Vol. 7 Issue 1
F.D. El-Nouty, A.A. Alsobayel and M.H. Gameil
In an attempt to evaluate the adaptability of Aardi goats to arid environment, 6 Aardi bucks were used to assess the effects of spring and summer seasons and 4-days of water deprivation during each season on some blood cellular and non-cellular constituents. High ambient temperature during summer caused significant rise in blood haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell counts (RBC), mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), serum total protein (TP) and albumin (A) and a significant decline in mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and white blood counts (WBC) compared with their levels during moderate ambient temperature of spring.
Water deprivation for 4-days caused 17% and 18% loss in body weight during spring and summer, respectively. This was accompanied by significant elevation in blood Hb, PCV and RBC to almost similar extent during spring and summer seasons. TP also rose during water deprivation especially in summer as a result of the increase in both albumin (A0 and globulin (G) concentrations, but the increase in the former was less than that in the latter, resulting in a lower A/G ratio.
The similarity in body weight losses and in blood haematological changes during spring (24.8°C) and summer (35.8°C) in association with water deprivation may indicate that Aardi goats are well adapted to the arid environment.
A.A. Hunaiti, M.M. Muwalla, M.A. Abuirjeie and F. Tawfeeq
The Level of Progesterone on sera samples collected from pregnant and nonpregnant Awassi ewes were determined (16-20) days after breeding using radioimmunoassay. Progesterone concentration was higher (1.89 ng/ml) in pregnant ewes than that of non pregnant ewes (0.34 ng/ml). Pregnancy diagnosis results, based on the levels of progesterone in peripheral serum were, confirmed by lambing when 1 ng.ml or more progesterone on the specified period was used as an indicative of pregnancy. The overall accuracy of this diagnosis was more than 90%. The concentration of progesterone in the 60 months old ewes was higher (2.65 ng/ml) than that of 24 months old ewes (1.66 ng/ml), while there was no significant difference in the serum progesterone between the different weight groups ewes. The quantitative analysis of serum progesterone in (16-20) days after breeding of Awassi ewes might be used for early pregnancy detection.
W.A. Al-Mustafa and A.M. Al-Omran
A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of soil moisture on growth and phosphorus uptake by wheat. The experiment consisted of three soils and five available water depletion levels: 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70%, each replicated four times in randomized complete block design. The plants were harvested 50 days after planting. In all soils, both shoot and root growth as well as P uptake significantly (P = 0.05) with the decrease in available water depletion (AWD). Decrease in AWD from 70 to 30% increased shoot growth in the loamy sand, sandy loam, and sandy clay loam soils by 33.6, 22.9, and 9.9%, respectively. While root dry matter increased in the same soils 33.1, 29.3 and 10.1, respectively. Dry matter yield and phosphorus uptake as a function of water availability were described using the model Y = a + b In X
Abdullah R. Doaigey, Hesham A. Gawad, Abd El-Salam M. Meligy, and Mohamed G. Abd El-Fattah
The anatomy of the leaf and stem of Capparis spinosa L., C. cartilaginea Deene. and C. decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. have been studied and shown to be distinctive in these three species. Photosynthetic tissue is present in the leaf midrib region in all three species but differs as to the cell type (palisade vs. spongy) and distribution. Collenchymatous tissue is present in C. spinosa and C. cartilaginea but not in C. decidua. Ground parenchymatous tissue is conspicuous in C. cartilaginea less developed in C. decidua and is not observed in C. spinosa. Differences occur in the stem cortex of these species as to photosynthetic tissue cell type and distribution; C. cartilaginea and C. decidua have lignified primary phloem fibres, while C. spinosa has unlignified primary primary phloem fibres. This study elucidates the presence of extensive water-storing parenchymatous tissue and considerable thickness of the outer epidermal cell walls especially in the leaves as the adaptive structural mechanism of C. cartilaginea that underlies its ability to grow and survive in dry rocky habitats.
H.A. Abulfatih , H.A. Emara, and A.El. Hashish
Grazing by sheep and goats has a significant impact on species composition, plant biomass, and soil chemical, physical and bacterial properties in the cool semi-desert highlands of Asir, Saudi Arabia. The comparison between grazed and protected flats and hills revealed that the protected flats and hills maintain higher species diversity, plant biomass, plant heights, soil carbonates, cation exchange capacity, and electrical conductivity; but a relatively lower soil water content, organic matter, total nitrogen, and total number of bacteria.
Dawud M. Al-Eiswi and Hamed R. Takruri
A checklist of 142 species of edible wild flowering plants in Jordan has been prepared on the bases of specimens collected from different parts of the country and supported by information of local food habits. The taxa recorded belong to 84 genera and 28 families. English names, Arabia names and the edible parts of the plants are given
Ali A. Helal
Boron was not essential for initiation of germination of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. ) pollen (80% ± 4 of pollen germinated after 4 hours of incubation in medium lacking boron), but was necessary for normal growth of pollen tubes since 76% of germinated pollen grains had burst tubes and the remaining had short tubes (7.5 ± 4 µm).
Calcium was essential for pollen germination and only 2% ± 1 of pollen germinated after 4 hours in medium lacking calcium. Magnesium or polyamines (spermine diphosphate, spermidine phosphate or putrescine chloride) improved the germination in absence of calcium, but the rate of pollen tube elongation was lower than that obtained for calcium.
The pH optimum for germination and tube growth was 5.5 and the pH of the meidum did not change after 3h of incubation.
Sucrose was not important for germination and pollen tube growth.
Mary S. Khalil, Mohamed I. Naguib, Youssry E. Saleh
Screening for the antimicrobial activity of the culture filtrates of Streptomyces venezuelae, S. rubiginosus and S. recifencis showed that the Gram positive bacterium, Clostridium acetobuttylicum was completely resistant whereas Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis and Mycobacterium phlei while insensitive to the filtrate of either S. venezuelae or S. rubiginosus were very sensitive to S. recifencis filtrate. Coupling the filtrates of S. venezuelae with S. recifencis reduced or even nullified the latter's potency whereas coupling S. rubiginosus with S. recifencis lowered the latter's effects. Of the Gram negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, Aerobacter sp., Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas putida and Erwinia toxica were totally resistant to the antibiotics produced by the three Streptomyces species. Erwinia carotovora var. carotovora, E. carotovora var. citrullus and Serratia marcescens were sensitive only to the filtrate of S. recifencis. Salmonella typhimurium was sensitive only to S. venezuelae filtrate.
The mixed culture filtrates of S. rubiginosus with S. recifencis were highly potent against E. coli and Pseudomonas putida. Growth of E. toxica was highly suppressed by the filtrate of the mixed culture of S. venezuelae and S. rubiginosus but the sensitivity of E. carotovora var. citrullus to S. recifencis was abolished by mixed cultures with the other two Streptomyces species whereas that of E. carotovora var. carotovora was only attenuated.
Supplementation with nickel noticeably increased whereas supplementation with cadmium or lanthanum slightly decreased the sensitivity of E. carotovora var. carotovora to S. recifencis filtrate. Nickel-fed cultures of E. carotovora var. citrullus or E. toxica was completely resistant to S. recifencis and S. venezuelae + S. rubiginous filtrates respectively. Nickel-feeding, in combination with lanthanum and/or cadmium had the same effect on E. toxica but the sensitivity of nickel-treated E. carotovora var. carotovora to S. recifencis filtrate was abolished by addition of lanthanum and reduced by replacement or further addition of cadmium.
The toxins produced by E. toxica had a broader spectrum than those of E. carotovora var. carotovora and E. carotovora var. citrillus; particularly on Gram positive bacteria. Of the tested Gram negative bacteria, only Serratia marcescens and Shigella flexneri were sensitive as well as E. carotovora var. carotovora and E. toxica
Eglal A. Koura and Afaf A. Jubair
A new species of septate gregarine was discovered in the mid gut region of the coleopteran insect Adesmia cancellata (Klug) during a general survey of protozoans. All the insects were collected from six cities in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia.
An investigation of the biology of this species revealed unique characteristic features different from all other described species of the genus Stylocephalus (Ellis). The most pronounced distinguishing features shown by the new species relate to its length, its maximum length being 2483 µm. The epimerite consists of two parts: a proximal neck which is hyaline and retractile and a distal disc provided with a large number of a small papillae reaching a length of 99 µm at the longest specimens. The protomerite is variable in shape, wider than long with a constriction at the septum with dense cytoplasm. The deutomerite is elongated, and carrot-shaped. The nucleus is circular to elongated 31-83 µm with 5 karyosomes. Syzygy is side-by-side with individuals alined in opposite directions. The name suggested for this new species is Stylocephalus arabica
Mohammed S. Al-Khalifa
The development of ovarian oocytes of the sheep and goat tick Hyalomma arabica Pegram, Hoostraal and Wassef 1982, has been investigated by the light and electron microscope. Such studies revealed that the egg development could arbitrarily be divided into previtellogenic and vitellogenic stages distinguishable under the light microscope. The ultrastructural changes during egg development are described. Profiles of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex are active in yolk synthesis. AS vitellogenesis proceeds, yolk precursors are incorporated into the egg by micro pinocytosis at the egg surface. Thus, in H. arabica, yolk materials appear to be derived from both intra- and extra-oocytic sources. The mitochondria and lipids are abundant. Other cytoplasmic components are illustrated