IRAQ JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

The study area is classified as an arid environment with high sensitivity to desertification, characterized by low annual rainfall and prolonged periods of high temperatures. These conditions have led to the degradation of ecological balance and disruption of the relationships among ecosystem components, resulting in noticeable deterioration in soil properties particularly structure and fertility—as well as a decline in vegetation cover density and diversity. The area was selected for its geographical significance within Iraq, as it is located between longitudes (33°18\'00\" – 33°00\'00\") East and latitudes (44°57\'00\" – 43°39\'00\") North, covering a total area of 56,700.63 hectares.
The study applied the spectral index to evaluate changes in desertification severity over three time periods (2005, 2015, and 2025), with the aim of analyzing the dynamics of land degradation.
The results indicated an increase in the \"low-critical\" class area by 3.53%, while the \"moderate-critical\" and \"high-critical\" classes decreased by 30.32% and 58.3%, respectively. In contrast, the fragile classes (F1, F2, F3) showed an expansion in area. Additionally, the \"potential degradation\" class (P) recorded a 2.10% increase in 2025 compared to previous years, indicating a continuing intensification of desertification in the region

The study was carried out during the autumn season of 2024, with the aim of evaluating the effect of the lengths of dripping tapes and the distance between them on some physical properties of soil and the growth and yield of potatoes under a surface drip irrigation system to enhance the role of sustainable development in agricultural and applied reality. The study included two factors, the first is the length of the dripping tapes, which included three lengths: 30, 40, and 50 m, while the second factor was the distance between the tapes, which included three spacing: 0.10, 0.20, and 0.30 m. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates in soils with a silty loam texture. Potato tubers planted Borin cultivar on 14/9/ 2024; a scientific and practical irrigation schedule was prepared based on the data of the American evaporation basin class A after exhausting 50% of the available water for the plant.
The results of the study showed obtaining the best values for bulk density when adopting a dripping tape of 30 m length, as it reached 1.450 Mg m-3 compared to a dripping tape of length 40 and 50 m and amounted to 1.473 and 1.507 Mg ha-1 according to the sequence, with an increase of 2.88 and 7.00%. The lowest saturated water conductivity value was obtained when adopting a 30 m dripping tape of 4.553 cm h-1 compared to a drip strip of 40 and 50 m of 4.750 and 5.530 cm h-1, respectively, with increases of 14.10 and 17.66%. Also, the lowest values were obtained when adopting a distance of 0.10 m between one dripping tape and another, as it reached 4.487 cm h-1, compared to a distance of 0.20 and 0.30 m between one dripping tape and another, as it reached 4.887 and 5.460 cm.h-1, respectively, with increases of 10.49 and 17.82%. Also, the lowest value of the base infiltration rate was obtained at a 30 m long stripping tape, as it amounted to 4.27 cm h-1. The values of the basic infiltration rate increased when a dripping tapes of length 40 and 50 m was adopted, reaching 6.00 and 6.47 cm.h-1, respectively, with an increase of 7.26 and 34.00%. Also, the lowest values were obtained when adopting a distance of 0.10 m between one dripping tape and another, as it amounted to 5.10 cm h-1 compared to the distances of 0.20 and 0.30 m between one dripping tape and another, amounting to 5.53 and 6.10 cm.h-1 respectively, with increases of 9.50 and 16.39%. The highest potato yield was recorded at the adoption of a 30 m dripping tape of 46.51 mg.ha-1, it fell to 39.64 and 29.53 Mg ha-1 at a dripping tape of length 40 and 50 m, with decreases of 34.23 and 57.50%. The best values of the total yield were obtained at a distance of 0.10 m as it reached 43.36 mg.ha-1, while it decreased to 38.98 and 33.34 mg.ha-1 at the distance of 0.20 and 0.30 m between one dripping tape and another, with a decrease of 16.91 and 30.05%.

Soil tilth is one of the key indicators reflecting soil viability for agricultural use. It results from the interaction of morphological properties such as texture, structure, and consistency, which are influenced by geographic location, climate, and physiographic setting. This study aimed to evaluate the interaction between morphological tilth and agricultural productivity across diverse physiographic environments in the Euphrates Plain within Al-Anbar Governorate. The research focused on analyzing major morphological characteristics (color, structure, consistency, and horizon depth) and linking them with both soil tilth indices under wet and dry conditions and a soil productivity index. Fieldwork was conducted on 32 agricultural sites distributed across five physiographic units: high basins, low basins, river levees, river meanders, and river breaks. The Dickinson method was used to estimate soil tilth, while Ranst’s formula was applied to calculate productivity. Results showed a strong positive correlation between wet-condition tilth and agricultural productivity, especially in river levees and meander zones, which recorded the highest values. In contrast, tilth and productivity values were lower in low basins and poorly drained areas. GIS-based spatial analysis revealed a significant overlap between soil tilth distribution and productivity patterns. The study concluded that positive interaction between morphological traits and tilth enhances soil performance and can be adopted as a preliminary diagnostic tool to determine the suitability of lands for sustainable agriculture across varying physiographic settings.

The research was conducted at the College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, for the fall season of 2024, in the greenhouse of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, to study the stimulation of vegetative and floral growth and chemical content by spraying with the amino acid Tryptophan and Nigella sativa infusion and the interaction between them on Tagetes erecta L. flowers. The experiment was a factorial (3×3) using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates, where the amino acid Tryptophan represents the first factor and is symbolized by T1, T2, T3 with three levels (0, 60, 90 mg.L-1) respectively, and the second factor is the Nigella sativa soak and is symbolized by S1, S2, S3 with three levels (0, 50, 100 g. seedlings) respectively. Thus, the number of treatments is 9, and each treatment contains five plants, each plant in its own anvil, so the number of plants for the experiment becomes 135 plants. The nurseries were planted on 11/1/2023, and peat moss was added with riverine alluvium at a ratio of 2:1 upon planting. The study factors had a significant effect, as the amino acid Tryptophan had a significant effect in improving the vegetative growth and floral characteristics, as the treatment with the amino acid Tryptophan at a concentration of 90 mg.L-1 was characterized and recorded (number of branches 11.25 branches. plant-1, leaf area 94.44 mm2, total chlorophyll 8.10 mg.100 g-1, stem diameter 8.13 mm, percentage of potassium 1.25%, percentage of dry matter of flowers 62.73%, flower diameter 6.31 mm), and the Nigella sativa infusion had a significant effect in increasing all the studied characteristics, as the treatment with the Nigella sativa infusion at a concentration of 100 g.L-1 was characterized and recorded (number of branches 9.24 branches. plant-1, leaf area 89.11 mm2, total chlorophyll 7.33 mg.100g-1, stem diameter 7.83 mm, percentage of potassium 1.10%, percentage of dry matter of flowers 61.21%, flower diameter 5.8 mm). The binary interaction of amino acid Tryptophan and Nigella sativa extract had a significant effect on all studied traits, as it was recorded (number of branches 13.22 branches. plant-1, leaf area 107.33 mm2, total chlorophyll 8.82 mg.100g-1, stem diameter 8.83 mm, percentage of potassium 1.37%, percentage of dry matter of flowers 67.20%, flower diameter 7.32 mm).

The research was carried out at the College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, for the fall season of 2024 in the greenhouse of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering to study the effect of spraying with vitamin E and the amino acid Tryptophan and the interaction between them Tagetes erecta L. flowers, a factorial experiment (3×3) using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and three replications. The first factor represents vitamin E and its symbol is E1, E2, E3 at three levels (0, 70, 140 mg.L-1), and the second factor is the amino acid Tryptophan and its symbol is T1, T2, T3 at three levels (0, 80, 160 mg.L-1). Thus, the number of treatments is 9, comprising five plants, each plant in an anvil, so the total number of plants for the experiment becomes 135. The nurseries were planted on November 1, 2023, and peat moss was added with river compost at a ratio of 2:1 during planting. Vitamin E had a significant effect on the studied traits, including the percentage of nitrogen, the percentage of phosphorus, the percentage of potassium, early flowering, the duration of flowering on the plant, the number of deformed flowers, and the total number of flowers. The treatment was characterized by vitamin E at a concentration of 140 mg.L-1, and it recorded (the percentage of nitrogen 1.46%, the percentage of phosphorus 0.35%, the potassium percentage 1.43%, flowering time 34.11 days, flower duration 33.22 days, number of deformed flowers 4.11 flowers, and total number of flowers 12.22 flowers). The amino acid Tryptophan at a concentration of 160 mg L-1 had a significant effect in increasing all studied traits (nitrogen percentage 1.46%, phosphorus percentage 0.38%, potassium percentage 1.44%, flowering time 32.89 days, flower duration 34.67 days, number of deformed flowers 3.22 flowers, and total number of flowers 12.90 flowers). The binary interaction of the amino acid Tryptophan and vitamin E also had a significant effect on all studied traits.

A field study was conducted to show the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the spread of the egg-parasitoids of the Sunn pest Eurygaster spp. in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Governorate, Kufa District, during the seasons 2017–2020. The results showed differences in the presence of parasitoids depending on the parasitoid species. The parasitoid Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev) was the most abundant species found in the field during the study years. The results also showed that the parasitoids begin their activity in the spring, and the time of their appearance varied depending on the time of appearance of the Sunn pest eggs, as well as on the prevailing environmental conditions of temperature and relative humidity year depending on the prevailing weather conditions of temperatures and relative humidity

The study was conducted to stimulate Chemerin through in ovo injection of retinoic acid at different incubation days and to determine the combined effect of the acid on the productive traits of broiler chickens. 720 ROSS (308) eggs were used in the experiment, distributed into four treatments of 180 eggs per treatment, in the hatchery and field of the Animal Production Department, College of Agriculture, University of Anbar, for the period from 11/19/2024 to 1/22/2025. The experiment consisted of two stages: the hatching stage and the rearing stage, aiming to investigate the effect of retinoic acid injection on the productive characteristics of broiler chickens. The first treatment (T1) was considered the control treatment. The eggs were injected with 3 µL of distilled water into the amnion membrane on day 12 of incubation. (T2) The eggs were injected with 3 µL of retinoic acid into the amnion membrane on day 12 of incubation. (T3) The eggs were injected with 3 µL of retinoic acid into the amnion membrane on day 18 of incubation. (T4) The chicks were injected with 3 µL of retinoic acid on the first day of hatching in the neck. The results indicated a significant improvement (p≤0.05) in the weekly body weight in the sixth week for treatment (T3) compared to the treatments included in the experiment. A significant improvement (p≤0.05) was also observed in the weight gain for the total period (1-42) days for treatment T3 compared to the experimental treatments. The results also showed a significant improvement (p≤0.05) in the relative growth rate for the total duration of treatment (T3) compared to the rest of the experimental treatments. The results also showed a significant improvement (p≤0.05) in the feed consumption rate for the total duration of treatments (T1), (T3), and (T4) compared to treatment (T2). The results also showed no significant differences (p≤0.05) in the feed conversion ratio in the sixth week between the experimental treatments, while treatment (T1) recorded a significant deterioration in the total duration of the feed conversion ratio compared to the rest of the treatments. No significant differences were observed in the total mortality rate during the rearing period. It can be concluded that retinoic acid injection improved the condition of the chicks, and this contributed to enhancing the productive characteristics of broiler chickens.

This study was conducted at the Poultry Research Station, affiliated with the Agricultural Research Department – Ministry of Agriculture in Abu Ghraib, during the period from January 28, 2024, to March 11, 2024, to investigate the effect of the alcoholic extract of carrot juice residues added to drinking water on the productive performance of male quail birds from 21 days to 56 days of age. A total of 240 male quail chicks were used and randomly distributed into four treatment groups (60 chicks/treatment), with three replicates per treatment (20 chicks/replicate). The birds were fed a standard diet containing 23% crude protein and 3041 kcal.kg-1 metabolizable energy. The alcoholic extract of carrot juice residues was added to the drinking water at concentrations of 0, 100, 300, and 500 mg.L-1 for the four respective treatments. The results showed a significant increase in body weight and cumulative weight gain in all treatment groups that received the extract, along with an increase in cumulative feed intake in favor of treatment T4. Additionally, the cumulative feed conversion ratio improved in all extract-supplemented groups compared to the control group. It can be concluded that adding the alcoholic extract of carrot juice residues to drinking water at concentrations of 100–500 mg.L-1 led to an improvement in the productive performance of male quail.

The research aimed to identify key variables influencing wheat production and consumption, and to explore strategies for reducing the wheat food gap. It then compared the period preceding the High-Rank Seed proliferate Program with the period during the program, focusing on production and consumption. Measure the surplus and deficit in the strategic wheat stock by adding the suggested amount for increasing production and rationalizing wheat consumption, thereby reducing the food gap if found.
The Results showed that the production during the period before the program began ranged between 50550 and 12550 tons. The area ranged between a maximum of 85280 hundred dunums and a minimum of 41467 hundred dunums. However, during the period when the program was working, the production amounted to a maximum of 62384 hundred tons and a minimum of 21778 hundred tons, which is higher than the previous period. The area ranged from a maximum of 9,4642 hundred dunums to a minimum of 3,1539 hundred dunums during the program's operation. The local wheat production was unstable over the study period, but it increased due to the High-Rank Seed proliferation program in Iraq. At the same period, the import sufficiency decreased, indicating a reliance on local production. The food gap at (-732) before the program began with a self-sufficiency rate at (0.79), while during the program period, the food gap was reduced and became positive at (146) with a self-sufficiency rate at (0.91). The program reduced the food gap by 586 thousand tons during its operation.

The research aimed to identify the level of farmers' knowledge of scientific recommendations related to the selection and use of pesticides in Beygee District/Salah al-Din Governorate in general, and to identify the level of farmers' knowledge of scientific recommendations related to the selection and use of agricultural pesticides in each field of research. The research area included the agricultural divisions in Beygee District, namely (Beygee Agricultural Division, Al-Hajjaj, Makhoul, Al-Siniya, and Al-Zawiya). A simple random sample of 45% of the agricultural divisions was drawn, consisting of two agricultural divisions (Beygee Agricultural Division and Al-Hajjaj Agricultural Division), with a total of 568 farmers. A proportional random sample of 25% of the total farmers in each agricultural division was taken, with a total of 143 respondents. Data from 140 farmers were analyzed, and three questionnaires were deleted due to the lack of objectivity of the answer. The questionnaire was used as a data collection tool, a multiple-choice test was prepared that included 45 test items. Validity was calculated by presenting the questionnaire to specialized experts to provide their comments and suggestions. A preliminary test was conducted on a sample size of 30 respondents. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which reached (0.86), and validity was calculated at (0.93). It showed a weakness in the level of farmers’ knowledge in general, as well as a weakness in knowledge of scientific recommendations in the following areas (when choosing the pesticide and before use, during spraying the pesticide, after spraying the pesticide, during transporting and storing pesticides), while the result of the level of knowledge in the field of pesticide poisoning was low and tended to rise. The research recommended the need to intensify educational and training guidance efforts and provide farmers with scientific bulletins and magazines related to pesticides and the need to care for the environment and protect it from pollution and preserve human health.

The research aimed to identify the role of agricultural extension activities in confronting climate change from the point of view of wheat farmers in Beygee District, Salah Al-Deen Governorate in general, and to determine the difference between the averages of the respondents’ answers about the role of extension activities and the studied independent variables, which are: (age, educational level, exposure to information sources related to climate change, and the attitude towards extension activities related to climate change). The research included all wheat farmers in Beygee District, Salah al-Din Governorate, distributed among five agricultural divisions. A random sample was taken, namely the Hajaj Agriculture Office and the Al-Synia Agriculture Office, which represented 45% of the total agricultural offices. The total number of farmers officially registered in the annual plan of the agricultural office of Beygee District in the two divisions was 750 farmers, distributed as follows: 432 farmers in the Hajaj Agriculture Office, and 318 farmers in the Al-Synia Agriculture District. A random sample of 20% of the farmers in each division was taken, amounting to 150 researchers. A simple random sample of 4% was taken to conduct the exploratory sample from the research population and from outside the research sample, comprising 30 researchers. A questionnaire was prepared consisting of two parts, the first part of which included data related to the independent variables of wheat crop farmers, and the second part included the preparation of a four-part scale to measure the role of extension activities in confronting climate change, consisting of 58 items distributed on four levels (large, medium, small, none). Reliability was found using the split-half method, where its value reached 0.87, and the validity of the scale reached 0.93. Research data was collected from the respondents during the time period from (11/12/2024 - 29/12/2024).
The results showed that the general level of the role of extension activities is average and tends to increase. It is concluded that agricultural extension has implemented extension activities for wheat farmers in the study area. The results also showed a significant difference between the averages of the respondents at the probability level of 0.01 and 0.05 according to the variables (educational level, exposure to information sources related to climate change, and the trend towards extension activities). Except for the age variable, the difference was not significant between the averages of the respondents. The research recommended that agricultural extension identify the determinants of applying scientific extension recommendations to find appropriate solutions and avoid their negative impact. There is a need to consider the variables that show significant differences in the respondents’ answers regarding the role of extension activities.

The study aimed to determine the knowledge level of tomato farmers regarding agricultural practices to prevent pests that affect the tomato crop, as well as their relationship with certain personal variables, in three villages in Wasit Governorate. A sample of 120 farmers were selected as respondents from the population of 1,200 farmers in three villages in Al-Suwaira District, Wasit Governorate. Several statistical methods were employed to analyze the data, including percentage, weighted mean, percentage weight, and correlation coefficient. The results of the study concluded that the knowledge level of tomato farmers regarding agricultural practices to prevent pests that affect the tomato crop was low. As for the relationship between the knowledge level and a set of independent variables and characteristics, a significant relationship was found between the knowledge level and each of (monthly income, type of work, and ability to solve problems). Therefore, the study recommends intensifying extension efforts to improve tomato farmers' knowledge of practices and methods for preventing and controlling agricultural pests. It also recommends educating farmers about avoiding the excessive use of chemical pesticides and relying on biological control as a safe, easy, and inexpensive method.

An experiment was conducted in the Abu Ghraib area, located in the western part of Baghdad, during the 2023-2024 season to determine the effect of various organic extracts (Moringa leaves, licorice root, yeast, and water) on grain yield and some physiological traits of three wheat cultivars (IPA-99, Al-tahadi, and Al-fatih). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Blocks Design (RCBD) within a split-plot arrangement, cultivars distributed in main plots, and organic extracts in subplots with three replications.
Cultivar IPA-99 was superior in grain yield (4.483 t.ha-1) and most of the studied characteristics (flag leaf area 45.88 cm2, dry weight of flag leaf 0.180g, number of tillers 505.4m-2, number of spikes 421.6 spike m-2, dry weight of spike-1 1.205 g, number of grains per spike 54.03 grain spike-1, and weight 1000 grain 41.21g). Moringa leaves extract gave the highest grain yield (4.181 t ha-1) and most of the characteristics (leaf area 45.87cm2, dry weight of flag leaf 0.175g, number of tillers 489.8m-2, number of spikes 420.5 spike.m-2, dry weight of spike-1 1.196g, and number of grains per spike 52.18 grain spike-1). The effect of interaction was significant in most studied traits. It can be concluded that organic extracts are safe and environmentally friendly bio stimulants that increase productivity, especially Moringa leaf extract, which gave the highest increase in grain yield. Furthermore, the IPA-99 cultivar was significantly superior to the other cultivars in the most studied characters.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of semen filtration using two different grades of Sephadex in enhancing the quality of low-grade ejaculates from Holstein bulls, in combination with antioxidant supplementation. Semen samples were collected from eight Holstein bulls over a period of eight weeks and subsequently divided into four experimental groups. The first group included SG5, SG6, and SG7, in which low-quality spermatozoa were filtered using Sephadex G-15. The second group consisted of SG8, SG9, and SG10, where low-quality spermatozoa were filtered using Sephadex G-25. A third group (SG1), comprising unfiltered low-quality semen, served as the negative control. Finally, a group of high-quality semen samples (SG2) was designated as the positive control. Groups SG3, SG6, and SG9 were supplemented with a combination of two amino acids (20 mM glycine and 1 mM glutamine), whereas groups SG4, SG7, and SG10 received a supplementation of 0.2 mM vitamin E and 0.8 mg/mL omega-3 fatty acids. Groups SG5 and SG8, which underwent filtration without any supplementation, served as control subgroups. The results demonstrated a significant improvement (P ≤ 0.01) in sperm motility, viability, normal morphology, acrosome integrity, and plasma membrane integrity in the groups filtered through Sephadex (SG5, SG6, SG7, SG8, SG9, and SG10) following both cooling and cryopreservation. Moreover, groups SG4, SG7, and SG10 showed a significant improvement (P ≤ 0.01) in sperm motility, viability, and plasma membrane integrity compared to the control groups SG8 and SG1. It can be concluded that sperm filtration is an effective method for reducing dead and abnormal sperm, as well as cellular debris, in low-quality ejaculates of Holstein bulls.

Protein is the most expensive nutrient in fish feed, while the dietary leeches provided at the initial stages of fish feeding contain high levels of protein, which affects metabolism in early feeding with high nutrition in the diet through the digestive and metabolic capacity of fish importance of artificial nutrition is embodied as the main element in aquaculture projects, whether intensive aquaculture projects or semi-intensive secondary projects in which the nutrition is of good quality to ensure its use in breeding to give productive performance and at the same time protect the aquatic environment aim of the article is to protect the environment by reducing the impact of fish waste on water quality, which leads to a reduction in pollution and enhancing the health of aquatic ecosystems.

The number of large-scale poultry and livestock projects that rely on intensive breeding methods has grown significantly. These projects generate various types of waste and unwanted by-products, such as chicken manure, wastewater from cleaning and purification processes, and dead poultry. If not properly managed, these by-products can become serious sources of environmental pollution. Therefore, it is essential to conduct environmental impact assessments prior to implementing such projects. These studies are now a key requirement for investment projects across various sectors, as they help evaluate potential environmental effects in advance and recommend appropriate measures to reduce negative impacts. This ensures both environmental protection and the success of the projects. In this context, the environmental impact of a table egg production project was examined by identifying the main operational characteristics and potential sources of pollution at each stage. Field analysis was carried out to assess the project’s environmental effects, and a solid waste treatment unit was proposed to process chicken manure. The study concluded with several recommendations, including the adoption of methods to reduce environmental harm by utilizing waste treatment systems, and turning waste into resources to protect and sustain natural ecosystems.