The study clarifies the effectiveness of biostimulants in enhancing the water and nutrient absorption capacity of maize under drought conditions. The experiment was executed in a plastic house at Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, to determine the effect of foliar-applied biostimulants on maize growth, development, and yield under well-watered and artificially induced drought stress conditions. The two-factor experiment included 10 treatments and was arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. The main-plot factor included moisture contents of 35 and 90%, and the sub-plot factor involved four biostimulants Agroptim (2 L/ha), C-Weed 50 (1 L/ha), Elevate (2 L/ha), Proplex (1 L/ha), and water (control). The results showed that biostimulants significantly affected the growth, leaf area, leaf area index, and biomass of maize under drought stress. In contrast, when plants were well-watered, biostimulants had a negligible effect. The actual yield of maize that applied biostimulants ranged from 383.6 to 557.1 kg/1,000 m² under 35% moisture content (increased by 33.8 to 207.3 kg compared to the control) and from 769.3 to 903.1 kg/1,000 m² under 90% moisture content (increased by 43.4 - 117.2 kg compared to the control). Application of the biostimulants Proplex and Agroptim on maize resulted in higher growth parameters, leading to greater values for fresh ear weight (138,17 and 153,15 g/ear); yield (704,28 and 800,95 kg/1,000 m2) compared to the application of Elevate and C-Weed 50. 

The study aimed to determine suitable substrate ratios and humidities to produce organic fertilizer from the stems and leaves of pineapples using Trichoderma spp. strains (TC). A completely randomized 6 x 3 factorial design was used. The factor (A) was the different supplementation of cellulose-degrading fungi (no supplementation, Tricho-DHCT, TC1, TC2, TC3, and a mixture of TC1, TC2, and TC3). The factor (B) was three levels of humidity (50%, 60%, and 70%). The experiment used 3 different substrate ratios (pineapple stem leaves, sugarcane filter cake, and cow dung corresponding to 7:1.5:1.5 (KBB7); 8:1:1 (KBB8); and 9:0.5:0.5 (KBB9)). The results showed that the substrate ratios KBB7, KBB8, and KBB9 supplemented with the mixed Trichoderma strains (TC1 + TC2 + TC3) exhibited a greater total P content than the treatments supplemented with individual strains (0.574% vs. 0.389 - 0.463% for KBB7, 0.507% vs. 0.351 - 0.380% for KBB8, and 0.422% vs. 0.303 - 0.427%, respectively). Likewise, in all three substrate ratios, KBB7, KBB8, and KBB9, the control treatment had a greater C/N ratio than the other treatments supplemented with Trichoderma spp. or Tricho-DHCT (43.8 vs. 28.3 - 35.1 for KBB7, 47.8 vs. 31.6 - 35.2 for KBB8, and 54.8 vs. 34.2 - 37.1 for KBB9, respectively). The total C content also showed a similar trend. In general, the substrate ratio of 7:1.5:1.5 at a humidity of 50 or 60% is suitable to produce organic fertilizer.

The research was conducted to determine the appropriate amount of eggshell powder and potassium fertilizer for Kim Hoang Hau melon variety grown in green houses in Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province. The experiment was designed completely randomly, with 3 replications. The treatments included levels of eggshell powder application (E0: no application, E1: 100 kg/ha, E2: 200 kg/ha, and E3: 300 kg/ha) combined with levels of potassium fertilizer application (K2O) (K0: 130 kg K2O/ha, K1: 140 kg K2O/ha, K2: 150 kg K2O/ha, K3: 160 kg K2O/ha). The base amount of fertilizer for 1 ha included 15 tons of manure, 200 kg of lime powder, 40 kg of mixed micronutrients, 30 kg of MgSO4, 130 kg of N, and 130 kg of P2O5. The research results showed that the cucumber plants, from planting to 42 days without additional potassium, were only affected by the eggshell powder. At the level of 300 kg/ha of eggshell powder, the cucumber plants had the earliest female flowering time of 21 days and quickly reached 28 leaves by the 42 days of topping. The formula of applying 200 kg/ha of eggshell powder and 150 kg of K2O/ha resulted in no fruit cracking, thicker fruit skin, the highest yield of 35.5 tons/ha, a Brix level of 13.5%, and the highest net profit of 613.93 million VND. The formula without egg shell powder and without potassium supplementation had a high fruit cracking rate of 5% and a thin fruit peel thickness of 7.

This study focused on developing a technical process for aquatic plant fertilizer from sawdust of mushroom post-crop. There were two experiments; the first one was to produce fertilizers from sawdust after mushroom cultivation, and the second was to evaluate them on the growth of the sunset hygro tree and the survival of neon fish. The results showed that the compost pile consisting of 60% sawdust mushroom post-crop and 40% chicken manure gave the best quality, including total organic carbon (9.63%), total nitrogen (0.66%), P₂O₅ (1.06%), and K₂O (752 mg/kg). When mixing the composted product with 3 types of additives and 3 different mixing ratios, three fertilizer formulas were chosen for the later part due to their slow release into the water: fertilizer A (95% sawdust postcompost and 5% kaoline powder), B (90% sawdust post-compost and 10% kaoline), and C (85% sawdust post-compost and 15% kaoline). These fertilizer formulas were assessed in culture tanks with aquatic plants and neon fish. The results showed that the fertilizer formula C met water quality standards for plants and fish, which were pH (6.5 - 8.0), NH₄+/NH₃ (< 1 mg/L), NO₂ (< 1 mg/L), optimal range for growth of sunset trees, and survival of neon fish.

The objective of this survey was to identify the appearance of Anaplasma morulae in cat’s blood and their treatment efficacy. The blood of cats with suspected clinical signs was examined under a light microscope for Anaplasma morulae detection in the cat’s neutrophils and platelets. The blood smear examination revealed that there were 26/243 Anaplasma spp.-infected cats, accounting for 10,7% of the clinically-suspected cats. The clinical signs in Anaplasma spp.-infected cats included pale mucous membrane (69.23%), lethargy (57.59%), loss of appetite (42.31%), weight loss, and fever (30.77%). The risk factors for Anaplasma spp. infection in cats were not dependent on the cat’s breed, sex, and rearing method but were influenced by the cat’s age; especially the cats ranging from over 1 to 4 years old accounted for the highest infection (12.5%) owing to the close contact to the surrounding environment harboring the Anaplasma-infected ticks. The treatment efficacy of anaplasmosis in cats was 69.23% during 28 days, the remission rate was 19.23%, and failure to recover from illness accounted for 11.54%. The recovery ability from anaplasmosis in cats would be better if the disease was diagnosed early and properly treated and cared for.

The study was conducted to assess the status of infection and detect some genes encoding broad-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) of E. coli isolated from imported frozen chicken collected at the Center for Experimental Analysis Services in Ho Chi Minh City. The results showed that 43.56% (98/225) were infected with E. coli. In which 6/98 strains (6.12%) were both resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC) and ampicillin (AM), and 20/98 strains (20.41%) were resistant to ceftazidime (CAZ). In addition, the detection rate of ESBL-producing genes, the blaTEM group, was detected in 10/20 strains (50.0%), with 02/20 strains (10.0%) carrying genes belonging to the blaCTX group. Only 01 strain carried both blaTEM/CTX genes. This strain was resistant to all 03 types of antibiotic phenotypes. No cases of carrying genes belonging to the blaSHV group were detected. The results of the study provided data on the risk of E. coli potentially producing high levels of β-lactamresistant ESBL, which is alarming for frozen meat products of imported origin. Therefore, the establishment and maintenance of safety monitoring programs for imported products is very necessary and urgent.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of chitosan-based nanoemulsion loaded with niaouli essential oils (MEO-CS-Nes) in extending the postharvest shelf life of Cavendish bananas. The physicochemical characterization revealed that the nanoemulsion had an average particle size of 99.72 nm and a zeta potential of 36.53 mV, indicating good stability. The antifungal activity of MEO-CS-Nes against common postharvest pathogens, including Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, was assessed in vitro, revealing minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values of 62.5/125 and 62.5/250 ppm, respectively. In vivo investigations demonstrated that MEO-CS-Nes treatment effectively preserved bananas, maintaining peel color, flesh quality, and firmness for up to 9 days compared to untreated and chitosan-treated groups. The MEO-CS-Nes also inhibited fruit browning by suppressing polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activity. These findings highlight MEO-CS-Nes as an effective, eco-friendly solution for postharvest banana preservation, ensuring food safety and supporting sustainable agriculture.

Coffee husk, an abundant by-product of coffee processing, contains bioactive compounds, particularly phenolic acids, such as chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and protocatechuic acid. This study investigated the extraction efficiency of phenolic acids by reflux and enzyme-assisted extraction. The results showed that the reflux method using 50% ethanol solvent for 180 min achieved a total phenolic content of 27.10 mg GAE/g, lower than the extraction methods using Celluclast and Viscozyme enzymes with polyphenol contents of 27.96 and 28.52 mg GAE/g, respectively. The reflux method with water and 50% ethanol gave the highest extraction yield of chlorogenic acid, reaching 135.35 and 134.10 mg/100 g, respectively. While the Celluclast enzyme gave the highest protocatechuic acid level of 81.96 mg/100 g after 15 min. Interestingly, caffeic acid increased rapidly to 67.74 mg/100 g after 60 min using Viscozyme, 16.5 times higher than that obtained from the reflux extraction. Regarding antioxidant activity, the reflux extract showed higher radical scavenging capacity when evaluated by the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay (62.89 mg Trolox/g) compared with its antioxidant activity determined by the ABTS assay. In contrast, enzymatic extracts exhibited higher antioxidant capacity when evaluated using the ABTS (2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay, with values ranging from 76.51 to 77.57 mg Trolox/g. Choosing the appropriate extraction method to recover bioactive substances from coffee husk is a crucial step to intensively develop specific applications of coffee husks in related fields.

This study aimed to assess the current status of municipal solid waste (MSW) management at Nong Lam University Ho Chi Minh City and to propose improved management solutions. The study employed data collection, waste quantification and classification, expert consultation, and data analysis. The results showed that MSW at the university was generated by students and staff in lecture halls, libraries, offices, practice laboratories, dormitories, and public areas. A total of 12 MSW types were identified and classified into three main groups: recyclable and reusable waste, food waste, and other MSW. The average amount of MSW generated was 1,532.08 kg/day (508,651 kg/year). The MSW generation emission coefficient per day was 0,051 kg/person in lecture halls, libraries, offices, and departments, and 0,198 kg/person in dormitories. Although MSW is currently being managed at the university, there are still many limitations. Therefore, the group proposes communication solutions to raise awareness on waste separation; new management and treatment models that incorporate source separation of MSW, such as the three-level classification and three- group collection model, and the 5R approach. These proposed methods can support the university in building a new hygienic MSW management process, reducing transportation and treatment costs, maintaining campus aesthetics, and protecting the environment.

Tan Dong Hiep ward, located in Di An city (Binh Duong province), is a rapidly industrializing area, leading to increasing pressure on the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study aimed to assess the current status of MSW collection, transportation, and management in the ward. The research methodology included field surveys, with a total of 360 questionnaires collected from 100 households, 250 businesses, and 10 waste collection units, along with statistical data analysis and the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) to integrate spatial data. The results showed that the rate of agreement for waste source separation was 59% for households and 70.4% for businesses. The average daily amount of MSW generated was 0.94 kg/person, equivalent to 100.47 tons/day, and was forecasted to increase to 117.03 tons/day by 2030. This suggested the urgent need to upgrade the waste collection and treatment system to meet the growing demand. The ward currently had 10 waste collection units with 24 vehicles, but overlapping service areas remained, causing management challenges. Based on spatial analysis, the study proposes an optimal collection system with 21 routes to improve collection efficiency, reduce costs, and improve MSW management in the area.