How to grow tomatoes with LED lighting.

Philips Lighting took a select group of leading global tomato growers, owners and consultants to visit three innovative French tomato growers with 100% LED installations during the fourth Philips High Wire Event. Philips Horticulture LED lighting is hosting the trips to the Kernoas greenhouse, with two seasons of experience growing with 100% LEDs, the Tomate Jouno greenhouse, specializing in year-round production of cherry tomatoes and Le Jardin de Rabelais, which grows vine and cherry tomatoes in its new Suprimair 3.4 ha greenhouse. continue

Making cows more environmentally friendly by feeding hydroponic fodder.

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt have published a paper revealing an important discovery surrounding plants used to feed livestock; that plants growing in warmer conditions are tougher and have lower nutritional value to grazing livestock, potentially inhibiting milk and meat yields and raising the amount of methane released by the animals. 

           

 The higher amounts of methane are produced when plants are tougher to digest -- an effect of a warmer environment. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, around 25 times better at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and more than 95% of the methane produced by cows comes from their breath through belching and farting . Diet plays a vital role in control of methane emissions related to cattle thus various strategies have been proposed to stem these emissions. 

The change in diet of cattle to more easily digestible and metabolisable feed ensures less regurgitation,more absorption and less methane emission. Farming without soil also referred to as hydroponics refers to growing plants in nutrient rich media under controlled temperature and humidity to produce fresh fodder for animals,which are highly nutritious, easily digestible and free from pesticides. Cattle fed with hydroponic fodder grow fast, produce more milk,beef and less gas. The animals have access to the full nutrients from the cereal or legume,the minerals protein and fat are liberated in the fodder making it a great alternative. Cows normally have access to 20% of energy in the grain diet while with fodder system 95% of the energy is available for growth and reproductive health and performance. The short span of growth from seed to fodder within 7 days ensures that animals have fresh fodder all year round.

How Azolla can combat malaria and other mosquito borne infection.

Malaria is a global issue with about 200 million people infected yearly ,all hands are on deck to eradicate malaria completely by control of mosquitoes,production of vaccine,provision of nets for prevention of bites and education on sanitation to destroy breeding sites of mosquitoes. 

 Mosquitoes also are linked to Zika virus infection, chikungunya, dog heartworm, dengue, yellow fever,eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, this clearly shows why eradication of mosquitoes is very important. 

Mosquitoes also affects animals resulting in death if critical cases,in poultry avian malaria is a subtle killer while horses react to bites with hypersensitivity reaction and encephalomyelitis in severe cases. see 

The host range of mosquitoes are widespread making them a public health concern and hence a major target to ensure health care for all and pet wellness and animal welfare as a whole. 

The azolla fern can eradicate mosquitoes without use of chemicals and also not disrupt ecosystem . The azolla fern is a miracle fern that has found usefulness as livestock feed,bio fertilizer,biogas substrate and mosquito repellent. 

The harvested Azolla fern can be dried and spread around premises to repel mosquitoes. Azolla can be used to eliminate mosquitoes on a larger scale by forming dense mat on the surface of the water, preventing adult mosquitoes from laying eggs and also reducing the emergence and development of mosquito larvae.

Azolla as a feed ingredient in broiler ration.

Azolla as a feed ingredient in broiler ration. A study was carried out to determine the viability of adding Azolla to broiler diet on performance and cost analysis.

 The study reported in International Journal of Poultry Science 1: 29-34, 2002 ,shows that a 5% inclusion rate of Azolla in broiler ration is viable both for performance and cost implication. 

 The experiment was conducted with 120 seven days old Vencobb commercial broiler chicks and continued up to 42 days of age to determine the feasibility of Azolla as a feed ingredient in broiler ration. The broilers are randomly allotted to four dietary treatments; T (control diet without Azolla meal), T (diet with 5% Azolla meal), T (diet with 10% Azolla 1 2 3 meal) and T (diet with 15% Azolla meal) diets replacing sesame meal by Azolla meal. The composition of Azolla meal contained 4 25.78% crude protein, 15.71% crude fibre, 3.47% ether extract, 15.76% ash and 30.08% nitrogen free extract on the air-dry basis. Live weight, production number and protein efficiency were (P< 0.01) significantly improved at the level off 5% Azolla meal in broiler ration. Feed conversion ratio and energy efficiency were significantly (P< 0.01) improved in diet with 5% Azolla meal and control diet. 

The study concluded that the use of up to 5% Azolla meal in a broiler ration may help improve performance and this inclusion rate in a broiler diet is also determined as a safe level. Azolla meal had no deleterious effect on the palatability of broiler diets.

 A farmer using Azolla shares her experience; farmer from sunshine chickens harvest a lot of Azolla to feed the three (3) batches of Sunshine Chicken they have in the farm. They are fed pails and pails of it daily..

 All ages eat azolla ,not limited to broilers as layers also feed on Azolla with bigger eggs as an advantage. Continue

Azolla: the miracle fern and animal feed.

The cost of feed of livestock coupled with climatic changes has pushed farmers to look inwards and promote innovative practices to keep their flock and also create wealth.

 

Azolla: the miracle fern and animal feed.

 Farmers have sought out practices like hydroponics,which they have used to make fodder for livestock and also vegetables for man. see and also  are

Farmers have also embraced aquaponics and aeroponics to grow vegetables and legumes for man and livestock to create wealth and ensure food security.

The race to feed the estimated 9 billion by 2050 and the pressure on land and ecosystem at large has pushed more green initiatives to farmers to cut losses and conserve the environment. 

The Azolla fern is a miracle fern that has been incorporated into agriculture in  India,China, Vietnam e.t.c.  The aquatic plant is easy to cultivate and nurture and requires no extensive preparation/processing before been fed to animals. 

 Azolla can be fed wholly to cattle and pigs without any additional feed as it provides necessary nutrients needed for growth and development. Azolla farming is cheap,easy and readily available for farmers. 

 Azolla is an aquatic fern usually referred to as the miracle fern because its rich in organic nutrients and usefulness  as feed and fertilizer. Azolla contain 25-30 % protein, essential amino acids, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and Beta- Carotene, calcium and iron minerals . 

 Azolla contains phosphorus, potassium, ferrous, copper, magnesium, bio-active substances and it is this what makes Azolla a perfect organic fertilizer.

 Azolla can be used as a cattle feed and research has shown that Azolla helps to increase the milk production. Its also used as a feed to quail, rabbit, fish, duck, pig etc.

When fed to hen on a daily basis, Azolla promotes production of good quality of eggs. Azolla has Anabena that helps to absorb nitrogen, and the nitrogen absorbed is converted to protein and amino acid which is later stored in the leaves. 

 Nitrogen is one main factor that helps in a plant’s growth this makes Azolla, a high standard fertilizer that aid in the growth of a plant. 

 Azolla also act as a mosquito repellent , the dried Azolla is also used as a partial substitute to Groundnut meal in feed compounding. 

When Azolla is produced in excess it can be dried and stored in plastic bags for preservation. The inclusion of Azolla in poultry diet, is the in dried form and added ratio is 5% of normal ration.

Illustrated experiment: modifying mosquitoes to save millions of lives.

Malaria, a disease transmitted by a type of mosquito called Anopheles, kills 500,000 people every year, most of them in Africa. But Andrea Crisanti, professor of molecular parasitology at London's Imperial College, has a plan to eradicate it in many countries. pquZbK1DQ30/WNsr6J_DMGI/AAAAAAAAH_E/s0UHE6vR4fs5uvFkn10minXTENaKF58YQCLcB/s320/mal7.jpg" width="320" height="157" /> more

Researchers have discovered a map on the hunt for malaria vaccine.

Researchers using the Australian Synchrotron, mapped the parasite protein CyRPA in atomic detail for the first time, and established how antibodies that block the function of CyRPA disrupt the parasite's ability to bind to and infect human red blood cells. Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly strain of malaria parasite, and is predominantly found in Africa, where it causes up to half a million deaths each year. It is widely accepted that malaria vaccines will play a crucial role in eliminating malaria infections, and the eventual eradication of the parasites. The study published in the journal eLife shows that CyRPA forms a complex with two other parasite proteins – PfRh5 and PfRipr – and together the complex is essential for the parasite to be able to burrow into red blood cells.This study has shown at atomic level how key antibodies block the parasite from infecting the human red blood cell which was previously unknown.

Malaria parasites walk through cell walls to infect humans.

A new study has identified proteins that allow malaria parasites walk through cell walls to infect humans.The research has identified two parasite proteins that are the key to this superpower,the findings were published in the journal Cell Reports. The proteins could be targeted to develop much-needed antimalarial drugs or vaccines. Malaria causes more than 650,000 deaths each year, predominantly in children and pregnant women, and there is an urgent need for new malaria vaccines and treatments in an effort to eradicate the disease. When a person is infected with malaria, the parasite silently invades and multiplies in liver cells, but doesn't cause disease. The parasites then burst out of the liver and infect the blood, causing symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue and muscle and joint pain that are characteristic of malaria. The research confirmed the deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum had the ability to 'walk through cell walls' as it sought out liver cells where it could hide and multiply. The study identified that P. falciparum parasites traverse human cells - effectively walking through cell walls - using two proteins called SPECT and PLP1 to achieve this superpower. This allows parasites to get from the skin to the liver very quickly following a mosquito bite.

Cattle associated antibiotics disturb soil ecosystems.

A new study has shown that cattle associated antibiotics disturb soil ecosystems.Manure from cattle administered antibiotics drastically changes the bacterial and fungal make-up of surrounding soil, leading to ecosystem dysfunction, according to a Virginia Tech research team.Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The team analyzed soil samples from 11 dairy farms in the United States, and found that the amount of antibiotic resistant genes was 200 times greater in soil near manure piles compared with soil that wasn't. Furthermore, microbes with greater antibiotic-resistance showed higher stress levels. Soil microbial communities are important for sustaining ecosystem services such as climate regulation, soil fertility, and food production. Perturbations, such as antibiotic exposure, can have marked effects on soil microbes and these services. The development of antibiotic resistance can be an energy-sucker for a microorganism, and would explain why we've seen higher stress levels because microbes with greater antibiotic-resistance showed higher stress levels.

New test detects early stage of wasting disease in cattle.

Researchers at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have identified a more sensitive test for detecting the early stages of paratuberculosis, a fatal disease that plagues dairy herds and causes an estimated annual loss of up to $250 million to the US dairy industry. Current methods of testing for the presence of the bacteria that cause the disease often misdiagnose animals in the early stages of the disease, which has no cure. Infected animals produce less milk, have fertility problems, and must be culled. Transmission occurs by ingestion of manure-contaminated food and pastures or by colostrum passed from an infected dam to a calf. The disease usually manifests two to three years after the initial infection, but in some cases, can take up to 10 years before it becomes apparent. During this time, infected animals shed the bacteria, putting the health of the entire herd at risk. The research, published in Nature's Scientific Reports, found that the fecal test could not reliably predict persistent infections or early stages.Shedding and potential transmission could occur well before a fecal test yields positive results, so what's needed are other disease predictors. Using a suite of mathematical models and statistical simulations, the researchers determined that a test based on a type of immune cells called macrophages produces more reliable diagnoses.The macrophage based assay could be a better marker in the diagnoses of paratuberculosis infections, especially in slow or non-progressing infections and also in cases that progress to advance diseases rapidly.

Aquaponics Lab Explores Food Production for Earth And Possibly Mars .

Aquaponics Lab Explores Food Production for Earth And Possibly Mars.Professor Peter Merkle can envision his research, which involves networks of ecotubes full of plants, fish and fish waste, one day helping feed humans living on Mars. Aquaponics combines fish farming, known as aquaculture, with hydroponics, which involves growing plants without soil, into one integrated, mutually beneficial system.The fish waste provides an organic, nutrient-rich fertilizer for the growing plants, and the plants act as a natural filter for the water in which the fish live. Beneficial bacteria in the aquaponics system convert the ammonia from the fish waste into nitrite and then nitrate, which fertilizes the plants. Water is cycled through the system to collect the fish waste, pump it to the plant beds, and then return it to the fish tank. continue

People are breeding bunnies with flat faces and terrible health is the implication.

Rabbits such as, the Netherlands dwarf, an undeniably cute and very tiny bunny that one rabbit breeding website describes as “a ball head set atop a ball body.” This and other breeds such as the Lionhead — a maned animal that looks like no wild rabbit you’ve ever seen hopping through a field — often suffer from dental problems, ear infections and overflowing tear ducts, according to three British animal welfare charities that are trying to draw attention to the medical woes of brachycephalic cats and rabbits. The growing demand for flat-faced rabbits “is disastrous,” said Richard Saunders, the head veterinarian of the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund, a British organization. Rabbits’ teeth grow continuously throughout their whole lives and must line up exactly to wear down evenly. The short face means the bottom jaw is longer than the top one … and the teeth do not line up. Teeth soon overgrow causing chronic pain, lacerated mouths, abscesses and in many cases death. continue

Scientists turned spinach leaves into beating human heart tissue.

Researchers have successfully used spinach leaves to build functioning human heart tissue, complete with veins that can transport blood. To tackle a chronic shortage of donor organs, scientists have been working on growing various tissues and even whole organs in the lab. But culturing a bunch of cells is only part of the solution - they simply won't thrive without a constant blood supply. It's notoriously difficult to build a working network of fine blood vessels (also called vasculature), especially when you get down to capillaries, which are only 5 to 10 micrometres wide. Blood vessels transport the oxygen and nutrients that a lab-grown tissue sample needs to grow and function. Now a team led by scientists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have successfully turned a spinach leaf into living heart tissue by using the tiny network of veins you'd already find in a plant.continue

How a farmer makes plastic brooders from waste Jerry cans.

Plastics have found several uses in poultry see but another farmer has created brooders from can. The innovation is cheap,durable and effective, Cornelius Obonyo, a poultry farmer, uses the jerrycans to make plastic brooders. Obonyo not only has enough brooders for his poultry, but also makes money by selling them to his neighbors. He sells a brooder with a capacity for 50 chicks at Sh5,000. This takes him a week and four 20-litre and five 10-litre jerrycans to make. He says people love his brooders because they do not rust, are poor conductors of heat and are easy to wash. Continue

Innovative aquaponics kit promotes urban agriculture.

27-year old Cameroonian industrial engineer, Flavien Kouatcha has produced an innovative aquaponics kit to promote urban agriculture. The innovation involves the use of what he created and named “Aquaponic Kits” which facilitate “the use of vertical and urban agriculture to produce chemical-free agricultural products with the use of fish excrement. The process involves the use of greenhouse and in-house facilities to produce the equivalent of half hectare of harvest. The main products which have been successfully grown using this mechanism include, pepper, parsley, celeries and tomatoes. They plan to try other crops in the near futures. The Aquaponic kit facilitate the growth of plants with the use of fish waste as organic fertilizer. continue

Leaders from Brazil and EU to tackle meat 'crisis'

Leaders from Brazil and EU to tackle meat 'crisis': European Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis is in Brazil on a three-day mission to ensure imported food is safe for consumption, following claims Brazilian meat processors bribed government officials and sold rotten meat.

Texas food firm hit with 15t recall

Texas food firm hit with 15t recall: Texas-based food producer Ajinomoto Windsor has recalled 15 tonnes (35,168 pounds) of frozen ready-to-eat beef products that may be contaminated with rubber.

How to grow tomatoes with Epsom salt.