Journal of Science and Agricultural Technology

Tillage and intercropping effect on growth and yield of groundnut in maize/groundnut cropping system

CHARLES ILEDUN OYEWOLE — 2025-12-31

Due to high population pressure / human activities competing for agriculture land, the need to maximize productivity of available land has become necessary; this has not been achievable in the tropics with monoculture systems where single harvest per season is the practice. Thus, this study evaluates crop combination and tillage practice on yield and yield components of groundnut in mixture with maize. The trial was conducted in the rainy seasons of 2020 and 2021, at the Kogi State University Students’ Research and Demonstration Farm; Latitude 70 301 and Longitude 70 091 E in the Southern Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Treatment consisted of three tillage practices (main plot factor) and five crop combinations (subplot factor) assigned to a 3 x 5 Factorial experiment replicated four times. Sole cropped groundnut performed better than the intercrops regarding yield and yield related parameters. Better haulm yields were obtained in sole cropped plots (711.11 kg/ha and 637.04 kg/ha, respectively in 2020 and 2021 seasons; better pod yields: 1,532 kg/ha and 1,367 kg/ha, respectively in 2020 and 2021 seasons, better Harvest Index (53.26% and 36.78%, respectively in 2020, 2021 cropping seasons). The treatment recorded the best 100-seed weight in both seasons: 47.83, and 48.32g, respectively in 2020, 2021 cropping seasons. It also gave the best shelling percentage: 61.00% and 79.42%, respectively in 2020, 2021 cropping seasons. Relative to LER, among crop combination, the highest LERs were observed when one row of maize was intercropped with one row of groundnut (1.38 and 1.32, respectively in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons) with the least LER observed when two rows of maize were intercropped with one row of groundnut (1.28 and 1.19, respectively in 2020 and 2021 seasons). Among the tillage practice, zero tillage gave the highest LER (1.28 and 1.42, respectively in 2020 and 2021 seasons) with planting on ridges giving the least LER (1.06 and 1.38, respectively in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons). Since the highest LER was observed when one row of maize was intercropped with one row of groundnut, this level of crop combination is recommended for the study area.

Puffing techniques for chinese flowering cabbage rice crackers using an air fryer

Natwalinkhol Settapramote — 2025-12-31

Khao Kreab Wow (KKW) is a traditional Thai snack that has long been favored for its crisp texture and pleasant taste. However, conventional production methods often lack proper hygienic controls. This study aims to determine the conditions for puffing KKW enriched with Chinese flowering cabbage powder using air fryer technology. The study was divided into two main phases: (1) determining the drying time at 70°C for 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. The results showed that drying for 60 minutes yielded a moisture content of 10.54%, the lowest bulk density (p≤0.05), and the highest expansion ratio (p≤0.05), making it suitable for both storage and puffing; and (2) identifying the puffing conditions using an air fryer at 180, 190, and 200°C for 3, 2.50 and 2 minutes respectively. The temperature of 200°C resulted in the highest expansion ratio (p≤0.05), the lowest puffing yield (P≤0.05), and the highest sensory acceptance (p≤0.05). Therefore, drying at 70°C for 60 minutes followed by puffing at 200°C using an air fryer is the most suitable method for producing a commercially viable healthy snack. This approach also adds value to local agricultural products by incorporating indigenous vegetables into traditional snack foods.

The quality characteristics of chicken essence from KU chicken breeds (KU Betong, Tapaotong Kasetsart, and KU-Phuparn)

Sauwanit Wutthikrairat — 2025-12-31

Currently, people get more disease due to lifestyle. Chicken essence could be a health supplement since it contains a variety of bioactive compounds. Thai native chicken breeds could be good sources for chicken essence commercial production since they withstand Thailand environments and have advantage characteristics. In this study, KU Betong, Tapaotong Kasetsart, and KU-Phuparn breeds were improved by Kasetsart University. The extraction conditions were 100 ºC with 1, 1.50, and 2.0 hrs; then chicken essence was sterilized and was kept for 30, 90, and 180 days The experimental design is Completely Randomized Design (CRD). This study of Proximate composition, pH value, Color value, Innosine 5’monophospate content, Molecular weight (Dalton) and measured proximate composition. The results show that moisture content, protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash, and calories were 92.98-93.35 g/100g, 5.73-6.39, 0.07 – 0.11 g/100g, < 0.01 g/100g, 1.17 – 1.34 g/100 g, and 23.55 – 26.55 kcal/100g, respectively. The pH value of chicken essence range to 6.02-6.18. When increasing extraction time. Chicken essence will have a darker color. L*, a* and b* in the range of 58.57-68.02, 21.67-30.51, and 96.42-99.41, respectively. Inosine 5 ′-monophosphate contents amounts were approximately 36.96 – 59.62 mg/100 g, while the peptides molecular weight of chicken essence ranged between 951.90 – 991.50 Dalton. In general, the pH value of all chicken essence either increased or decreased when increased storage time. While the Color value (L* a* and b*) values of chicken extract essence found that the darker color with increasing storage time. Finally, microorganism amounts matches with the Ministry of Public Health’ s regulations.

Pulsed electric field–assisted green extraction of cocoa pod husk: enhancement of antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitory activities

Supinan Janma — 2025-12-31

Cocoa pod husk (CPH), a major by-product of cocoa processing, is an abundant yet underutilized biomass rich in bioactive compounds with promising applications in food, cosmetic, and cosmeceutical industries. This study explored the potential of pulsed electric field (PEF)–assisted green extraction combined with water–ethanol solvent systems to enhance the recovery of bioactive constituents from CPH. The influence of solvent polarity and PEF pulse numbers on extraction performance were systematically evaluated. Extractions were carried out using water and water–ethanol mixtures at ratios of 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 (v/v), under a PEF treatment at an electric field strength of 6 kV/cm with pulse numbers ranging from 1,000 to 5,000. The resulting extracts were characterized in terms of total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents, reducing sugar levels, antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP assays), and tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The findings revealed that extraction efficiency was strongly dependent on both solvent composition and PEF parameters. Hydroethanolic solvents with intermediate polarity, particularly 50–75% ethanol, significantly enhanced the extraction of phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins compared with water or higher ethanol concentrations. The application of moderate PEF pulse numbers (1,000–3,000 pulses) effectively promoted cell membrane permeabilization, thereby improving mass transfer and facilitating the release of intracellular bioactive compounds. Antioxidant activities determined by DPPH and FRAP assays showed consistent trends, with the highest antioxidant capacity observed under hydroethanolic extraction conditions combined with moderate PEF treatment. Notably, tyrosinase inhibitory activity was maximized in water and hydroethanolic extracts, suggesting that enzyme inhibition is primarily governed by the selective extraction and synergistic interactions of specific phenolic constituents rather than total phenolic content alone. This study demonstrates that PEF-assisted extraction using environmentally friendly water–ethanol solvents is an efficient and sustainable strategy for the valorization of cocoa pod husk, highlighting its strong potential as a functional ingredient for food, cosmetic, and cosmeceutical applications.

Exploring relationships and predictive models based on populations of cattle and farmers in upper northern Thailand

Suntorn Wittayakun — 2025-12-31

The study was conducted to explore relationships and predictive models using quantitative information based on populations of beef, dairy cattle, and farmers in upper northern Thailand from 2008 to 2023, aiming to describe the strength and relationship of variables to create a basic predictive model that may benefit planning and decision-making in entrepreneurship. Quantitative data were provided by the Information and Statistics Group, Information and Communication Technology Center, Department of Livestock Development, Thailand, including the numbers of beef and dairy cattle populations, and farmers who raised beef and dairy cattle. Data for beef cattle were classified into four categories, while dairy cattle were classified into three. The results indicated highly significant relationships between all beef categories and household farmers (p<0.01), and four effective predictive models were generated. Simultaneously, significant relationships were found among all categories of dairy cattle and household farmers (p<0.05), and three predictive models were initiated. In comparison, the population of the beef herd was superior to the dairy herd (p<0.01) at a ratio of approximately 8.74:1. Likewise, the population of beef farmers was greater than the dairy farmers (p<0.01) at a ratio of about 36.04:1. In conclusion, there is clear statistical evidence that shows strengthen relationship between animal numbers and farmers that may able to be simple tools for prediction related to agricultural production and entrepreneurship in upper northern Thailand. Further research should be conducted to determine more criteria that may deal with simultaneous influence, maximum likelihood estimation of parameters.

Effects of supplement of chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifoliuss) leaf on feed intake digestibility and growth performance in meat goats

pawinee Archa — 2025-12-31

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing chaya foliage (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of crossbred Anglo-Nubian male goats. The fifteen goats, one year of age, with an initial average body weight of 17.0 ± 1.0 kg, were assigned to three dietary treatments with five replications each, following a completely randomized design (CRD). All goats were offered corn silage ad libitum as the basal roughage, and treatments consisted of supplementing chaya foliage at three levels: T1 = control (0%), T2 = 3%, and T3 = 6% (DM basis), in combination with pelleted concentrate containing 14% crude protein. Prior to the experiment, goats underwent a 10-day adaptation period. During the trial, animals were fed individually twice daily at 06:30 and 16:30, with free access to clean water. The experimental period lasted 90 days. The results showed that dry matter intake (DMI, g/d), crude protein (CP), and ether extract (EE) intakes were significantly increased (p<0.05). Goats in T2 had the highest intakes (1693.2, 112.6, and 76.0 g/d, respectively), which were greater than those in T3 (1514.6, 102.0, and 72.7 g/d, respectively). Nutrient digestibility of DM, CP, and ADF also differed significantly (p<0.05) compared with the control group. Regarding growth performance, goats supplemented with chaya foliage showed significantly improved body weight gain (p<0.05). In particular, goats in the highest supplementation group (6%) achieved an average daily gain of 23.5 g/day, indicating the potential of chaya foliage as an alternative protein source for ruminant diets without adverse effects on growth performance.