Seasonal variation is one of the principal non-genetic factors influencing performance of poultry in tropical environment. This study was conducted to investigate influence of seasonal variation on egg production and incidence of mortality in intensively-reared non-descript Muscovy ducks in Nigeria. Egg production and incidence of mortality in sixty two (62) female Muscovy ducks was studied in a 12-month trial divided into two major seasons: wet (April - September) and dry (October - March) and four sub-seasons: early rainy season (April - June), late rainy season (July - September), early dry season (October - December) and late dry season (January - March). Student?s t-test and Completely Randomized Design was used to analyse seasonal and sub-seasonal effect on performance, respectively. Season and sub-season significantly (P < 0.05) affected egg production; higher egg production was recorded in wet season compared with dry season (16.18% vs. 1.32%). Among sub-seasons, highest egg production was recorded in late rainy season (20.92%) while the least (0.00%) was obtained in late dry season. Conversely, there was no significant (P > 0.05) effect of season and sub-season on mortality. It is evident that seasonal variation had no effect on incidence of mortality but significantly affected egg production of Muscovy duck and the adverse effect is more pronounced in dry season most especially in late dry season.
Inherent thermal adaptation in livestock is an important economic trait that cannot be overlooked, most especially in animals reared in sub-optimal thermally stressful environments. The present study explored the possibility of using multifactorial discriminant analysis (DA) to separate two duck genera {Muscovy and Common (Mallard) ducks) and their hybrid (Mule ducks) to distinct genetic groups using physiological, haematological and biochemical parameters. Data were collected after exposure of ducks to solar radiation for 90 minutes (12.00 – 13.30 hours). The result of analysis of variance indicated that genotype significantly (P<0.05) affected heamoglobin (Hb), basophil (Bas), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), globulin (Glb), skin temperature (SKT), respiratory rate (RRT), panting rate (PTR) and rectal temperature (RTC). Stepwise DA revealed that PTR, RRT, Bas and TP in descending order were the most important parameters discriminating the three duck genotypes. The result of cross validation showed that 71.00%, 97.30% and 50.00% of Muscovy, Common and Mule ducks were correctly classified in their expected genetic group respectively. The Euclidean distance between the duck genotypes indicated that longest distance (86.507) was between Muscovy and Common (Mallard) ducks while shortest distance (12.415) was between Muscovy and Mule ducks. The results are applicable in breed adaptation studies, management, conservation and improvement programmes.
The over dependence and continues use of synthetic insecticides to control storage pests have been associated with several demerits. This study was conducted to evaluate the insecticidal effect of peppermint (Mentha piperita) leaf powder on Callosobruchus maculatus. The peppermint plant was sourced locally and the C. maculatus were cultured to obtain the adult Bruchids. The peppermint was washed, dried under ambient temperature and pulverized. Complete Randomized Design was adopted for this trial with three replications of six treatment dosages of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5 and 0.0 g respectively of the plant material. The trial lasted for four weeks. High Bruchids mortality was observed after treatment with Mentha piperita leaf powder extract. Phytochemical screening of the test plant revealed presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, carbohydrates and cardiac glycosides. Descriptive statistic and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Means (p≤0.05) were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Dosage rate and mean mortality values at the various doses were statistically significant after 48, 72 and 96 hours. The mortality could be attributed to high presence flavonoid in the Mentha piperita leaf powder. The results suggest that the leaf of peppermint has insecticidal property against adult C. maculatus. However, further trials are required to investigate effective dosage rates for other stored grains and to isolate and characterize the active flavonoids contained in the plant.
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