Shady K. Hamadeh

Using indigenous knowledge in land use investigations: a participatory study in a semi-arid mountainous region of Lebanon

The implementation of land use studies in most developing nations is often faced with the lack of data. Participatory studies offer the possibility of complementing data sets by tapping into indigenous knowledge. They also encourage the adoption of sustainable land management practices by establishing partnership and dialogue among stakeholders. This paper reports on a study in Aarsal, a semi-arid mountainous locality (36,000 ha) in Lebanon where conflicts in land use have recently emerged between pastoralists and growers. The study aimed at supporting sustainable land management in Aarsal by carrying out a land capability classification and a land use analysis. Indigenous knowledge was used as one of the information sources for the land capability classification. Participatory rural appraisal was used to describe the indigenous agroecological zoning and local soil classification. Geographic information system (GIS) technology was used to produce a land capability map and to analyze the current land use. Most of the land area was found to be too marginal for conventional farming, and nearly 5000 ha are in serious danger of land degradation. Moreover, the shrinkage of the grazing lands caused by the expansion of orchards partly explains the reduction in the size of small ruminant flocks. The combination of participatory approach, land capability evaluation and GIS provided a satisfactory understanding of the physical and biological land management constraints in Aarsal, fostered dialogue between the different stakeholders, and created opportunities for the identification of sustainable land management options.

Bacterial identity and characteristics in healthy and unhealthy respiratory tracts of sheep and calves.

Barbour, E.K., Nabbut, N.H., Hamadeh, S.K. and Al-Nakhli, H.M., 1997. Bacterial identity and characteristics in healthy and unhealthy respiratory tracts of sheep and calves. Veterinary Research Communications, 21 (6), 421-430The aim of this study was to compare different bacteriological aspects of the respiratory systems of healthy (H) versus unhealthy (UH) animals with respiratory signs. The prevalence of different bacterial species was determined in the upper and lower respiratory tract of H and UH Najdi sheep, Somali sheep and Holstein calves. The characteristics of Pasteurella spp. isolates, and the biotype of Pasteurella haemolytica were identified in H and UH animals. Eighteen out of 28 (64.3%) of the identified bacterial species in the upper respiratory tract were more prevalent in the nasal cavities of UH Najdi and Somali sheep and Holstein calves with respiratory signs than in apparently healthy animals; four of the most prevalent bacteria in the upper respiratory system of UH sheep were Moraxella spp., Pseudomonas pseudomallei, Erysipelothrix spp., and Pasteurella multocida, while three of the most prevalent bacteria in UH calves were Pasturella haemolytica, Actinomyces spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The prevalence of six different bacterial species was greater in the lungs of UH animals, namely Actinomyces pyogenes, Erysipelothrix spp., P. haemolytica, Pasteurella ureae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, which could be risk factors in the complexity of the prevalent respiratory diseases of the animals surveyed.Of the biochemical, cytological and colonial characteristics studied in the identified P. haemolytica and P. multocida, two characters were significantly different (p < 0.05) in organisms isolated from UH as compared to those from H animals. These were the higher loss of haemolytic power by the strains of P. haemolytica and the decreased fermentation of trehalose by all the strains of P. multocida recovered from healthy animals.The only biotype of P. haemolytica isolated from H animals was biotype A, while both biotypes A (88.0% of the isolates) and T (12.0% of the isolates) were recovered from UH animals.

Soil Solarization: A Sustainable Agriculture Approach to Reduce Microorganisms in Chicken Manure-Treated Soil

ABSTRACT The common practice in many countries of using chicken manure in soil as a source of nutrients to plants is of paramount importance in sustainable agriculture. However, the application of non-composted manure on soil could contribute to contamination of the environment by fecal microorganisms. This creates a health hazard to humans, domestic animals, and to wildlife. The impact of soil solarization on reduction of microorganism-indicators of fecal contamination in chicken manure-treated soils has not been evaluated. In this study, 1.5 kg/m2 of chicken manure was applied to 40 cm deeply-ploughed clayish calcareous soils of four greenhouses. The soils of four other greenhouses were left as control-untreated with manure. Litter incorporation in the soil was performed by a harrow with 20 cm penetration depth. Irrigation was applied to soil of the eight greenhouses to obtain an average humidity at 40 cm-soil depth equivalent to 92.9%. Soil solarization of the chicken manure-treated soils with a 50 µm thick-polyethylene film for a period of six weeks resulted in an average 20 cm-soil depth temperature at 15 hr of 40°C in comparison to 28.3°C obtained in soil with no polyethylene film application. Solarization resulted in reduction in different microorganism-indicators per gram of chicken manure-treated soil collected at 20 cm depth in comparison to the count in the same soil before solarization. The percent reduction in counts in increasing order was: Staphylococcus aureus (26.3), total bacteria (45.5), fungi (71.3), Clostridium perfringes (81.8), fecal coliform (92.6), and non-lactose fermenting bacteria (100.0).

Weaning and the ram-effect on fertility, serum luteinizing hormone and prolactin levels in spring rebreeding of postpartum Awassi ewes

Spring rebreeding activity was investigated in 44 multiparous Awassi ewes allocated to one of three treatments. The first treatment entailed ewes suckling lambs for 45 days and then continuously exposed to fertile rams (Group 1); ewes of the second group were weaned at 14 days of age and then were either exposed continuously (Group 2) or intermittently (Group 3) to rams. Time of weaning and type of exposure to the ram did not influence the reproductive performance in terms of fertility and prolificacy in postpartum Awassi ewes. Time of weaning did not influence serum LH concentrations monitored at 3h intervals in Groups 1 and 2. However, serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations were significantly higher in Group 1, compared to Group 2 of ewes. Serum LH levels at weaning were significantly higher in ewes that conceived and lambed, compared to ewes that did not. It was concluded that spring rebreeding of postpartum Awassi ewes did not respond to ram presence and/or early weaning in terms of improved reproductive performance. The lack of reproductive response was further reflected in LH and PRL profiles.

Nutritional status of Lebanese school children from different socioeconomic backgrounds

This paper examines the nutritional status of school children in private and public schools in West Beirut. The objectives of the study were to measure the impact of the socio‐economic status on the magnitude and severity of malnutrition in school children. Anthropometric data (height and weight) were collected on 400 children from private and public schools. The private schools were considered to house children from high socio‐economic status whereas the public schools children were considered as coming from a low socio‐economic background. The indices studied were height for age, weight for height and weight for age, the cutoff point to indicate malnutrition was taken as values below ISD of a reference population. The United States National Center for Health Statistics Standards (NCHS) were used. Results showed that children classified as low socio‐economic status (public schools) had low weight for age and height for age indices indicating higher occurrence of stunting and wasting in that population as...

Immunopotentiation of a developed Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis vaccine by thymulin and zinc in meat chicken breeders.

The humoral immunity, spleen and thymus weight indices, lymphocyte count in the thymus cortex, and granuloma diameter at vaccination sites were assessed in four differently immunopotentiated groups of meat chicken breeders. Breeders in the first two groups were given a killed Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (SE) vaccine subcutaneously at 15 and 19 weeks of age. Breeders in the third and fourth groups were left unvaccinated. Breeders in the first group were further immunopotentiated with zinc and thymulin. Each bird in the first group was given the immunopotentiators intraperitoneally in a volume of 0.1 ml at intervals of 3 days for a period of 3 weeks, starting at 15 weeks of age. At each time, each bird in the first group received thymulin (10 ng) and ZnCl2 (1 μmol/L), using a carboxymethyl cellulose carrier, totalling 90 ng thymulin and 9 μmol of ZnCl2 per bird. Each bird in the first three groups was challenged orally with 6.7×106 cfu/ml of highly virulent SE organisms, at an age of 22 weeks. The first group, which had received zinc and thymulin, had the earliest and highest humoral immune response to SE (p<0.05). This was observed at 2 and 4 weeks after the first vaccination. In addition, the first group had the highest mean thymus weight index, and the highest mean lymphocyte count in the thymus cortex. No significant difference was observed between the first two vaccinated groups in the mean granuloma diameter developed at the two vaccination sites 48 h after administration of the vaccine (p>0.05).

Comparison of immunosuppression in dry and lactating Awassi ewes due to water deprivation stress.

In seminomadic farming practice, dry and lactating ewes are exposed to different degrees of water deprivation, leading to stress followed by various disease outbreaks. This study compares quantitatively the immunosuppression toSalmonella Enteritidis (SE) fimbriae (14 and 21 kDa) and other major polypeptides (28.9, 37.7, 42.9, 68.0, 92.6 and 96.8 kDa) in water-deprived dry and lactating ewes. Sixteen dry and lactating multiparous Awassi ewes were divided into four treatment groups (A, A′, B and B′). Ewes in groups A and B were lactating, whereas ewes in groups A′ and B′ were dry. All ewes were administered a killed SE vaccine, subcutaneously in the neck, at the initiation of the experiment. The water availability for ewes in groups B (lactating) and B′ (dry) was ad libitum, while that for ewes in groups A (lactating) and A′ (dry) was once every 4 days. A serum sample was collected from the jugular vein of each ewe at zero time (initiation of the experiment, when SE bacterin was delivered) and at 2, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days post SE vaccination. The percentage reduction in the level of humoral antibody response to polypeptides of ≥21 kDa was more apparent in water-deprived lactating ewes of group A between 9 and 18 days post initiation of thirst. In this period, immunosuppression to polypeptides ≥21 kDa was present in 14 out of 16 observations in group A (water-deprived lactating), with significant immunosuppression in 9 observations in relation to the respective control (p<0.05), while it was present in only 4 out of 16 observations in group A′ (water-deprived dry), with significant immunosuppression in 2 observations (p<0.05). In conclusion, immunosuppression to polypeptides of ≥21 kDa is more significant in lactating water-deprived ewes in the period 9–18 days post initiation of thirst, a result that will influence our future sheep welfare awareness programmes targeting an elimination of the practice of water deprivation in seminomadic sheep farming.

Economic Sustainability of Dry Land Use: The Case Study of Irsal, Lebanon

ABSTRACT Sustainable agriculture is the development of technology and practices that maintain the production of a safe nutritious food that is sustainable at a long term both economically and physically. In Lebanon, sustainable agriculture is still a new approach due to the impact of the civil war on this sector leading to the degradation of natural resources. The main objective of this paper is to study the economic sustainability of a transition from a traditional agropastural system to a rainfed fruit production system in the dry land of Irsal, northeast of Lebanon. Economic and financial analyses for livestock and cherry productions were conducted under different operational scale (small, medium, and large) to estimate systems profitability, and thus justify the economic motivation for such changes. The cherry crop was used in this study since it is the most dominant crop in the current changes that are taking place. The results indicate that, the transition from the agropastoral system to fruit production is justifiable given the economic motivations and the increase in the returns due to such changes. Fruit tree production is more profitable and less demanding for time and labor as compared to the old system. However, the continuous existence of the ruminant flocks is due to the fact that they represent a cash stock that can be liquidated in times of need.

Evaluation of an enrofloxacin-treatment program against Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in broilers

Three chicken broiler breeder flocks, 7 months of age, were confirmed to have Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection, based on culture of tracheal swabs. A total of fifty-five 7-day-old embryos from the three MG-positive flocks had an average 27.4% prevalence of MG-infection in their vitelline membrane. Sixty randomly selected MG isolates (30 from individual tracheas of breeders and another 30 from individual vitelline membrane of embryos) were highly sensitive in vitro to enrofloxacin (100%). Three broiler flocks (averaging 15,000 birds per flock) from the same three MG-infected chicken boiler breeders were divided into halves. The first halves were subjected to an enrofloxacin-treatment program and the other halves were controls. Sera collected at different ages of the broiler flocks were tested by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies to MG. The absence of MG titers at 45 days of age in birds subjected to the enrofloxacin-preventive program was compared to an average prevalence of 15.9% in the controls (p < 0.05). The lack of MG titers in 45-day-old birds subjected to the enrofloxacin-treatment program was associated with lower better feed-conversion ratios (p < 0.05).

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for evaluation of an experimental Salmonella typhimurium vaccine in two breeds of ewes

Abstract An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitation of antibodies, following immunization with an experimental Salmonella typhimurium vaccine in two postpartum breeds of ewes, was standardized. Based on analysis of variance, the two breeds of ewes, purebred Awassi and crossbred Finn × Texel × Awassi (FTA), did not differ in the ELISA-antibody levels following immunization with an experimental formalin inactivated oil based S. typhimurium vaccine (P > 0.05). However, vaccination in both breeds resulted in higher significant antibody level than unvaccinated ewes. The antibody level quantitated in both breeds increased significantly at 2 weeks after the first immunization (P 0.05); however, it increased to 100% at 3 weeks after the booster in Awassi ewes, while it was maintained at 66.7% in the FTA ewes. This work implies the ability of the administered vaccine to induce antibody response in both ewe breeds that could be quantified by the developed ELISA.