Natural foods and feeding habits of the African honey bee Apis mellifera adansonii Latrielle (1804) in Zaria, northern Nigeria

A total of 28 plant species visited by the honeybee Apis mellifera adansonii Latrielle were observed and collected from September 2006-January 2008 in Zaria, Nigeria using secateur and plant presses to cut and preserve the specimens. A digital camera was used to photograph the honeybees on plants. The plants were categorized into 15 Families with Leguminosae having 5(18%) of the Families being the largest followed by the Family Asteraceae 4(14%). About 57.1% were annuals while 42.9% were perennials. The discussion is focused on the identification of indigenous plants that produce nectar and pollen with good honey potentials in parts of northern Nigeria. It is recommended that wild plants with good honey production potentials be identified and cultivated to supplement available food sources for increased honey production. Keywords: natural food, nectar, pollen, african honeybee, Apis mellifera adansoni

Nutrient composition of some terrestrial insects in Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru Zaria Nigeria.

Terrestrial insects belonging to 8 species groups were collected from 5 sites in A.B.U. main campus and analysed for nutritional constituents using standard biochemical methods. The highest level of crude protein was found in Catarrtopsilus taeniolatus (40.57%) and the lowest in Microtermes sp (24.85%). Crude protein and lipid contents varied significantly (P0.05) and decreased in the order nymph> winged adult> de-winged adult. Carbohydrate (LSD(0.05) =1.09) and crude fibre (LSD(0.05) = 0.79) also varied significantly between the groups. The ash content ofMicrotermes sp was about 4 times higher than the level in any other species group. The significance of these nutrients and their role as suitable substitutes and supplements in human and livestock diets are discussed. Keywords: Terrestrial insects, nutrients composition, Samaru, Nigeri

Determination of Heavy Metals in Hoplobatrachus occipitalis (Crowned Bullfrogs) and Water from Some Reservoirs in Kadawa Irrigation Project Kano, Nigeria

This study was carried out to evaluate the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn) in water and crowned bullfrog (Hoplobatrachus occipitalis) organs/parts (muscle, liver, leg, lung and trunk) from Kadawa irrigation project, Kano State, Nigeria. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) Buck Scientific VGP-210 model (2008). The mean concentration of heavy metals in water samples were 0.11 mg/L, 0.18 mg/L, 0.26 mg/L, and 3.65 mg/L for Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn respectively. The sequence of metal accumulation in all the organs was Zn > Pb > Mn > Cu. The highest concentration of Zn (77.38 mg/kg), Pb (1.81 mg/kg) and Mn (0.68 mg/kg) were found in the lung while Cu (0.07 mg/kg) was deposited more in the liver. Cadmium was notdetected in all the samples analysed. Zinc and lead were the most accumulated metals in all the organs/parts with the range of 77.38 mg/kg - 18.10 mg/kg and 1.81 mg/kg - 0.13 mg/kg respectively. The highest accumulation of metals was found in the lung and liver. The organ/parts accumulation pattern was: lung > liver > trunk > muscle > leg for Zn, Pb and Mn, while liver > lung > trunk > muscle > leg was for Cu. Lung and liver have the highest bioaccumulation of heavy metals while the leg and muscle bioaccumulated the least heavy metals. Hence the water, liver and lung of H. occipitallis are unsafe for consumption, and therefore posed a threat to public health. Farmers should be trained on proper usage of agrochemical.Keywords: Heavy Metals, Crowned Bullfrog, Hoplobatrachus occipitalis, Kadawa, Bioaccumulatio

Analysis of selected medicinal plants used in the treatment of malaria and typhoid fever in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study was aimed at evaluating selected medicinal plants used in the treatment of malaria and typhoid fever. Materials used include medicinal plants used locally in treating malaria and typhoid fever sourced from different villages in Ebonyi State. The analysis of the medicinal plants was conducted using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and NTSYSpc software version 2.02. Different RAPD markers including OPB-1, OPB-2, OPB-3, OPB-5, OPB-12 and OPH-12 were used to amplify the DNA of these plants. These markers were found to be polymorphic except OPB-3 which did not produce any band. It was observed that RAPD markers can effectively amplify DNA sequences of different medicinal plants. The data matrix of RAPD profiles obtained from fragments of each amplicon were scored as 1 (presence of alleles) or 0 (absence of alleles). A dendrogram of the plants using unweighted pair group mean (UPGMA) clustered the genotypes into groups. The dissimilarity values were 0.26 and 1 as minimum and maximum with an edge length of 1.32. Principal component analysis of the generated amplicons resulted to clusters with unique genetic identity. The polymorphism detected among the plants genotypes will be useful in selecting genetically diverse species in future breeding programme.Keywords: Medicinal plants, Malaria/Typhoid, RAPD, Ebonyi State, Nigeri

Nutrient composition of cowpeas infested with Callosobruchus Maculatus L. in Zaria.

Cowpeas infested with Callosobruchus maculatus, in Zaria were analysed using standard biochemical methods. The analysis was to determine the effect of Callosobruchus maculatus on cowpeas at various stages of infestation. Four varieties "Kannanado", Local brown, "Dan Borno" and IAR-48 were used. Results show significant decrease in moisture with increase in infestation in all the varieties except for "Kannanado", this was also the case in carbohydrate content for all the varieties used (p < 0.05). The carbohydrate content ( lowest was 10.3%) for uninfested "Dan Borno" while the infested IAR-48 had the highest (12.4%) Slightly infested seed had the highest moisture content (12.0%) while uninfested cowpeas had lowest moisture (5.8%). A trend of increase in protein content with severity of infestation was observed in the varieties used, though I.A.R. 48 deviated from this pattern (p < 0.05). Uninfested "Dan Borno" had the lowest protein content (1.4 %) and IAR-48 the highest (1.7%).Lowest lipidcontentwasfound in slightlyinfested seeds ( 15.6 %) and the highest (22.6 %) for the severely infested. A significant increase in lipid and ash contents of the cowpeas with increase in severity of infestation was observed in all the varieties (p < 0.05).The damage caused by C.maculatus to all varieties of cowpea analysed did not significantly affect their nutrient composition though they attract less market value than uninfested varieties