Effect of dietary inclusion of ginger meal (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on performance, serum cholesterol profile and carcass quality of broilers

Recent concerns over the use of antibiotics in livestock feed production has generated interest in the use of phytobiotics to improve performance and meat quality of broilers. In this study the effect of dietary inclusion of ginger meal (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on performance, haematology, serum lipid profile and carcass quality of broilers were evaluated. One hundred and eighty day old broiler chicks (Cobb strain) were randomly  allocated to 4 treatment group with 3 replicates each. Each group was fed an experimental diets containing air dried ginger rhizome meal at either 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% levels, at starter (0-4 weeks) and finisher (5-8 weeks) stages, in a completely randomized design. 5 birds per treatment were sacrificed and used to evaluate the haematology, performance, carcass characteristics, serum lipid profile and post mortem microbial load on the meat. Results showed no significant (P>0.05) effects of dietary ginger meal inclusion on performance parameters but improved carcass yield and quality. 0.4% inclusion of ginger meal significantly (P<0.05) increased the HDL cholesterol level (56.72 mg/dL) relative to those fed 0.2% (25.38 mg/dL) while the total lipid, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels were not significantly affected (P>0.05). Birds fed diets containing 0.2% ginger  meal had haemoglobin content (11.96 g/dl) and PCV (36.68%) values superior to the control (10.16 g/dl and 32.22% respectively) Post mortem microbial load were unaffected by dietary inclusion of ginger up to 0.6% in their diets. Meat tenderness was significantly higher (P<0.05) at 0.4% and 0.6% ginger meal levels (8.20) compared to the control (7.40). it is therefore concluded that 0.4 to 0.6 % dietary inclusion of ginger meal in broiler  diets will ave positive effects on serum lipoprotein level, carcass yield and organoleptic quality of meat. Keywords: Ginger meal, Broiler, Cholesterol, Lipid profile, Meat quality

Climate Change and Agricultural Production in Nigeria: A Review of Status, Causes and Consequences

The paper reviewed the causes, consequences and impacts of climate change in the Nigerian agricultural sector. The paper found out that, notwithstanding the existence of modern agricultural technologies, climate change which occurs with different weather varieties hamper productivity levels of both crops and animals in recent time in the country. Although there are information about the negative impacts of climate change in the country, much of these information are not on the doorsteps of the rural agricultural producers due to minimal existence of adequate trained change agents. As Nigeria is currently experiencing increasing incidence of disease, declining agricultural productivity, increasing number of heat waves, unreliable weather patterns, declining rainfall in already desert-prone areas, these gave ways to paradigm shift in the agricultural sector especially in the rural communities. Due to these increases there is decline in production of agricultural produce/products which is consequence of climate change. This paper recommends among other things that there is need for a systematic collaborative approach involving all the stakeholders - science experts and researchers, governments at all levels, policy makers, farmers associations, youths and women groups, private sectors: non-governmental and civil society organizations to work together in turning the critical challenges posed by climate change into opportunity/opportunities

Effects of Short Inter‑Pregnancy Interval on Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes: A Cohort Study of Pregnant Women in a Low‑Income Country

Background: Short inter‑pregnancy interval (IPI) is a potential risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Previous reports from sub‑Sahara Africa documented increasing incidence of short IPI but evidence is lacking in its effect on pregnancy outcome. Aim: The study aimed to determine the effect of short IPI on pregnancy outcome in Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: It was a prospective cohort study of 271 pregnant women receiving antenatal care in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. For every eligible woman with short IPI (<18 months) recruited; a suitable control with IPI ≥18 months was selected. Statistical analysis was both inferential and descriptive using the statistical package for social sciences version 24 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, Illinois, USA) for windows. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Incidence of maternal anemia was higher in women with short IPI than control (RR: 2.091; 95% CI: 1.4433.031; P < 0.001). Other maternal and perinatal outcome measures including premature rupture of membranes, preterm labor/delivery, pregnancy induced hypertension, third  trimester bleeding, postpartum hemorrhage, and inadequate gestational weight gain did not show any significant association with short IPI (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Short IPI is associated with anemia in pregnancy in Nigeria. Public health campaigns for improvement in uptake of family planning  services and breastfeeding may help reduce the incidence of short IPI and anemia in low income countries. Keywords: Nigeria, pregnancy outcome, short inter‑pregnancy interva