Effect of Fermented Lagenaria (Adenopus breviflorus) Fruit Extract on the Heamatological and Serum Biochemical Indices of Broiler Chickens

The experiment involved 126 day old broiler chicks (Arbor acre plus) which lasted for six weeks after two weeks of acclimatization. The project was carried out in a completely randomized block design to evaluate the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of broilers served fermented lagenaria fruit extract (FLFE) at three days interval. The birds were weighed and randomly distributed into six dietary treatment group. Birds in treatment A (control) were given vaccine and drugs only, birds in treatment B were given vaccine only, birds in treatment C were given drugs only, but birds in treatments D, E and F were served (100, 200 and 300)ml of FLFE in 250ml of water, respectively. Each treatment was replicated three times with seven birds per replicate. The birds were maintained on starter and finisher marsh for starter and finisher phase, respectively. Feeds and water were served ad libitum. Data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and comparisons were made using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test and significance was accepted at (P<0.05). The parameters tested were packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), platelet (P), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH), mean cell haemoglobin concentration(MCHC), lymphocyte (LYM), heterocytes (HET), monocytes (Mn), eosinophils for haematological indices and total serum protein (TSP), albumin(Al), globumin (Gb), creatinine (Cr), alanine amino transminase (ALT), aspatate amino transminase (AST), alkaline phosphate (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and cholesterol (CH) for serum biochemistry. The results showed significant (P<0.05) effects of the parameters studied across the treatment groups. The PCV was highest (40.00%) on the birds placed in control, and least on the birds served 100-300ml FLFE (29.50-33.00%). Similar scenario was observed for the birds in control for the Hb (13.20%) compared to those served 100-300ml FLFE (9.40-10.70%). The birds in treatments C (drugs only), D (100ml FLFE) and those in F (300ml FLFE) had the highest concentration of white blood cells which were 1.92, 2.12 and 1.87x104/ml, respectively. The birds served 100-300ml FLFE had reduced concentration of Hb of 21.25% compared to control, and they had elevated concentration of WBC of 25.82% compared to control. The birds placed on vaccines only and drugs only had elevated WBC of 26.00 and 34.50%, respectively compared to control. The FLFE of 100-200ml had elevated platelet (353.00-314.50x103/ml) with reference to control. The FLFE had no significant (P<0.05) effect on TSP, GB, AL, ALP and BUN. However, concentration of CH increased with increased concentration of FLFE as the bird offered 100ml had CH of 42.50mg/dl, compared to those on 200ml and 300ml whose value were 68.50 and 89.00mg/dl, respectively. Broiler chicken can tolerate 100-300ml FLFE for improved blood formation. Keywords: Lagenaria, Hematology, Serum biochemistry, Broiler, Vaccin

Scaling up Agroforestry to Achieve Food Security and Environmental Protection among Smallholder Farmers in Malawi

Malawi is a land-locked country in southern Africa. Three-fourths of Malawi’s 13 million people rely on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods. Increasing population, accelerating deforestation, poor soil and water management, and increasing poverty and land degradation directly impact the food security and human health of millions of Malawians. Cropping systems which combine cereal crops, agroforestry and small doses of inorganic fertilizers produce food-crop yields greater than inorganic fertilizers alone on degraded soils, as well as recuperating soil nutrients over a period of years. These agroforestry practices improve the livelihoods of farm families, lower risks associated with fertilizer price increases and drought and at the same time improve biodiversity and nutrient and water cycling in the agro-ecosystem. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has a long history of agroforestry research and development in Malawi dating back to the 1980s. In 2007-2011, ICRAF implemented the Malawi Agroforestry Food Security Project (AFSP) through financial support from Irish Aid. ICRAF’s task in AFSP was to build a strong partnership to reach 200,000 farming families in 11 districts. The purpose of AFSP was to combine tested agroforestry practices, effective partnership and informed policies to increase food security and income, and improve livelihood opportunities for rural communities in Malawi, through accelerated adoption of fertilizer trees, fruit trees, fodder trees and fuel-wood trees. To accomplish these purposes, ICRAF provided the farming communities with planting material (tree seeds and seedlings), and the knowledge of how to care for them and effectively combine them with food crops. The beneficiaries of the project saw increases in household food security and nutrition. However, difficulties were encountered in transporting tree seeds and seedlings across eleven districts in a timely fashion, and in managing the flow of reporting and disbursements of funding among such a large group of collaborators. Several solutions were implemented which improved performance in these areas, and which allowed the group to reach very near the targeted number of participants, and to plan for a second phase of the project.Le Malawi est un état enclavé dans le Sud de l’Afrique. Les trois-quarts des 13 millions de Malawites sont de petits exploitants agricoles qui vivent de leur production. L’accroissement de la population, l’accélération de la déforestation, la mauvaise gestion des sols et de l’eau, et l’essor de la pauvreté et de la dégradation des terres ont des conséquences directes sur la sécurité alimentaire et la santé de millions d’habitants du pays. Les systèmes de culture qui associent cultures céréalières, agroforesterie et faibles doses d’engrais non organiques produisent des rendements de cultures vivrières plus importants que ceux obtenus avec des engrais non organiques utilisés seuls sur des sols dégradés, et permettent de récupérer des nutriments du sol au bout d'une certaine période. Ces pratiques d’agroforesterie améliorent les moyens de subsistance des foyers agricoles, réduisent les risques associés à l’augmentation du prix des engrais et à la sécheresse, et améliorent la biodiversité et le cycle des nutriments et de l’eau dans l’écosystème agricole. L’ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre) travaille depuis les années 1980 sur la recherche et le développement en agroforesterie au Malawi. En 2007-2011, l’ICRAF a lancé au Malawi le projet « Agroforestry Food Security Project » (AFSP), financé par le programme Irish Aid et mis en place par le gouvernement irlandais pour soutenir les pays en développement. Dans le cadre de ce projet, l’ICRAF a eu pour mission d’établir un solide partenariat pour mettre en place l’agroforesterie dans 200 000 foyers agricoles répartis dans 11 districts. L’objectif de l’AFSP était d’associer des pratiques d’agroforesterie ayant fait leurs preuves, un partenariat efficace et des politiques éclairées afin d’améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et les revenus, ainsi que les moyens de subsistance des communautés rurales du Malawi, via l’utilisation de plus en plus massive d’arbres fertilisants, d’arbres fruitiers, d’arbres fourragers et d’arbres donnant du bois combustible. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, l’ICRAF a fourni aux communautés agricoles du matériel de plantation (graines et plants), et leur a expliqué comment s’en occuper et les associer efficacement aux cultures vivrières. Les bénéficiaires du projet ont pu constater une amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et de la nutrition dans leur foyer. Il a fallu toutefois faire face à certaines difficultés notamment assurer le transport en dû temps des graines et plants dans les onze districts, et gérer le flux de rapports d’information et d’allocations de fonds entre un tel nombre de collaborateurs. Plusieurs solutions ont été mises en œuvre afin d’améliorer les performances dans ces domaines, ce qui a permis au groupe d’atteindre pratiquement l’objectif du nombre de bénéficiaires fixé, et de planifier une seconde phase pour le projet.Malaui es un país rodeado de tierra en el sur de África. Tres cuartos de los 13 millones de pobladores de Malaui dependen de la agricultura a pequeña escala para ganarse el sustento. El aumento de la población, la aceleración de la deforestación, la mala gestión del suelo y el agua y el aumento de la pobreza y la degradación de la tierra afectan directamente a la seguridad alimentaria y la salud humana de millones de Malauitas. Los sistemas de cultivo que combinan cultivos de cereal, agrosilvicultura y pequeñas dosis de fertilizantes inorgánicos producen rendimientos de cultivos alimentarios mayores que los fertilizantes inorgánicos en solitario en suelos degradados, así como la recuperación de los nutrientes del suelo durante un periodo de años. Estas prácticas de agrosilvicultura mejoran las condiciones de subsistencia de las familias de granjeros, reducen los riesgos asociados con aumentos de precio de los fertilizantes y sequías y al mismo tiempo mejoran la biodiversidad y el desarrollo del ciclo de los nutrientes y del agua en el ecosistema agrario. El ICRAF (Word Agroforestry Centre) cuenta con un largo historial de investigación y desarrollo en agrosilvicultura en Malaui que se remonta hasta la década de 1980. En 2007-2011, el ICRAF implementó en Malawi el proyecto de “Agroforestry Food Security” (AFSP) mediante apoyo financiero de Irish Aid. La tarea del ICRAF en AFSP consistía en construir una fuerte sociedad para alcanzar las 200.000 familias dedicadas a la agricultura en 11 distritos. El objetivo de AFSP era combinar prácticas de agrosilvicultura probadas, una sociedad eficaz y políticas fundadas para aumentar la seguridad alimentaria y los ingresos, y mejorar las oportunidades de ganarse el sustento para las comunidades rurales en Malaui, mediante la adopción acelerada de árboles fertilizantes, árboles frutales, árboles forrajeros y árboles madereros para combustible. Para conseguir estos objetivos, el ICRAF proporcionó a las comunidades agrícolas material para plantar (semillas y plantones de árboles), y el conocimiento de cómo cuidarlos y combinarlos de forma eficaz con los cultivos alimentarios. Los beneficiarios del proyecto percibieron un aumento de la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición doméstica. Sin embargo, surgieron dificultades a la hora de transportar las semillas y plantones de los árboles a través de once distritos a tiempo, y de gestionar el flujo de informes y desembolsos de fondos entre un grupo tan grande de colaboradores. Se implementaron varias soluciones que mejoraron el rendimiento en estas áreas, y que permitieron al grupo alcanzar un número de participantes muy cercano al objetivo, y planificar una segunda fase del proyecto

Lactobacillus sp and some fungi from termite nests on kolanut trees had mild antagonistic effects against pathogens isolated from paediatric patients

Background: Residents in a rural suburb of Akure jettisoned antibiotic treatment; sought alternative cure to rising incidence of paediatric infections in 2017 from local herbal dealers, with many residents claiming of better treatment response. We investigated these claims since the local herbal formula included kola nut barks and ground termites.Methodology: Microorganisms associated with termite nests on kola nut trees in the affected community were characterized and identified using standard techniques. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the bacterial isolates to selected antibiotics. Plasmid profile of multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolates (MDRIs) was determined by the Birnboim and Doly method while post plasmid curing antibiotic susceptibility was performed on the MDRIs against the same selected antibiotics. The microorganisms were also evaluated for possible antagonistic effects against Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients during the period of study using previously described methods.Results: Bacteria (Corynebacterium sp, Streptococcus sp, Acinetobacter sp and Lactobacillus sp) and fungal (Geotrichum condidum, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi) were isolated from the termite nests. The antibiotic susceptibility revealed that Corynebacterium sp and Streptococcus sp were multiply antibiotic resistant, and this was confirmed to be plasmid mediated based on plasmid analysis and curing. The Lactobacillus sp, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium fujikuroi and Geotrichum condidum exhibited mild antagonisms against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients.Conclusion: This study suggests that termite nests on kola nut trees contain microbes that possess antagonistic actions against pathogens from paediatric patients and that some bacteria associated with termite guts may pose significant risk of increased antibiotic resistance if implicated in human infections.Keywords: Termite nests, Resistance, Antagonistic microbes, Termites, Plasmid, Kola nut tre

Correlation between molar concentration and properties of sprayed copper oxide thin films

Copper oxide precursor solutions containing 0.10 M, 0.15 M, 0.20 M and 0.25 M concentration of copper were deposited on a glass substrate using the spray pyrolysis method. The structural, optical and surface properties of the resulting copper oxide thin films were studied using x-ray diffraction, UV–visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Structural studies indicate the absence of secondary phases of copper oxide in the spray-deposited copper oxide thin film with 0.10 M concentration. Optical characterization reveals highest absorbance and lowest transmittance at 0.10 M concentration with an estimated optical bandgap of 1.2 eV. The SEM micrographs reveals a non-porous and comparatively more homogenous surface at 0.10 M concentration. The results show that molar concentration of copper plays a vital role in the development of copper oxide (CuO) thin film for solar cell application. The results have further validated the theoretical predictions of the GW approximations on phases of copper oxide thin films

Fertiliser trees for sustainable food security in the maize-based production systems of East and Southern Africa. A review

The negative effects of soil fertility depletion on food security, especially among smallholder farmers in Africa, is of economic importance, and may be worsened by climate change and rising global fertiliser prices. Substantial efforts and investment have gone into development of alternative soil fertility management options. These include vigorous research and development of N-fixing plants or “fertiliser trees”, that has been on-going in the last two decades in East and Southern Africa. In this paper, we review several studies conducted both on-station and on-farm and synthesise the results in terms of improvements in soil physical, chemical and biological properties, and crop yield in response to fertiliser trees. Our major findings are that (1) fertiliser trees add more than 60 kg N ha−1 per year through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF); (2) nutrient contributions from fertiliser tree biomass can reduce the requirement for mineral N fertiliser by 75%, translating to huge savings on mineral fertilisers; (3) fertiliser trees were also shown to substantially increase crop yield. A meta-analysis has further provided conclusive evidence that with good management, fertiliser trees can double maize yields compared with local farmer practices of maize cultivation without addition of external fertilisation. (4) Financial analyses showed that fertiliser tree systems are profitable and also have higher net returns than the farmers’ de facto practice, i.e. continuous maize cropping without fertiliser. We conclude that widespread adoption and scaling up of fertiliser trees can reduce the amount of mineral fertiliser needed, maintain the soil ecosystem, and positively impact on the livelihoods of farm households in southern Africa

Assessment of chemical and organoleptic properties of fortified indigenous maize-based snack

Background: Aadun is an indigenous maize-based snack high in energy, phosphorus and magnesium but low in protein. It is often sold with minimal packaging under conditions which may lead to its rapid deterioration. Protein fortification and improved packaging could enhance its balance of nutrients and increase acceptability.Objective: The study evaluated the chemical composition and organoleptic qualities of fortified aadun.Methods: Four different samples of aadun were prepared. T0 served as the control (unfortified aadun) while the three others (T1, T2 and T3) were fortified with groundnut, crayfish and soybeans, respectively. The four samples were subjected to proximate and mineral analysis. Different packaging materials such as foil paper, polyethylene and plastic plate covered with kiln film were used to present the samples to 50 panellists for organoleptic assessment. Results were subjected to descriptive statistics and ANOVA using SPSS version 20.Results: Fortified samples were found to be significantly different in their chemical composition and sensory attributes from the control sample. The fortified aadun samples had higher protein, crude fibre, ether extract, iron, magnesium, iodine, sodium, potassium and phosphorus than the control. The T0 was rated highest for the colour and the T1 for taste, texture, aroma and overall acceptability. The most preferred packaging material for the samples was plastic plate covered with kiln film while polyethylene was least preferred.Conclusion: Fortifying aadun with different ingredients especially groundnut and improving the materials used in packaging will improve its consumer acceptability.Keywords: Fortified aadun, organoleptic, chemical composition, packagin

Scaling up Agroforestry to Achieve Food Security and Environmental Protection among Smallholder Farmers in Malawi

Malawi is a land-locked country in southern Africa. Three-fourths of Malawi’s 13 million people rely on smallholder agriculture for their livelihoods. Increasing population, accelerating deforestation, poor soil and water management, and increasing poverty and land degradation directly impact the food security and human health of millions of Malawians. Cropping systems which combine cereal crops, agroforestry and small doses of inorganic fertilizers produce food-crop yields greater than inorganic fertilizers alone on degraded soils, as well as recuperating soil nutrients over a period of years. These agroforestry practices improve the livelihoods of farm families, lower risks associated with fertilizer price increases and drought and at the same time improve biodiversity and nutrient and water cycling in the agro-ecosystem. The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) has a long history of agroforestry research and development in Malawi dating back to the 1980s. In 2007-2011, ICRAF implemented the Malawi Agroforestry Food Security Project (AFSP) through financial support from Irish Aid. ICRAF’s task in AFSP was to build a strong partnership to reach 200,000 farming families in 11 districts. The purpose of AFSP was to combine tested agroforestry practices, effective partnership and informed policies to increase food security and income, and improve livelihood opportunities for rural communities in Malawi, through accelerated adoption of fertilizer trees, fruit trees, fodder trees and fuel-wood trees. To accomplish these purposes, ICRAF provided the farming communities with planting material (tree seeds and seedlings), and the knowledge of how to care for them and effectively combine them with food crops. The beneficiaries of the project saw increases in household food security and nutrition. However, difficulties were encountered in transporting tree seeds and seedlings across eleven districts in a timely fashion, and in managing the flow of reporting and disbursements of funding among such a large group of collaborators. Several solutions were implemented which improved performance in these areas, and which allowed the group to reach very near the targeted number of participants, and to plan for a second phase of the project

Sero-prevalence of Human Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis in Low-Endemic communities of Ogun State, Nigeria

This study reports the status of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) in communities with low endemicity in Ogun-State, Nigeria. The Ov16/Wb123 biplex Rapid Diagnostic Test was used to screen 1,836 participants aged 5 years and above from 8 Local Government Areas (LGAs) from October to December, 2016. Skin snips and night blood were also used for microscopic detection of microfilariae (MF). A cumulative seroprevalence of 9.4% and 0.42% was recorded for onchocerciasis and LF respectively with a co-infection rate of 0.4%. Among the LGAs screened, Ijebu North-East recorded the highest seroprevalence of onchocerciasis (26.4%) and LF (0.9%) while Remo North, Sagamu and Obafemi-Owode LGAs recorded low prevalences ranging from 0.7 - 2.7% for both diseases. No positive result of MF was observed in all the communities screened, even in Ijebu North-East where seroprevalence was high, suggesting historic exposure to onchocerciasis and LF infection which may have occurred over time due to human  migration during farming and fishing seasons. Extension of ongoing mass treatment in endemic LGAs is recommended for Ijebu North-East to ensure inclusion in the drive towards the elimination of the diseases in Ogun State