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Jul 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.3070-2232.jf-25-5519
Ewur Banson KwaminaCorresponding author
The rising costs of conventional poultry feed ingredients, such as soybean, maize, and fish meal, have prompted the search for more affordable and sustainable alternatives in poultry production. This study investigates the use of phytase-supplemented Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) as a replacement for soybean meal to improve feed efficiency, nutrient absorption, and growth performance in poultry. White Leghorn layers, Rhode Island Red layers, broilers, and cockerels were fed three different feed formulations: conventional feed (CF), Moderate PKC with Phytase (MPP), and High PKC with Phytase (HPP). The results showed that PKC-based diets significantly reduced feed costs while maintaining satisfactory growth, although CF led to higher body weight gain and feed efficiency. The MPP formulation struck an optimal balance between cost savings and nutritional quality, making it a viable option for layers and cockerels, while CF remained the most effective for broilers. While the HPP formulation resulted in lower feed costs, it compromised weight gain and overall profitability. These findings highlight the potential of phytase-enhanced PKC as a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to conventional feed, particularly in regions with high feed costs. However, the study emphasizes the importance of balancing cost reductions with feed quality to maximize profitability. Future research should focus on optimizing PKC inclusion levels and exploring additional enzyme supplements to further enhance feed efficiency and support sustainable poultry farming practices. This study provides valuable insights into how strategic feed formulation can support both economic and production goals in the poultry industry.
Mar 2020 DOI 10.14302/issn.2639-3166.jar-20-3260
Masoero GiorgioCorresponding author
Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino, Via A. Doria 10, 10123 Torino (Italy).
The management of the inoculation of a plant’s roots, by means of biofertilizers (BF) containing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, is aimed at inducing modifications of the quality of the seeds. It is here shown that a seed-soil treatment can be elicited in the fingerprints of a symbiotic treatment using Near Infra Red (NIR)-SCiO NIR-SCiO spectra collections of single kernels: overall, a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 73% have been achieved, thus suggesting that it may be possible to assign the symbiotic origin of corn from just twenty kernels, provided that the dataset is adequately representative of the cultivar and AM. A global correlation study has shown a positive general trend (R2 0.45) of quality vs. quantity, in the sense that an increase in yield corresponded to an increase in the spectral differences between the symbiotic spectra and the control ones, but the inverse was also true, as a result of the parasitic behaviour of the BF treatments. The efficacy of the symbiosis can be back predicted from the NIR spectra; in fact, around 90% of the positive yield outcome results were discriminated from the negative ones. A reduction in the foliar pH (R2 0.37) and an increase in the foliar protein (R2 0.43) were observed as immediate phenotypic signs of a productive symbiosis. The commercial raw composition of the kernels appeared to only be affected slightly by the BF treatments; thus, till now uncharted secondary compounds of the maize kernels are involved, as supported by animal performances.
Sep 2026 DOI 10.14302/issn.2638-4469.japb-26-6431
Jana SnehasisCorresponding author
Background Sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) is a high-demand, nutrient-sensitive cereal crops whose yield and crop quality depend heavily on early vegetative vigor and stress resilience. Spiritual Blessing (Biofield) Energy Treatment (SBET) has emerged as a non-invasive, biostimulatory approach to alter seed germinability, metabolic efficiency, and physiological development without ecological toxicity. Objective This study aimed to systematically evaluate the impact of SBET on key morphological attributes, vegetative growth, and reproductive productivity parameters of Zea mays L. saccharata. Methods Seeds and plots were assigned to two primary experimental groups: untreated/control sweet corn group (CONSCORG) and a biofield energy treated sweet corn group (BTSCORG) under identical field management practices. Key morphological metrics and post-harvest productivity were evaluated. Results Vegetative growth parameters showed substantial gains, including increased stem diameter, leaf width, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, anthesis silk interval, and tassel branching by 29.63% (p ≤ 0.001), 40.06% (p ≤ 0.001), 41.57% (p ≤ 0.001), 48.67% (p = 0.001), 73.21% (p ≤ 0.001) and 35.65% (p = 0.011), respectively, in the BTSCORG than CONSCORG. Moreover, comparative analysis revealed statistically significant improvements of ear/cob length, ear/cob diameter, number of kernels per row, and kernels per plant by 40.22% (p ≤ 0.001), 84% (p ≤ 0.001), 57.16% (p ≤ 0.001), and 37.81% (p ≤ 0.001), respectively, in the BTSCORG compared to the CONSCORG. Furthermore, the grain yield/hectare (ton/h) and straw/stover yield/hectare (ton/ha) were improved by 57.14% and 43.72%, respectively, in the BTSCORG compared to the CONSCORG. Conclusion SBET exerted a favorable influence on both vegetative growth parameters and reproductive yield factors in Zea mays L. saccharata.
Jun 2019 DOI 10.14302/issn.2471-2140.jaa-19-2747
M. S. López-CortezCorresponding author
Numerous studies have reported the health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidant properties. Within the group of fruits considered exotic, some are accessible and only consumed in their place of origin, such as soursop, noni, kiwi, pitahaya, and others. Anacardiumoccidentale, cashew, is a crop native to the Brazilian northeast that has excellent medicinal and nutritional properties. Because few studies have characterized cashew produced in Mexico, in the present work, the physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacity of cashew apple (red and yellow varieties) and its nut were studied. The content of total phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity were higher in the nut (174.19±20.98 GAE mg/100 g db) while cashew red pulp showed a superior value of the phenol content (159.75±12.91 GAE mg/100 g db) to that of yellow cashew pulp (151.9±5.23 GAE mg/100 g db). A high value was obtained for the TPC of the husk of cashew nut (74.30 mg GAE/g) compared with those of the kernel and false fruit. Red cashew presented a higher antioxidant capacity at 77.65 μmol Trolox/g and was superior to that of the kernel (38.52±2.9 μmol Trolox/g). Because cashew apple is usually discarded, a marmalade based on the pulp is proposed as an alternative for its conservation because it has a high content of phenolic compounds that is conserved for six weeks of shelf life.