http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/386 2026-04-19T16:56:46Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1227 International Conference of Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (ICSUSL) 2015 2015-11-20T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1226 Contents 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1225 A comparative study on antioxidant and DNA protective activity of different skin coloured brinjal (Solanum melongena) Somawath, K.M; Rizliya, V; Wickramasinghe, H.A.M; Madhujith, W.M.T The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity and DNA damage inhibition potential of aqueous extract of S. melongena with different skin colours. Water extracts of brinjal with four different skin colours: moderately purple (S1), light purple (S2), dark purple (S3) and purple with green lines (S4) were tested for their antioxidant and radical scavenging activities. The total phenolic content (TPC) was quantified using Folin-Ciocalteau’s method. The effectiveness of brinjal extracts in preventing radical induced DNA damage was also determined. There was a significant difference (p<0.0001) between the skin colour andantioxidant activity. Brinjal with S3skin colour showed the highest TPC and antioxidant activity measured by FRAP while, S2 showed the least. S1 displayed the highest percentage of DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 3.51±0.62 mg/ml while, S3 demonstrated the strongest total antioxidant capacity with an inhibition percentage of 40.45±1.17. In the FTC (Ferric Thiocyanate) and egg yolk model, S1 and S3 showed better antioxidantactivity than S2 and S4. The in vitro freeradical quenchingand antioxidant results well correlated with the in vitro lipid peroxidation assays. All extracts were able to effectively retain DNA against AAPH induced radical damage at the concentration levels (25 and 75 mg/ml) tested. All the extracts showed moderate to potent antioxidant activity, among which S3 and S1, intensely coloured skins, demonstrated better antioxidant activity which may be attributed to the higher phenolic content since a linear relation was observed between the TPC and the antioxidant parameters. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z http://repo.lib.sab.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/1224 Adaptation to climate change by smallholder farmers in rural communities: Evidence from Sri Lanka Menike, L.M.C.S; Keeragala Arachchi, K.A.G.P The agricultural sector plays a key role in Sri Lankan economy, whose major source of livelihoods is smallholder farming in paddy and vegetable cultivation which is highly vulnerable to climate changes having negative impact on food security. To overcome the welfare losses, the smallholder farmers need to identify the changes in climatic variables and adjust to their farming practices to cope up with the climate change. Thus, this study examines how rural smallholder farmers in different agroecological zones in Sri Lanka perceive climate change and accordingly adapt to it in their agricultural practices. A questionnaire survey was conducted with a random sample of 125 farmer households distributed in most vulnerable four agro-ecological zones namely, Belihuloya, Ihala Galagama, Mulgama and Kosgama in up country inter mediate zone. The study shows that all the respondents have observed rising trends in temperature and winds and lack of adequate rainfall during last twenty years and in response they have grown short season crops as the main farming practice to adapt to minimize the potential losses on their yields. The results of the logistic regression revealed that social economic factors, environmental factors, institutional factors and the economic structure influence farmers’ choice of adaptation methods to climate change. The size of the household, income, education, accessibility to climate information through television and radio, being a member in farmers’ group, location of the land, crop variety, access to formal loans and distance to input markets had significantly affected adaptation. For instance the farmers who grow beans as the major crop to adapt to climate change has 94% probability with compared to those farmers who do not grow other crops whereas the farmers who come to know the changing patterns of the climate through television and radio have a higher probability (94%) of adaptation to the climate change than those who use other media. Sri Lankan government requires facilitating the smallholder farmers to overcome the constraints in which they face in using adaptation methods to climate change so that the welfare of the farmers and growth of the agricultural sector can be ensured. 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z