Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences

This study was aimed to show the changes of some blood parameters by the effect of biological and chemical treatment of rice straw ,It was conducted at The Ruminant Research Station in Abu Ghraib / Directorate of / Agricultural Researches / Ministry of Agriculture, for the period from June 1, 2021 until August 27, 2021 (preceded by the preliminary period 14 days), The study included 12 Iraqi buffalo calves aged 5 - 6 months. the calves were randomly divided into three equal groups (4 calves / group), kept in individual pens and distributed among group.T1 (the control group) in which the calves were fed on untreated rice straw T2 the calves were fed on rice straw treated with urea at a rate of 3% T3 the calves were fed on rice straw treated with Trichoderma harzianum at a rate of 0.1%. The triglycerides concentration were decreased significantly (p≤0.05) in the T2 (11.28 mg/dL) and T3 (11.32 mg/dL) compared with T1 (20.79 mg/dL). similarly, the level of very low-density lipoprotein (vLDL) was decreased 2.25, 2.26, 4.16 mg/dL for T2, T3, and T1, respectively. The creatinine concentration in T2(87.19 mmol/L) was significantly decrease than that of T1(177.8 mmol/L) and T3(176.75 mmol/L). Also, ALP concentration increased in T2 (238.93 IU/liter) compared with T1. (151.82 IU/liter), while it did not differ significantly with T3( 205.83 IU/liter) Also T3 did not differ significantly from T1. The differences in the concentration of lipid profile, protein fractions and enzymes activity among groups lacked significance , feeding of rice straw treated biologically and chemically had no negative effect on buffalo calves health.

The current study was carried out on broiler chickens to assess whether probiotics or essential oils could be utilized instead of antibiotics growth promoters (AGP) in typical feed formulations, to determine their effectiveness. A total of 2250 broiler chicks at one-day old age were allocated into 5 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with 9 replicates per treatment and 50 chicks/replicate. The Probiotic included three strains of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, the essential oil (EO) was a blend of Cinnamaldehyde-Thymol, and the AGP was Lincomycin™. These additives were added to the basal diets (BD) to formulate the following dietary treatments (T): (T1) control-fed BD that is regularly used by broiler farmers (T2) control-fed BD that is regularly used by broiler farmers and supplemented with Lincomycin™ (100 g/ton) as AGP; (T3) fed BD + Probiotics (Enviva® PRO 60 g/ton); (T4) fed BD + EO (Enviva® 100g/ton); and (T5) fed BD + combination of both probiotics and EO with the same doses used in T3 and T4. The study findings demonstrated that the use of probiotics or essential oils did not have any significant impact on the average body weight gain, final body weight, feed conversion ratio, or footpad lesion scores when compared to the AGP group. It was concluded that replacing the AGP with probiotics or EO, as natural feed additives, had no negative effects on broiler performance. The probiotic strains or the EO could be safe alternatives to AGP.

This study explored the effect of melatonin implantation on the fresh and cryopreserved semen quality of Iraqi buffalo bulls (Bubalus bubalis). Nine adult bulls were used and divided equally into three groups. The first group was left without treatment and regarded as control (T1), whereas the second (T2) and third (T3) groups were subcutaneously implanted with 72 and 90 mg of melatonin respectively on the left ear base and repeated one month post the first implantation. Semen was collected for 12 weeks and evaluated weekly for fresh, cooling, and post-cryopreserved (PC) protocols. The T3 group exhibited a higher (P≤0.05) sperm cell individual motility percentage, whereas, the T1 and T2 groups recorded better (P≤0.05) sperm acrosome integrity percentage for fresh semen. A lesser (P≤0.05) total sperm abnormality (TSA) percentage in the T2 and T3 groups and a greater (P≤0.05) sperm acrosome integrity (SAI) percentage in the T3 group were noticed during the cooling preservation. Moreover, the T3 group exhibited a lesser (P≤0.05) TSA percentage whereas, the T2 and T3 groups revealed a leaser (P≤0.05) SAI percentage during the PC period. Concomitantly, lower (P≤0.05) PC malondialdehyde concentration in seminal plasma was observed in the T2 and T3 groups than control group. In conclusion, the melatonin implantation (72 and 90 mg) ameliorated some fresh and PC semen attributes of the Iraqi buffalo bulls.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of chlorogenic acid on productive performance, blood biochemistry and intestinal histomorphology of broiler chickens. A total of 256-day old Ross 308 broiler chicks were divided into 4 treatments with 4 replications, 16 chicks per replicate. Treatments were arranged as follow: control group was left without any additive, whereas group 2-4 supplemented with 1, 1.5 and 2 mL of chlorogenic acid per litter of drinking water respectively. Results of this study showed that the body weight gain of birds received chlorogenic acid significantly increased when compared to control group. Lowest feed intake (P<0.05) was recorded for the birds received 1.5ml of chlorogenic acid than other experimental groups. Better feed conversion ratio was found in birds offered 1 and 1.5 mL chlorogenic acid compared to the control and those offered 2 mL /L of chlorogenic acid. The chlorogenic acid significantly increased villous heights and reduced crypt depths. The higher villous surface area was recorded for the birds received 1 mL of chlorogenic acid (P<0.05) than other groups. The birds in control group significantly increased the serum content of globulin over all treatments. It can be concluded that chlorogenic acid had a positive effect on performance and gut health of broiler chickens.

This study was conducted on salmon(Atlantic salmon)Salmo salar products imported to Iraq, which are a whole fish removed head and tail, fillets, rings, fingers and cubes evaluating of the sensory characteristics of these products and determining their suitability for human consumption. The products were obtained from King of Fish and Meat company ( K.F. M.) , the exclusive agent in Iraq, and all products were within one meal and date, and the validity of each product was from 5/10/2021 to 4/7/2022. Results were as follows: The results of the sensory characteristics (color, flavor, freshness, juiciness, general acceptance) showed asignificant differences (p≤0.05) among salmon fish products, but they did not reach the limits of rejection. The results above of sensory tests of imported salmon fish products showed that they are suitable for human consumption and proved that they are within acceptable limits after comparing them with research and standard specifications.

This study investigated the effect of different sperm freezability on some semen characteristics and amino acid concentrations in the seminal plasma of Holstein bulls cryopreserved for two years. The semen straws (0.25 ml) that cryopreserved for two years were divided into three equal groups (7 bulls per group) according to the sperm’s freezability: medium (73.02%; F1), good (83.76%; F2), and high (91.20%; F3). The F1 bulls were superior (P≤ 0.05) in sperm’s cell individual motility (SCIM) for fresh semen as compared with F2 and F3 bulls. The F2 and F3 groups were superior (P≤ 0.01) to the F1 group in live sperm percentage at cryopreservation. The sperm’s DNA damage percentage was lesser (P≤ 0.05) in the F1 and F3 groups as compared with the F2 group. The differences among groups in normal sperm percentage, sperm’s plasma membrane and acrosome integrity percentage, malondialdehyde, and total antioxidant concentrations lacked significance. The essential and non-essential amino acid concentrations in seminal plasma did not differ among groups. In conclusion, sperm freezability influenced some semen attributes but did not affect amino acid concentrations in the seminal plasma of Holstein bulls.

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the concentration of some fatty acids in seminal plasma and semen characteristics of Holstein bulls with different sperm freezabilities. The semen straws that cryopreserved for two years were divided into three groups according to the sperm’s freezability: medium (MF,73.02%), good (GF,83.76%), and high (HF,91.20%). The sperm’s cell individual motility (SCIM) in fresh semen was superior (P≤0.05) in bulls with MF and GF as compared with HF bulls. Concomitantly, the HF bulls were significantly (P≤0.05) superior to those MF bulls in total fatty acid concentrations. Moreover, HF bulls recorded lesser (P≤0.05) DNA damage percentage as compared with those of GF bulls. The differences among the three groups in concentrations of some fatty acid and SCIM at 48 hours and two years post-cryopreservation lacked significance. In conclusion, greater SCIM in bull's fresh semen recorded the lowest freezability, which indicated more sensitivity to freezing conditions and may reflect fertilizing ability of these bulls.

The research was conducted at the Animal Farm of the University of Baghdad's College of Veterinary Medicine to assess the effect of dietary grind seeds of Sumac and Exogenous Fibrolytic Enzymes(EFE) on some productive and haematological traits of Awassi male lambs from the period 1/2/2021 to 1/6/2021. Twenty-four Awassi male lambs with 3-4 months of age, and divided into four groups based on body weight . Dietary treatments were as following: G1 (control) equal nourished concentrate diet at the rate of 2.5% body weight (B.W) with alfalfa hay daily, G2 was fed on the similar diet as control group and was given 15g/head dried grind seeds of Rhus Coriaria daily with diet, G3 was fed on the similar diet that was presented in G1 with 5g/head of (EFE) daily, G4 was fed on the same diet in G1 with a 15g/head dried grind seeds of Rhus Coriaria and 5g/head of EFE. The results of live body weight, monthly weight gain and feed conversion ratio showed significant increased (p<0.05) of G2, G3, G4 comparing with G1.Also values of Hemoglobin, showed significance exceed (p<0.05) of G2, G3, G4 compared with G1. Values of RBCs showed that G4 significance exceed (p<0.05) other groups from the 3rd month to the end of experiment, while G3 and G2 significance exceed G1 at the last month of experiment. Values of total WBCs showed non-significance difference among different groups. In conclusion, these result showed the significant effect of Rhus Coriaria and (EFE) consumption on some productive and heamatological aspects of Awassi male lambs.

Taenia hydatigena, an intestinal parasite of domestic and wild canids which can cause medical problems and economic losses in animals. Thirty T. hydatigena recovered from the intestine of stray dogs after T. hydatigena based on morphological characters and morphometric observations involving Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the scoleces were stained by Semichon's acid carmine and viewed on a light microscope. High-quality SEM photographs were shown the blade dimensions of both large and small hooks (83.89 µm and 48.16 µm) respectively, which was close to measurements by a digital camera. The number of hooks around the rostellum were 30 hooks, and both were equal in number (15 hooks), while the average length of the large hooks was 220.11 ±28.07 µm, and was 88.58 ±7.92, and the average length of small hooks was142.37 ±12.52 µm and was 65.73 ±6.94 µm. body surface of Taenia hydatigena presence of characteristic transverse cuticular striations.

The current study was aimed to investigate the impact of white light of various intensity of illumination on some reproductive and hematological parameters of female quail (Coturnix coturnix), Where 80 one-day-old birds were used, separated into four groups distributed as follows: The 1st represented as control was exposed to natural lighting, while 2ed ,3rd ,4th was subjected to different intensity of light represented by 0.6, 25 and 45 lux, respectively, for 5 h/day, each group was divided into 4 replicates. The study continued for 8 weeks. The results indicates a notable raise in the level of FSH and LH hormone with an increase in ovarian weight, an elevate in the number of outgrowth and grown-up follicles for groups exposed to 25 and 45 lux light intensity compared to control and 0.6 lux. It was observed for the same groups an increases in the weight of the edible organs (heart, liver and gizzard). In addition, there was a clear increase in the number of RBC, WBC, lymphocytes, hemoglobin and PCV levels, while the 25 and 45 lux groups showed a decline in the level of MCV with a raise in MCH and MCHC compared with the control and 0.6 lux. It conclude that the intensity of different lighting had positive effects in improving some reproductive and blood characteristics of female quail.

This study was aimed to identification and detection of Mycoplasma dispar by conventional real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays followed by routine hematoxylin & eosin technique to further confirmation of Mycoplasma species related to the lesions observed in diseased calves. Ten samples of infected lung tissue were gathered and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and handled for making a microscopic slide after confirming Mycoplasma dispar infection by PCR. Histopathological examination of the lung revealed two types of pneumonia; chronic suppurative pneumonia in 60% of the cases and 40% of diffuse interstitial pneumonia. Mycoplasma dispar was confirmed based on genetic analysis. Slemani/2018 field isolate showed 99.84% homologies with four reference isolates of Mycoplasma dispar in NCBI GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relation to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and Mycoplasma flocculare, often isolated from sheep and goats. Therefore, further study is crucial to identify Iraqi livestock's circulating Mycoplasma species related to respiratory diseases.

This study was aimed at inhibition of purified protease produced by C. albicans using plant seeds extract. One hundred two local C. albicans isolates that were isolated and identified by microscopic and biochemical tests were submitted to primary and secondary screening techniques in order to select the qualified C. albicans isolate for protease synthesis. Among these isolates, nineteen isolates with the highest hydrolysis zone on skim milk media (primary screening) were chosen for secondary screening. It has been found that C. albicansV56 had the highest productivity of the enzyme (41.8U/mg protein). The optimum conditions of protease production by selected isolate using solid state fermentation by using wheat bran as best substrate , temperature 28 °C and pH 7, after 5 days of incubation . The enzyme was purified by concentration with sucrose, then used gel filtration chromatography using Sephadex G-75. The results show two peaks. The first peak has a purification folds 6.5 time with an enzyme yield of 13.08 %, while peak 2 has a purification folds 3.3 time with an enzyme yield of 20%. The purified enzyme exhibited maximal activity at pH 6.0 for peak 1 and 3.0 for peak 2, whereas the maximum stability was 7.0 for peak 1 and 8 for peak 2. The optimal temperature for purified enzyme activity was 40 for peak 1 and 30 for peak 2, and it was stable until 45°C. Protease activity was inhibited with local plant seed extracts. Lathyrus sativus extract inhibits approximately 50 % of protease activity.

Usage of chemicals such as malachite green to disinfect fish eggs in aquaculture has been banned in many countries around the world due to its environmental negative impact. This study aimed to evaluate the Zingiber officinale rhizomes extract as an antifungal agent during incubation period of Bunnei eggs and comparison of its effects with malachite green. For this purpose 24 hours after fertilization, methanolic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizomes in four groups with a concentration of 500, 750, 1000, and 1250 mg/L and three replications per concentration in a (10 minute) bath every 12 hours and malachite green group with a concentration of 0.1 mg/L for (6 minutes) bath was used twice a day and control group without antifungal agents under the same physiochemical conditions as other treatments were tested. The present study showed that the highest percentage of fungal infection was 41.82±0.5 % for the control group and the lowest 0.3±0.5 % was obtained for the treatment of 1250 mg/L of Zingiber officinale rhizomes. Also, the results showed that there were significant differences between treatments of different concentrates of Zingiber officinale rhizomes and with malachite green group in fungal infection, percentage of fertilization and survival do not exist (P>0.05.) No apparent deformity and abnormality were observed in the hatched larvae of Bunnei, so the extract of Zingiber officinale rhizomes with concentration 500 mg /L can be used to disinfect Bunnei eggs during Incubation period and safe material for humans and the environment.

This study was aimed to increase some flavonoids active compounds production in Echinacea purpurea seedlings through plant seeds treatment with different concentrations of copper oxide nanoparticles that daignosed and characterized using AFM technique. This research was implemented at plant tissue culture labrotary of College of biotechnology - Al Nahrain University, during the period of 2021 and 2023. The experiment designed factorial within CRD using three factors and ten replicates (3X3). Sodium hypochlorite concentration (S1, S2, S3, S4) (0.0, 1, 2, 3%) represented the first factor, treatment duartion time (T1, T2, T3) (5, 10, 15min) represented the second factor and copper oxide nanoparticles concentrations (C1, C2, C3, C4) (0.0, 25, 50, 75mg/ml) represented the third factor. Results showed that the full reduction in the contamination rate of the selected E. purpurea explant recorded in 3% sodium hypochlorite at 10 and 15min. The results also showed that there were a significant increase in the shoots numbers in 50mg/ml CuNPs that recording the highest shoots numbers, the shoot length increased significantly within the 25mg/ml recording 13.5cm then decreased in 50 and 75 mg/ml and the seedlings dry weight increased significantly up to 50mg/ml CuNPs that recording the highest seddlings dry weight, then the seedlings dry weight also decreased significantly in 75mg/ml CuNPs. Also, all the analyzed flavonoids compounds using HPLC device as Echinolone, Humulene, Coumarin, Myricetin, Heperidin and Naringin concentrations were significantly increased in 50 and 75 mg/L-1 Cu ONPs, except the Humulene and Coumarin compound that significantly decreased in 75 mg/L-1 Cu ONPs in comparsion to the control.

This study was aimed to investigate the trends in (11) thermal bioclimatic indicators throughout Iraq's various climates to better understand their spatiotemporal variations in different climates. All bioclimatic indicators have been calculated from daily ERA5 datasets of temperature extracted from 361 grid points covering Iraq. This data set covers global coverage of monthly temperatures from 1980 to 2022, with a spatial resolution of (0.25°x0.25°). Eleven thermal bioclimatic indicators were subjected to the Mann-Kendall (MK) test in order to measure trends in a single direction, without taking into account the influence of natural cycles. The findings showed that the majority of Iraq's thermal bioclimate indicators had changed. implying that rising temperatures have had a significant influence on the country's bioclimate. The annual mean temperature data revealed that Iraq had a considerable increase in Bio1 of (0.28 to 0.48) °C/decade, which is more than the )0.15( °C/decade worldwide average. The rise was found to be significantly greater in Iraq's northern and eastern regions. The analysis suggested that the diurnal temperature range decreased in most regions of Iraq, especially in the southern and northeastern sections. The maximum temperature increased most dramatically in the warmest quarter, whereas the changes in the coldest quarter were less noticeable, showing an increase in climatic extremes in Iraq. The study unequivocally shows that climate change is leading to an increase in the mean temperature, specifically during the warmest months of the year.

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the antibacterial essential oil of Peganum harmala L. seeds against locally isolated heterogeneous vancomycin intermediated Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) at doses ranging from 0.03 to 200 mg/ml. The filtered essential oil of P. harmala, after extract by the 96% ethanol in a Soxhlet extraction device, was analyzed by GC/MS (gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy). The results showed that the P. harmala seeds oils contained several compounds, such as Harmine (58.26%), followed by 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, methyl ester (28.55%) and Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester (4.30%), It is highly effective against targeted bacteria. The MIC method was used to investigate antibacterial activity by measuring the lowest inhibitory concentration of the extract and observed that the inhibition concentration against hVISA isolates was 0.3 mg/ml. The gene expression was detected after RNA extract from hVISA (untreated and treated) with P. harmala essential oil using the Quantitative Real-Time PCR method the results revealed that gene expression was low after bacterial with plant extract treatment. Finally, the ethanolic extract of p. harmala seeds appears to be a potential therapy choice for hVISA infection.

The experiment was carried out in one of the green houses of the research station A of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design during fall season 2020/2021 This study was aimed to reducing the amount of irrigation water using factorial experiment with in split plot designed by The study included three factor , First factor, the quality of irrigation water (main plots) and at three levels: (irrigation with water from the Tigris River 0.92 dm s-1(I0), alternating irrigation (one irrigation with saline water followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I1), Alternating irrigation (two irrigations with saline water, followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I2), Second factor was the addition of Polyacrylamide (0, 1.5,2.5) g of soil-1 his symbol(P0,P1.P2). Third factor was spraying with selenium with three concentrations (0, 10,20) mg L-1 his symbol (S0,S1,S2) The results showed The addition of polymers led to decrease in the amount of irrigation water used to irrigate Iris, as the amount of irrigation water decreased with an increase in the concentrations of added polymers. Also, the polymers contributed at a concentration of 2.5 g kg of soil-1 percentage of dry matter in leaves, percentage of carbohydrates in leaves, N, P, K, percentage the water potential in the leaves, relative water content, stomata area and the reduction in the activity of the enzyme Superoxide dismutase led to an increase in the salinity of the irrigation water to a decrease in all characteristics and an increases in the activity of the sod and spraying with selenium at a concentration of 20 mgL-1 increased all study parameters and reduced enzyme activityed.

The experiment was conducted in a green house at the Department of Horticulture and Landscaping design College of Agriculture engineering Sciences for the fall season 2020-2021 to determine the response of the Iris plant to bear the conditions of abiotic stresses by studying the effect of irrigation with saline water on the vegetative and flowering characteristics of the plant.The study included three factor, the first factor, the quality of irrigation water (main plots) and at three levels: (irrigation with water from the Tigris River 0.92 dm s-1(I0), alternating irrigation (one irrigation with saline water followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I1), Alternating irrigation (two irrigations with saline water, followed by irrigation with the water of the Tigris River(I2), The second factor is the addition of Polyacrylamide (0, 1.5,2.5) g of soil-1 his symbol(P0,P1.P2). The third factor is foliar applied selenium using three concentrations (0, 10,20) mg L-1 his symbol(S0,S1,S2) Results showed that that increasing salinity of irrigation water led to a decrease in all vegetative characteristics and flowering, increasing the efficacy of the enzyme Peroxidase and Proline, increasing both chlorine and sodium in the leaves. Spraying with selenium at a concentration of 20 mg L-1 as well as adding polymers at a concentration of 2.5 g led to an increase in the vegetative and flowering characteristics of the plant, reducing the elements chlorine and sodium in the leaves, and decreasing the effectiveness of the enzyme Peroxidase and Proline.

A lab experiment was conducted at the Plant Tissue Culture Lab / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad. This experiment was aimed to investigate gene expression index in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) after preparation of salt and simulated drought stresses. Two tomato cultivars were selected which claimed to exhibit different levels of tolerance toward abiotic stresses designated as salt-tolerant Yassamine (Y) and salt-sensitive GS12 (G) to assess the test. Seven day-old seedlings from both cultivars were grown in MS media supplemented with four concentrations of NaCl at 0, 50, 100 and 150 mM and four concentrations of PEG at 0, 10, 20, and 30% for 48 hours. The results were showed that Y cultivar exhibited more proline secretion and chlorophyll content when compared with G. In addition, Y cultivar showed less ion leakage and less affected by elevated abiotic stresses in term of seedling weight variation when compared to G counterparts. The SDS-PAGE gel analysis showed that Y cultivar showed more band intensity when compared with G suggested more corresponding gene expression of tolerant protein against abiotic stresses.

Over the course of two winter periods, researchers at the Agricultural Experiment Unit, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, studied the effects of covering wheat (the Al-Furat variety) and “vitamins B9” (“folic acid”) and E “(tocopherol)” on a number of growth traits. Three independent trials were conducted utilizing a factorial design within a Randomized Complete Block Design. The first component was folic acid at 0, 250, and 500 mg L-1; the second component was vitamin E at 0, 1, and 2 ml L-1. At the start of the tillering and flowering stages, both vitamins were applied. All measured characteristics (plant height, flag leaf area, total tiller count, plant dry weight at booting and 100% blooming phases, and “vitamin B9” 500 mg L-1) were found exceeded at this dosage. Aside from that, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b content in leaves, and the pace of crop growth.Since the focus of 2 ml L-1 was higher than most of the attributes, applying vitamin E influenced the growth characteristics. The number of tillers, plant dry weight, crop growth rate, total chlorophyll, biological yield, chlorophyll a and b in leaves.

This study was aimed to investigate the appropriate planting date and tolerance to adverse growing conditions in the spring season through seeds stimulation technology. A field experiment was carried out in the spring seasons of 2022 and 2023 according to a randomized complete block design in a split-plot arrangement with four replications. The main factor is planting dates (February 15th, March 1st and 15th, and April 1st and 15th). The secondary factor is seeds stimulation (potassium nitrate 6 mg L-1 + licorice extract 6 g L-1, as well as soaking with distilled water only). The stimulated seeds (potassium nitrate + licorice extract) and the planting date of February 15th were superior in traits of fertility ratio, number of grains per ear, weight of 300 grains, total grains yield, biological yield, and harvest index in both seasons (2022 and 2023). The stimulated seeds (potassium nitrate + licorice extract), planted on February 15th, excelled in the traits above (95.6 and 97.7%), (640.7 and 816.9 grain ear-1), (76.19 and 82.69 g), (7.2 and 7.8 ton ha-1), (17.5 and 18.9 ton ha-1) and (41.5 and 41.2%) in both seasons, respectively. It can be concluded that seeds stimulation improved the yield and its components of corn crop under a wide range of environmental conditions, and that planting the stimulated seeds on February 15th contributed to take advantage of the prevailing environmental conditions and regulating the relationship between source efficiency and sink capacity to obtain the highest grain yield. It can be recommended that soaking the seeds with potassium nitrate 6 mg L-1 + licorice extract 6 g L-1 together when planting in mid-February in the spring season to increase grains yield.

This study was aimed to investigate the physicochemical structure of fresh and dried Aloe Vera gel (AVG) and its adequacy as a prebiotic in the preparation of Synbiotic fermented milk with Bif. Lactis BB-12, in addition to its effect on the survival of these bacteria during 28 days of cold storage. The results indicated that the yield of the gel was % 64.56±1.157, and the moisture content, total solids (TS) and total soluble solids (TSS) in the fresh gel were % 98.23±0.0816, %1.777±0.0103 and % 1.56±0.0816 respectively. The pH of fresh and dried gel was 4.48±0.0105 and 4.63±0.01, respectively, meanwhile the acidity was 0.083±0.00121 and 0.058±0.0083, respectively (expressed as malic acid). Addition of 0.03% , 0.05% of dried and 3% ,5% of fresh AVG to treatments under study which represented as B1, B2, B3, and B4 respectively, reduced the generation time (GT) to 71.91, 68.49, 80.14 and 95.17 min, respectively as compared to that of the control treatment B0 (AVG free), which was 112.52 min. The pH value decreased in treatments B0, B1, B2, B3, and B4 to 4.45, 4.41, 4.36, 4.39 and 4.38, respectively, as the acidity increased to 1.13, 1.18, 1.26, 1.20 and 1.21%, respectively.

This study was aimed to reduce the amount of the sprayed solution lost during trees spraying. At the same time, the concentration of the sprayed solution on the target (tree or bush) must be ensured and to find the best combination of treatments. Two factors controls the spraying process: (i) spraying speed (1.2 km/h, 2.4 km/h, 3.6 km/h), and (ii) the type of sensor. The test results showed a significant loss reduction percentage. It reached (6.05%, 5.39% and 2.05%) at the speed (1.2 km/h, 2.4 km/h, 3.6 km/h), respectively. It was noticed that when the speed becomes higher the loss becomes less accordingly. The interaction between the 3.6 km/h speed and the type of Ultrasonic sensor led to a decrease in the percentage of the spray losses reached to 1.69. For the coverage percentage, the increase in the spraying speed from 1.2 km/h to 2.4 km/h, and then to 3.6 km/h led to a significant decrease in the percentage of coverage (from 17.73% to 13.14%, and then to 11.12%), respectively. The interaction between the type of sensor and the speed has significantly affected the spray density. The speed was 3.6 km/h, and the type of Ultrasonic sensor was superior in obtaining the highest spray density of 83.2 drops/cm2.

This study was aimed to identify the role of transaction costs and their attributes in the selection of markets for the purchase of agricultural mechanization services in Baghdad province. To achieve this goal, a random sample of 150 wheat and barley farmers in the province was selected, and the data was collected through a questionnaire form prepared for this purpose. The research was based on the transaction cost theory as a modified theoretical framework to explain the farmer's behavior towards choosing installment market channels to buy agricultural machinery and through the analysis of the binary logistic regression model. The results of the regression analysis showed that some elements of transaction cost, such as a privacy and uncertainty, have an important role in determining and choosing the installment market for the purchase of tractors, while the element of the number of repeat transactions proved its important role in choosing the installment market for seeders, and the time saving element showed its important role in choosing the installment market for combine harvesters. The results also showed the existence of significant differences in some demographic and economic characteristics related to farmer, such as farmer experience, farm area and net farm income, in influencing the respondents' decision towards choosing the markets for agricultural machinery transactions referred to above.

The objective of this study was to prepare an adsorbent material from eggshells of chicken banished to the ambient as wastes to satisfy the ecological requirements of sustainable. The preparation process based on the extraction of calcium ions from eggshells and these ions must be reacted with iron to form nanoparticles of (Ca/Fe)-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) which immobilized as Na-alginate beads. Molar ration of calcium to iron, pH and dosage of LDH nanoparticles must be equal to 1, 12 and 5 g/100 mL to ensure that the prepared beads have highest ability to remove of Amoxicillin (AMOX) antibiotic with removal efficiency equal to 32% for operational conditions of Co=100 mg/L, beads dosage=0.5 g/50 mL, speed=200 rpm, pH=7 for 3 hrs. To increase this efficiency to ≥ 90%, best conditions must be time 90 min, pH 7, and beads mass 1.2 g/ 50 mL for Co 100 mg/L at 200 rpm in the batch mode. The Pseudo second order has high capability in the description of such tests with coefficient of determination (R2) ≥ 0.9924 and sum of squared error (SSE) ≤ 0.1287. Hence, the sorption of AMOX onto beads is governed by the chemisorption process. The reflections of XRD analysis proved the presence of (Ca/Fe)-LDH nanoparticles with size of 13.49 nm, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3)

This study was aimed to estimate the effects of women age on oocytes quantity and quality and to determine whether there is a correlation between serum and follicular hormone levels. The samples were collected in the higher institute for the diagnosis of infertility and assisted reproduction techniques, Baghdad, Iraq. The 60 participants were split into two age groups, G1involved women younger than 35, while G2 involved women older than 35 years of age. The levels of FSH, LH, AMH, and GH in the serum and follicular fluid (FF) could be measured using (ELISA). The results demonstrated differences in the serum levels of FSH, LH, AMH, and GH between the young and elderly groups of infertile women on the day of oocyte extraction. The results proved statistically highly significant (P≤0.01) drop in the mean levels of hormones in the aged women group (FSH 21.67±0.53; LH 62.12±0.54; AMH 1370.74±94.59; GH 9.76±0.32 mIU/ML) compared with the younger women group (FSH 33.86±0.72; LH 85.072±2.70; AMH 3310.92±83.87; GH 30.40±0.45 mIU/ML). in this study the level of studied hormones in FF were significantly decreased with increasing women age, the mean of (FSH 19.59 ±0.28; LH 63.34 ±0.27; AMH 1769.46 ±17.92; GH 7.86 ±027 mIU/ML) in comparison with those levels in the younger group (FSH 31.40 ±0.95; LH 95.07 ±2.58; AMH 2547.35 ±124.09; GH 23.33 ±0.67 mIU/ML).

This study was aimed to isolation and phenotypic characterization of P. aeruginosa. 75 carp fish samples were collected from fish farms at Mosul city during (September2021 to January 2022). Each sample was placed separately in sterile plastic bags and transferred directly to the microbiology laboratory under cooling conditions. The API20-20E assay was used to confirm P. aeruginosa isolates. Also the isolates were confirmed molecularly by polymerase chain reaction assay using the primer 16srDNA. Through bacterial isolation were obtained (60) isolates, which formed (36.6, 30, 8.3, 25 )% of each of the skin, gills, intestines and muscles, respectively. The results showed the sensitivity of P. aeruginosa isolates to impenime (IMP10 µg) and cephalosporin (CIP10 µg) reached (86% and 80 %) respectively, followed by levofloxacin (LEV 5 µg) (74%). But resistant (100%) to both amoxicillin (AM10 µg) and tetracycline (TE10 µg). Isolates varied in their sensitivity and resistance to other antibiotics which included, tobramycin (T0B10 µg), gentamycin (CN10 µg) and amikacin (AK30 µg), the study showed that isolates gave positive results for each hemolytic activity, protease, lecithinase and phospholipase virulence factors tests.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of elastin hydrolysates extracted from bovine skin on the chemical composition and some indicators of oxidation in minced beef stored in refrigeration at a temperature of 2 °C for a period of 12 days. The study included 6 treatments T1 (without addition), T2 addition (1000 ppm) of elastin hydrolysates per kg of meat, T3 addition (500 ppm) of elastin hydrolysates per kg of meat, T4 addition (1000 ppm) of collagen hydrolysates per kg of meat, T5 addition (500 ppm) of collagen hydrolysates per kg of meat and T6 addition of the antioxidant BHA (0.01) per kg of meat. the transactions were stored by cold storage for periods 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days, and some chemical tests were conducted for them, The results of this study showed that treatments to which elastin hydrolysate was added showed a significant improvement in the chemical composition (moisture, protein, fat and ash) of ground beef stored in cold storage compared to the control treatment. It also showed a significant decrease (P<0.01) in oxidative stress indicators through a decrease in TBA values in chilled ground beef compared to the control treatment. We conclude that the addition of elastin hydrolysate to minced meat stored in cold storage at different storage periods improved the chemical composition of the meat and achieved high antioxidant effectiveness through a decrease in oxidation indicators represented by a decrease in the TBA value. And improve the water holding capacity of WHC, From the above, this study aimed to know the effect of elastin hydrolysate in maintaining chemical properties and reducing oxidation and thus prolonging the period of cold preservation of meat.

A factorial pots experiment (2x2x4) was carried out using completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications, in Qlyasan Research Station / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Sulaimani during Nov.25,2018 and Jun.2,2019, to determine the effects of seed bank sterilization, wheat seed cleaning and soil of different four locations and their interactions on weed control, yield of bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. (var. Adana) and yield components. The first factor was wheat seeds, machinery cleaned seeds (A1) and non-cleaned seeds (A2), the second factor was soil sterilization: sterilized soil (S1) and non-sterilized soil (S2), while the third factor was soils from four different locations: Qlyasan (L1), Kani Panka (L2), Halabja (L3) and Chamchamal (L4). Results showed that machinery seed cleaning decreased weed dry weight (WDW), and increased number of spikes (NS), total spikes weight (TSW), and grain yield (GY). Soil sterilization decreased WDW and increased plant height (PH), NS, TSW, and grain yield. L2and L4 recorded the lowest WDW, and L2 recorded the highest NS, TSW and GY. Interaction treatment A1S1decreased WDW and increased PH, NS, TSW and GY. Interaction treatment A1L2 decreased WDW and increased NS, TSW and GY. Interaction treatment S1L2 decreased WDW and increased NS, TSW and GY. Triple interaction A1S1L2 decreased WDW and increased NS, TSW and GY significantly.

This study aimed to identify the pollution extent in the Tigris River within Baghdad city by applying the Overall index of Pollution (OIP). Monthly water samples were collected from five sites along the Tigris River during the wet and dry seasons of 2020-2021. Eleven parameters were selected to conduct the study; Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity, Chloride, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Total Hardness, Fluoride, Nitrate, Sulfate, Biochemical oxygen demand, and Total Coliform. The OIP ranges from 2.46 to 1.96 in the dry season and 2.02 to 1.91 in the wet season. Results revealed that Tigris River water is categorized from slightly polluted to acceptable according to OIP classification. The current study's finding lies in a wet season where the values of OIP are less in most of the sites, which may be related to the increased precipitation in the winter months.

This study was aimed to test the relationship between the unemployment rate and agricultural growth rates in the agricultural sector of Iraq according to Okun's Law for the period 1998-2019. The differences and gap versions of Okun's Law for the relationship was conducted, Alongside with Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter to find the potential production and the Baxter-King (BK) filter to find the trend of unemployment for the agricultural sector, and then to find production and unemployment gaps. Bootstrapping method was used to generate data because the lack of data and Augmented ARDL to identify the cointegration. The result of independent-F test at the level was insignificant with a value of 1.49 for the differences model, that is less than the critical value which is 9.26 of the 0.05 level of significance. While the result of independent-F test at the level of the gap model was 1.89, which is less than the critical value which is 12.8 at 0.05 the level of significance. Thus, confirming the absence of a co-integration relationship between the two variables. This result confirms the complete absence of Okun's relationship with the two versions in the Iraqi agricultural sector.