Preliminary investigation of the crossing of bambara nut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.)

Effective crosses among selected parents are crucial for genetic analyses and for the breeding of crop plants. Bambara nut is an indigenous African legume with considerable genetic diversity useful for genetic enhancement of yield and quality traits through breeding. However, the crop has previously received limited research attention. This may be attributed to its extremely small flower size, its flower orientation, the delicate nature of the flower and it’s mating system. The aim of this study was to establish a preliminary crossing protocol for Bambara nut for breeding and genetic studies. Controlled emasculation and pollination were performed using eight selected parents, using a diallel mating scheme under glasshouse conditions. Some successful crosses were achieved and F1 seeds were recovered from the crosses of 211-40-1 x N211-2, N212-8 x 211-40-1 and M09-3 x 211-82-1.Keywords: Bambara nut, emasculation, crossing, pollination, F1 hybridsAhmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeri

Attaining Sustained Economic Growth in Nigeria through the Neo-Classical Growth Model of Capital Accumulation

The spread of capital accumulation as a result of globalization has many scopes and a variety of economic, political, social, and environmental implications. This paper examines Nigeria’s economic growth through the neoclassical growth model of capital accumulation in order to ascertain its applicability as theorized from the model and its spillover effects through globalization. The Vector Auto Regressive (VAR) Model is employed using time series data covering the period of 1981 – 2014. The result reveals that the benefits of capital accumulation through various channels (domestic savings, foreign direct investment, total trade, market capitalization, and trade openness) are yet to be achieved given the small magnitude of some of the coefficients. However, with the statistical significance, there is room for improvement. It is also evident that FDI has been significant, but its inflow is lopsided to the dominant oil sector – thus contributing little to the growth of the real economy. Also, to achieve sustained growth through accumulation, the endemic problems of poor infrastructure, weak regulation and institution, political will and unstable macroeconomic variables need to be readdressed. The study therefore recommends: that domestication of globalization through capital accumulation in Nigeria will go a long way in integrating her into the global economy through: channeling of foreign direct investment into growth enhancing sectors; encouraging savings and widening the capital market as a key organ for sourcing financial resource for sustained economic growth. Keywords: Sustained Economic Growth, Neo Classical Model, Capital Accumulation, Globalization, Foreign Direct Investmen

Pre-breeding of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.)

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) is an under-utilized indigenous African legume crop which has substantial potential to contribute to food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The crop is well adapted to severe agro-ecologies and grows where other legumes may not survive. The seed is highly nutritious with an ideal balance of carbohydrate (55-72%), protein (18-20%) and fats (6-7% oil), which is particularly beneficial in balancing protein deficiencies in cereals. Also, the seed contains essential and non-essential amino acids of about 33% and 66%, respectively. These attributes make Bambara groundnut an ideal crop to alleviate food insecurity, and to reduce protein malnutrition in rural communities of Africa. However, small-scale farmers grow low-yielding landraces in most production regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Bambara groundnut landraces exist as heterogeneous mixtures of seeds of a few to several seed morpho-types that embrace wide genetic potential for breeding. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the production status and constraints associated with Bambara groundnut production in Kano State of Nigeria through the use of a participatory rural appraisal (PRA); 2) to determine the genetic diversity of Bambara groundnut landraces through seed morphology; 3) to assess the inter- and intra-genetic diversity of the Bambara groundnut landraces; 4) to determine the yield and yield component responses among selected Bambara groundnut genotypes, 5) to determine the genomic diversity in Bambara groundnut landraces, using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers; and 6) to develop a crossing protocol. Using a structured questionnaire, 150 Bambara groundnut farmers were interviewed. The respondents interviewed were male and aged between 36 to 50 years, while Qur’anic education was the most popular among them. Most of the farmers practiced a combination of sole and mixed cropping, and allocated between 0.38 to 1.68 hectares of land to Bambara groundnut growing. They selected Bambara groundnut landraces, especially looking for large seeds that were pure and oval in shape, with a cream seed coat colour and which were early maturing. A total of 27 diverse landraces bearing different names were identified in the hands of the farmers. Most popular among them were Gurjiya, Kurasa, Hawayen-Zaki, Fara Mai-Bargo and Silva. Production was largely for home consumption and for sale on local markets. Common production constraints of the crop were identified as a lack of improved varieties (70.7%), frequent droughts (9.3%), low yield (4%) and limited access to large markets (3.3%). Diverse collections of Bambara groundnut landraces from seven geographic origins were characterized using seed morphology, including seed coat, seed eye colour and pattern, and hilum colour and pattern. Out of 58 original seedlots, a total of 353 different seed morpho-types were further identified. The selected morpho-types- can be used for large-scale production or true-to-type lines could be used in genetic improvement of the crop. Genetic variability within- and between-landraces was investigated among 262 Bambara groundnut landraces, forty nine were studied for agronomic traits, and 213 were investigated for pod and seed variability. Most (47.9%) of the landraces developed pods with a point on one pole, and a round end on the other. Most had a creamy (37.1%) and yellow (76.1%) pod colour, and the pods were usually rough textured, and contained an oval seed. A further 158 landraces were evaluated for leaf morphology where 49.4% had round leaves, while 21.5% had elliptic leaves, with 55.7% of the landraces being heterogeneous, possessing more than one form of leaf shapes. These discrete characters can be utilized for genetic studies and improvement of Bambara groundnut. Single plant selections of 49 Bambara groundnut genotypes were evaluated for yield and yield components using 26 yield and yield related traits. Highly significant variations (P<0.001) were detected among the genotypes for canopy spread, petiole length, weight of biomass, seed weight and seed height. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified nine useful components, where two components, PC1 and PC2, contributed strongly to the total variation, at 19% and 14%, respectively. The PCA revealed that leaf colour at emergence, petiole colour, leaf joint pigmentation and calyx colour were highly correlated with PC1, while seed length, seed width and seed height had strong association with PC2. Both the principal component and cluster analyses showed that most genotypes associated with one another with respect to agronomic and seed yield traits, irrespective of geographical location. The genotypes 211-57, MO9-4 and TV-27 displayed high seed yield performances, while TV-93 and 45-2 had higher biomass production. These genotypes can be used as breeding lines to enhance productivity of Bambara groundnut. Fifty Bambara groundnut genotypes, representing seven geographical regions across Africa, were genotyped using five pre-selected polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers developed specifically for Bambara groundnut. The results detected a total of 53 alleles among the 50 Bambara groundnut genotypes, while the neighbor-joining analysis generated seven major genetic groups, which were clustered regardless of their geographic origin. Close relationship were found between 211-68 on one hand and 211-83-2, N211K and M09-3 with 211-68 on the other. Genotypes M02-3, 211-55-1 and 211-57 displayed close similarities. These associations suggested the likelihood that the two pair groups had common origins or may possess similar genes. A preliminary protocol was developed for crossing Bambara groundnut using eight selected parents, using the diallel mating system. Emasculation and crossing of Bambara groundnut was effective when conducted on the same day, with the two procedures being carried out sequentially between 4:30 am and 9:00 am. This protocol generated a number of F1 seeds, with the most success being from crosses between 211-40-1 x N211-2, N212-8 x 211-40-1 and M09-3 x 211-82-1. These F1 seeds can be advanced to confirm whether they are true F1 or selfs. The most important production constraint of Bambara groundnut production is the lack of improved varieties, suggesting that further breeding is needed to enhance productivity. Bambara groundnut landraces need to be sorted using discrete morphological features before breeding for genetic enhancement. The SSR markers used in the study demonstrated their ability to distinguish the existing diversity among the Bambara groundnut genotypes, which could be useful for both germplasm conservation and for breeding. Genotypes that displayed outstanding performance in seed yield and biomass can be used as breeding lines for the genetic improvement of Bambara groundnut. Overall, the study generated valuable and novel Bambara groundnut genetic material, useful in the development of improved cultivars for large-scale production in sub-Saharan Africa

Towards an Instrumentality Theory of Salesforce Motivation: A Pragmatic Model

Finding an effective combination of motivations may be easier if a sales manager understands some of the behavioural factors that affect salesforce motivation. This study was undertaken to determine the behavioural factors that relate to the salesperson’s needs and to the conditional links between performance and rewards and between effort and performance. The study was guided by the Expectancy Theory which posits that motivation is high when workers believe that high levels of effort lead to high performance and high performance leads to the attainment of desire outcomes. A sample size of 244 salespeople and managers in selected manufacturing firms in Nigeria was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Data from the study were analyzed using descriptive and inferential approaches. Simple tables, charts and table of means were used as descriptive tools. For hypothesis testing, anova, t-test and correlation analysis were used to judge the significance of the result obtained. Principle component (pc) extraction model was used in the multiple-factor analysis to predict inter dependency and interaction outcome among the variable. The result shows a satisfied significant of the independent variables at P = 0.05 level of significant and a corresponding values of F = 129.925, indicating that the amount of effort the salesperson desires to expand on each activity or task associated with the job – the individual’s motivation – can strongly influence his or her job performance. As with expectancies, sales managers should be concerned with both the magnitude and the accuracy of their subordinates’ instrumentalities. When the magnitude of a salesperson’s instrumentality estimates is relatively large, he or she believes there is a high probability that improved performance will led to more rewards. Conversely, he or she will be more willing to expend the effort necessary to achieve better performance. Therefore, given a salesperson’s expectancy instrumentality perceptions and valences for rewards, this study suggests that a sales manager can predict the level of that person’s motivation to expend effort on a specific job activity. To do this, one multiplies the person’s expectancies that the activity will lead to a given performance on various dimensions by valence for this performance and then sums across all performance dimensions. Keyword: Expectancy, Instrumentality, Valence, SalesForce Motivation, Supervisory Variables, Job Satisfaction, Principle Component, Manufacturing Firms

Medical cost of Lassa fever treatment in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

This cross-sectional study sought to estimate the direct medical cost of Lassa fever treatment on patients in South-South  Nigeria. All the 73 confirmed Lassa fever cases admitted in the isolation ward of the Institute Of Lassa Fever Research and  Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) Irrua, in Edo State, Nigeria, between May 2015 and May 2016 were  studied. A checklist was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics and medical cost incurred by the  patients. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The average total direct cost for Lassa fever treatment  was N86,802.63 per patient for the subsidized treatment and N205,558.99 per patient for the unsubsidized treatment.  Medications accounted for the highest unsubsidized payments (N86,929.55; 42.10%) while hospital care accounted for the  highest cost component of he subsidized payments (N19,756.51; 22.76%). Up to 84.28% of medication and 70.8% of  investigations was subsidized making a total of 57.77% subsidy in the average total payments per patient. For an average  Nigerian, direct cost of treatment of Lassa fever is still expensive despite subsidy in medications and investigations.  Therefore efforts geared towards reducing the economic burden of Lassa fever on patients and their families are advocated.Keywords: Lassa fever, medical cost, poverty-reduction, South-South Nigeri

Capacity, efficiency and contemporary regulatory approaches in the Brazilian energy sector: the experiences of ANEEL and ANP

Bibliografia: p. 21-2