Fungi associated with diseases of Dichrostachys cinerea and Parkia biglobosa trees in Amurum forest reserve

This study was carried out to determine the identity of fungal pathogens associated with diseases of Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn and Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G. Don in the Dry Savannah habitat of Amurum forest reserve. Random sampling was used to lay down the temporary sample plot and the survey involved sampling leaves and stems from tender and old trees that show symptoms such as abnormal growth, branch splits, chlorosis, stem canker, dieback, spots on leaves, galls and stunted growth. The diseased samples were taken to the laboratory for culture, isolation and identification of pathogens. Eight fungal species were isolated and identified: Aspergillus niger, Choanephora cucurbitarum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Pestalotiopsis spp, Thermomyces lanuginosus and Trichoderma harzianum from the diseased trees. This study provides a foundation for future work to develop management strategies aimed at reducing the impact of these pathogens in the Reserve because, without knowledge of the identity of these disease-causing agents, it is not possible to accurately design control methods aimed at reducing the inoculum level of the pathogenic organisms

Effect of Azadirachta indica extract on the radial growth of some test fungi isolated from two varieties of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta L.) corms and cormels in some markets in Plateau State, Nigeria

Antifungal effect of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Azadirachta indica on the radial growth of fungal pathogens of stored cocoyam corms and cormels was investigated. Four different extract concentrations were used from the plant leaves. Pathogenicity test showed that: Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, Verticilium lateritium, Botrydiplodia theobramae, Colletotricum coccoides, Phythium myriotylum, Fusarium verticillioides, Rhizopus stolonifer and Geotricum candidum induced rot in both varieties of healthy cocoyam corms and cormels after 7 days of inoculation. The highest aqueous extract inhibition recorded was 81.11% on V. lateritium at 10% while the least inhibitory effect was 18.35% observed at 2.5% on G. candidum. Meanwhile, the ethanol extract gave a highly significant (P<0.05) inhibitory effect of 87.21% at 10% and the least was 26.80% at 2.5% on A.alternata and V. lateritium respectively compared to the rest as recorded in aqueous extract at the same level of concentrations (10%). The fungitoxic potential of this plant extract on rot inducing fungi of stored cocoyam corms and cormels is indicative of its use to farmers as alternative to commercial or synthetic fungicides destroying our ecosystem and health.

The Role of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment in the Implementation of Circular Economy Principles in Organizations

Some of the targets included in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 "ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns" are aligned with the circular economy vision of decoupling economic growth from resource constraints. However, only limited guidance is available to companies on how to make circular economy operational in their activities. The British Standard BS 8001:2017, "Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations" provides guidelines to organizations in the transition towards a more circular and sustainable mode of operation. This paper discusses how the six principles and eight-stage flexible framework proposed in the standard can benefit by the integration with the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment framework and what are the challenges for the food and drink sector.M. N. would like to thank the Carlsberg Foundation for funding the project "Absolute Circular Economy" (ACE) toolkit to support companies in the implementation of Circular Economy strategies from an Absolute environmental sustainability perspective. X.C.S.R would like to thank the University of Manchester Research Institute (UMRI) and the Centre for Sustainable Energy use in the Food supply chain (EPSRC grant no. EP/K011820/1) for funding this research

Environmental sustainability assessment of ready-made baby foods: Meals, menus and diets

Although there is a growing body of literature on the environmental impacts of food, virtually none of the studies has addressed baby foods. Therefore, this work explored the life cycle environmental impacts of different ready-made baby foods, both at the level of individual meals and their combinations within a weekly menu. Twelve different meals were considered, based on baby food products available on the UK market, spanning breakfast, lunch and dessert. Menus following four different diets – omnivorous, vegetarian, pescatarian and dairy-free – were also evaluated. The results showed that, on average, lunch meals had the highest impacts and desserts the lowest. Breakfast has either intermediate (wet porridge) or low (dry porridge) impacts. Among the lunch meals, spaghetti Bolognese and salmon risotto had the highest impacts and among the desserts, strawberry, raspberry and banana as well as apple, pear and banana purees had the lowest. The key hotspots across the meals were raw materials and packaging. Meals with more meat and cream were found to have higher impacts. Manufacturing also played a significant role for global warming potential as well as depletion of fossil resources and the ozone layer due to the fossil fuels used in the process. When the impacts were analysed per mass of baby food consumed weekly, the dairy-free diet had higher impacts than the other three, but the difference among them was relatively small. The trends changed when nutritional value was taken into account, with the dairy-free diet exhibiting considerably higher impacts per unit of energy content. In that case, the pescatarian diet became the best option for most impacts. There was little difference between the omnivore and vegetarian diets. It is expected that these results will be of interest to baby food manufacturers and consumers, helping them to make more informed manufacturing and purchasing decisions

Obesity and the food system transformation in Latin America

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region faces a major diet-related health problem accompanied by enormous economic and social costs. The shifts in diet are profound: major shifts in intake of less-healthful low-nutrient-density foods and sugary beverages, changes in away-from-home eating and snacking and rapid shifts towards very high levels of overweight and obesity among all ages along with, in some countries, high burdens of stunting. Diet changes have occurred in parallel to, and in two-way causality with, changes in the broad food system – the set of supply chains from farms, through midstream segments of processing, wholesale and logistics, to downstream segments of retail and food service (restaurants and fast food chains). An essential contribution of this piece is to marry and integrate the nutrition transition literature with the literature on the economics of food system transformation. These two literatures and debates have been to date largely ‘two ships passing in the night’. This review documents in-depth the recent history of rapid growth and transformation of that broad food system in LAC, with the rapid rise of supermarkets, large processors, fast food chains and food logistics firms. The transformation is the story of a ‘double-edged sword’, showing its links to various negative diet side trends, e.g. the rise of consumption of fast food and highly processed food, as well as in parallel, to various positive trends, e.g. the reduction of the cost of food, de-seasonalization, increase of convenience of food preparation reducing women's time associated with that and increase of availability of some nutritious foods like meat and dairy. We view the transformation of the food system, as well as certain aspects of diet change linked to long-run changes in employment and demographics (e.g. the quest for convenience), as broad parameters that will endure for the next decades without truly major regulatory and fiscal changes. We then focus in on what are the steps that are being and can be taken to curb the negative effects on diet of these changes. We show that countries in LAC are already among the global leaders in initiating demand-related solutions via taxation and marketing controls. But we also show that this is only a small step forward. To shift LAC's food supply towards prices that incentivize consumption of healthier diets and demand away from the less healthy component is not simple and will not happen immediately. We must be cognizant that ultimately, food industry firms must be incentivized to market the components of healthy diets. This will primarily need to be via selective taxes and subsidies, marketing controls, as well as food quality regulations, consumer education and, in the medium term, consumers' desires to combine healthier foods with their ongoing quest for convenience in the face of busy lives. In the end, the food industry in LAC will orient itself towards profitable solutions, ie those demanded by the broad mass of consumers

In vivo evaluation of garlic (Allium sativum) extract in the control of potato late blight disease caused by phytophthora infestans

 In vivo study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of foliar application of garlic extract and two chemical fungicides (ridomil and z-force) in the reduction of late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans, increase of potato biomass and total tuber yield in natural field condition. The field experiment was conducted in Machambe village, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. Certified seeds were obtained from the National Root Crop Research Institute, Kuru, Plateau State, Nigeria. Potato seeds were grown in four row plots, 30-meter-long with spacing of 70cm between rows and 30cm within rows. Experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD) with four replications. Foliar sprays of 0.4 g/l Ridomil, Z-force and garlic extract respectively, at a 3day interval soon after first visible symptoms appeared to reduced disease incidence and resulted in higher biological and tuber yield compared to control (unsprayed plots). Ridomil and garlic extract were most effective in minimizing the disease incidence and producing better biological yields (33.95g and 31.02g) and tuber yields (15.93t/ha and 14.99t/ha) respectively. Control plot produced the least biological and tuber yield of 23.92g and 11.95t/ha respectively. There was no significant difference at P<0.05 between the tested treatments. There was significant difference in disease incidence reduction at (P<0.05) by the extract and chemical fungicides. Late blight incidence reduction effect of garlic extract was slightly higher than that of Z-force fungicide. Therefore, the evaluated plant material (garlic extract) could serve as an alternative to chemical fungicide in the control of late blight disease in potato.