The need to continuously multiply new improved seeds for onward delivery to the farmers, with the sole aim of attaining food self-suffi ciency, necessitates this study. Data were collected from 17 maize and soybean out growers randomly selected from a list of out growers provided by the seed manager, using structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using percentages and gross margin analy...

Urban bird communities exhibit high population densities and low species diversity, yet mechanisms behind these patterns remain largely untested. We present results from experimental studies of behavioral mechanisms underlying these patterns and provide a test of foraging theory applied to urban bird communities. We measured foraging decisions at artificial food patches to assess how urban habi...

Fecal seeding by livestock may be an effective, low-cost means of rangeland restoration. We compared recruitment of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) from seed fed to cattle and deposited in dung to that of broadcast-seeded plots receiving a comparable number of unfed seed. Although germinability of seed passed through livestock (52 to 62%) was reduced relative to that of broadcast seed (85 to ...

The purpose of present study was to investigate the effect of water and ethanol extracts of red grape seeds on inhibition of pancreatic -amylase and lipase in vitro. Total proanthocyanidins were determined in grape seed extracts (GSEs). Different concentrations (400, 800, 1300 and 1800 ppm) of each GSE were employed to evaluate their potentials on pancreatic -amylase and lipase after pre-incuba...

Seed presentation and availability for seed predators change during every plant reproductive cycle. We know very little about how those changes impinge on both the ability of seed predators to impact plant populations and the foraging costs associated with seed consumption. Therefore, we conducted several field experiments to evaluate whether wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus balance food and safet...

Seed composition is one of the most important determinants of the economic values in soybean. The quality and quantity of different seed components, such as oil, protein, and carbohydrates, are crucial ingredients in food, feed, and numerous industrial products. Soybean researchers have successfully developed and utilized a diverse set of molecular markers for seed trait improvement in soybean ...