JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (JAST)
Year:2017 | Volume:19 | Issue:2|Papers Count:19

The Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) of firms and enterprises is the subject of current research in the fields of management and business. However, analyses on this subject in agricultural firms are lacking. The purpose of this research was to study the relationships between corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance in Agricultural Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ASMEs) in Iran. Specifically, the authors aimed to analyze how knowledge creation and learning orientation as a mediator influence the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance. A conceptual model was designed and hypotheses were constructed. The samples in this study were owners and/or top managers of ASMEs. Data for the study were collected using a questionnaire survey administrated during 2015. In order to test the hypotheses, data were collected from ASME and analyzed using the structural equation model by AMOS20 graphic software.The results reveal that corporate entrepreneurship significantly influences learning orientation, knowledge creation and firm performance in ASMEs. The most notable outcome of these findings is that knowledge creation and learning orientation performs a mediating role in the relationships between corporate entrepreneurship and performance in ASMEs.

Bootstrapping the DEA is one of the current methods of measuring robust efficiency by constructing a confidence interval and measuring the noise (bias) in production. In this study, two estimators: the conventional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and bootstrap simulation with 2, 000 bootstrap iterations were applied on a cross sectional data of 296 broiler farms in Peninsular Malaysia. The objective of the study was to measure the robust technical efficiency, production bias and factors motivating technical efficiency in the Northern, Southern, and East-central regions of Peninsular Malaysia. As a regional approach, the study found the existence of both inefficiency and noise in broiler farms across regions of Peninsular Malaysia. Findings show disease infestation and unfavorable temperature as components of noise or exogenous factors or factors beyond farmers’control in broiler production. The study identified age (+), education (+), experience (+), production system (-), number of poultry farms owned (-), business status (+) and land tenure status (-) as statistically significant in ameliorating efficiency in broiler production.Result also show that strong statistically significant differences exist in the magnitude of technical efficiency scores between the two estimators across the regions. The study advocate for increase in scale of production as majority of the farmers produce at increasing returns to scale.

This study was based on the hypothesis that “Ecotourism is an important instrument in sustainable rural development and ecologically-based landscape planning approaches which take the objectives of socio-economic development and nature conservation have an effective role in this issue”. For this purpose, the necessity of ecologically-based landscape planning approaches in the planning and implementation of ecotourism activities and the importance of the views of related stakeholders in decision-making process have been established in this study. The field of study was grounded on subbasin and micro basin boundaries which take natural thresholds into consideration instead of administrative boundaries which contrast with natural thresholds. A total of 31 micro basins, consisting of 20 basins in the Kazandere basin of a total of 293 km² in the northwest of Turkey and 11 basin in the Pabuçdere basin, have been assessed. A 3-phased method was followed in the study. Firstly, the inventory and data base of the field were created on Geographic Information Systems medium and micro basins were determined. In the second phase, suitability analyses were carried out on the basis of the Ecotourism Opportunity Spectrum (ECOS) according to 6 basic components, 15 assessment factors, and 24 subcriteria.In the third phase, the micro basins suitable for ecotourism potential were determined by creating a synthesis sheet on the field of study as a result of related analyses and assessments, and ecotourism oriented development strategies were developed by utilizing the rapid rural appraisal conducted in the area and visitor questionnaires as well.

Recently, increasing attention has been directed to the isolation of natural active components from various medicinal plants. In the present research, the extraction of essential oil from horehound (M. vulgare L.) is presented. Effects of mass ratio and particle size on the process performance were studied and kinetics were determined. The chemical composition of the volatiles present in M. vulgare L. was evaluated for the sample extracted in the optimum conditions (mass ratio, 3 kg m-3 and particle size, 0.1< d<0.63 mm) by using GC-MS. Eugenol (21.5%), b -Caryophyllene (11.5%) and b -bisabolene (10.3 %) were the major constituents found. Experimental data were fitted into three mathematical models having one and two time constants, in order to describe the extraction behaviour. The obtained coefficients of correlation show that the predicted and experimental data were in good agreement (0.9954<R<0.9982). In all cases the model constants have been found to change with mass ratio and particle size. The study was also an opportunity to improve the performance of two evolutionary algorithms, Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), for identification of kinetic parameters with a satisfactory accuracy. The presented approach can be helpful for modeling and optimization of further extraction processes.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction was used to determine the optimum processing conditions and to achieve the maximum extraction yield and viscosity of the gum extracted from quince seed. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to design the experiments and adopting the Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD), the effect of extraction temperature (25-55oC), time (3-10 minutes), and pH (6-8) were evaluated on efficiency of gum extraction yield (%) and viscosities (mPas). The Chemical composition of the extracted gum was determined using AOAC standard methods. Apparent viscosity of the gum was measured by rotational viscometer. Using multiple linear regression analysis, a second-order polynomial model was developed for each response. The quince seed gum showed pseudoplastic behavior. Optimum operating conditions based on thehighest yield and viscosity was predicted by RSM as an extraction temperature of 38.03oC, pH of 6.35 and the extraction (ultra-sonication) time of 7.68 minutes. At this optimum point, extraction yield and viscosity were 14.09% and 52.4 mPas, respectively.

The aim of the study was the analysis of Lithuanian honeys for the presence of the spores ofClostridium botulinum. The analyses were performed on multifloral, honeydew, nectar-honeydew, rape, buckwheat, heather and linden honey bought in direct sale. Prior to culture on solid media the samples were prepared by supernatant filtration method and cultured in parallel in Cooked Meat Medium (CMM) and Tripticase Peptone Glucose Yeast (TPGY) enrichment broths. Bacteria of typical phenotypic features were obtained by culture method from 48 honey samples. Identification ofClostridium botulinum types A, B, E and F was performed with the use of multiplex-PCR method. The prevalence analysis showed 30 (60%) samples contaminated withClostrdium botulinum spores. The major serotype detected was type A: 20 (66.6%) positive honey samples; while type B was found in 7 samples (23.3%), type E in 4 samples (13.3%) and type F in 3 (10%) positive honey samples. Contamination with more than one type ofC. botulinum spores was observed in 3 honey samples.

This study was aimed to assess the effects of excess boron on 59 genetically divergent wheat accessions and to identify those with high and stable yields under a range of soil boron concentrations. The second aim was to test the applicability of a laboratory technique performed at juvenile stages of development in estimating field boron tolerance. The study comprised a control and three boron treatments, applied as 50, 100 and 150 mg boric acid L-1 in laboratory, and 33.0, 67.0 and 133.0 kg boric acid ha-1 in field trial. Yield performance and stability were evaluated using biplots from sites regression model, while interrelationships among analyzed parameters were assessed using path coefficient analysis. Parameters were mostly decreased by excess boron when compared to the control (seedling root length, seedling dry weight, grain number per spike, grain yield, flag leaf area, leaf area duration and grain weight). Significant increase was noted for seedling boron concentration and content, percentage of sterile spikelets per spike and number of spikes per m2. Spike length, number of spikelets per spike, and anthesis date remained unaffected. The majority of accessions with high and stable yields were of local origin, so, we conclude that adaptation to environmental factors other than elevated soil boron plays an important role in overall field boron tolerance. The effects of excessive external boron on boron accumulation noted at the seedling stage in laboratory studies corresponded to its effects on yield in field.

The genusAchillea is one of the most important medicinal plants in the Asteraceae family. Nineteen species of this genus have been described in the Flora Iranica, of which Achillea aucheriBoiss is an endemic species to Iran. Given the effect of geographic location on the quality and yield of essential oil, we performed an investigation to determine oil contents of A. aucheri growing at different altitudes of Mount Damavand and analyzed its components. Essential oil was extracted with hydro-distillation method and nearly 96.20% of oil components were identified using GC and GC/MS, on average.These components included isopulegol (16.39%), yomogi alcohol (10.92%), (Z) -b-ocimene (9.84%), camphor (5.65%), 1, 8-cineole (4.98%), linalool (4.81%), g-terpinolene (3.66%), -fenchene (3.60%), camphene (3.20%), a-pinene (3.15%), a-terpineol (2.71%), nerolidol (2.54%), chamazulene (1.74%) and -thujone (1.67%), with 34 other components. In general, essential oil composition of A. aucheri was influenced by climatic condition prevailing at different altitudes. By increasing altitude, constituent of a-thujone, a harmful compound for human body, decreased in its value. Moreover, going from 3, 900 to 4, 300 m altitude, the valuable constituent of chamazulene increased more than 10 times

World apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production is increasing steadily due to breeding of new high yielding cultivars in different countries. More recently, breeding programs have been modified according to consumers’ demands and also improvement in resistance to diseases (Sharka, Monilinia etc.), frost damages, and determination of self- (in) compatibility. In this study, fourteen apricot breeding progenies and six of their parents were evaluated by using both morphological and molecular markers. As morphological markers, fruit weight, width, length, height, total soluble solids, acidity, and fruit firmness were used. In molecular analysis, to determine genetic relationships, Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP), Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMP) markers were used. In addition, SRc-F/R markers were used to determineS allele profile. The results showed that, although there were no earlier genotypes than Ninfa and Priana, Ay×P3 cross was a promising genotype with regard to earliness and fruit characteristics. A total of 224 scorable bands obtained with 8 SRAP primer combinations (25 bands), 8 DAMP primers (81 band) and 16 ISSR primers (118 bands) showing high diversity among crosses and cultivars. A total of 4SRNase alleles (SC, S2, S3, S6) were identified in this study and the most widely identified alleles wereSC and S3 alleles.

Quince fruit has many benefits to human health and is an excellent source of pectin for jellies and jam industry. The objective of the present research was to study fruit physiochemical attributes of some quince genotypes at harvest and their changes during cold storage. The fruit of 15 genotypes were harvested at optimum maturity and stored for 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days in cold storage and some parameters were measured. The range of 13.00-18.76% for Soluble Solid Content (SSC), 0.38-0.95% for titratable acidity, 2.55-3.75 for pH, 52.16-91.00 N for firmness, 0.89-0.98 g cm-3 for density, 255.39-349.56 mg 100 g-1 DM for carbohydrate, 7.28-23.02% for pectin and 11.66-33.30% for fruit fibers were observed across genotypes at harvest time. Negative correlations were found between weight loss and both firmness and density, while firmness had positive correlation with pectin and Ca content. Generally, significant changes (P 0.05) for measured characters were observed across genotypes and during cold storage, but the rate of changes varied according to genotypes. It was found that each studied genotype had one or more unique character such as lowest weight loss in ‘Paveh 1’, highest fruit firmness retaining in‘Marivan1’, highest pectin in ‘Marivan 1’ and highest SSC in ‘Marivan 2’, that are promising for fruit breeding in future programs.

Application of edible coatings to enhance storage life of fresh fruit has recently been under considerable attention. This experiment was conducted in order to explore the effect of chitosan coating and storage temperature on the postharvest life of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit. Therefore, pomegranate fruits ‘Rabbab-e-Neyriz’ were dipped in 0, 1 and 2% aqueous chitosan solutions, air dried and then stored at 2 and 5°C with 90% relative humidity for up to 135 days. The application of chitosan coating retarded the respiration rate and weight loss of the fruit regardless of temperature during storage period; however, the retention was higher at 2 than 5oC. After 135 days of storage, the highest (18.19%) and lowest (9.33%) weight losses were recorded in the control fruit stored at 5°C and 2% chitosan-treated fruit stored at 2°C, respectively. The results revealed that postharvest weight losses in pomegranate fruit mainly related to weight losses in the fruit peel and 4-8% reduction in peel weight percentage (of whole fruit) was recorded in the treated fruit. A slight decline in Soluble Solids Content (SSC) and Titratable Acidity (TA) was found during storage in all treatments, while pH and maturity index increased slowly. Scanning electron microscopy of the treated fruit demonstrated that chitosan covered whole pericarp surface and pores of the coated fruit, and revealed more shrivelling symptoms on the peel of the non-coated fruit during storage.

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is considered as one of the oldest and the most important fruit crops of the Mediterranean basin, which is characterized by the existence of a considerable number of different olive cultivars. Therefore, the olive cultivar identification is crucial to safeguard the genetic patrimony of this species. Different morphological and molecular markers were used to discriminate among cultivars. The aim of the present work was to describe different pollen morphological and ultrastructural parameters (shape, size and exine pattern) as an additional tool for the identification of olive cultivars. Observations were carried on seventy centennial olive accessions grown in the Central Eastern part of Tunisia using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Image analysis (ImageJ). Pollen were threezonocolpate and elliptical-prolate or subprolate. Pollen morphological qualitative traits revealed specific differences among the studied genotypes including variation in whole grain shape and also exine pattern ornamentation as meshes profile and regularity and muri thickness. The quantitatively measured traits were significantly different among pollen from diverse genotypes. Polar and equatorial diameters varied from 21.80 to 29.88 mm and from 14.47 to 21.14 mm, respectively, while the pollen area ranged between 274.58 and 466.35 mm2.Frequency distributions of most measured pollen parameters depicted a normal distribution.The three principal components of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) accounted for more than 97% of the total variation. The first Principal Component (PC1) was correlated to pollen size. The second (PC2) and the third (PC3) were correlated to exine texture and to pollen shape, respectively. Both morphometric features and exine pattern observations were potentially relevant tools to discriminate among the studied genotypes. Further combination between pollen ultrastructural analysis, morphological and molecular markers is fully desirable, in subsequent work, to improve both reliability and discriminative ability for cultivars classification.

The purpose of this research was to assess the influence of several orchard systems involving trees trained to different leader numbers on growth, cropping, and fruit quality of two apple cultivars. The study was conducted during 1994-2007 at the Fruit Experimental Station in Samotwór, next to Wrocław (south-western Poland). One-yearold trees of ‘Elstar’ and ‘Jonagold’ cultivars on the M.9 rootstock were planted in the spring 1994 using 3.5 m spacing between rows and a variable in-row spacing: 2.4 m (Mikado-four leaders), 1.8 m (Drilling-three leaders), 1.2 m (Tatura-two leaders), and 0.6 m (Güttingen-V-one leader). In this way, the number of leaders per hectare was almost the same, regardless of the system. The most vigorous growth occurred on the most sparsely planted trees under the Mikado system, whereas the Güttingen-V apple trees developed thinnest shoot systems. The bloom abundance registered in the 2004-2007 periods was more related to the year, rather than to the planting system. The 1995-2007 total per-tree yield was decreasing as the planting density increased. When yield per hectare was considered instead, the Güttingen-V system still produced the lowest. As the trees aged, the quality of apples diminished-possibly as a result of increasing tendency toward biennial bearing. In the last years of the study (2003-2007), the trees with the largest numbers of leaders, i.e. Mikado and Drilling, showed the most irregular yielding patterns. The orchard planting system had no significant influence on the fruit mean weight.

Variability in morphological traits, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity of 15 populations of IranianFerula species collected from natural habitats in different regions of Iran were investigated. Total Phenolic Content (TPC) of fruit extracts varied from 12.77 to 120.72 mg tannic acid per 1g dry weight. Total flavonoid of fruits extract varied from 5.45 mg quercetin per 1 g dry weight in F. assa-foetida to 8.09 mg QUE g-1 in F.ovina. Antioxidant activity of fruits was assessed using three model systems. Fruits extract showed excellent radical scavenging activity as compared to BHT. Similar trend was also obtained in reducing power (FTC) and b-carotene-linoleic acid model systems. The cluster analysis subdivided the populations in three major groups. Group 1 possessed high inhibition of beta-carotene (>60%), while group 2 showed low percent of inhibition (< 35%). Group 3 revealed the lowest TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity. Most of Ferula populations (group 1) were more potent for scavenging of free radicals in lipid phases in comparison with aqueous phase. In this study, some fruit morphological traits were also measured in populations. Among the studied species, F. gummosa had the highest fruit length and thousand kernel weight and length/width ratio as well as high antioxidant activity. In overall, the results revealed the scientific basis for traditional usage of the studiedFerula species as spice plants and their potential as a rich source of natural antioxidant and flavonoid source.

Theinfluenza A virus is of global concern for the poultry industry, especially the H5 subtype as it has the potential to become highly pathogenic for poultry and mankind. Recently, plant expression systems have gained interest as an alternative for the production of vaccine antigens. The goal of the present study was to investigate the possibility of expressing the HA1 protein inNicotiana tabacum via agroinfiltration. In this study, the Hemagglutinin type 1 (HA1) of a high pathogenicavian influenza virus of the H5N1 subtype was synthesized and transiently expressed inNicotiana tabacum. To examine the possibility of expressing the HA1 protein inN. tabacum, a cDNA fragment encoding the HA1 gene was synthesized de novo, modified with a Kozak sequence, aC -terminal hexa-Histidine (6His) tag, and an endoplasmic retention signal (KDEL). The construct was cloned into vector and the resulting - HA1 plasmid was agro-infiltrated intoN. tabacum. The relative gene expression of recombinant plantproduced HA1 was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Guided by the gene expression profile, HA1 protein was extracted at 3 dpi and subsequently purified utilizing the 6His tag. A recombinant HA1 protein was immunogenically detected by conjugated polyhistidine antibody in western blot, dot blot and ELISA assay. In order to verify the right conformation of HA1 produced in plants, western blot was also done using mouse monoclonal anti-influenza A virus (H5N1/HA1) [2B7]. The results of Real Time PCR assay indicated that the foreign gene was transcribed in transfected leaves. Migration size of protein was detected at 45 kD by Western blotting and demonstrated no discrepancy compared to the positive control (HA1). ELISA results showed that the HA1 was expressed in the transfected leaves in high level as the yield of recombinant protein was 8.8 % of TSP and the yield of purified HA1 was 0.16 g purified protein per kg fresh weight of leaves. This is the first research about the transient expression of the tobacco-made HA1 protein where a synthetic sequence was used for its expression. Here, the efficacy of agro-infiltration for expression of HA1 antigen in tobacco was illustrated. Agroinfiltration expedites the process of recombinant antigens expression in plant tissues.Accordingly, our results provide great opportunity for the exploration of transiently plantmanufactured HA1 as vaccine candidate.

Bio-fertilizers have been introduced as an alternative to chemical fertilizers for plant growth and health. The objective of this pot culture experiment was to evaluate the effects of three Bio-fertilizers in single and mixed form containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus intraradices), N+V on growth, yield components, and expression of some defense response genes in wheat infected withFusarium oxysporum. Real time PCR was performed to determine the gene expression levels of b -1, 3-glucanase, Oxalate Oxidase, andChitinase genes. The application of bio-fertilizers significantly increased all studied parameters, except spike length, in infected plants. The highest shoot dry weight was found in Nitroxin+Vermi compost (N+V) treatment and the highest plant height, grain number, 100 grain weight, and biological yield was observed in treatment Mycorrhizal+Vermicompost (M+V). The use of bio-fertilizer resulted in the highest expression level of b -1, 3-glucanase gene. The Chitinase gene showed the lowest expression level in all treatments. Our results indicate that vermicompost application could influence the improvement of mycorrhizal colonization and development of external hyphae.

A long-term field experiment was conducted for 7 years to evaluate the effect of different amendments to mitigate the adverse effect of saline-sodic water in a calcareous soil under cotton-wheat cropping system. The pooled results over 7 years revealed that the application of saline-sodic water decreased the mean cotton-seed yield by 20.7% as compared to good quality canal water. However, wheat-grain yield was not adversely affected by quality of irrigation water. Among the different amendments, gypsum and farmyard manure were more effective in mitigating the adverse effect of saline-sodic irrigation water. Cotton-seed yield reduction was 9.8% with the addition of farmyard manure and remained only 8.8% with the addition of gypsum as compared to good quality water. However, when saline-sodic water was used alternately with good quality canal water, the recorded cotton-seed yield reduction was only 6.1%. These results suggest that in calcareous soils, farmyard manure is useful in ameliorating long-term deleterious effects of saline sodic irrigation water and sustaining the productivity of cotton-wheat system.

Many farmers periodically use deep tillage operations to alleviate compaction in the soil profile caused by natural factors or machinery traffic. In 2012 and 2013, a study was initiated in the Pannonian region of Croatia to study the effects of No-Tillage (NT), Conventional Tillage (CT), and Deep Tillage (DT) on soil compaction, measured by Bulk Density (BD), Soil Water Content (SWC), Penetration Resistance (PR) and Total Soil Porosity (TSP). The experiment was conducted on Pseudogley (Stagnosol). The results showed that DT was superior to CT and NT treatments. DT caused least soil physical degradation, withBD being in the following order: DT<NT<CT. Soil water depletion under NT treatment was confined more to the upper soil layers than under DT and CT.Under the CT treatment, thePR values indicate the occurrence of impermeable layers at depths greater than 25 cm in wet conditions (2012) and at depths greater than 10 cm in dry conditions (2013). NT did not differ significantly from tilled treatments in soil compaction measured byBD, providing an interesting alternative for soil management.Perennial ploughing should be avoided as the only long term soil management strategy, while additional strategies which include controlled traffic and soil loosening every 1-2 years should be implemented on Pseudogley in Pannonian Croatia.

The species ofDioscorea (yam) are regarded as a staple food crop for millions of people in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is regarded as an important food crop next to cereals and grains due to high yield storage of carbohydrates. Economically, only few species are recognized for cultivation from agricultural point of view, in spite of its large species diversity. The species ofDioscorea also represents great morphological variability in nature. However, very little research has been done on it. Hence, in the present study, an attempt was made to establish genetic variability and relationships among 50 accessions ofDioscorea spp. growing naturally in Meghalaya. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for the first nine components indicates 91.5% observed variability. Morphological characters or traits with discriminating values were stem color, leaf type, number of leaflet in compound leaf, leaf color, leaf shape, inner petal shape, staminode absent or present, length and width of mature leaf. Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis clearly separated the 50 accessions based on their close association.