ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to assess the microbiological characteristics of white cheese supplemented with Ziziphus spina-christi and Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oils during the storage period. The cheese was made from warmed (45°C) raw cow milk with Ziziphus spina-christi and Cinnamomum zeylanicum oils added, and after manufacture, the cheese was kept in sterile plastic bags at 4°C for 21 days, and microbiological tests were performed at 1, 7, 14 and 21-day intervals. Results showed that total viable bacteria (TVB), Staphylococcus aureus, and yeasts and moulds counts were significantly lower in cheese supplemented with both oils, according to the findings. The concentration of oil had a significant effect on the counts, with TVB, S. aureus, yeasts and moulds, and coliform bacteria counts being significantly higher in the control cheese and significantly lower in the cheese supplemented with 0.5% Ziziphus spina-christi oil. The storage period of cheese made with Ziziphus spina-christi and Cinnamomum zeylanicom oils had a significant effect on TVB, coliform bacteria, and S. aureus counts. The microbial counts were significantly affected by the concentrations of 0.3% and 0.5% Ziziphus spina-christi oil during the storage period, except for yeasts and moulds, which were unaffected by the 0.3% Ziziphus spina-christi oil. The counts of microbes in cheese supplemented with 0.3% and 0.5% Cinnamomum zeylanicom oils decreased significantly as the storage period progressed. The study concluded that essential oils, as natural antimicrobials, could be useful in preserving cheese made traditionally from raw milk without the addition of starter culture.

ABSTRACT
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a versatile crop globally, though it has relatively short history of production and research in Ethiopia. Hence, genetic improvement is of paramount importance to increase the production and productivity of the crop, which requires understanding of genetic variability in the crop. The study was conducted during 2017/2018 main cropping season at Fogera, Ethiopia, to determine the magnitude of genetic variability for yield and yield related traits in 30 lowland rice genotypes. The experiment was laid out using randomized block design with three replications. Data were collected for 17 agronomic characters and analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all characters. Grain yield ranged from 2766.7 to 7062 kgha-1 with a mean of 4736.13kgha-1.Genotypes G26 (7062kg), G14 (6900kg), G8 (6583.1kg), G27 (6486.9kg), G29 (6400.6kg) and G30 (6343.1kg) were found to be high yielding. The genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) ranged from 8.44 and 8.53 for days to maturity to38.30 and 39.37 for number of unfilled grains panicle-1. Broad sense heritability value ranged from 77.45% for number of panicles per plant to 99.16 % for plant height. Characters viz. days to heading, days to flowering, tillers plant-1, panicle plant-1, culm length, panicle length, plant height, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, filled grains panicle-1, unfilled grains panicle -1, panicle weight, biomass, grain yield and harvest index had high heritability and high genetic advance as percent of mean, showing presence of additive genes and selection based on these traits would be successful. For future, six rice genotypes with grain yield above 6 tons ha-1 have been identified and are recommended to advance further towards release as new varieties. Moreover, the future rice research should be supplemented by molecular characterization to further confirm the obtained current results.

ABSTRACT
The study explored the research question: What are the influencers of land users’ perceptions of land resources? It sought opinions of respondents on whether or not a list of identified circumstances were influencers of land users’ perceptions of land resources. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data from 101 land users in Mphosong-Bolahla catchment area, who were selected using Nassiuma’s [1] Formula. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 20.0 and the findings were presented using statistical indicators, namely: means and standard deviations. The findings revealed that respondents were generally aware of the socio-economic, cultural and institutional influencers of land users’ perceptions of their land resources. The socio-economic influencers were: ownership of freehold land and small landholdings, availability of off-farm income, employment, better market access, labour-intensive nature of land resource management, lack of access to consumer markets, insecurity of tenure, education, access to credit, and poverty. The cultural influencers were: rotational grazing, awareness of cropping systems and consequences, awareness of economic value of land, belief in land ownership as basis for personal and family identity, adherence to succession in land management, and belief that land is a cultural asset. The institutional influencers were: integration of stakeholders in planning management of rangeland resources, training for promotion of conservation technologies, access to conservation services, policy failures, and complexity of government procedures. The study concluded that land users recognise the existence of socio-economic, cultural and institutional influencers of their views on land resources and that this abundant wealth and resourcefulness ought to be optimised through their adequate involvement in decision-making regarding their land resources.

ABSTRACT
Damping off and foot rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively are the two deadly diseases in chilli occur at the seedling stage. In the present study, the formulated indigenous Trichoderma harzianum and its spore suspension alone or in combinations were used to control damping off and foot rot diseases of chilli in net house conditions. The combined application of chickpea based formulated T. harzianum and its spore suspension was found to reduce damping off by 75.02-86.96% and foot rot by 74.29-89.28% over control caused by both the fungi. The combined application of the treatment was also found to increase seed germination by 66.23-90.57% over control. Furthermore, the combined application of formulated T. harzianum and its spore suspension also resulted higher shoot length (9.33 cm and 7.88 cm), root length (4.03 cm and 3.95 cm), and vigor index (1097% and 1010%) at 14 days after sowing over S. rolfsii and F. oxysporum inoculated plants, respectively. Based on the present investigation, the chickpea bran-based Trichoderma harzianum formulation and suspension might be exploited for the management of damping off and foot rot diseases of chilli.

ABSTRACT
Insects are beneficial in many areas such as pollination of plants, neutralization of pests, control of pest population and production of useful material including food for humans. In applied entomology, insects are beneficial for the ecosystem and sustainable agriculture. Biological control using parasitoids is one of the applications known worldwide. Another very interesting use is the study of insects associated with a corpse: science known as forensic entomology. This study was carried out to analyze the succession of necrophagous insects. The objective is to show their chronology, which could be used to estimate the post mortem interval (PMI) in Burundi, a country of the African Great Lakes region where corpses are frequently found in the forests. Analysis of the results revealed that two species of social insects belonging to the order of hymenoptera namely Monomoriun pharaonis and Leptothorax acervorum arrive early on the corpse. These results could be explained in three ways: the chemical reception of social insects of the order hymenoptera illustrated by the smell of gases from the degradation and decomposition of the corpse, but also behavior and communication of social insects.

ABSTRACT
Abstract: The National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) had released a new variety of pigeonpea or kadios (Cajanus cajan L.), one of the climate resilient crops ideal for the Ilocos Region in the Philippines and have similar performance to other regions of the country. A variety adaptable to year-round production under all soil conditions including marginal areas specially in Regions 1, 2, and 3 pigeonpea growing areas. ICP 7035 (MMSU-ICRIP MJ) was derived following selection method from the germplasm collection at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, India. It was brought later to the Philippines with legitimate supporting documents as Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) and others. This variety has non-determinate growth habit. The purity was maintained through selections made by researchers at MMSU. Series of trials in accordance with the regulations of the NSIC were done. Yield is far superior than the local varieties being used. It has an average seed yield of 1.282 to as high as 2.0 tons per hectare as compared to the local check with .516 tons per hectare. It has yellow-red colored flowers. It flowers and matures earlier with 96 and 142 days respectively as compared to 130 and 201 days respectively of the local check. The seeds are sweet in taste due to high sugar content. It is suitable to market it as immature pods for vegetable purpose. It was found resistant to diseases like Sterility mosaic, Cercospora leaf spot, rust and other pests identified in legumes.

ABSTRACT
Abstract: This study assessed the levels of heavy metals (Mn, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Fe) in two dumpsites and control in Surakarta. Specific soil properties and the level of metals in dumpsite soil samples and crops were also considered. Standard techniques were employed in the appraisal and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Buck Scientific model 210) for the metal concentration analysis. The level of each metal was detected low in the control site compared to the dumpsites which prove that there had been an anthropogenic contribution of heavy metal through the disposal of wastes contained or made of heavy metals. The crops in the two sites and control had Cr, Cd, and Pb occurring below the detection limit. All the concentrations of metals studied in soil and crops were found to be lower than the maximum permissible limit of heavy metal in soil and crops stated by the World Health Organization (WHO) which implies that the crops are presently safe for human consumption. The higher concentration of metals in the dumpsite and their crops more than the control site shows that there is gradual pollution of heavy metals in the crops and implies that there is a need to avoid consuming crops grown on these sites and discourage the use of the sites for any form farming activities.