Influence of pre-germination treatments on germination and early seedlings growth of Carapa procera

This study was carried out at the Forest Nursery of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt Nigeria. It assessed the effect of pre-germination treatments on seed germination and early seedling growth performance of Carapa procera. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design involving analysis of variance. Duncan multiple range test (DMRT) at (P<0.05) was used for mean separation. The treatments used were: hot water soaking (5 minutes), mechanical scarification, cold water soaking (24 hours) and the control. A total of 600 seeds were used for germination (i.e. 150 seeds per treatment). Observations on germination were recorded daily for six weeks on germination emergence, duration and percentage. A total of 80 seedlings were used i.e. 20 seedlings of uniform height at two (2) leaves stage for each treatment were transplanted into polypots, Evaluation of early seedling growth was done for four months based on height, collar diameter and leaf number. Highest Germination percentage was observed in mechanically scarified seeds (94%) and lowest in control seeds (56%). Earliest emergence and duration was observed in mechanically scarified seeds (5 and 4 days respectively) and latest in control (21.67 and 29.33 days respectively). A significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) was observed in all growth parameters at all stages of growth. Mechanically scarified seeds produced the highest performance for all growth parameters studied followed by control when compared to the other pre-treatment methods. It is recommended that seeds of Carapa procera be mechanically scarified before sowing. Although other treatments can be used to enhance germination, they may not be required for seedling growth since seedlings from untreated seeds produced higher growth parameters after scarification treatment.Keywords: Carapa procera, pre-treatments, germination, early seedling growt

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries