Effect of inoculation with Phosphorus biofertilizer and different dozes of nitrogen and P 2 O 5 on the physiology of growth and development of maize were studied through conducting two different field-experiments at two different locations, Bakrajo (35˚ 34˝ 307´N, 765masl) and Kanipanka location (35˚ 22˝ 37´N, 545masl), in sulaimani region. The treatments included, T 1 (no biofertilizer, only recommended NP) , T 2 (50% recommended NP+ Phosphorus biofertilizer), T 3 (Recommended N+ phosphorus biofertilizer), In addition to vegetative traits (such as plant height, LAI, No. of days to 50% silking, No. of days from 50% silking to physiological maturity(PM)), and reproductive traits (such as 500kernel weight, Biological Yield (BY), Yield, and Harvest Index(HI)), the root-shoot ratio(R/S) was studied in three different stages of growth pre-silking, at-silking and post-silking, results showed increasing in dry weight of root-shoot ratio and significant differences among studied traits, showing positive response of maize hybrid to phosphorus biofertilizer..

IntroductionCysticercosis caused by the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena is economically the most important endemic parasitic disease in Iraq. Few data are available relating to the genetic divergence of this helminth. This study aimed to molecularly characterise Cysticercus tenuicollis isolates from sheep in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq.Material and MethodsDNA extraction and amplification of specimens of C. tenuicollis from 46 sheep were conducted by PCR for the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. The 19 amplicons were subjected to purification and partial sequencing.ResultsFive 12S rRNA nucleotide sequence haplotypes were found. The pairwise nucleotide difference between haplotypes of 12S rRNA gene ranged from 0.2% to 0.7%. Four out of the five haplotypes of C. tenuicollis contained one to two base mutations and were discovered in Iraq for the first time, and this may be a unique mutation globally which has not been recorded previously. Three newly recorded haplotypes contained only one single mutation, and the other one contained two mutations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolated strains were closely related to Iranian sheep isolates.ConclusionsFour new strains of T. hydatigena were discovered for the first time in the study area.

Pigeons are very well adapted and proliferate without control in urban centers. In this current study, ectoparasites and haemoparasites of 140 adult domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) of both sexes were studied, from different localities in Sulaimani province during April to October 2014, since there is no enough data regarding the frequency and identification of ectoparasites and haemoparasites in domestic pigeons in Sulaimani province. All pigeons were examined for the presence of ectoparasites and haemoparasites through checking of blood samples using Giemsa stain. As a result, various species of ectoparasites and haemoparasites were observed. From which, 4 species of lice were detected named Columbicola olumbae (62.5%) followed by Hoborstiella lata (10.42%), Campanulotes compar (4.17%) and Menacanthus stramineus (3.13%). On the other hands, 19.79% of infected pigeons with ectoparasites were diagnosed with the presence of more than 1 lice species. Additionally, examined Giemsa stained smears showed that 55.72% of studied pigeons were harbor haemoparasites including Haemoproteus species (28.20%) followed by Plasmodium species (26.92%) and then Leucocytozoon species (11.53%) consequently.

This study was carried out in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq to estimate the concentration of some biochemical parameters and trace elements in the serum of sheep infected with the metacestodes of Taenia hydatigena. The present study included the measurement of some biochemical parameters as total protein, albumin and globulin and evaluation of trace elements as zinc, copper and iron using automatic analyzer and spectrophotometer respectively. For this purpose, up to 40 serum samples from sheep infected with T. hydatigena cysts and 10 serum samples from non-infected group had been used. The findings of the current study showed significant elevated levels in both total protein and globulin compared to non-infected group, where the total protein and globulin levels were 8.04 ± 0.275 g/dl and 5.90 ± 0.321 g/dl respectively, compared to the non-infected group 6.686 ± 0.409 g/dl and 4.124 ± 0.479 g/dl respectively. While, the mean serum albumin in infected sheep was significantly decreased 2.14 ± 0.224 g/dl compared to non-infected one 2.562 ± 0.152 g/dl. About the results of trace elements, the serum Cu was significantly increased in infected group 1.42 ± 0.466 mg/L compared to non-infected one 0.90 ± 0.171 mg/L, while the mean serum Zn concentration was significantly decreased in infected group 0.37 ± 0.230 mg/L compared to non-infected group 0.70 ± 0.108 mg/L. Although, the mean serum Fe of infected sheep 1.42 ± 0.388 mg/L was slightly lower than noninfected one 1.26 ± 0.490 mg/L, statistically there was no significant difference between them. It was concluded that T. hydatigena cysts had significant effects on serum total protein, globulin, Zn and Cu.

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The study was conducted on 65 local adult chickens (Gallus domesticus) to investigate  macro - and microscopically presence of external and internal parasites and their prevalence in Sulaimani region-Kurdistan/Iraq from May to July 2012. Results showed that 90.77 % out of total examined chickens were infested with ecto-parasites, out of that 81.36 % (48/59) were infested with lice such as (Menacanthus  stramineus, Goniocotes  gallinae, Menopon  gallinae, Goniodes  gigas, Cuclotogaster  heterographus ) and 62.72 (37/59) of it with larval stage of soft tick such as (Argas  persicus).  Mixed infestations with more than two ecto-parasite species were detected. On the other hand 89.23% out of 65 examined chickens were infected by internal parasites including nematodes and cestodes such as (Heterakis  gallinarum which formed 81% and the remains were Ascaridia  galli, Cheilospirura  hamulosa, Capillaria  spp., Raillietina  spp., Choanotaenia  infundibulum, Amoebotaenia  sphenoides, Hymenolepis  carioca and  Davaniea  proglottina).

Summary The zoonotic parasite disease of economic and public health relevance is bovine cysticercosis, resulting from the larval stage of Taenia saginata. The presented research aims to identify intraspecific variation in T. saginata isolated from cattle in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene. Sequence analysis of the COX1 gene revealed that five distinct haplotypes were identified in 37 T. saginata specimens from Iraq. Four of the five T. saginata haplotypes may have been identified for the first time in the world. Phylogenetic research revealed that all T. saginata haplotypes had been clustered in a single clade, with Korean and Iranian isolates sharing a high degree of closeness. In addition, individual haplotypes related to COX1 had a pairwise evolutionary divergence of 0.005- 0.013, whereas the overall evolutionary divergence regarding all five haplotypes ranged between 0.000-0.018. It was concluded that added newly recorded data on T. saginata genetic variation could have substantial implications for taeniasis epidemiology and control.

Introduction Although ovine cysticercosis is not a zoonotic problem, it results in substantial economic losses due to the condemnation of infected tissues or entire carcasses. This study aimed to record preliminary data on the prevalence, and phylogenetic diversity of Cysticercus ovis isolates from slaughtered sheep in the province of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Material and Methods From January to September 2020, 6, 411 slaughtered sheep were examined for C. ovis by routine meat inspection. The amplification and sequence analysis of the COX1 gene for up to 35 specimens of C. ovis was performed using conventional PCR. Results The overall prevalence rate was 1.3%, and the prevalence was significantly higher in older sheep (>1 year) than younger ones (<1 year) (P< 0.05). The cardiac muscle showed a higher tendency to carry C. ovis infection compared to other examined muscles. Sequence analysis of the COX1 gene revealed six haplotypes, and the level of pairwise nucleotide diversity between individual haplotypes was 1–2%. Five out of six of the Taenia ovis haplotypes recovered could have been recorded for the first time globally. Phylogenetic interpretation indicated that all the T. ovis haplotypes clustered in a single clade, and it also indicated an extremely close similarity to Iranian and New Zealand isolates. Conclusions Globally, this report adds new data on C. ovis genetic diversity, which provide an extremely useful molecular background with regard to future preventive as well as control strategies.