Assessing Preservation of Tomato with the Use of Microwave Radiation

Postharvest losses of vegetables can occur at any point from harvest through collection and distribution to the final consumer. Thus, preservation is important for all stake holders involved from planting till consumption of these vegetables. There is therefore the need to look into the use of common methods including home appliances to increase the shelf-life of these produce. Research was conducted to investigate the use of microwave radiation from the kitchen microwave oven for the preservation of fruits using tomato as the test crop. The experiment was conducted inside the Laboratory of Agronomy department, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology LAUTECH, Ogbomoso Oyo state, Nigeria. Tomato fruits were harvested from the teaching and research farm of LAUTECH at maturity stage, and batched into (four) 4 groups of ten (10) tomatoes each then labelled (B1, B2, B3 and Bo – control).  The B1, B2, and B3 tomatoes were radiated using the kitchen microwave oven for 5, 10 and 15minutes at three microwave power levels of low (9.3GHz), med-low (9.5GHz) and high (10.0GHz) frequency. The samples were monitored under room temperature for ripening for 5weeks.The result shows that only 20% out of the radiated tomatoes at low frequency of 9.3GHz for 15minutes were ripened by the 5th week while Bo tomatoes were all ripened and spoilt by the 3rd week of observation. It is therefore recommended that tomato fruits can be preserved best at a recommended frequency of 9.3GHz for 15minutes. Keywords: postharvest losses, Electro-magnetic radiation (EMR), tomato preservation, kitchen microwave oven, DOI: 10.7176/ALST/76-05 Publication date:September 30th 201

Assessment of Trace Metal Contaminations in Vegetables Around Riparian Area of Ogbomoso

Different types of waste consisting of everyday items from different sources that are discarded by the public are commonly disposed at the bank of a river in which vegetables are planted. The vegetables planted are assumed to be polluted with some heavy metals as a result of municipal waste. These heavy metals accumulate in the body and enter through the food. The heavy metals sometimes are so much in the body that they pose a great hazard to human body. Four heavy metals Lead (Pb), Chromium, (Cr), Cadmium (Cd), and Zinc (Zn) were studied in comparison with FAO/WHO standard.The research was carried out in Ogbomoso at three different locations Arada, Ikose and Beulah. Vegetables sample were uprooted at the river bank of these locations at three varying distances (10m, 15m and 20m) away from the river. The vegetables samples were kept in a labeled brown envelopes and oven dried for 48 hours at 23oC to remove moisture. The dried samples were then taken to the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training at Ibadan for analysis.The results showed that the level of concentration of Pb, Cr, Cd and Zn found in the vegetable planted in riparian area of Ogbomoso are safe for human consumption because the metals found were in conformation with FAO/WHO standard. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-18-05 Publication date:September 30th 201

Phenotypic stages of some improved varieties of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) in the humid South Western Nigeria

Background: Groundnut is an important legume crop of tropical and semiarid tropical countries, where it provides a major source of edible oil, vegetable protein and source of raw materials for agro-allied industries. To aid in groundnut research planning, varietal development, crop modeling and for extension workers in recommending time of cultural practices, standard descriptions of some improved (SAMNUT 10, SAMNUT 22 and SAMNUT 23) and local (kampala) varieties of groundnut were recorded. Methods: The descriptions were based on visually observable vegetative (V) and reproductive (R) events. The V stage recorded was VE (Emergence: Cotyledons near the soil surface with the seedling showing while some part of the plant visible). The R stages recorded are R1 (beginning flowering), R2 (beginning peg), R3 (beginning pod), R4 (full pod), R5 (beginning seed), R6 (full seed), R7 (beginning maturity) and R8 (harvest maturity). A growth stage is reached when 50% of the plants or seeds sampled have achieved or exhibiting the specified the specified trait. Results: VE of 7 days after sowing (DAS) was recorded for the improved varieties and 6 DAS for kampala. R1 was 28 DAS for all the varieties, R2 of 33 and 35 DAS was recorded for the improved varieties and kampala respectively. R3 of 43 DAS, R4 of 56 DAS, and R5 of 63 DAS for the four varieties. R6 (76, 74, 75 and 77 DAS for SAMNUT 10, SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 23 and kampala respectively) and R7 (93, 93, 92 and 94 DAS for SAMNUT 10, SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 23 and kampala respectively) varies for the varieties. Harvest maturation, R8 varies within the varieties; 135 DAS, 120 DAS, 100 DAS and 120 DAS for SAMNUT 10, SAMNUT 22, SAMNUT 23 and kampala respectively. Conclusions: The stages apply to both improved varieties and the local variety and could be used to schedule cultural practices including irrigation, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, growth regulators, and harvest.   Key Words: Groundnut, Growth stages, Vegetative events, Reproductive events, Standard descriptions

Effects of Sowing Date on Yield and Yield Parameters of Some Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Cultivar Under Rainfed Condition in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

The study examined the variation in number of flowers, number of nodules, number of pods and seed yield of some groundnut cultivar as affected by planting date in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Nigeria under rainfed condition. This is necessary to determine when moisture availability will be at optimum starting from the onset of rainfall, to avert loss which could arise from improper timing of planting. Teaching and Research Farm of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso with average annual rainfall of 1000 mm and temperature ranging from 28 to 33 ºC was used for the experiment. A 4 by 4 factorial experiment with four varieties of groundnut (three improved varieties Samnut-10, Samnut-23, Samnut-22 and Kampala (local variety)) and four planting dates of a week interval (29th April, 6th May, 13th May and 20th May, 2016) were tried without chemical amendment. All the parameters evaluated were affected by the planting date.  Samnut-23 and Samnut-10 planted on 29th April produced the highest mean number of flowers (15.67) and number of nodules (116.00) respectively which were significantly higher than others. Cultivar type did not have significant influence (p≤0.05) on the growth parameters. However, number of pods and seed yield was influenced by the cultivar. The highest number of pods (103.00) from this study was produced by Samnut-23 planted on 29th April. It was observed that the high number of pods produced by Samnut-23 did not translate to seed yield because Kampala produced the highest seed yield (73.51 g/plot) which was significantly higher than yield from other cultivars tried. Groundnut cultivars responded differently to planting date tried, with best planting period being early month of May. It was observed that all the cultivars produced their least seed yield when planted towards the end of month of May, therefore, should be discouraged for the tried cultivars at the trial location. KEYWORDS: Sowing date, Rainfed, Pod, Seed yield and Groundnut Production DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-18-06 Publication date:September 30th 201

Fusarium and Sarocladium Species Associated with Rice Sheath Rot Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sarocladium and Fusarium species are commonly identified as causal agents of rice sheath rot disease worldwide. However, limited knowledge exists about their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, where an increasing incidence of this disease has been observed. In this study, seventy fungal isolates were obtained from rice plants displaying disease symptoms in rice research programs and farmer fields in Mali, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Thus, an extensive comparative analysis was conducted to assess their genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity. The Fusarium spp. were characterized using the translation elongation factor (EF-1a) region, while a concatenation of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Actin-encoding regions were used to resolve Sarocladium species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four Fusarium species complexes. The dominant complex in Nigeria was the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), comprising F. hainanense, F. sulawesiense, F. pernambucatum, and F. tanahbumbuense, while F. incarnatum was found in Rwanda. The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) was predominant in Rwanda and Mali, with species such as F. andiyazi, F. madaense, and F. casha in Rwanda and F. annulatum and F. nygamai in Mali. F. marum was found in Nigeria. Furthermore, Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) members, F. callistephi and F. triseptatum, were found in Rwanda and Mali, respectively. Two isolates of F. acasiae-mearnsii, belonging to the Fusarium sambucinum species complex (FSAMSC), were obtained in Rwanda. Isolates of Sarocladium, which were previously classified into three phylogenetic groups, were resolved into three species, which are attenuatum, oryzae, and sparsum. S. attenuatum was dominant in Rwanda, while S. oryzae and S. sparsum were found in Nigeria. Also, the susceptibility of FARO44, a rice cultivar released by Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), was tested against isolates from the four Fusarium species complexes and the three Sarocladium species. All isolates evaluated could induce typical sheath rot symptoms, albeit with varying disease development levels. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine variation in the in vitro mycotoxins of the Fusarium species. Regional differences were observed in the in vitro mycotoxins profiling. Out of the forty-six isolates tested, nineteen were able to produce one to four mycotoxins. Notably, very high zearalenone (ZEN) production was specific to the two F. hainanense isolates from Ibadan, Nigeria, while Fusarium nygamai isolates from Mali produced high amounts of fumonisins. To the best of our knowledge, it seems that this study is the first to elucidate the genetic, pathogenic, and toxigenic diversity of Fusarium species associated with the rice sheath rot disease complex in selected countries in SSA

The IceCube Realtime Alert System

Following the detection of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos in 2013, their origin is still unknown. Aiming for the identification of an electromagnetic counterpart of a rapidly fading source, we have implemented a realtime analysis framework for the IceCube neutrino observatory. Several analyses selecting neutrinos of astrophysical origin are now operating in realtime at the detector site in Antarctica and are producing alerts to the community to enable rapid follow-up observations. The goal of these observations is to locate the astrophysical objects responsible for these neutrino signals. This paper highlights the infrastructure in place both at the South Pole detector site and at IceCube facilities in the north that have enabled this fast follow-up program to be developed. Additionally, this paper presents the first realtime analyses to be activated within this framework, highlights their sensitivities to astrophysical neutrinos and background event rates, and presents an outlook for future discoveries.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures, Published in Astroparticle Physic

Assessment of the Performance of Osmotically Driven Polymeric Membrane Processes

The universal water scarceness and the extensive ordeals with energy cost in conjunction with the undesirable ecological effects have advanced the improvement of novel osmotically driven membrane processes. Membrane processes which are osmotically driven are developing type of membrane separation procedures that apply concentrated brines to separate liquid streams. They are adaptable in various applications; hence, allow them to be an attractive substitute for drug release, wastewater treatment and the production and recovery of energy. Although, internal concentration polarization (ICP) occurs in membrane practises which are osmotically driven as a consequence of hindered diffusion of solute in a porous stratum, their interest has even increased. Here we review two natural membrane processes that are osmotically driven; Forward osmosis (FO) and Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). Thus, the major points are as follows: 1) it was highlighted in this review, that the major developments in FO process, important for the process efficiency is to choose a suitable membrane and draw solution. 2) The recent evaluation, understanding and optimizing the activities of fouling throughout the osmotic dilution of seawater employing FO was discussed. 3) Recent advancements of FO in the application of food processing was reviewed. 4) It was highlighted that the main concept of PRO for power generation is the energy of mixing that offers great assessment of the nonexpansion work which could be generated from mixing; nonetheless, the development of effective membranes with appropriate arrangement and performance is needed for the advancement of PRO process for power generation. 5) One major challenge of osmotically driven membrane processes, most recent developments and model development to predict their performances were discussed

Impact of mothers’ socio-demographic factors and antenatal clinic attendance on neonatal mortality in Nigeria

Neonatal death is often referred to maternal complications during pregnancy, and other exogenous factors that exist around the time of birth or shortly after birth. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG)-Goal 3, Targets 3.2 aimed at ending preventable deaths of newborns by demanding that all countries should reduce neonatal mortality to 12 per 1000 live births by 2030. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between mothers’ socioeconomic and demographic factors on neonatal deaths in Nigeria. The study used quantitative data from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS). The data analyzed consisted of 26,826 women aged 15–49 years who had a live or dead birth within the 5 years preceding the survey. STATA 12 computer software was used to carry out data analyses. Data analyses were at univariate (frequency distribution), bivariate (chi-square) and due to the dichotomous nature of the outcome variable (i.e., whether a child was born alive or dead during the delivery; coded as (1, 0), a binary logistic regression was carried out to examine the relationships between various socio-demographic factors, antenatal clinic attendance and neonatal mortality in Nigeria. The results, among others, revealed that background factors of the women such as age, region, residence, education, and wealth status have a significant association with neonatal mortality (P < 0.05). The study also found that adequate antenatal clinic attendance helps to reduce neonatal deaths. The study recommended that women should be encouraged to observe regular antenatal clinic visits during pregnancy and also go for institutional delivery for possible reduction of neonates and infant deaths in Nigeria

Plot by plot: plotting urbanism as an ordinary process of urbanization

With this paper, we analyse an ordinary urban process, which has received little attention so far and propose a new concept to take account of it: plotting urbanism. It is usually subsumed under terms like “urban informality” or “incremental urbanism” and not studied as a distinct process. In comparing Lagos, Istanbul and Shenzhen we captured four defining features of plotting urbanism: first, it unfolds in a piecemeal fashion with limited comprehensive planning. Second, it emerges from conflicts between multiple overlapping modes of territorial regulation, land tenure and property rights, which result in specific territorial compromises. Third, plotting is based on commodification of housing and land, which might accentuate socio-economic differentiations between property-owners, who often live in the same area, and their tenants. The term “plotting” highlights the key role of the plot in the process. It also alludes to strategic acts of collaboration for individual and collaborative benefit