Browsing by Author "Beneragama, C.K."

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Open Access
Multilocational Evaluation of Growth and Antioxidant Content of Curly Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var acephala) and Chinese Kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences (FHS) of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) Malabe, 2020-12-01) Jayasooriya, R.Y.; Chamara, R.M.S.R.; Gunathilake, G.K.D.C.S.; Liyanage, L.P.H.; Beneragama, C.K.
Curly kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) are cruciferous vegetables, which have recently gained great popularity in the world as a ‘superfood’. Generally, kale has the capacity to tolerate diverse climatic conditions while demanding fewer inputs, thus making it possible to cultivate them with a minimum cost for crop management. However, kale is still not widespread in Sri Lanka as a vegetable. Therefore, it has not been a commercialized crop to date. This study was conducted to explore the potential for cultivating kale in Sri Lanka. Two cultivars of curly kale (‘Dwarf green curled’ and ‘Winterbor F1’) and Chinese kale were cultivated in three agro-climatic zones representing three main climatic zones in the country, namely the Mid-Country Wet Zone, Mid country Intermediate Zone and Low-Country Dry Zone, using three different media (M1: Existing soil in each location; M2: Sand and coir dust mixture – ratio 1:1; M3: Sand, coir dust, and soil - ratio 1:1:1) at each location. The experiment was carried out as a three-factor factorial with three replicates as a pot experiment. Based on the present study results, even though all the varieties displayed a significantly (p < 0.05) higher growth in terms of dry matter accumulation in the Wet Zone, the growth in the other two locations was also found to be satisfactory. Dry matter accumulation was not significantly different among the varieties within each location. Different media did not have a significant influence on growth. Even though the antioxidant contents in all varieties varied among locations, the values were within the acceptable range. Therefore, both curly kale and Chinese kale can be successfully grown in the tested locations in Sri Lanka and can be easily introduced to local consumers as a ‘superfood.
Embargo
Multilocational Evaluation of Growth and Antioxidant Content of Curly Kale (Brassica oleracea L. var acephala) and Chinese Kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences - SLIIT, 2021-03-26) Jayasooriya, R. Y.; Chamara, R.M.S.R; Gunathilake, G.K.D.C.S.; Liyanage, L.P.H.; Beneragama, C.K.
Curly Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and Chinese Kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) are cruciferous vegetables, which have recently gained great popularity in the world as a ‘super-food’. Generally, Kale has the capacity to tolerate diverse climatic conditions while demanding fewer inputs, thus making it possible to cultivate with a minimum cost for crop management. However, Kale is still not popular in Sri Lanka as a vegetable. Therefore, it has not been a commercialized crop to date. This study was conducted to explore the potential of cultivating Kale in Sri Lanka. Two cultivars of curly Kale (‘Dwarf green curled’ and ‘Winterbor F1’) and Chinese kale were cultivated in three agro-climatic zones representing three main climatic zones in the country, namely the Mid-Country Wet Zone, Mid country Intermediate Zone and Low-Country Dry Zone, using three different media (M1: Existing soil in each location; M2: Sand and coir dust mixture - ratio 1:1; M3: Sand, coir dust, and soil - ratio 1:1:1) at each location. The experiment was carried out as a three-factor factorial with three replicates as a pot experiment. Based on the results of the present study, even though all the varieties displayed a significantly (p<0.05) higher growth in terms of dry matter accumulation in the Wet Zone, the growth in the other two locations were also found to be satisfactory. Within each location, dry matter accumulation was not significantly (p>0.05) different among the varieties. Different media did not have a significant influence on growth. Even though the antioxidant contents in all varieties varied among locations, the values were within the acceptable range. Therefore, both Curly kale and Chinese kale can be successfully grown in the tested locations in Sri Lanka and can be easily introduced to local consumers as a ‘super-food’.
Embargo
Perception of Postgraduate Students on Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) During the COVID-19 Lock-Down: A Cohort Study in a Public University in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences - SLIIT, 2021-03-26) Beneragama, C.K.; Pieris, B.C.N.; Pieris, S.E.
Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) is a temporary shift from an instructional delivery to an alternate delivery mode, perhaps online, due to the current pandemic situation, which involves the use of fully remote teaching solutions or some blended learning as a hybrid. The present study was conducted with a cohort of students(n=37) within the age range 25-35, pursuing a Master’s degree program in a public university in Sri Lanka to elucidate their perception about ERT. In the pre-COVID-19 time, the major portion of the course has been offered face-to-face. However, due to the crisis situation under the COVID-19 lock-down since March 2020, the course has been shifted totally to online modes, considering ERT, with the concurrence of the students. All online sessions and activities were carefully selected, planned and executed to ensure effective learning takes place. Sessions were delivered asynchronously using the Learning Management System of the institute, WhatsApp and emails. After completion of the course, an online perception survey was conducted using a Google Form to obtain their feedback. The data was cross-tabulated, and a factor analysis was performed. The results revealed that the students perceived all the activities conducted as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) highly positively, during the COVID-19 lock-down period. The findings of the present study will give all educationists an opportunity to re-visit the courses offered totally face-to-face until now, and to think of moving towards blended learning to facilitate the 21st Century learning.