Molasses Molasses is a by product of the sugar refining industry. Cane and beet molasses are the end-products of the sugar manufacturing process and once no more sugar can be crystallised from the raw crop, the residual product is molasses. A hundred tonnes of sugar cane will give 10-11 tonnes of sugar and 3-4 tonnes of molasses, whilst 100 tonnes of sugar beet will give 11-12 tonnes of sugar and 4-6 tonnes of molasses.
Molasses is suitable for feeding as a supplement to grass and silage. It is difficult to predict the exact composition of molasses. Soil and climatic conditions, the variety and maturity of the cane or beet and the processing conditions in the factory all influence molasses composition. Consequently, considerable variation may be found in nutrient content, flavour, colour and viscosity. The average composition of molasses is 20% water, 35% sucrose, dextrose (glucose) 7%, levulose (fructose) 9%, other reducing substances 3%, other carbohydrates 4%, ash 12%, nitrogenous compounds 4.5%, non-nitrogenous acids 5%, wax, sterols and phospholipids 0.4%, pigments 0%, vitamins 0%.
Molasses is a rich source of minerals. In comparison to other commonly used sources of dietary energy, e.g. cereal grains, the calcium content of cane molasses is high (up to 1%), whereas the phosphorus content is low. Cane molasses is also high in sodium, potassium (which are present as chlorides), magnesium and sulphur. Beet molasses tends to be higher in both potassium and sodium but lower in calcium content. Molasses also contains significant quantities of trace minerals, copper for example (7ppm), zinc (10ppm), iron (200ppm), manganese (200ppm).

Monomorphic Producing spores of one form or kind.

Mycoplasma A mycoplasma is not a bacteria or virus; Rather, a mycoplasma is a mollicute with no cell-wall and is characterized as a virus-like infectious agent, somewhere in-between a virus and bacteria in complexity.
Mycoplasmas are unicellular, procaryotic disease-causing organisms of pleomorphic structure with no cell wall. In vitro they grow on special media and characteristically form "fried egg" shaped colonies. Like viruses, they are filtrable but are much larger. Transmission is affected by leafhoppers, planthoppers and psyllid vectors as well as by grafting and dodder.
Mycoplasmas are wall-less procaryotes, which can be pathogens of man, animal and plants.

Mycorrhiza A fungus attached to the roots of a plant, and in a symbiotic relationship with that plant.

Mycorrhiza A commonly mutualistic and intimate association between the roots of a plant and a fungus. See also Ectomycorrhiza and Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza.

Nitrogen fixation The conversion of elemental nitrogen in the atmosphere (N2) to a reduced form (e.g., ammonia and amino groups of amino acids) that can be used as a nitrogen source by organisms. The process is important since all organisms require a source of nitrogen for nutrition, and N2 cannot be used by the great majority of the biota to satisfy that need. Biological nitrogen fixation is carried out by a variety of organisms; however, those responsible for most of the fixation are certain species of bluegreen algae, the soil bacterium Azotobacter, and the symbiotic association of plants of the legume variety and the bacterium Rhizobium.

Nitrogen fixation The fixation of nitrogen by bacteria and fungi. Generally only those organisms which are prokaryotic in cell structure are able to fix nitrogen. Fixation of nitrogen by the living organisms is called biological nitrogen fixation. Generally, the conversion of inert Nitrogen (N2) into the combined form either as Ammonia (NH3) or Nitrate (NO3) is called nitrogen fixation. This form of combined nitrogen can be utilized by the plants for their nitrogen needs. This process of fixation of nitrogen is highly energy consuming. In crops like pea, the energy cost of nitrogen fixation has been worked out. A total of 9 â?? 10 kg of carbohydrates is required for each kilogram of nitrogen fixed. Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) is limited by the photosynthetic capacity of the plants. This is because nitrogen fixation requires carbohydrates to provide electrons and ATP. Nitrogen fixation is also done industrially through the Haber-Bosch process wherein nitrogen is catalytically reduced under conditions of high temperature and pressure into ammonia. The process is represented as thus : (N2 + 3H2O -- 2NH3). Due to increasing costs of fuel and energy, more attention is being paid to biological nitrogen fixation systems as an alternative to industrial nitrogen fixation.
Biological Nitrogen Fixation is generally restricted to organisms with a cell structure which is prokaryotic in nature. These include the bacteria and blue green algae. There are in general three different systems of nitrogen fixation. Symbiosis. Associative symbiosis and Free living. Symbiotic systems are related to those bacteria which have a very close association with their host plants or live within the host plants. These host plants supply the energy requirements for the bacteria while in return the bacteria fixes atmospheric nitrogen by reducing the inert atmospheric nitrogen with the help of an enzyme called nitrogenase into ammonium (eg. Rhizobia). In Associative symbiosis, the organisms live in close association with the host roots. The root exudates from the host plants form the main energy source for the nitrogen fixing organisms eg. Azospirillum. The free living organisms which fix atmospheric nitrogen are either autotropic ie. photosynthetic or heterotropic ie. plant residues are the main source of energy. Free living nitrogen fixing rhizobacteria do not geneally contribute much to plant N nutrition. However it has been shown that inoculating cereals with such bacteria have been beneficial. (Dobereiner and Pedrosa, 1987); Okon and Hadar., 1987; Ishac 1989)

Node 1. The joint of a culm. 2. The place on the stem where leaves ordinarily arise

Nucleic acid An acid found in the nucleus which is rich in phosphorus. It is the nonprotein constituent of nucleoprotein. In RNA (ribonucleic acid) the sugar is ribose, in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) it is 2-deoxyribose. The DNA and RNA play an important part in protein synthesis and in the transmission of hereditary characters. (hmm K ay interesting - karmaxul)

Nucleic acids The two nucleic acids, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), are made up of long chains of molecules called nucleotides. See DNA, RNA, nucleotides.

Oospore The final stage of development after the fusion of unlike gametes in the Oomycetes. (the bond of spores - karmaxul)

Ortet The original plant from which a clone is started through rooted cuttings, grafting, or tissue culture, or other means of vegetative propagation. The original tree used to start a grafted clone for inclusion in a seed orchard is the ortet.

Ovary The enlarged base part of the pistil or carpel in which the ovules appear, the {{ovarium}}. See illustration