegetative growth,
yield performance, and nutrient content under protected cultivation conditions. Foliar spraying of the Marine-Fert
seaweed extract was carried out three times throughout the growing season. The first (6.10%). In contrast, the first
planting date (September 15) resulted in a higher lateral floret yield (494.59 g/plant) and nitrogen content (2.28%).
Among the three hybrids, ‘Lucky’ exhibited superior performance, recording the highest values for main head
weight (1029.17 g/head), lateral floret yield foliar application began 15 days after transplanting, and the following
sprays were applied at 15-day intervals. The aim was to monitor how these treatments influenced the physiological
and productive traits of the broccoli plants. The findings demonstrated that the second planting date (October 1)
significantly enhanced the main head weight (978.44 g/head), phosphorus content (0.526%), and potassium content
(520.33 g/plant), total yield (38.74 tons/hectare), and nitrogen content (2.28%). Moreover, the foliar application of
Marine-Fert at 2 ml/L yielded the best outcomes in terms of growth and productivity. These results highlight the
critical role of optimized planting time, hybrid selection, and foliar nutrition in improving broccoli production
under plastic house conditions

The study was conducted in the nursery of the Horticulture Department, College of Agricultural Engineering
Sciences, Duhok University, Iraq, during the period from 01 September 2024 to 01 June 2025 for the fall season
to investigate the response of three cold turf grass seeds mixtures included (1, 2 and 3) to two concentrations of
Salicylic acid (0 and 10 mg L-1) was spray every month after germination of seeds and different concentrations of
benzyl adenine (0, 100 and 200 mg l-1) was spray two times. The experiment was performed by using Factorial
Experiment Randomized Complete Block design with three factors and three replications. The results explained
that the spray turf grass mixture with 10 mg L -1 of salicylic acid had a significant effect on plant density (210.19
plants 100 cm-2), mowing number (2.67), cumulative dry weight of vegetative growth (25.20 g) and percentage of
carbohydrates in clipping yield (0.88%). The foliar sprayed of turf grasses mixture with benzyl adenine (BA) at
200 mg L-1 significantly superior than control and 100 mg L-1 in total carbohydrates in clipping yield (0.89%),
whereas results at concentration of 100 mg L-1 of BA caused significant increase in plant density (208.39 plants
100 cm-2) as comparison with other concentration. As for turf grass mixtures noticed that mixture 1 was
significantly superior to two other mixtures in the pant density (218.78 plant 100 cm-2, leaf area (2.64 cm2),
cumulative dry weight of vegetative growth (24.92 g) and root depth (21.03 cm), while mixture 3 was significantly
superior to other mixture in total carbohydrates in clipping yield (0.91)

This experiment was conducted in the fields of Agriculture Faculty/ University of Kirkuk/ Department of Animal
Production. Using 120 85-week-old Lohmann's egg-laying hens. The study aimed to evaluate the replacement of
sunflower oil with rice bran oil in laying hens on the productive qualities of eggs. The distribution of the coefficients
is as follows: the first treatment: basic Bush, the second: 20% substitution, the third: 40%, the fourth: 60%, the fifth:
80%, the sixth: 100% of rice bran oil instead of sunflower oil. The results of the experiment showed that the 3rd
treatment was significantly (P≤0.05) higher than the 5th treatment in egg production percentage. No significant
differences were recorded among all experimental treatments in egg weight. As for egg mass, the 3rd treatment was
significantly (P≤0.05) higher than the 5th treatment. Regarding the feed conversion ratio, it improved in the 3rd
treatment, which was the best treatment.
The results of this study note that the addition of rice bran oil to laying hens improved some production qualities,
including egg production rate, egg mass and feed conversion ratio.