Before weaning baby rabbits (kits, or baby bunnies) from their mother, they should be eating commercial rabbit food pellets. These small bits are designed specifically for the rabbit’s sensitive gastrointestinal system. With kits, it’s a matter of feeding just the right amount, neither overfeeding or underfeeding the developing rabbits. Watch the babies carefully for signs of illness after weaning. Call the vet if a kit stops eating or develops diarrhea. Weaning Avoid weaning the kits from their mother before the age of 4 weeks. Before that time, they still rely…
The coffee tree produces purple or red cherries (edible fruits). Coffee beans are seen inside them. Coffee trees are bush type trees that can reach up to a height of 12 feet. Their flowers are white in colour. Once a coffee orchard is established, we can expect coffee beans from them for up to 60 years. Generally, coffee produces its beans after 4 years of planting. Coffee plants can be grown in pots and containers and even in backyards. Commercial farming of coffee is an advisable business which earns us…
Scientists have developed a bioprocess that enables conversion of acid whey, a dairy by-product, without the use of additional chemicals. Professor Lars Angenent from the Center of Applied Geosciences at the University of Tübingen and international colleagues used microbiome cultures similar to those in the human gut. The new bio-oil can be used in animal feed or, after further refinement, as a fuel for airplanes. The results of the study were published in Joule, a new premier journal from CellPress. Every liter of milk that goes into milk products, such…
Most people agree that chocolate produced from cocoa tastes great, but is there a way to make it taste even better? Perhaps, according to scientists who looked at different conditions that can put a strain on cocoa trees. Reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they say that although the agricultural method used to grow cocoa trees doesn’t matter that much, the specific weather conditions do. Cocoa trees grow in hot and humid climates near the equator. Traditionally, these trees are raised together in mixed groves with other…
Cattle, swine and poultry contribute a hefty portion to the average American’s diet, but raising all this livestock comes at a cost to the environment: The industry produces a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Just how much gas the animals release, however, is the subject of debate. Now, one group reports in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology that a new approach could shed light on how accurate current data are. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the livestock industry is the second-biggest methane emitter in the…
The Africa-wide Rice Breeding Task Force, convened by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), has recently nominated six varieties with improved tolerance to environmental stresses as ARICA, which stands for Africa Rice Varieties for Africa. “This is the second series of nominations since the ARICA brand was launched in 2013 to offer farmers a new generation of high-performing rice varieties for Africa,” said Dr. Moussa Sie, AfricaRice Senior Breeder and Breeding Task Force Coordinator. The ARICA varieties are selected through a rigorous multi-environment testing process including regional and national trials as…
It is a known fact that microbes on farms protect children from asthma and allergies. But even non-microbial molecules can have a protective effect: Immunologists from the University of Zurich have shown that a sialic acid found in farm animals is effective against inflammation of lung tissue. This study opens up a wide variety of perspectives for the prevention of allergies. More and more people suffer from allergies and asthma. In the past decades, these diseases have massively increased in industrialized countries. Today, about 30 percent of children have allergies…
Breadfruit, used as a folk remedy in pacific regions to control insects, is an effective mosquito repellent, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have found. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators at the University of British Columbia in Okanagan, Canada, identified three breadfruit compounds Capric, Undecanoic and Lauric acids that act as insect repellents. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. In the study, chemist Charles Cantrell and his colleagues at the ARS Natural Products Utilization Research Unit (NPURU) in Oxford and the University of…
As environmentalists focus on the International Year of Forests, there has been much attention on destructive logging in Africa’s rain-forests, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Deforestation is a process where vegetation is cut down without any simultaneous replanting for economic or social reasons. Deforestation has negative implications on the environment in terms of wildlife and increased desertification among many other reasons. According to data taken over a five year period from 2000 to 2005, Nigeria has the largest desertification rates in the world with loss of 55.7% of…
