International Research Conference of UWU-2021

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Analysis of Allelic Diversity of Drought Responsive ERF Genes in Sri Lankan Rice Germplasm
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Wehalle, W.G.A.D.N.; Gimhani, D.R.; Abhayawickrama, B.P.
Ethylene response factor (ERF), is a prominent transcription factor gene family that governs numerous abiotic stress-related physiological activities in plants. Drought is the foremost yield- limiting factor of the second-largest staple crop of the globe. Bioinformatics tools provide a robust platform to investigate the genetic characteristics towards rice plant drought responses. The present study aimed to analyze the allelic variations of OsEBP89, OsERF101, OsERF71, OsERF48, OsERF12 and OsLG3; drought-responsive ERF genes in silico within the Sri Lankan rice pool. Genes were selected from the Rice Annotation Project (RAP) database concerning Oryza sativa sp. japonica cv. „Nipponbare‟ as the reference genome. Selected gene sequences of 47 Sri Lankan rice varieties were retrieved from the Rice SNP-Seek database and allelic variation was assessed concerning the corresponding gene sequences of Nipponbare using MEGA 7- Clustal W method. Present Results revealed several InDels and SNPs: 6 SNPs in OsEBP89 (A/G at 15nt, G/T at 380nt, C/T at 381nt, T/A at 555nt, C/T at 709nt and G/T at 951nt), 1 InDel and 3 SNPs in OsERF101 (C/A at 87nt, A/G at 687nt and C/T at 725nt), 8 SNPs in OsERF71 (C/A at 118nt, G/A at 360nt, C/T at 623nt, G/A at 742nt, G/T at 849nt, C/T at 867nt, T/C at 939nt and G/A at 981nt), 1 InDel and 5 SNPs in OsERF48 (C/G at 655nt, G/Tat 768nt, C/G at 812nt, C/T at 1112nt and G/C at 1162nt), 1 InDel and 5 SNPs in OsERF12 (G/T at 41nt, C/T at 150nt, G/A at 336nt, C/G at 365nt and C/T at 957nt) and 3 SNPs in OsLG3 (C/T at 293nt, C/T at 487nt and A/G at 810nt).The MEGA 7 assisted phylogenetic analysis unveil apparent allelic variation within the Sri Lankan rice germplasm. The encoded proteins of OsERF101, OsERF48 and OsERF12 genes were subjected to secondary structure prediction and physicochemical analysis. The Physicochemical properties varied among structures of corresponding proteins. However, major differences in folding patterns were not observed. Functional characterization and phenotypic validations are essential to investigate the potential of these genes in drought-tolerant rice improvement programs. Keywords: Allelic variation; Drought stress; Ethylene Response Factor; Rice
Analysis of Consumption Patterns of Probiotic Incorporated Fermented Dairy Products in Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Hanouf, M.H.M.; Rathnayaka, S.D.; Abesinghe, A.M.N.L.
Probiotic dairy foods are considered as one of the major functional food substances in the world. Consumers have been more health conscious in recent years, and as a result, they are seeking more information on how to live a healthy life consuming good food. Probiotic and probiotic products are having the possibility to attract those health-conscious consumers because of their health promoting effects and lower cost. To our knowledge there are no studies that analyze the consumer demand for probiotic fermented dairy products in Sri Lanka. This study focused on analyzing the consumer knowledge, attitudes, socio-demographic and economic factors that affect the consumption pattern of probiotic fermented dairy products in Sri Lanka. A total of 405 households from all nine provinces in Sri Lanka were surveyed with an online questionnaire. According to the results, 46% of the respondents have awareness of probiotics. Probiotic consumption was categorized into 4 levels as not at all, low, medium, and high based on the probiotic consumption per week. The study showed that 53% of the respondents belongs to low-level consumption category, 27% have medium level consumption, 9% are in high-level consumption category and 11% of the responders never consumed probiotic incorporated dairy products. An ordered logistic regression model was employed to analyze the relationships between probiotic consumption level and the number of demographics, socio- economic characteristics of consumers such as gender, age, marital status, household size, presence of children, household income, locality, education level, attitudes on health and nutrition aspects, attitude on sensory aspects, advertisement aspects and poor availability of probiotic dairy products. The results reveal that probiotic consumption level is significantly and positively influenced by gender, marital status, household income, advertisements, and consumer‟s attitude on health and negatively influenced by household size and poor availability. Findings of this study give useful information to producers for their production and marketing strategies which are most suitable to fit with the demand characteristics and consumer expectations. Keywords: Probiotic; Dairy Products; Consumption Patterns; Ordered Logistic Regression; Sri Lanka
Anti-Oxidant Activity and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity of Ceylon Black Tea Extracts: Water Extract of Ceylon Black Tea Regulate Anti-Melanogenic Activity by Suppressing Tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2 and MITF in B16F10 Melanoma Cells
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Rathnayake, A.U.; Byun, Hee-Guk
With the growing popularity of skincare products around the world, cosmetic applications of plant extracts are gaining continuous attention in cosmeceutical industries. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the anti-melanogenic effect of Ceylon black tea extracts. In this study five different black tea extracts were prepared with distilled water (extraction by autoclave, extraction at 80°C for 2 h) and organic solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone). Each extract of black tea was tested for total phenol content, total flavonoid content, DPPH radical scavenging activity and tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Finally, different concentrations of tea extract were tested in B16F10 melanoma cells for cytotoxicity and protein suppression levels. According to the results of this study, the highest yield of 42.93% was obtained from the ethanol extraction followed by 40.19% from acetone extraction. Highest total polyphenol contents were obtained from ethanol and acetone extractions with 240.30±1.40 μg/g and 240.20±4.70 μg/g concentrations. The highest total flavonoid content was obtained from acetone extraction with the concentration of 57.49±4.70 μg/g. Distilled water extract of Ceylon black tea exhibited the highest inhibitory activity on tyrosinase with an IC50 value of 0.016±0.001 mg/ml whereas ethanol extract exhibited the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with an EC50 value of 0.009±0.000 mg/ml. Treated concentrations of 10 to 50 μg/ml were not cytotoxic to B16F10 cells and exhibited more than 80% cell viability at all treated concentration. Further, western blot results revealed the suppression of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2 and MITF protein expression levels in dose dependent manner. Therefore, we suggest the applicability of distilled water extract of black tea as a novel melanogenesis inhibitor and skin-whitening agent in Sri Lanka cosmeceutical industries. Keywords: Cosmeceuticals; Black tea; Anti-melanogenic; Green extraction; Tyrosinase
Assessment of Compost Quality Produced with Municipal Solid Waste and Dewatered Fecal Sludge: A Case Study
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Fernando, B.H.R.; Nadheesha, M.K.F.; Nirukshan, G.S.; Aratchige, N.S.; Ranasinghe, C.S.
Application of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Dewatered Fecal Sludge (DFS) compost for agriculture is promoted in many countries as a waste management strategy. The quality of any compost type and its suitability for agricultural application is mainly determined by its physical and chemical properties and the absence of risk factors such as heavy metals and pathogens. In this study, MSW and DFS compost samples collected from the Kuliyapitiya Municipal Council of the North Western Province of Sri Lanka were subjected to quality testing using standard methods. The results were compared with the standards specified under SLS 1635: 2019 for MSW compost and with the reported information for the other locally available organic manure types. The acidic pH of DFS compost reported in this study indicates the risk of its direct use as a soil amendment while the MSW compost showed a satisfactory pH, suitable for soil application. The macro nutrient contents (Phosphorus, Potassium, and Magnesium) of both compost types were very low except for Nitrogen and Calcium. Micro nutrient levels in both compost types were satisfactory where DFS compost was rich in Iron, Zinc and Copper indicating its potential to be used as a micro nutrient source with further development. High sand percentage in MSW compost and the presence of weed seeds in DFS compost reduces the overall quality of both compost types. The organic carbon (OC) content in MSW compost was at a satisfactory level but the DFS compost had a low OC content. Pathogens were not detected in both compost types. MSW compost showed lower levels of heavy metals than the permissible standard limit defined for MSW compost. However, DFS compost showed higher level of Mercury than the permissible standard limit for MSW compost which highlights the risk of its use as an agricultural soil amendment. In contrast, with its satisfactory OC content and the pH and the absence of pathogens and viable seeds, MSW compost has the potential to be used as a soil conditioner for soil quality improvement, but not as a nutrient source, as it has a low macro nutrient content. Keywords: Dewatered Fecal Sludge Compost; Heavy metal content; Municipal Solid Waste Compost; Macro and micro nutrient contents
Association between Body Weight and Gait Score of Broiler Meat Chicken
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Sonali Marasinghe, M.A.; De Silva, P.G.J.C.; Kurukulasuriya, M.S.
The global demand for chicken meat is increasing and new poultry strains have been developed by genetic improvement targeting production traits to fulfill the higher demand. Since, genetic improvements have not focused on improving skeletal confirmation in parallel to production traits; birds can get leg deformities disturbing their walking pattern which can manifest as higher gait score (GS). Study focused to identify the association between body weight (BW) and GS in broiler chicken. A total of 100, day-old Cobb chicks (76-female; 24-male) were randomly selected and managed conditions. GS with 0(zero) to 5(severe) levels and BW of the birds were recorded separately at the age day-14, day-21, day-28 and day-35. Spearman correlation was calculated between BW and GS at each sampling day using MINITAB-17 and mean BWs difference of birds in each GS category was obtained by repeated measures of ANOVA (RMANOVA) using SAS-9.2. Frequency of birds in each GS category was obtained. Significant weak positive correlation between BW and GS is reported only at day-35 (Spearman-Rho=0.289; P<0.05). When consider the sex, similar significant weak positive correlation is observed in females (Spearman-Rho=0.364; P<0.05) at day-35 reflecting correlations observed in whole flock at day-35, may have mainly contributed from females. RMANOVA revealed a significant effect of time and GS×time interaction on BW (P<0.05). Significantly higher BW (P<0.05) has observed in birds belonging to the higher GS categories at day-35 (GS0=1660.83±59.13; GS2=1796.49±38.65; GS3=1913.39±30.16; GS4=1803.00±111.18) indicating BW of birds has directly affected on their walking pattern. Frequency of birds belonging to GS-0 is continuously declining from 99% at day-14 to 15.2% at day- 35. Further, more than 50% of birds showed GS-3 (48.5%) and GS-4 (3%) at day-35 reflecting without external visible changes in the skeletal confirmation; birds are suffering from pain in walking which is an important animal welfare issue. None of the birds reported GS-5 throughout the experiment. It can be concluded that increase BW leads to chronic pain which reflects as higher GS. At slaughtering age, birds are suffering from pain in walking without changes in external skeletal confirmation. Future research can be focus on genetic improvement of skeletal confirmation of birds to tolerate increased BW. Keywords: Body weight; Broilers; Chicken; Gait score
Automated Farming Robot
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Fazil, N.M.; Hiroshaan, V.
Robotics is a fascinating field of engineering that provides many opportunities for research. In addition, the evolution of technology in recent years has led to intelligent mobile robots. As farms grow in size, together with the size of the equipment used on them, there is a need for ways to automate processes, previously performed by the farmer himself, such as handling the equipments himself to perform the task. The control of these robots, however, is a difficult task that involves knowledge in different areas such as robotics, automation, programming, electronics, etc. The objective of this research is to technically develop the new agricultural technologies to savings in terms of both cost and time, to optimize production efficiency, declining availability of manpower, minimize production-associated risks. Hence automation is the ideal solution to overcome all the shortcomings by creating machines that perform the operations and automating it to increase yield on a large scale. In this the robots are developed to concentrate in an efficient manner and also it is expected to perform the operations autonomously such as Drilling (for plantations of seeds), seed dispensing and watering. For manual control the robot uses the Bluetooth pairing app as control device and helps in the navigation of the robot outside the field Keywords: Farming Robot; Bluetooth module; Arduino;Agriculture; Water pump
axonomic Identification of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) Leaf Miner in Sri Lanka
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Samarasinghe, W.D.; Widanapathirana, C.U.; Jayasinghe, G.G.; Samarasingha, K.G.B.A.; Premathilake, U.G.A.T.
Cinnamon leaf miner is a minor pest in cinnamon cultivations of Sri Lanka, but causes severe losses in cinnamon nurseries resulting considerable expenditure for its management. Present study was undertaken to identify the larval taxonomy and adult morphology of cinnamon leaf miner, as the first comprehensive research in Sri Lanka. The study was conducted at National Cinnamon Research and Training Center of Sri Lanka. Insects reared both under field and laboratory conditions were observed under the microscope. Published taxonomic keys were referred to identify the larva and external morphology of the adult was compared with the previous reports of the experts. The initial instars of the larva were transparent, whitish in colour and it was changed to a glittering red towards the pupation. Larva was characterized by the strong and sclerotized mandibles which enable it to vigorously devour plant tissues. Antennae were short, three segmented and located towards the front of the head. Unequal, five stemmata were located laterally and posteriorly to the antennae. Four segmented strong thoracic legs ended with a claw. Abdomen consisted of 8 segments while pseudo legs were located on the iii, iv, v and x abdominal segments. Equal crochets were in a complete circle. The larva made an irregular shaped tunnel inside the immature leaf of cinnamon and continued to grow up to a length of 5mm inside the mine before pupating in an external cocoon of 6mm. The adult was a greyish moth of 3 to 5mm in length with a wingspan of 7 to 9mm. Wings are entire, scaled, lack stigma on front wing between C and R. Hind wings are fringed. Filiform antenna not knobbed at the tip with more than 41 segments longer than forewings. Proboscis coiled. Tibial spurs are conspicuous. Basal segment of antennae enlarged forming an eye cap. Present study confirmed that the Cinnamon leaf miner belongs to the Acrocercops spp. under Order Lepidoptera, Family Gracillariidae and Subfamily Gracillariinae. This study laid foundation to further studies on biology and management strategies of Cinnamon leaf miner in Sri Lanka. Keywords: Acrocercops spp.; Cinnamon zeylanicum; Gracillariidae; Taxonomy
A Case Study in Analysing Chemical and Microbial Properties of Orthodox Black Tea Manufactured in Uva High Region
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Wewelwala, N.A.C.S.; Kahandage, K.P.M.; Wedamulla, N.E.; Wijesinghe, W.A.J.P.
Sri Lankan teas are accepted as the finest tea produced in the world. Quality of tea is determined by it‟s physical, chemical and microbiological properties. But very few research studies shown the variation of quality parameters during black tea manufacturing against the manufacturing method and selling catalogues. Therefore, this case study was conducted to investigate the variation of selected quality parameters of Orthodox black tea from Uva high region during its manufacturing process. In Chemical analysis, Total polyphenol content (TPC) (ISO 14502-1;2005) and radical scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (AOAC International standards) were determined with some modifications to the standard analytical methods. Samples were taken (n=3) from six stages of manufacturing process. The IC50 values of DPPH radical scavenging activity changed from 7.96±0.08 ppm (withering) to 69.79±3.73 ppm (winnowing), indicating that withering stage has highest antioxidant content. The TPC ranged from 1.46 ±0.03 to 6.08 ±0.11 mg GAE g-1 dry leaves but no linear relationship exists between TPC and antioxidant activity (p>0.05) (R2 = 0.4803). In microbial analysis, Total plate and Yeast and mold counts were determined (Sri Lanka Tea Board - SLS 516: part 1 and SLS 516:2;1991) and highest microbial counts were identified in winnowing stage as 6.22x106 CFU g-1 (Total plate count) and 2.82 x106 CFU g-1 (yeast and mold count) respectively. However, the tea collected from packing, had not exceeded the acceptable levels of minimum requirement for exportation (ISO 3720:2011). Research findings exhibit that the tea manufactured in respective factory, is satisfied the minimum requirements for exportation but hand hygiene practices, and cleanliness of contacting surfaces may be the cause of highest microbial counts of tea samples in winnowing. This study recommends further studying of microbial parameters to investigate the contaminations of tea in tea factories. Keywords: Orthodox black tea; Uva high region; Selling Catalogue; Antioxidant activity
Challenges Faced by Female Workers in Trade Union Participation: A Study Based on Balmoral Tea Estate
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Alaguraja, R.; Jeney, C.D.; Vigarsh, K.
Trade union participation is a collective involvement of members in union related activities which are closely related to the effective functions of the union. Trade unions were emerged in Sri Lanka through the background of British colonialized period under the plantation economy system. Several trade unions are in operation at plantation platform. Female workers play a major role in plantation sector because, half of the plantation labor force are Females. They represent several trade unions based on their interest. This study explores the challenges faced by Female workers with the participation of the trade union activities. The study area is Balmoral tea estate which is located in the middle part of Nuwara- Eliya district. The research was based only from the female estate workers. The Primary data was collected from direct observation, in depth interviews and case studies. Secondary data was gathered from relevant books, magazines, and internet sources. The thematic analysis techniques were applied for data analysis. With the use of analyzed data, this study identified prominent causes related to this aspect such as lack of interest in trade union activities, lack of family support, dual burden, lack of awareness about the trade union activities as per the benefits which can be obtain from the union, lack of educational platform, hesitation to express their thoughts and ideas and existing patriarchal contradiction in the community influences on female workers which illustrates gender, class, ethnicity and caste based inequalities among them. Tea estate female workers are unable to participate enthusiastically in trade union activities because of several barriers due to their native structure. But in practical it is defined as a basic right of them. Females‟ participation is seen as a platform for them to solve their work place related problems on their own. This Study emphasizes the importance and value of the trade union participation of females. Apart from these, all authorized government and non-governmental sectors are expected to create policies and implement programmes to motivate women workers‟ trade union participation with adequate knowledge and awareness. Keywords: Plantation; Participations; Trade union; Female workers
Classification of Monkeys for the Automatic Monkey Repellenter using Transfer Learning
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Liyanage, K.L.K.S.; Vithanage, D.S.
Monkeys take over the cultivations looking for foods, and it makes the fields wasted and it has become one of the major problems that farmers have to face in many areas. Furthermore, monkeys attack the normal households, and cities have become a common problem in the present society. The typical method to warding off monkeys is through human involvement such as shouting and lighting torches, air riffles, and fire crackers to repel the monkeys that come to their crops. Moreover, these methods are not easy, and some of them are harmful to monkeys as well as human. Additionally, these methods are familiar to the monkeys. Therefore, even if they leave at those times, they are used to coming back again. This is a lot of time wasting for the farmers, and it is difficult to protect the cultivations whole day. In some scenarios, monkeys attack farmers when they attempt to repel them from cultivations. Due to the damages that made by monkeys to the cultivations in Sri Lanka, there is a huge lose to economy. Therefore, accurate, efficient automatic method for chase different classes of monkeys is very useful tool. This paper describes classification of three classes of monkeys using transfer learning and electronic monkey repellenter to prevent this issue. This can help to protect the cultivation for the farmers whole the day without any labor cost. This can fill the gap of experts with cheap labors and computers or mobiles. The developed application consists of four main steps namely image pre-processing, data augmentation, train the model and visualize the results. Furthermore, this model can identify the three classes of monkeys and repel them from the cultivations by emitting a frequency wave. The accuracy of the system was calculated after visualized the results with the help of the prediction of the labels of the test images, and found as 98%. In the conclusion, the developed method can help farmers to recognize three classes of monkeys and warding off them early and cheaply using the Automatic Repellenter. Keywords: Monkey; Transfer learning; Data augmentation; Cultivations
Comparison of Growth Performance, Yield Parameters and Nutritional Composition of Two Hybrid Napier (Pakchong-1 and CO-3) Cultivars Propagated at Boralanda Farm
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Suhair, M.M.M.; Tharangani, R.M.H.; Ranaweera, K.K.T.N.
The objective of the current study was to determine the best forage cultivar of the two Hybrid Napier (Pakchong-1 and CO-3) cultivars that well-suited to the prevailing agro-climatic conditions of the Boralanda Farm, Welimada, Sri Lanka based on the growth performance, yield parameters and nutritional composition. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) having 6 blocks, 2 treatment plots in each block and 10 replicates in each plot. After filed preparation, blocks were arranged according to the slope of the land. A soil analysis was conducted to determine the soil quality gradient across the blocks and basal fertilizer application was conducted after the land preparation. Two node cuttings of two cultivars were planted following standard recommendations. All the other agronomic practices following planting were kept constant across treatments. The number of leaves per plant, plant height and stem diameter were recorded weekly as growth parameters and plants were harvested 45 days after planting to record the fresh matter yield, plan height and leaves per plant. Further, the proximate composition of two forage cultivars was analyzed. The results revealed that the cultivar Pakchong-1showed the highest growth performance having a higher number of leaves (53 Vs. 44), higher plant height (105 cm Vs. 90 cm) and larger stem diameter (21 cm Vs. 18 cm) compared to CO-3 (p<0.05) at 45 days after planting. As a result of the higher number of leaves and plant height, Pakchong-1 showed significantly higher fresh matter yield (2.742 kg/m2) than CO-3. Although dry matter, crude fiber and ash contents were not different among the two cultivars, Pakchong-1 contained higher contents of crude fat (28.6% vs. 15.7% DM basis) and crude protein (20.5% Vs. 16.4% DM basis) (p<0.05). In conclusion, Pakchong-1 could be considered as the most suitable forage type among two cultivars in terms of growth characteristics, forage yield and nutritional composition to be used for ruminant feeding at Boralanda Farm. Keywords: Pakchong-1; CO-3; Fodder; Dairy
The Competitiveness of Sri Lankan Tea: A Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) Approach
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Vithunan, T.; Wijetunga, C.S.
Tea production in Sri Lanka seems to be distorted in recent decades due to government intervention through different taxes and subsidies. In addition, Sri Lankan tea industry is facing enormous challenges such as low productivity, low replanting rate, high cost of production, and shortage of labor. Moreover, Kenyan and Chinese teas are becoming rapidly popular in the world market, while Sri Lankan tea is losing its market share by 1.2% during the pandemic situation. The study aims at undertaking a detailed analysis of policy support for tea production in Sri Lanka for the period of 2006-2019 using Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) Approach. The study is based on the secondary data obtained from the Sri Lanka Tea Board, Department of Census & Statistics, Trade map Web, Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Ministry of Plantation. The Nominal Protection Coefficient (NPC), Effective Protection Coefficient (EPC), and Domestic Resource Cost (DRC) are estimated using PAM approach. Study results indicate that the values of NPC, EPC, and DRC are less than one for the period of 2006-2019. Hence, study suggests that Sri Lankan tea industry is not protected through the policy interventions while the available resources are efficiently and effectively utilized and there is a vast scope for Sri Lankan tea in terms of export to the countries. Additionally, DRC values indicate that the use of domestic factors are socially profitable in Sri Lanka despite increase cost of production over the years. However, tea production and export in the country will be negatively affected in the coming years due to recent government policy changes, such as the import banning of chemical fertilizer and other agro chemicals, as well as increased Cess tax. Therefore, the Sri Lankan government needs to consider about increasing input subsidies and other agricultural subsidies, which could affect competitiveness in tea industry in the country. Furthermore, lowering export Cess tax and establishing trade agreements with other nations will help to raise tea's export share in the global market. Keywords: Cost of production; Domestic resource cost; Effective protection coefficient; Nominal protection coefficient; Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM); Tea industry
Detect Appropriate Period to Apply Fertilizer for the Tea Plantation Using Image Processing
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Yasanthi, H.I.G.E.; Vithanage, D.S.
Tea cultivation is one of the main income sources of the export field in Sri Lanka and the main sources of employment in the country, employing more than one million workers. Tea inflation is a national challenge. Tea revenue drops several times a year due to the low yield of tea and it is the main threat to the tea industry. The yields can be reduced due to the poor nutrition of the plant. Fertilizer should be applied to the plant on time to maintain the nutrition of the plant and can get a proper harvest. When the plants do not have fertilizer, the fibers in the leaves change, and gradually the color of the leaf change to yellow. Experts' eye observation is the ordinary method to recognize the time to fertilize. Especially, it is hard to recognize the exact period of the fertilizer application to tea plants by eye observation with the help of color changes on leaves for novel tea planters. Hence, they may require to grab the assistance of expertise, which is more expensive. Early recognition of the period of the fertilizer application is the key to avert losses in the quality and quantity of tea products. Therefore, an accurate, efficient automatic method for recognizing fertilizing period is a very useful tool for novel planters among tea cultivators. This research describes the automatic recognition of the period of fertilizer application for the 'TRI 4049' type of Tea plants using image processing technique. This can fill the gap of experts with cheap labor and computers. It is beneficial to get a nutritional harvest for a large estate. The developed application consists of four main steps namely image acquisition, image pre-processing, segmentation, and feature extraction and Classification. The green pixels percentage was calculated to find out the suitable period for the fertilizer application of the Tea plants. The accuracy of the system was found as above73% after the train and validate the model. In the conclusion, the developed method can help novice planters to recognize the most suitable period of the fertilizer application for tea plants early and cheaply. Keywords: Image Processing; Feature Extraction; Classification; Fertilizer Applications
Determination of the Effect of Papaya (Carica papaya) Leaf Powder as a Low Cost, Immunogenic, Herbal Feed Additive on Zebrafish (Danio rerio
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Prameesha, H.A.; De Silva, D.P.N.; Guruge, W.A.H.P.
Fish diseases including bacterial diseases cause significant loss in aquaculture. Antibiotic treatments are expensive and lead to antimicrobial resistance. The objective of this study was to identify the potential of a low cost herb which enhance fish immunity using Carica papaya leaf powder as a feed additive on zebrafish infected with bacteria and determined the effect on immunity. Ninety healthy fish were divided into three groups with three replicates (30 fish per group) exposed to Aeromonas hydrophila in water for a week followed by feeding trial. Three groups were fed with commercial (control), antibiotic and papaya leaf incorporated fish feed with 2% of body weight per day. Differential white blood cell (WBC) count was taken to identify the effects on disease response. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed to identify, antibiotic resistance of bacteria and antibacterial activity of aqueous papaya leaf extract. Growth parameters and growth performances of experimental fish were calculated. WBC counts were measured before exposure to bacteria, one week after infectious challenge, one week after feed trial. One way ANOVA followed Tukey Pairwise comparison test used for data analysis. Fish exposed to A. hydrophila showed haemorrhages on the base of pectoral fin, fin rot and body discoloration. As per the results, monocyte count was decreased and lymphocyte count was increased in all three tanks after infection but one week after receiving the antibiotic and papaya feed, lymphocyte counts were decreased significantly compared to the control, while monocyte count and neutrophil counts were increased compared to the control. Accordingly, initial increase of lymphocyte count was observed due to immune response against bacteria as they involved in antigen-antibody reactions. Lowered monocyte count was observed due to recruit them for wound healing. Lowered lymphocyte count was observed due to the reduction of pathogens in response to antibiotic and papaya feed. Neutrophils play a role in phagocytizing bacteria, increased in papaya fed fish indicated a positive immune response. The results indicated that papaya leaf incorporated feed increased the immune response of zebrafish against A. hydrophila, which can be used as a low cost, herbal feed additive in ornamental fish industry. Keywords: Zebrafish; Carica papaya; Aeromonas hydrophila; Immunity; Herbal antibiotic
Development of an Appropriate Micro Propagation Protocol for Nymphaea×erangae
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Wijekoon, W.M.A.P.; Herath, H.M.I.; Bambaranda, B.V.A.S.M.
The Nymphaea × erangae Yakandawala, Guruge & Yakandawala is one of the most conspicuously attractive and eye catching plant which has high demand in local and export markets. However the production of these plants takes a long time where wild collection is not sustainable and cannot cater the demand. Micro propagation is one of the best techniques which can be practiced in commercial production of Nymphaea × erangae plants. The studies on Nymphaea × erangae are very limited and the contamination rates is very high when the mother plants collected from muddy soil media,can easily exposed and contaminated by microbes. This research study focuses to investigate the ability to use soil less culture system for mother plants of Nymphaea × erangae to minimize contamination in micro propagation. Three treatments ( duration of 1, 2, and 4 weeks maintenance of mother plants in soil less culture system treated by 0.5g/1L Albert solution and 1g/10L Fungicide in twice a week) were tested and plants were maintained in muddy soil were used as the control. The leaf blade and rhizome buds were used as explants. The results revealed Nymphaea × erangae tissue culture in MS media, which were placed for a week in the soil less culture system showed significantly higher (p<0.05) survival rate and 25 % of non-contaminated surviving culture vessels after two months, compared to control and other treatments, which is suitable for micropropagation of Nymphaea × erangae in commercial scale. Keywords: Nymphaea × erangae Yakandawala, Guruge & Yakandawala, Soil less culture system, MS medium, Albert solution, Fungicide
Development of Groundnut Threshing Machine for Sri Lankan Varieties
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Dilshani, K.L.O.T.; Kumara, S.H.L.R.P.; Sanganayaka, S.M.N.C.; Wijewardana, Y.N.S.; Bopeththa, C.
Groundnut threshing is a fundamental process in post-harvest management. The threshing process is done using manpower and machinery. The majority of groundnut growers separate the groundnuts by their hands. But the manual threshing process is inefficient and it is a very time-consuming process. At present, imported threshing machines with various capacities are used by Sri Lankan farmers for threshing the groundnut of Sri Lankan varieties with the limitations of those imported machines. The main reason is for the low productivity of imported threshing machines is that the machines are designed based on the specifications of the groundnut types available in those countries. The objectives of this project are (i) to design and develop a machine for threshing the groundnut pods from the groundnut bushes after harvesting and (ii) to develop a low-cost and efficient groundnut threshing machine for local varieties. Several field visits were made to find short coming of the available machines. Based on the field visit information, a three-dimensional design of the threshing machine was designed to avoid those short comings. The designed threshing machine is powered mechanically and size of the machine is smaller (L=1750mm) than the others. New improvements in the current design are being made by analyzing farmer’s data and their ideas. In this process, two to three days after the groundnut harvesting, the bushes are threshing, which reduces the force required to separate the pods from the bushes that should be minimized damage to the pods internally and externally. This developed threshing machine can adjust the scale of air blower input area, that air input requirement scale depending on the type of groundnut. The main difference between groundnut varieties is the mass of pods. This threshing machine gives positive feedback to groundnut farmers to grow several types of groundnut in large quantities and contributes to the growth of the local economy. Keywords: Groundnut threshing machine; Field efficiency; Groundnut varieties
Development of Plant-based Protein Tea Premix Using Tea Cream, Pea (Pisum sativum) and Rice (Oryza sativa) Protein Isolates
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Fernando, W.N.K.; Perera, G.A.A.R.; Rathnayake, A.M.G.N.; Subasinghe, U.G.P.P.
Tea is well known for its refreshing and health promoting properties. Tea cream is the precipitate formed as the tea cools. All the important tea constituents are concentrated in tea cream. It is produced as a byproduct during cold-water-soluble instant tea manufacture. Generally, vegetarian diets are not wholesome in terms of quantity and quality of protein supplied. Therefore, there is a potential to deliver high quality plant-based protein in a concentrated form via tea which is renowned as a healthy beverage. This study was carried out to develop a plant-based protein tea premix. Tea cream was prepared using the discarded fraction during tea manufacture which is known as „refuse tea‟. Recipes of protein tea premix were prepared by incorporating different levels of Pea (Pisum sativum) protein isolate (38%, 45%, 49%, 53% and 60%) and Rice (Oryza sativa) protein isolate (60%, 53%, 49%, 45% and 38%) with a constant level of tea cream (2%). Sensory properties; colour, aroma, taste, mouth feel, appearance and overall acceptability of the samples were evaluated using 9 points Hedonic scale by 30 untrained panelists and the best recipe was selected for further analysis. Protein, moisture, ash, crude fat and crude fiber contents of the product were determined using official AOAC methods. Total phenolic content was determined as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) by Folin Ciocalteu colorimetric method. Total antioxidant capacity was determined by assessing the DPPH free radical scavenging activity. The selected protein tea premix contained 82.58 ± 0.40% protein 8.00 ± 0.34% moisture and 3.06 ± 0.08% ash whereas crude fiber and crude fat were not detected in the sample. Total polyphenol content of the product was 16.64 ± 0.57 mg GAE g-1 and its inhibition concentration (IC50) was found to be 137.10 ± 0.55 μg ml-1. Therefore, the developed plant-based protein tea premix with its high protein content and appreciable levels of polyphenol and antioxidant activities would be a healthier and appealing protein source. Keywords: Tea cream; Protein isolate; Pea; Rice; Proximate composition
Different Organic Sources as Germination Enhancers of Selected Seeds and as Components of Fertilizer Formulation for a Test Crop
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Jeyakumar, K.; Gnanavelrajah, N.
Farmers tend to use inorganic fertilizers in excess amount for getting high yield. Excess application of inorganic fertilizer is detrimental. In this background a study was undertaken to formulate a low- cost organic fertilizer and examine the effectiveness of Spirulina, Azolla and formulated organic fertilizer (FOF) on germination and seedling vigor of Curry Chilli, Green Chilli, Water spinach and Sugar graze and to evaluate the effect of FOF on growth and yield of Sugar graze. The organic fertilizer was formulated based on nutrient analysis, using dry powders of Spirulina, Azolla, and three underutilized resources, namely Palmyrah leaf, Coconut leaf and Banana pseudostem. The germination experiment was carried out with three replicates in Complete randomized design (CRD) with five treatments namely T1 - FOF, T2 - dry Azolla powder, T3 - dry Spirulina powder, T4 - live Spirulina culture and T5 - Control (Distilled water) . A pot experiment was conducted in net house to find the response of Sugar graze for different fertilizer combinations. Treatments were T1 - control (no fertilizer), T2- 100% inorganic (NPK-2.7, 1.8, 0.9 g/pot ), T3 - 50% inorganic(NPK-1.35, 0.9, 0.45 g/pot), T4 - 100% organic (cattle manure - 540 g/pot), T5 - 50% organic (cattle manure - 270 g/pot), T6 - 50% inorganic (NPK-1.35, 0.9, 0.45 g/pot) + 270 g FOF and T7 - 50% organic (cattle manure - 270 g/pot) + 270 g FOF. Design was CRD with two replicates. Nutrient uptake of the plants, plant height and yield were measured. The recorded data were statistically analysed using Analysis of Variance and treatment means were compared using Duncan‟s multiple range test. Result showed that soaking with Spirulina, Azolla and FOF improves the germination (5 -15%) and seedling vigour (12-53%) compared to control in all selected seeds. T6 (50% inorganic + FOF) and T2 (100% inorganic) recorded the same average value in height (210 cm), which was the highest among treatments. T4 (100% organic) recorded the highest value in potassium (34.34 g/plant) uptake. T7 (50% organic + FOF) recorded the highest values in nitrogen (0.82 g/plant) and phosphorous (2.18 g/plant) uptake and fresh biomass yield (158 g/plant) and dry biomass yield (41 g/plant). This finding indicates that by substituting 50% of organic or inorganic fertilizer with FOF, either similar or higher performance of sugar graze compared to 100% organic or inorganic treatments can be obtained. Keywords: Azolla; Formulated organic fertilizer; Seed vigour; Spirulina; Sugar graze
Early Identification of Major Pest attacks Caused to Crop Loss in Paddy Fields: A Case Study
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Lakshan, W.D.T.; Laksiri, P.H.P.N.
Unrecognized or late recognized pest attacks are one of the major problems which lead to crop loss in paddy cultivation. According to the most recent season harvest Data of Rice research institute, it was recorded 40% of crop loss in the paddy cultivation in the Hambanthota district. Under a preliminary survey, it was identified Aphids, Brown-planthoppers, and Thrips were the major pests that caused the crop loss in paddy in the selected area. Due to the lack of proper knowledge in identification and lack of timely and accurate information, farmers are struggling to identify and control these pest attacks in their paddy fields. Due to crop loss, most of them are losing their money, interest, time, and confidence in paddy cultivation. During the study, domain experts revealed that early identification and early-stage of controlling these pests can save the majority of the crop loss and save lots of money which were spent on pesticides in paddy cultivation. This Case study was conducted to address the issues identified above, in the selected paddy fields in the Gonnoruwa area in the Hambanthota district. The proposed model use image processing techniques in combination with Convolutional Neural Networks to detect the pest's attacks in paddy cultivation by analyzing the symptoms. A set of self-captured images which were labeled with the help of domain experts were used to build and train the proposed model. The model has achieved 95% of accuracy while testing. The proposed model will be further improved to identify more pests and disease attacks in the future while delivering it as a handheld portable device where farmers can use it in real-time in their paddy fields which will lead to saving their time and money while increasing the paddy yield. Keywords: Crop loss; Paddy; Pest and diseases; Pest identification model
The Effect of Coriandrum Sativum as Feed Additives on Growth Performance, Immunity and Disease Resistance of Southern Platy Fish (Xiphophorus Maculatus)
(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2021) Bowalage, B.W.G.S. L.; Coswatte, A.C.W.W.M.C.L.K.; De Silva, D.P.N.
Ornamental fish production and trade is a profitable alternative in the aquaculture industry. Nutrition is one of the key factors to obtain a higher productivity while maintain immunity of ornamental fishes. These fishes live in an environment surrounded by stress factors. Increasing immunity via feed additives may help them to thrive such stressors. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess the effect of coriander as feed additives and immune enhancers, on growth performance, immunity and disease resistance of southern platy fish (Xiphophorus maculatus). Sixty healthy platy fish, of 2 months old with an average weight of 0.17 ± 0.01 g were used in the experiment. Fish were fed with coriander incorporated commercially available feed for one month. The experiment was triplicated and controls were also maintained without incorporating coriander to commercially available feed. The weight gain, length and specific growth rate (SGR) were measured. The infection trial was carried out using Aeromonas hydrophila. Immune response and disease resistance of fish were determined by analyzing white blood cell (WBC) count. Results revealed that the, mean length and SGR obtained from coriander fed fish were significantly higher than the control (p<0.05). The fish fed with Coriander incorporated feed obtained 20% of neutrophil count while fish fed without coriander incorporated feed obtained 10% of neutrophil count. In conclusion, there was a positive effect on disease resistance and immunity by the coriander incorporated feed on southern platy fishes and significant length and weight gain indicated the feasibility of using coriander as feed additives and immune enhancers in aquaculture. Keywords: Coriandrum sativum; Disease Resistance; Innate Immunity; Ornamental fish; Specific Growth Rate; White Blood Cell

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