Al Hasaad
The Community Outreach Magazine
College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University
Sultanate of Oman
May 2010
Management strategies
for saline lands and
ground waters in Oman
(p 4)
Fresher produce
p5
Overseas PhDs
p 13
Farmers’ day
p 11
Postharvest technologies not only improve
quality but also reduce
cost of fresh produce.
Three students from
overseas join CAMS
for PhD studies
Another successful Farmer’s
Day organized at CAMS. More
than 250 guests visited our
facilities
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 1
Al Hasaad
In this issue...
Research
4
Management of saline
land and groundwaters
Study evaluates strategies to
cope with saline irrigation
water in agriculture.
5
College of Agricultural and
Marine Sciences (CAMS)
C
AMS was amongst the first
colleges established at Sultan
Qaboos University in 1986. Its
vision is to be a regional center of
excellence in education, research and
extension in the fields of agricultural
and marine sciences. Its objectives,
through 6 departments, are to provide
the country with qualified Omanis to
serve the Sultanate in the agricultural,
food and marine sectors and to design
and execute practical research, in collaboration with national and international agencies, for sustainable development of agriculture, fisheries, and
environmental resources.
The College consists of six departments: Animal and Veterinary
Sciences (AVS), Crop Sciences (CS),
Food Science and Nutrition (FSN),
Marine Science and Fisheries (MSF),
Natural Resources Economics (NRE),
and Soils, Water and Agricultural
Engineering (SWAE).
The departments offer ten undergraduate
programs and eight postgraduate
(MSc) programs and several PhD areas
of research.
16
Postharvest technologies improve fresh
produce
Student gained practical
experience in preparing
special meals in controlled
conditionsl
News
3
Postharvest
technologies
not only improve quality but
also reduce cost of fresh
produce.
8
A catalogue of animal
genetic resources in
Oman
Traditional farm animals need
to be recorded and preserved
for future generations.
9
14
6
7
10
14
Handbook on food
properties
Dr. Shafiur Rahman edited
the
second,
enhanced
edition of the handbook.
New CAMS IIUM join
study
New study on marine toxicant
initiatied between CAMS
and International Islamic
University of Malaysia.
11
Farmer’s day 2009
13
International students
attracted to CAMS
Exploring soils in the
field
Students directly involved in
soil analysis in the field.
Workshop on nutrition
and physical activity
Workshop emphasized the
role of nutrition on performance and physical activity.
In Practice
12
Activities of CAMS
student society
Cams students are active in
promoting their college at
SQU and to the public
Fish
with
higher
Omega-3 fatty acids
Study shows that modifiying
the diet of fish in aquaculture
can affect their nutritional
value.
Excellence in sustainable development
Juma Al-Mussalami’s project
receives top marks in the
Netherlands.
More fish for healthier
diets
Fat fish can balance a growing
defficiency in Omega-3 fatty
acids in our diets
Students
prepare
special meals
Another successful “Famer’s
day” organized at CAMS.
More than 250 guests visited
our facilities.
The
newly
established
doctoral program attracted
3 doctoral students from
overseas.
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 2
Research & higher education in Agriculture
and Marine Sciences
The College of Agricultural and Marine
Sciences (CAMS) has always encouraged both applied and fundamental
research in response to increasing
demands on the natural resources
of the Sultanate. The results of this
research effort on the sustainable use
of renewable resources is disseminated through specialized scientific
journals but also presented at regional
and international conferences, in
workshops, in training courses and
seminars and regularly in newspapers
and magazines. It is also used directly
by our faculty and staff to shape the
new generation of young omanis who
enter our educational programs.
To respond to the growing need of
the Sultanate to develop safe, environmentally friendly, sustainable
solution for the exploitation of its
natural resources, the College offers
ten undergraduate degree programs:
Agricultural
Engineering,
Animal
Science, Crop Sciences, Food Science,
Veterinary Technology, Soil and Water
Management,
Water
Technology,
Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Natural
Resources Economics, and Human
Nutrition & Dietetics. The College
has also8 MSc degrees programs
and has admitted 8 students in its 4
newly incepted PhD programs in Crop
Sciences, Marine Science and Fisheries,
Soil and Water and Food Science and
Nutrition. in 2009-2010.
At any time, CAMS supports thus the
research of approximately 40 graduate
students, a number that we would like
to increase through research scholarships endowed by the private sector.
Special award recognizes originality in
sustainable development
M
r Juma Al Musalami (NRE)
attended a training program
on
‘Market
Access
for
Sustainable
Development’
held
at Wageningen University in The
Netherlands, in November 2009.
There was a total of 35 participants
from 21different countries from
around the World. During the course
participants considered cases related
to market access from their respective
countries.
Juma presented a case for improving
the marketing and quality of rose water
produced in Jabal Akhdar, in Oman.
His case was selected as the best from
all the 35 projects presented. The
estimated budject for the rose water
project was 118,000 Euros. It is anticipated that the Netherlands Universities
Foundation will consider funding this
project.
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 3
Management strategies of saline lands and
groundwaters in Oman
S
oil and groundwater salinity has
emerged as the most significant
problem of present day agriculture in the Sultanate of Oman. Scanty
rainfall coupled with high temperature
is always conducive to the accumulation of salts. These conditions are predominantly found in Oman. However,
human activity in the past has been
a driving factor for secondary soil
salinity which has increased at a very
rapid rate due to persistent use of
saline groundwater, the concentration of which has increased with time
because of the increased pumping in
the Batinah region. The region has
been the most important area for agriculture in Oman, encompassing 80,000
ha. The balance that existed between
pumping and annual recharge before
the 1990s has been greatly disturbed,
initially resulting in a reduction of
crop yields and later the gradual abandoning of land. Saline water intrusions
are also present in some areas of the
region that are nearer to the sea as the
result of over-pumping. Estimates for
salt affected lands are around 44% of
the total geographical area and 70%
of the agriculturally suitable area of
the country. The annual losses due to
salinity have been reported to be as
high as 7.31 to 13.97 million Omani
Rials (2005 data). When land goes out
of cultivation, the owners may become
unemployed creating a socio-economic problem with so many negative
impacts on society. Thus, salinity is
a huge threat to the sustainability of
agriculture in Oman, especially in AlBatinah. In this context, a research
project “Management of Salt Affected
Soils and Water for Sustainable
Agriculture” was approved for funding
from the HM Strategic Research Fund.
Research on different aspects of the
salinity problem can be conducted
and techniques evolved to mitigate
soil and water salinity. Appropriate
solutions which are environmentally
sustainable are to be identified and
promoted. There is a need to utilize
land and water resources of the
country that are of marginal quality.
The project focused on four approaches: soil rehabilitation, bio-saline agriculture, fodder production and the
integration of fish culture into crop
production to promote compensatory economic returns to farmers. The
project aimed at developing management guidelines which are scientifically sound for farmers (a) to sustain
Salt tolerant plants such as Sorghum
provides a viable alternative to traditional
crops.
economically viable agricultural production in salt affected areas with
saline groundwater; (b) improve food
security of Oman, and (c) combat desertification. In this project five departments (Soils, Water and Agricultural
Engineering, Crop Sciences, Animal
and Veterinary Sciences, Marine
Science and Fisheries as well as Natural
Resources Economics of CAMS from
SQU, Agricultural Research Center
of Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry
of Regional Municipalities and Water
Resources (MRWR) and International
Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA)
worked together in order to achieve
the following objectives.
1.
Assess the intensity and
extent of salinity in the Batinah
region using remotely sensed
satellite images and ground truthing
Mulching th soil surface with palm debris
lead to significant improvement of the
soil quality and increased yield.
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 4
and preparation of temporal and
spatial variation maps of salinity of
soil and water from GIS.
crops, and fruit trees for various
salt affected regions of Oman. This
includes introduction of halophytes.
2.
Determine agronomic
solutions (mulching, tillage and
sowing methods etc.) and nutritional aspects including microbial
nitrogen mineralization in saline
conditions.
5.
Assess the effects of feeding
salt tolerant forage crops to Omani
sheep.
3.
Determine engineering
and water management solutions
(irrigation, sub-irrigation, leaching,
leveling etc.) to reduce water loss
and salinization.
4.
Determine biological
solutions by identifying salt tolerant
6.
Integrate fish culture in
marginal lands.
7.
Determine socio-economic
costs and benefits of salinity management practices in the Al-Batinah
region.
Summary of findings
• Salt-tolerant varieties of tomatoes,
barley, sorghum and pearl millet can
be grown successfully in saline soils
of the Batinah coast.
• Mulching the soil surface with a
thin layer of shredded date palm
residues resulted in lesser salt accumulation in the soil resulting in more
crop yield.
• Fodder grown in saline soils with
saline water has no negative on
growth or meat quality of goats.
• Incorporation of aquaculture in
salinity affected areas was proven
feasible and profitable.
"
Mushtaque Ahmed
Salim Al-Rawahi
SWAE
ahmedm@squ.edu.om
sarawahy@squ.edu.om
Postharvest technologies reduce losses
and improve quality and supply of fresh
produce in Oman
T
he HM Project on postharvest
technology led by Dr. Linus
Opara has been successfully
completed. This strategic project
was formulated as an integrated and
multidisciplinary research and development program that included substantial capacity building in terms of
supervising postgraduate and senior
undergraduate research, as well as
research training of technical staff
and mentoring of faculty.
b. Determining the critical quality attributes of fresh produce that are
important to Omani consumers.
c. Determining nutritional content
and health functionality of tomato,
banana, and pomegranate at various
stage of ripeness under varied conditions of storage.
d. Determining respiration rates of
fresh banana and pomegranate to be
used for designing modified and controlled atmosphere packaging.
Poor handling sometimes results in large
quality and value losses.
Oman has a high incidence of losses,
inconsistent quality and low economic
value of local agricultural products
compared with similar imported
goods. There is a need to apply innovative postharvest technologies
to address these problems. This
project aimed to evaluate the postharvest losses in the supply chain,
and to determine their nutritional
and genetic characteristics. This was
achieved by performing the following
objectives:
a. Recording postharvest losses
across the fresh food supply chain,
and identifying factors causing these
losses.
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 5
f. Organizing a National Consultative
and
Training
Workshop
on
“Quantification of Postharvest Losses
in Omani Fresh Produce” in order to
provide training on the techniques
and procedures for identifying and
assessing postharvest losses.
Respiraton rates of different varieties of
banana vary and may require different
storage sytems to insure controlled maturation and quality.
e. Determining DNA fingerprints of
banana varieties grown in the southern
areas of Oman by Amplified Fragment
Length Polymorphism (AFLP).
In the first phase, a supply chain
analysis was applied to the preliminary
survey data on fresh produce losses at
different handling stages in the food
supply chain. In the second phase
the critical sensory quality attributes
of selected fresh products, which are
important to Omani consumers, were
determined via questionnaire. The
third phase was conducted by determining nutritional content and health
functionality of selected local products.
In addition, DNA fingerprint of banana
varieties grown in the southern areas
of Oman was.
Total postharvest loss in Oman is high
and varied from 32 to 46%, depending
on the specific supply chain. The most
influential quality attributes affecting
consumer purchase were flavor,
sweetness, and color for banana
and date; and flavor, sweetness, and
firmness for apple, mango and orange.
Selected health beneficial nutrient
contents in the local banana, tomato
and pomegranate were significantly
higher than imported ones. The unique
alleles obtained by DNA fingerprint for
each of the local banana varieties can
be used for variety identification and
matching between the mother and
tissue-cultured plants.
A multi-disciplinary team including
faculty, technical staff, undergraduate
and postgraduate students from SQU
and researchers from the Ministry
of Agriculture were involved in the
project.
"
Safiur Rahman
FSN
shafiur@squ.edu.om
Activities of CAMS Student Society
M
embers of The Agricultural
and Marine Sciences Society
(AMSS) have habitually demonstrated great commitment and
given creative input to improve their
activities and programs throughout
the academic year. AMSS activities are
distinctive in their group spirit and in
the unity of the members to accomplish the required tasks.
The crowning glory for AMSS was to
be awarded first place, during the
Student Activities Exhibition for 2009.
The society received a medal of honor
in recognition of the care taken to
provide an extra push ahead for the
future. The competition amongst the
different SQU student societies was
strong. AMSS managed to secure first
place due to the group work which
characterized its exhibits. Subsequent
to this exhibition AMSS was involved
in the organization of “Majors Week” in
association with the Center of Career
Guidance. This activity provided a
platform for anyone with queries
related to the majors within the six
departments of CAMS. Members of
AMSS explained the nature of study
at CAMS with each member giving
The exhibition of the competition entries
attracted numerous visitors in the College
who were captivated by the candidates
explanations of their designs..
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 6
details about his or her major and
providing copies of degree plans and
brochures for inquiring students.
Finally, in terms of college activities,
the ‘opening night gathering’ can be
considered a turning point for AMSS,
as it involved launching “Agricultural
Echoes” a magazine designed to voice
the aims and ambitions of CAMS. The
launch occurred concurrently with the
Sultanate’s celebrations of the 39th
National Day.
AMSS has not limited itself to activities only within CAMS but has strived
to also establish itself outside of the
college. Members participated in the
organization of “Farmers’ Day” which
was celebrated by SQU along with a
large number of interested people
from the community at large. In
addition, AMSS arranged educational
workshops to develop the instructive skills of students as they are the
effective human element in the foundation of success for any society. The
strivings for success do not stop; but
rather continue to aim at excellence.
The society has not been complacent
but continues to move forward. This
is demonstrated by the endeavors
of AMSS to make the activities of
the upcoming “Second Agricultural
Festival” a success.
AMSS is not only a spoken word; it is
actually the consolidated and devoted
efforts of its members to achieve its
goals and to present the best activities
throughout the year. Therefore, it has
the responsibility to boost the college
and its students to excel and to find
solutions to any obstacles that could
limit the creativity and distinction of
CAMS students.
"
Dawood Al-Ajmi
AVS
dawoods@squ.edu.om
Nutrition and physical activities workshop
FSN recently organized a workshop
on “Nutrition and Physical Activities”
under the patronage of Dr. S.A.
Prathapar, Dean of CAMS. The
event was organized by Dr. Mostafa
Waly, Assistant Professor of human
nutrition. Fifty five participants from
diverse
backgrounds,
including
students from CAMS, SQU College of
Medicine & Health Sciences, Oman
Medical College, healthcare professionals from SQU Hospital, medical
residents from The Royal Hospital,
dietitians from the Ministry of
Education, officers from The Armed
Forces Hospital and fellows from the
Ministry of Health participated in the
workshop.
Sciences addressed the impact of
the sedentary life style of the Omani
population on their health status. He
addressed the role of diet in obesity
and explained how diet has to be
managed for primary prevention and
combating obesity in Oman.
Prof. Hashem Al-Kilani, from the
Physical Activities Department of
the College of Education explained
the importance of physical activity
in maintaining health and how
nutrition can be incorporated into
physical training. He also discussed
the concept of a balanced diet and
mentioned that athletes should
regularly consume fluid, before,
during and after training. He emphasized that calculating the required
total calories should be based upon
an individual’s size and specific
training regime. “A high intake
of carbohydrate is particularly
important for athletes as it enables
Dr. Mostafa Waly, organizer of the workshop on “Nutrition and Physical Activities”
welcomes the participats.
Three experts from SQU delivered
lectures in the workshop. Dr. Amanat
Ali, Associate Professor (FSN),
focused on the Glycemic Index of
traditional Omani foods and their
health implications. He illustrated
how composite local Omani foods
are contributing to the rise in blood
sugar levels and the elicited insulin
response. This is of particular importance to type 2 diabetic patients and
other high risk groups.
Dr. Yahya Al-Farsi, Department of
Family Medicine and Public Health,
College of Medicine and Health
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 7
athletes to train at a higher intensity,
for longer duration and enhances
recovery”. Athletes should consume
5-12g of carbohydrate per kg body
mass daily. Adequate protein in the
diet is required for muscle and body
building and for repairing tissues. In
addition, athletes should consume
1.3-1.8g protein per kg body mass
each day. A high fat intake in diet
should be avoided athletes should
consume less than 1g fat per kg
body mass each day”, Dr. Al Kilani
explained.
"
Mostafa Waly
FSN
mostafa@squ.edu.om
Characterization, Evaluation and
Conservation of Indigenous Animal
Genetic Resources in the Sultanate
T
he importance of animal biodiversity for the integrity and
sustainability of the biosphere
and human society was recognized
by the United Nations Convention
on Biological Diversity. The diversity
of species, strains and breeds is the
basis for the development of highly
productive livestock populations. It
also allows animals to thrive in the
face of harsh climatic conditions,
pests or diseases. Conservation of
indigenous genetic resources is vital
for the development of new, and improvement of existing, animal species.
Oman has noticeable biodiversity in
local animals that are adapted to the
unique and diverse topographic and
climatic conditions of the Sultanate.
There is currently a decline in global
biodiversity which threatens genetic
diversity, the raw materials for food
and other by-products. As in many
developing countries, the Sultanate of
Oman has introduced several modern
animal species (bred and selected in
other countries) into the research
programs and released to farmers.
Goats are numerous but also very diverse. One of the aim of this study is to catalogue
the morphological and genetic diversity of these animals.
This involves the replacement of the
generally viable lower yielding breeds
with introduced ones.
It is also recognized that indigenous
animal breeds have emerged in Oman
by selection for survival since their
introduction long ago, most probably
from Western Asia. Little work has
been carried out to identify or conserve
these breed which are well adapted to
Omani conditions. A parallel effort is
needed to evaluate the reproductive
and production performance of local
livestock to complement the genetic
improvement work. At present, native
Omani breeding males are selected
on the basis of subjective evaluation
of physical appearance and visual observation of the testes and no semen
collection and evaluation is performed
before animals are used for breeding
purposes. Accurate and reliable information on genetic distances within
and among Omani breeds and about
the contribution of the respective
breeds to the total diversity is required
in order to make the most optimal use
of breeding programs.
The animal genetic resources available
to farmers and biotechnicians have
been radically reduced this century by
the advance of high input, intensive
farming systems that tend to rely on
developing a small number of productive breeds or strains, leading to the extinction of many well-adapted genetic
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 8
resources. Indigenous knowledge and
cultural diversity is also lost with this
erosion of farm genetic resources.
To ensure that valuable genetic
resources and indigenous knowledge
are preserved this project aims to
survey, identify, characterize and
conserve indigenous breeds that are
economically useful by incorporating molecular approaches. This will
accelerate the utilization of Omani
livestock in the development of new
breeds and or improve the productivity of the currently available ones. The
proposal also aims to provide analytical and objective analysis for the
genetic diversity within Omani breeds
as a rational basis for conservation and
improvement. Additionally, efforts will
be made to evaluate the reproductive
efficiency of Omani breeding animals
and establish a semen bank for future
genetic
improvement
programs.
Performance of local breeds of Omani
chicken and cattle will be evaluated.
Samples have been collected from
goats from Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and AlSharqiya. Mr. Nasser Al-Areimi from
the Ministry of Agriculture is currently
carrying out an MSc study to evaluate
the genetic resources of South AlSharqiya goats. Ms. Karima Al-Sinani
from University of Sohar is registered
as an MSc student to evaluate genetic
diversity in native cattle in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Mr. Badr Al-Qamashoui who is registered as a PhD student in the University
of Goettingen, Germany, will study
the genetic diversity of Omani native
chicken.
Drs Albano Pereira from the University
of Porto in Portugal and Mushtaq
Memon, from Washington State
University visited SQU as consultants on the project. They organized
workshops to train Omani postgraduate students and technical staff. They
also contributed to calibrate and
operate laboratory equipments and
revised technical methods.
"
Osman Mahgob
AVS
osmahgob@squ.edu.om
More Fish on the Dish: How Omega-3 Fatty
Acids Can Improve our Health
N
utrigenomics is the science
that studies the effects of
foods and food constituents
on gene expression, and is the future
of Nutrition. Prof. Bassam Soussi,
UNESCO Chair and Professor in Marine
Biotechnology at SQU said that nutrigenomics has been introduced
into the curriculum because this
field of science addresses molecular
level issues in the area of nutrition.
“It also addresses questions such as
what foods are good for people, how
are such foods metabolized, what
are the beneficial mechanisms, and
is there anything people can do to
improve their dietary habits and consequently their health. Nutrition and
health are closely related but their
interrelationship is still poorly understood at a molecular level because
this science (nutrigenomics) is in its
infancy. However, it is able to change
our future in regard to nutrition at the
gene expression level”, he added.
In the last two decades, by utilizing
the techniques of molecular biology,
it has been proven that the susceptibility of an individual to diseases is de-
Al Hasaad, May 2010
termined by genetic factors; whilst environmental factors determine which
genetically susceptible individuals will
be affected.
So, do you want to reduce your risks
of succumbing to the many chronic
diseases? Do you know that there are
good fats and bad fats? Do you know
where you can find them? Do you
know how they work? Many epidemiological studies have shown that a diet
that is rich in fish, such as salmon and
sardines is associated with a reduced
risk of heart disease, cancer and many
other diseases. We all need some fat
in our diet. However, the trick is to
choose foods that contain good fats
(unsaturated) as opposed to bad fats
(saturated). Nevertheless, the story
does not end at the selection of foods
that mainly contain unsaturated fatty
acids because these are further divided
into subgroups.
Nutrigenomic research is defining the
mechanisms by which genes influence
nutrient absorption, metabolism and
excretion and the mechanisms by
which nutrients influence gene expression. In particular, nutrigenomics
provides a molecular understanding
of how nutrition affects health by
altering the expression of genes. By
using new nutrigenomic techniques,
the SQU team conducted studies on
the interaction between fatty acids
and genes.
Overview of fatty acids and
their role in the body
Fat adds flavor to our dishes and helps
us feel full for longer. Fatty acids are
found in oil and other fats that make
up different foods. Besides their main
function as an energy source; fatty
acids carry fat-soluble vitamins (A,
D, E, and K) and are a source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds.
In addition, dietary fatty acids are incorporated as structural components
of the brain and cell membranes. This
is because unlike the cellular proteins
that are genetically determined, polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of
the cell membrane is, to a great extent,
dependent on dietary intake. In turn,
the type of these fatty acids dictates
how a cell responds and grows. Cells
without a healthy membrane lose
their ability to hold water and vital
Page 9
nutrients. They also lose their ability
to communicate with other cells.
Researchers believe that loss of cell to
cell communication is one of the physiological events that lead to growth
of cancerous tumors. Moreover, fatty
acids help move oxygen through the
bloodstream to all parts of the body.
Importance of omega-3 fatty
acids
There are many benefits of the intake
of high omega-3 foods: it maintains
the fluidity of cell membranes, reduces
inflammation through the body, keeps
blood from clotting excessively,
lowers the amount of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) circulating in
the bloodstream, decreases platelet
aggregation which prevents excessive
blood clotting, inhibits thickening of
the arteries by decreasing endothelial
cells’ production of a platelet-derived
growth factor, increases the activity
of another chemical derived from endothelial cells (endothelium-derived
nitric oxide), which causes arteries to
relax and dilate. Moreover, omega-3
fatty acids reduce the risk of becoming
obese and improve the body’s ability
to respond to insulin by stimulating
the secretion of leptin. In addition,
omega-3 fatty acids reduce the production of messenger chemicals
called cytokines, which are involved in
the inflammatory response associated
with atherosclerosis. Finally, omega-3fatty acids help to prevent cancer cell
growth.
A balanced ratio of omega-6/
omega-3 fatty acids
Nowadays, industrialized countries
are characterized by an increased
energy intake and decreased energy
expenditure, an increase in omega-6
fatty acids, and trans fatty acids, and
a decrease in omega-3 fatty acids, a
decrease in complex carbohydrates
and fibers, an increase in cereal grains
and a decrease in fruits and vegetables and a decrease in protein, antioxidants, and calcium intake.??
Unfortunately, western diets are
deficient in omega-3 fatty acids
and very rich in omega-6 fatty acids
compared with the diet on which
humans evolved. This high omega-6/
omega-3 ratio promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. On
the other hand, high levels of omega 3
polyunsaturated fatty acids exert suppressive effects. A diet rich in omega-6
fatty acids shifts the physiological
state that increases blood viscosity,
vasospasm, and vasoconstriction and
decreases bleeding time. The main
symptoms of deficiencies in omega
3 fatty acids include depression, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes,
fatigue, dry and itchy skin, brittle hair
and nails, inability to concentrate and
joint pain. Moreover, omega-3 fatty
acid deficiency may lead to other
health problems such as Alzheimer’s
disease, cancer, asthma, attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
bipolar disorder, high blood pressure,
Huntington’s
disease,
multiple
sclerosis, obesity, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid
arthritis.
Today there is evidence that nutrients
can influence chronic diseases but
more research is needed at the
molecular level to establish the relationship between certain nutrients
and diseases. Overall, a lower ratio of
omega-6 to omega-3 is more effective
in reducing the risk of many chronic
diseases of high risk in Western
societies, as well as in the developing countries. Therefore, salmon,
flax seeds and walnuts are excellent
food sources of omega 3 fatty acids.
Otherwise, supplements containing
omega-3 fatty acids may also be beneficial.
"
Abeer Al-Thehli
Hala Al-Hakamani
Kareema Al-Henai
Zahra Al-Kharousi
FSN
CAMS-IIUM study on marine toxicants
T
wo members of CAMS, Drs
Stephen Goddard and Said AlBarwani, are working on a collaborative research project with the
International Islamic University of
Malaysia to explore the accumulation
of heavy metals in shellfish. The project
was jointly funded by SQU and IIUM in
2009 and has involved exchanges of
faculty, researchers and a graduate
student. The major objectives are
to identify key ‘indicator’ species of
shellfish, common to both countries
which can be used to monitor heavy
metal accumulation in the coastal
marine environment.
Drs Stephen Goddard and Said Al-Barwani meeting with the Rector of IIUM (3rd from
left) and senior faculty of the Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies in Kuala
Lumpur.
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 10
Farmer’s day 2009
O
utreach
and
Community
service are key functions of
the College of Agricultural
and Marine Sciences (CAMS) at Sultan
Qaboos University (SQU). As part of
its outreach services for 2009, the
College organized Farmer’s Day on
9 November 2009 at its Agricultural
Experiment Station (AES) under the
auspices of H.E. Khalfan bin Saleh
Al-Naabi, Undersecretary of the
Ministry of Agriculture.
Over 250 farmers plus extension specialists from all around the Sultanate
met at CAMS and discussed the latest
developments in science and technology relevant to farmers and agriculture.
The event included several activities
including presentations (followed by
discussions) by CAMS professors highlighting the latest results of research
projects conducted at CAMS related
to the plant and animal sectors. Two
invited farmers gave presentations on
their long and successful experiences
in hydroponic systems in protected agriculture structures and in establishing
and managing agricultural societies.
Guests were given a live demonstration
on the process of grafting and how to
use modern equipment in the composition of rations to feed animals.
Opening ceremony of Famers’ day 2009..
projects conducted at CAMS. It included the contact details of PIs of each
project so that they can be contacted for further details so as to enhance the
link between CAMS and the community.
A tour program inside the Agricultural
Experiment Station was also a part
of the event included visits to glasshouses; the seeder machines area; the
bee keeping house and the camels’
research project area.
Several
companies,
environment
societies, and stakeholders in agricultural development and supply in
the Sultanate of Oman participated
in the exhibition area along with the
six CAMS departments and student’s
society. The exhibition gave an opportunity to showcase the activities
of these organizations to farmers and
other participants, and also to interact
with other participants and visitors.
A “Farmer’s Guide” booklet was issued
and distributed to all participants.
It provided a summary of research
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Technicians demonstrate the use of some farm machinery for the benefit of farmers.
Page 11
Exploring Soils in the field
Students examine a salt affected soil in
the Al-Batinah region.
S
oils, as natural bodies in a
landscape cannot be understood
without going into their natural
habitat. Studying soils in the field is an
important part for anyone interested
in getting closer to the world of soil
science. Fieldwork is an important
part of learning about soils in any
soil science degree program. In fact,
a student’s concept and understanding of soil depends on direct experience in the field. Moreover, examining
soils in their natural condition should
broaden a student’s understanding of
those factors responsible for having
different types. In addition, studying
soils in the field is an excellent opportunity for students to implement
the basic concepts of soil science in
understanding soil-landscape relationships. In this context, students
from the Department of Soils, Water,
and Agricultural Engineering at CAMS
recently conducted a field trip to AlBatinah region. The field trip was part
of the Soil and Water Tour course (SWAE
4410) required of final year students.
The tour involved the field study of
those physical and morphological
properties of soil pedons existing on
a soil transect of Al-Batinah region.
The main objectives of the tour were:
(i) to gain practical and hands-on experience in describing and classifying soils, (ii) to study the influence of
soil formation factors namely climate,
parent material, organisms, topography and time on soils of Al-Batinah
region, (iii) to show the impact of
human activities and their contribution on the formation and development of salt affected soils and (iv) to
evaluate the different soils in terms of
their land use and management.
A soil transect extending from Nakhal
to Barka was selected for intensive
fieldwork. Several soil pedons were
dug, examined, described, and classified using standard procedures.
Several field soil parameters such as
soil texture, percent gravels, structure
and color were estimated and identified as a part of the hands-on learning
experience. Chemical properties of
the soils such as salinity and pH were
also measured using portable meters.
Many soil samples were collected by
the students for detailed physicochemical analyses in the soil research
lab at CAMS.
As a major part of the courses final
report, students were asked: (i) to
discuss and interpret all laboratory
and field data, (ii) to write a technical
report and present it to the department, and (iii) to write short articles to
several newspapers emphasizing their
main objectives and scientific findings
from the tour.
"
Said Al-Ismaily
SWAE
esmaily@squ.edu.om
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 12
International Students Attracted to CAMS
for Doctoral Programs
I
nternational students pursuing
doctoral programs within the
different colleges at SQU expressed
gratification at the quality and structure
of the programs and also for the firstclass human resources providing
support to these programs. A significant number of the doctoral students
are international students. For 2010
The Deanship of Postgraduate Studies
announced one Postgraduate Diploma
program, 25 PhD programs and 50
Masters programs spread across the
eight colleges.
Dareen Al Mojil, a Kuwaiti national
pursuing a PhD in fisheries science,
completed a bachelor’s degree in
Zoology at Kuwait University and a
Master’s degree in Fisheries from
James Cook University in Australia.
Dareen selected SQU because of
her interest in the subject and the
region. “The faculty members in the
Marine Science and Fisheries department are really helpful and friendly.
Faculty is extremely important when
pursuing a doctoral degree because
we are working closely with a particular faculty member. Apart from that,
we have a state of the art laboratory
and equipment at our disposal”, says
Dareen. Hailing from an Arab country,
Dareen interacting well with people
at the university. “The culture, in
general, is slightly different from that
of Kuwait. Still, I feel very comfortable
with the people around”, she adds.
Dareen Al Mojil
Al Hasaad, May 2010
She is working on the taxonomy and
ecology of benthic elasmobranchs in
the Gulf of Oman under the supervision
of Dr. Aaron C. Henderson, Assistant
Professor in the Department.
Vandita Singh, who is from Lucknow,
in India. is doing a PhD in FSN. Vandita
completed her undergraduate and
postgraduate degrees in Organic
Chemistry at Lucknow University
before pursing a career in a pharmaceutical company. Vandita said
that the instruments available in the
labs are highly advanced and commendable. “I got the opportunity to
do experiments with state of the art
equipment some of which I have never
seen before. The academics are well
qualified, which is obvious from the
profiles. They are really cooperative
and the total ambience at the university is really good”, Vandita adds. She
is gearing up to do doctoral research
on medicinal plants under Dr. Nejib
Guizani, Associate Professor in the
Department.
Alfie Susan Abraham, a PhD scholar
from Kerala, India is attached to CS.
After completing B. Tech and M Tech
in Biotechnology from reputed Indian
universities. Her parents, who are
employed in Oman, suggested doing
a PhD at SQU. The university bestowed
a scholarship which was an additional
benefit for Alfie Susan. “The university
is pretty and nice with most of the inVandita Singh
ternational faculties available for the
students. The academics maintain
friendly relations with the students.
They are unassuming and really cooperative. They maintain better relations
with student as compared to the
scenario in India where teachers are
stricter with students at least within
the classrooms”, Alfie observes. She
was looking for PhD opportunities
in India. “After coming to SQU, I am
fascinated by the institution and the
people here and I decided to join here
without thinking twice” says Alfie who
is investigating the molecular biological aspects of herbicide resistance in
weeds.
There are eight PhD students in CAMS,
five of which are nationals from various
government organizations including
the Ministry of Agriculture. Almost all
PhD scholars are getting scholarships
or other kinds of financial assistance
from CAMS. The response to the
newly introduced doctoral programs
has been overwhelming, each day, the
college is receiving new enquiries. Two
more candidates have been accepted
for admission to the PhD program in
Fall 2010.
"
Mushtaque Ahmed
SWAE
ahmedm@squ.edu.om
Alfie Susan Abraham
Page 13
Second Edition of the Food Properties
Handbook published
T
he second edition of the Food
Properties Handbook has been
recently released by CRC Press,
Boca Raton, Florida. The second
edition has been expanded from 7 to
24 chapters. It is now more than ten
years since the publication of the internationally acclaimed, award winning
and bestselling first edition. The new
edition provides new measurement
techniques, basic data compiled for
diversified food groups, and detailed
graphs and illustrations.
The editor of the book Professor
Mohammad Shafiur Rahman, is a
Professor in FSN. Appreciation from
scientists, academics and industry
professionals around the globe
encouraged Professor Rahman to
produce an updated version. Current
methods of food processing and
preservation require accurate data on
food properties; simple, accurate, and
low-cost measurement techniques;
prediction models based on fundamentals; and links between different
properties. This second edition will be
an indispensable resource for practicing and research food technologists, engineers, and scientists, and
a valuable text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in
food, agricultural/biological science
and engineering. It is presented in
a user-friendly format, and is a definitive source for data on physical,
thermal, thermodynamic, structural
and acoustic properties of foods.
more than 10 years. In 2008 Professor
Rahman ranked among the top five
Leading Scientists and Engineers of 57
OIC Member States in the Agroscience
Discipline.
Professor Rahman is an eminent
scientist and academic in the area
of Food Processing and is the editor
of another bestseller “Handbook
of Food Preservation” published by
CRC Press, Florida. He was invited to
serve as one of the Associate Editors
for the Handbook of Food Science,
Engineering and Technology, and
one of the Editors for the Handbook
of Food and Bioprocess Modeling
Techniques, published by CRC Press,
FL. He initiated the International
Journal of Food Properties (Taylor and
Francis, Philadelphia, PA) and served
as the founding Editor-in-Chief for
Omega-3 enhanced fish
A
quaculture research conducted
at CAMS has demonstrated the
potential to produce omega-3
fatty acid enhanced red tilapia, which
may offer additional health benefits
to those normally associated with
eating this fish. Polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFA) are essential for normal
human growth and development,
whilst intake of omega-3 PUFAs, specifically the highly unsaturated fatty
acids (HUFA) docosahexaenoic (DHA)
and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is
considered to be beneficial against
many human health disorders. There
is considerable evidence from clinical
and epidemiological research that
increased intakes of DHA and EPA are
effective in the prevention or attenuation of many cardiovascular problems
and inflammatory conditions.
benefits linked to fatty acid content
should therefore be qualified by
reference to particular species.
Confusingly, for health-conscious
consumers, all fish are not equal with
regard to their natural HUFA content.
Whilst we are recommended to eat
‘oily’ fish such as tuna, salmon or
mackerel on a regular basis, these
species contain varied amounts of
HUFA, which are also subject to considerable seasonal variation. For example,
we should need to eat up to 4-5 times
the amount of tuna, compared to that
of farmed Atlantic salmon, to achieve
the same intake of HUFA. The recommendation to consume fish for health
Freshwater fish are grown for food
in tropical and sub-tropical regions
around the world and tilapia are
estimated by FAO to be the most
widely farmed, with global production exceeding two million tonnes per
year. In common with many freshwater species tilapia are relatively poor
in HUFA, compared with most marine
species. This arises from the fact that
marine algae are a primary source of
HUFA and are directly or indirectly
consumed by fish within marine food
chains. A study was undertaken to
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 14
determine the potential to increase the
content of beneficial polyunsaturated
fatty acids in farmed tilapia through
dietary manipulation. The research
was led by Dr Stephen Goddard, Chair
of MSF and was supported by a HM
grant to the UNESCO Chair in Marine
Biotechnology,
Professor
Bassam
Soussi.
Nasser Al-Jardani feeding red hybrid
tilapia with modified diet enhancing their
Omega-3 fatty acids profiles.
Feeding trials
Red hybrid tilapia were imported as
tiny fry from Thailand and nursed
through the early stages of life in
tanks supplied with ground-water at
AES. On reaching a weight of around
15 grams the fish were sorted into
triplicate treatment groups and fed on
a range of experimental diets in which
marine fish oil was gradually substituted against plant oil. A number of
key dietary ingredients were generously provided by Oman Flour Mills.
Various parameters of growth and feed
efficiency were measured and when
the fish had grown to 3-4 times their
original weight they were sampled and
analysed for total lipid and fatty acid
content. In particular, the fatty acid
content of the dorsal muscle (fillets)
was compared in fish taken from the
various treatment groups.
Whilst the experiments were designed
to answer a number of questions concerning lipid nutrition in tilapia and its
effects on growth and feed efficiency,
the results also clearly showed that the
HUFA content of tilapia fillets could
be manipulated favourably through
diet. Both EPA and DHA content were
increased significantly in the fillets
as fish oil was increased in their diet.
Results for EPA were more conservative than for DHA, confirming earlier
observations that dietary EPA may
be used preferentially as an energy
source, through cellular oxidative
pathways.
rakers which enable them to filter algal
cells as food. Continuous feeding in
this way occurs throughout the hours
of day-light. Algal species and concentrations in pond water samples were
determined and then analysed for total
lipid and fatty acid content. The results
indicated a significant contribution of
beneficial fatty acids in fish feeding on
natural phytoplankton, compared with
fish grown in clear-water systems and
fed on formulated feeds.
Functional food
Beneficial Algae
The results obtained in this research
point the way to future production of
farmed fish as functional food, with
extended health benefits. Production
of such fish, using organic and
sustainable methods should give
positive direction to future aquaculture developments in Oman.
In parallel with the feeding experiments conducted at AES, samples of
algae were collected from other fish
farms in Oman in order to determine
the contribution of freshwater algae to
the omega-3 content of farmed fish.
Pond water at all farms contains algae
and tilapia have finely-structured gill
Preliminary results of this research
were presented at the ‘International
Conference
on
the
Economic
Importance of Fisheries and their
Impact on Public Health’ , held in
Muscat in 2008, and organised by
the Ministry of Fisheries Wealth,
CAMS (SQU), London Metropolitan
Al Hasaad, May 2010
University and the Institute of Brain
Chemistry and Human Nutrition,
London.
Ahmed Al-Souti, Nasr Al-Jardani
and Jamal Al-Sabahi, members of
the technical staff in CAMS, made
major contributions to this project.
Ahmed Al-Souti incorporated some
of the results into his successfully
completed M.Sc. research project.
Nasr Al-Jardani was recently awarded
a British Council scholarship and is
presently studying for a M.Sc. degree
in aquaculture at Stirling University
in the UK.
"
Stephen Goddard
HOD, MSF
sgoddard@squ.edu.om
Page 15
Students prepare modified meals in a 2
week hands-on exercise
A
s a part of clinical nutrition
training, final year “nutrition
and
dietetics’
students
practiced diet modification in the
department experimental kitchen.
Students were divided into groups
and assigned different meals and
modifications. Required food ingredients were identified quantified and
purchased by the students from local
markets. Modified versions of Omani
meals were prepared to meet the
needs of diabetic and heart disease
patients. The nutrient and calorie
content of the meals were calculated.
Each group presented their meals with
and without modifications. The meals
were then evaluated and the students
discussed the nutrient content, safety,
sensory evaluation, and alternative
methods of preparation related to
their assigned meals. The evaluation
committee was headed by Dr. Majeed
Al-Ani, course instructor, Mrs. Jamila
Al-Zadjali, teaching assistant, and Mr.
Mohammed Al-Rizeiqi, department superintendent. Many of the faculty and
staff of the department participated
in the discussions and sensory evaluation
"
Ameera Al-Nasri
Student in FSN
A selection of the modified meals
prepared by Nutrition and Dietetics
students during their training.
Editorial board
Yaseen A. Al-Mulla
Editor in Chief
Ann Mothershaw
Editor
Michel Claereboudt
Design and typesetting
Hayder Abdel Rahman
Editor-Translator
Ali AL-Wahaibi
Translator
Mike Deadman
News editor
Mostafa Waly
Translator
Said Al-Ismaily
Editor
Suleiman Al-Shuaili
Translator
Hemesiri Kotagama
Editor
Juma Al-Musalami
Translator
Sulayem Al-Abri
Photography
Huda Al-Busaidi
Typing
Contributions
Contributions for inclusion in Al Hasaad are most welcome. Please contact the address below.
Mailing address
Assistant Dean for Training and Community Services, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Box 34
Sultan Qaboos University
Al-Khod 123
Sultanate of Oman
email: ext@squ.edu.om Tel: (968) 24143638 Fax: (968) 24413418
Al Hasaad, May 2010
Page 16