This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

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1- The ecology of a population of the tropical palm tree Euterpe edulis Mart. was studied at the Municipal Reserve of Santa Genebra, Campinas (Sao Paulo, Brazil). This palm has been intensively exploited due to the quality of its heart of palm (palmito). The heart of palm corresponds to the apical meristem of the plant together with the developing new leaves. 2- The indiscriminate exploitation that this palm has been subject to over recent years in southern Sao Paulo may result in it becoming extinct in many forest fragments. The biodiversity of large animals in these forests has declined as a consequence of hunting, and the overexploitation of E. edulis has also led to a decline in the number of large frugiverous birds. The financial benefits generated by the sustainable exploitation of palmito can exceed those from a single extraction or those from forest conversion to agriculture. 3- The seed and seedling ecology of the population of E. edulis was examined. On average each plant produced approximately 1500 fruits and, there was a tendency for plants of intennediate size to be slightly more fecund. Most seeds were found in close proximity to adult plants; the distance of dispersal could be described by a negative power curve. Five species of birds belonging to the Family Turdidae were observed to feed on the fruits of E. edulis while on the tree, while subsequent dispersal along the gro':lnd was found to occur by water. The probability of surviving and growing to the next Sl~ class was inversely related to the number of seedlings. The maximum survival of seedlIngs and growth to the next size class occurred approximately 4 m from adult plants, indicating that the survival and growth of seedlings was suppressed in the immediate vicinity of conspecific adults. 4- The spatial pattern of the population of E. edulis, in the Municipal Reserve of Santa Genebra, was significantly clumped. The data indicate that the spatial distribution of individuals becomes less clumped with time as individuals develop. 5- The transition matrix analysis of the population revealed that the population is increasing at a rate of 14% year-I. The highest sensitivity was observed in the transition from size-class 1 (0-10 mm diameter) to class 2 (10.1 - 20 mm). According to the elasticity analysis, most of the value of the finite rate of population increase is accounted for by the probability of surviving and remaining in the same size class. The results from the haryesting simulations, indicate that it is possible to harvest E. edulis sustainably when harvesting is restricted to size class 6 plants (Le. reproductive adults). 6- The density-dependence observed for survival and growth of plants in the smallest size class was s~ong enough to affect the population dynamics of E. edulis. Elasticity analysis of the transItion matrix shows that the position of populations of E. edulis in G-L-F space moves towards the L apex of the demographic triangle as the density of plants increases.

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The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of chemical treatment and ultrasound processing (sonication) on the fiber composition and rumen degradability of date palm seeds (DPS). For this purpose, five trials were conducted. In the first trial, the effects of treating DPS with 4% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different temperatures (23, 50 and 100 0C) and for different times (30, 60 and 356 min) on seeds fiber content and ruminal degradability were evaluated. Relative to untreated seeds, treated seeds had lower (P<0.05) lignin and hemicellulose, and greater (P<0.05) neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and cellulose content, particularly at high temperatures. The degradability of seeds organic matter (OM) and NDF were greater (P<0.01) in the treated (41.79 and 35.44%) than untreated seeds (24.71 and 22.77; respectively), particularly when incubated at 23 0C. Treatment time, however, had no effect (P>0.01) on seeds OM and NDF degradability.

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

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This study aimed to address the current status of the United Arab Emirates date palms. The first chapter focused on the development of the date palm sector in the UAE. A huge increase in the date palm number was achieved in the past few decades. In the same time, there are critical issues facing this development, such as water demand, salinity, and Red Palm Weevil. The second chapter is a greenhouse experiment to test the growth of twelve date palm seeds at four NaCl levels, control, 3000, 6000, and 12000 ppm. Optimal growth found at control and 3000 ppm of NaCl. Relative growth rate (RGR), biomass, and NL decreased significantly by increasing salinity; however, no significant differences were observed in the average SGR for any cultivars. Increased NaCl leads to significant decreases in K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ contents of plants. Na:K ratios were lower in shoots than in roots. Lulu, Fard, Khnaizi, Nabtat Safi, and Razez cultivars showed higher RGR and biomasses whereas Khnaizi, Mesally, and Safri had higher Na:K ratios than other cultivars in the control indicating higher Na+ discriminations from plant parts. The third chapter studied the vegetation change in the eastern region of the UAE. Due to shortage of fresh water resources, the vegetation of the eastern region of the UAE has experienced a series of declines resulting from salinization of groundwater. To assess these changes, field measurements combined with Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) based Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were analyzed. Images from two dates, 1987 and 2000 were acquired to enable the computation of the greenness anomalies for three sites in the eastern region, Fujairah, Kalba, and Hatta. The results show an overall increase in the agricultural area, associated with a severe decrease in vegetation greenness and health conditions, particularly in the Kalba study area. The SAVI values decreased with increased soil salinity, permitting the identification of salt-affected areas. Potential areas of further research range from studying the effects of tree spacing and understory crops as immediate and potential solutions to maintain productivity and mitigate the salinity problem.

We hypothesized that supplementing finishing diets with palm oil would elevate Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) activity in muscle and subcutaneous (s.c.) adipose tissue, promoting adipocyte differentiation and increase monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in beef, particularly oleic acid. Soybean oil supplementation was used as a negative control. Eighteen Angus steers were assigned randomly to three groups of 6 steers and fed a basal diet without additional fat, with 3% palm oil (rich in palmitic acid), or with 3% soybean oil (rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids), top dressed daily. There were no significant differences across treatment in quality grade, REA, 12th rib fat thickness, or yield grade. Palm oil tended to increase marbling score (P = 0.33). Palm oil supplementation decreased the concentration of myristic acid (P = 0.04), and tended to decrease the concentration of t10, c12 CLA (P = 0.07) and 18:3n-3 (P = 0.06) in s.c. adipose tissue while soybean supplementation increased c9, t11 CLA (P = 0.02) and 18:3n-3 (P = 0.03) in muscle. Palm oil supplementation increased both glucose and acetate incorporation into total lipids of s.c. adipose tissue (both P = 0.03). Volume of s.c. adipocytes was greater in cattle supplemented with palm oil than in soybean- supplemented cattle (P = 0.004). Enzyme activity of G-6-PDH tended to be greater in steers consuming palm oil supplement (P = 0.10). We conclude that there was a partial interaction between palm oil supplementation and adipocyte differentiation. Palm oil supplementation increased s.c. adipocyte content without deteriorating meat quality traits and tended to increase marbling.