Separating autotrophic respiration due to roots from soil heterotrophic respiration in an agroforestry parkland system in Saponé, Burkina Faso

Soil respiration is the largest component of ecosystem respiration but little is known about it and its components in parkland systems. We therefore conducted an experiment to estimate the amount of CO2 respired and to partition it into soil, tree root and crop root contributions in parkland systems in Burkina Faso. Three factors effects were estimated: pruning, species and presence of tree canopy. Pruning showed no significant effect on soil respiration. The soil respiration was significantly higher under Parkia biglobosa (1.54 g CO2 m-2 h-1 against 0.93 in the open area) than under Vitellaria paradoxa (0.98 g CO2 m-2 h-1 against 0.52 in the open area). The autotrophic respiration associated with the P. biglobosa system due to sorghum roots was 0.37 g CO2 m-2 h-1 and due to tree roots was 0.61. For the V. paradoxa system, the figures were 0.13 g CO2 m-2 h-1 for sorghum roots and 0.46 for tree roots. We observed higher CO2 emissions from under trees crowns than in open areas owing to higher tree-root respiratory activities, and higher water and organic matter contents. However, further studies are needed to discover if these low values of soil CO2 fluxes from parklands translate into higher amounts of carbon fixed than emitted taking into consideration the seasonal variations.Keywords: Carbon balance, CO2 flux, carbon-sink, carbon-source

Etude ethnobotanique des plantes hépatotropes et de l’usage traditionnel de Gomphrena celosioides Mart. (Amaranthaceae) au Bénin

La présente étude ethnobotanique réalisée sur les plantes hépatotropes et particulièrement sur les propriétés thérapeutiques de Gomphrena celosioides a eu pour objectif de répertorier les plantes hépatotropesutilisées par les tradithérapeutes au Bénin et d’apporter davantage d’informations sur l’usage de Gomphrena celosioides. Pour cela, des enquêtes ont été menées dans 13 localités du Bénin. Une synthèse des résultats en comparaison avec les données bibliographiques concernant l’utilisation des plantes dans le traitement des affections hépatiques est réalisée. Au total, 214 plantes ont été recensées avec des indications sur leur utilisation. Les feuilles, la décoction et la boisson sont les plus sollicitées parmi les parties utilisées dans la préparation des drogues, les modes de préparation et d’administration. Gomphrena celosioides est largement utilisé par les tradithérapeutes du Bénin avec 43 recettes dont 10 pour les affections hépatiques. Les effets thérapeutiques de cette plante sont certainement induits par des composés chimiques qui devront être identifiés pour confirmer les propriétés thérapeutiques de celle-ci.Mots clés : Gomphrena celosioides, ethnobotanique, hépatotrope, affections hépatiques, tradithérapeute, Bénin

Effets de l’extrait aqueux de gomphrena celosioides (amaranthaceae) sur les enzymes hépatiques

Gomphrena celosioides est une plante utilisée en médecine traditionnelle dans le traitement des maladies hépatiques. Le tétrachlorure de carbone (CCl4) a été utilisé pour induire une hépato toxicité chez les rats. Ce hépatotoxique provoque une montée significative des taux des enzymes hépatiques et de la bilirubine. Les différents traitements avec l’extrait aqueux de Gomphrena celosioides (EAG) à la dose de 500 mg/kg de Poids Vif (PV) et de la silymarine (SIL) reconnue pour ses propriétés hépatotoxiques, à la dose de 300 mg/kg PV entrainent une baisse des taux de ces paramètres. Les traitements préventifs des animaux avec l’EAG et la SIL ont entraîné une baisse du taux des transaminases sériques, des phosphatases alcalines et de la bilirubine avec une protection de 65,06 % pour l’EAG et 78,34 % pour la SIL en ce qui concerne l’Alanine amino transférase (ALAT). Les traitements curatifs des animaux à l’EAG et à la SIL ont donné une protection de 56,35 % pour l’EAG contre 70,45% pour la SIL en ce qui concerne l’ALAT. L’activité hépato protectrice de l’EAG est donc plus protective que curative. Cette activité est comparable à celle de la SIL. Les mécanismes possibles de cette activité peuvent être dus à l’action des antioxydants contenus dans les flavonoïdes, présents dans l’EAG.Mots-clés : affections hépatiques, silymarine, médecine traditionnelle, hépato toxicité, flavonoïdes.The aqueous extract effect of Gomphrena celosioides in liver enzymes Gomphrena celosioides is a plant used in traditional medicine in the treatment of liver disease. Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was used to induce hepatotoxicity in rats. This hepatotoxic causes a significant rise in liver enzymes and bilirubin. The various treatments with the aqueous extract of Gomphrena celosioides (EAG) at a fixed dose of 500 mg/kg body weight (bw) and silymarin (SIL), which is known for its hepatoprotective properties, at a fixed dose of 300 mg/kg bw, decrease the activity of these parameters. Preventive treatments of animals with EAG and SIL resulted in a decrease in serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin with the protection of 65, 06 % for EAG and 78, 34 % for SIL in Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT) respectively. With regards to ALT, curative treatments with EAG and SIL gave a protection of 56, 35 % for EAG against 70, and 45 % for SIL. The activity of EAG is more protective than curative. This activity is comparable to that of SIL. Possible mechanisms of this activity may be due to the action of antioxidants in flavonoids, whose presence is known in EAG.Keywords : liver disease, silymarin, traditional medicine, hepatotoxicity, flavonoids

Towards more inclusive community landscape governance:Drivers and assessment indicators in northern Ghana

Community-based approaches to landscape governance are considered more legitimate, equitable, and inclusive ways to manage natural resources and more effective in achieving conservation and livelihood goals than centralised and top-down approaches. In Ghana, the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission devolved decision-making authority over natural resources through the Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) governance system. While there is a growing body of literature on the CREMA governance model, few studies have examined the inclusiveness of its decision-making processes. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying the drivers that hinder or foster the inclusiveness of community governance in the Western Wildlife Corridor of northern Ghana and developing a set of inclusivity assessment indicators. Based on data collected through key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observations, we found that several stakeholder groups remain at the margins of the CREMA governance system and feel excluded, particularly Fulani herders, women, and youth. Based on our findings and the literature, we present a set of assessment indicators for inclusive CREMA governance. However, these indicators are unlikely to be fully met because of persisting socio-cultural barriers and power asymmetries. We argue that measures such as capacity building, empowering marginalised social groups, promoting their participation in decision-making, and a bottom-up approach towards creating CREMAs are needed to improve the inclusiveness of CREMA governance. Beyond the CREMAs, the inclusivity indicators developed in this study have broad applicability to environmental and landscape governance

Targeting perennial vegetation in agricultural landscapes for enhancing ecosystem services

Over the past century, agricultural landscapes worldwide have increasingly been managed for the primary purpose of producing food, while other diverse ecosystem services potentially available from these landscapes have often been undervalued and diminished. The incorporation of relatively small amounts of perennial vegetation in strategic locations within agricultural landscapes dominated by annual crops—or perennialization—creates an opportunity for enhancing the provision of a wide range of goods and services to society, such as water purification, hydrologic regulation, pollination services, control of pest and pathogen populations, diverse food and fuel products, and greater resilience to climate change and extreme disturbances, while at the same time improving the sustainability of food production. This paper synthesizes the current scientific theory and evidence for the role of perennial plants in balancing conservation with agricultural production, focusing on the Midwestern USA as a model system, while also drawing comparisons with other climatically diverse regions of the world. Particular emphasis is given to identifying promising opportunities for advancement and critical gaps in our knowledge related to purposefully integrating perennial vegetation into agroecosystems as a management tool for maximizing multiple benefits to society

Combining soil fertilization, cropping systems and improved varieties to minimize climate risks on farming productivity in northern region of Burkina Faso

Background In search of options to cope with climate change and variability, a trial combining fertilization and improved varieties of millet and cowpea (intercropped or as sole crop) was conducted on three sites (Lemnogo, Tibtenga and Ramdolla) in the northern region of Burkina Faso. The application of cattle manure (3 t ha−1), micro-dose (3 g hole−1 equivalent to 62 kg ha−1) of a mineral fertilizer composed of 14 % N, 23 % P2O5 and 14 % K2O (NPK), their combination and a control (no manure and no NPK) as four soil fertilization options, two improved varieties of millet (SOSAT-C88 and IKMP5), two varieties of cowpea (KVX 396-4-5-2D and KVX 61-1) and two cropping systems (millet–cowpea intercropping, sole crop) were tested on-farm for two seasons (2013 and 2014). During the third season a survey was conducted on the acceptability by farmers of the tested combinations as a way of buffering or coping with rainfall variability. Results Two-year trial revealed that the combination of manure and NPK applied to the intercropping of millet and cowpea significantly increased crop production (land equivalent ratio = 1.83 ± 0.18 and 1.78 ± 0.20, intercropping millet variety IKMP5 with cowpea KVX 61-1 and intercropping millet variety SOSAT-C88 with cowpea KVX 396-4-5-2D, respectively). During erratic rainfall year, intercropping millet IKMP5 and cowpea KVX 61-1 performed the best, while under well-distributed rainfall conditions, intercropping millet SOSAT-C88 with cowpea KVX 396-4-5-2D displayed higher production, respectively, for millet and cowpea. Some varieties were not well accepted by most farmers (based on a survey of 36 farmers) mainly because of loss in grains before harvest for millet IKMP5 (97 %) and high grain attacks by insects in storage for cowpea KVX 61-1 (89 %). The alternative for farmers rejecting these varieties could be the intercropping of millet SOSAT-C88 and cowpea KVX 396-4-5-2D fertilized with manure. Conclusions Making weather forecasts and related agronomic advices available to farmers in this region will allow them to better plan their agricultural practices such as mineral fertilizer application and will also be a great move toward climate-smart agriculture. Developing more performant storage measures that drastically reduce insect attacks for some of the tested varieties (cowpea KVX 61-1, for instance) could contribute to promoting their adoption