Value chain management is immensely important to the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the eventual provision of the highest quality product and service packages required by end customers. Dairy and dairy products are highly attached by microorganisms and products are damaged due to inappropriate methods of packing, storage and transportation. Insufficient information flow; low productivity, low GDP contribution from the dairy sector; poor processing capacity and lack of chilling centers are other major handicaps. Therefore, this study aimed: to assess the different quality maintenance practices for developing a Product Quality Index (PQI) for a dairy product and to make suggestions for improving quality through the quality index of the dairy value chain. Wellawaya Divisional Secretariat (DS) division was purposively selected out of 11 DS divisions of the district for the study since dairy production is the main occupation in that area. Stratified random sampling method was used to select 20 small scales, 10 medium scales, and 10 large scale farmers while the purposive sampling method was used to select, 10 collectors, 10 processors, 15 marketers and 15 consumers. Primary data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire through a field survey. The PQI was developed for this study which is varied from 1 to 100 values. The result showed that all the practices in the Wellawaya area were shown medium standard based upon the mean marks. Animal nutrition management (6.0) was the best practice and farmer level hygienic and quality practices (3.45) were the practices with lower marks in the area. PQI of locally produced different dairy products were compared with the most popular dairy brand available on the market. According to the newly developed PQI value for this study, locally produce curd and yoghurts marks were varied from 29.5% to 64.6% and the PQI of the most popular branded curd and yoghurt products was 77.8%. So, locally produced curd and yoghurt products which are produced at the Wellawaya belong to medium and low-quality levels whereas the quality of the branded dairy products was high. In conclusion, it can be sid that Hence we concluded that the quality standard of locally produced dairy products were low as compared to branded dairy products. Therefore, it's important to train actors in the value chain to develop products with high-quality practices and suggests expanding the PQI value as an indicator for the quality of the dairy value chain.
Ex-situ conservation techniques are used effectively to preserve many threatened plant species including Ceylon gooseberry from imminent extinction. The present study was conducted to evaluate an integrated conservation approach which includes seed treatments, seedling establishment and rooting of stem cuttings of Ceylon gooseberry (Dovyalis hebecarpa). Three experiments were set up at the Faculty of Agriculture University of Ruhuna from September 2020 to January 2021. Six seed treatments (seed clipping, cold water soak, hot water treatment, rubbing with fine sand, wood ash, and sandpaper) were used to induce germination of seeds. Germination percentage and germination time were significantly different among treatments. The highest final germination percentage (53%) was recorded when seeds were clipped. The best potting mixture for the seedling growth was observed as topsoil: sand: coir-dust: compost, 1:1:1:2 ratio having 60% seedling survival rate. The commercially available PGR and Aloe vera gel were used to induce rooting in semi-hardwood cuttings. Total root length, number of roots, germination percentage, root and shoot vigour were significantly different among treatments. Ceylon gooseberry seedlings and rooted cuttings could be produced in large scale and establish in the field by adopting the propagation protocol developed in the present study.
Integrated plant nutrient management is one of the key components of sustainable agriculture. It reduces the cost of production while enhancing the revenue of growers. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of sole and combine applications of inorganic fertilizer and organic fertilizers on plant growth, foliage senescence and rhizome yield of turmeric (Curcuma domestica L.) in container gardening. Eight treatments comprise sole applications of different types of organic fertilizers including vermicompost, compost and matured cow dung, and inorganic fertilizer schedule recommended by the Department of Export Agriculture, Sri Lanka together with combinations of inorganic and organic fertilizers. Sand: topsoil: partially burned paddy husk (1:1:1 v/v) were used to fill the black plastic pots with 30 cm in diameter. Due to the variation of shade of the experimental site, the experiment was setup as a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The number of leaves per shoot, leaf length (cm), leaf width (cm), height of the pseudo stem (cm), number of shoots per pot were taken five months after planting while the number of primary fingers/clump, number of secondary fingers/clump, fresh and dry weight of rhizomes/pot (g) were taken at harvest. Foliage senescence as visual senescence score was recorded from 32 weeks after plant establishment until foliage became dry. All measured quantitative parameters were significantly different between treatments, where the greater values were recorded when plants were treated with equal proportions of inorganic fertilizer and vermicompost as an organic fertilizer while the foliage senescence took a longer period in the same treatment when compared to other treatments. This might be due continuous supply of nutrients through an integrated approach of nutrient management and modification of physical and microbiological properties of the growth substrate by vermicompost application. Poor plant growth, early senescence and low fresh and dry yield of rhizomes were reported when plants were grown without inorganic or organic fertilizers may be due to an insufficient supply of nutrients to fulfil the demand of plant growth and development. Combine application of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizer could be considered as a promising combination of fertilizers for the growth and yield of turmeric under integrated plant nutrient management.
Systematic cultivation with well-developed agronomic practices for selected medicinal herbs involves conservation of wild populations from over harvesting, continuous supply and sustainable utilization. The present research was conducted to find-out the most suitable growing medium and irrigation frequency for commercial cultivation of Piper longum L. For this purpose, six different growing media along with three different irrigation frequencies were used. The experiment was arranged factorially with Completely Randomized Design in triplicates inside a protected plant house under controlled environmental conditions.
Mangroves are the foundation species that control ecosystem dynamics and identifying their vegetative propagation methods is important to conserve them. This study was conducted to identify suitable combinations of potting media and indole-3butyric acid (IBA) concentrations for the propagation of Excoecaria agallocha (milky mangrove) stem cuttings sourced from Madu Ganga Wetland in south west rainforest region of Sri Lanka. Three IBA concentrations (2500, 3000 and 3500ppm) and three potting media (P1. lagoon silt, P2. clay and sand (1:1), and P3. topsoil, coir-dust, compost and sand (4: 4: 4: 1) were factorially combined in a Completely Randomized Design with five replicates. The control treatment was 2500 ppm IBA with P2 potting media. There was no interaction effect for survival percentage, root dry weight and shoot number between potting media and IBA concentration. For survival percentage, and root dry weight, significantly highest values were observed in 3500ppm IBA. Shoot number was significantly higher in P3 while the survival percentages were significantly greater in P1 and P3 potting media than control. The average number of roots, root length, and root volume, were significantly greater in 35000ppm IBA with P1 media. According to the vigor scales, the highest root vigor was depicted by lagoon silt treated with 3500 ppm IBA while the highest shoot vigor was observed from P3 media treated with 3500 ppm IBA. Results revealed that treating stem cuttings with 3500ppm IBA and using P1 or P3 potting media are the most effective method to propagate E. agallacha through stem cuttings out of the treatments tested in this study.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.