Anticipating the Effects of Increasing Rivers’ Water Salinity for Sustainable Conservation of Tilapia Resources in Rural Coastal Zone of Benin, West Africa

The current research aimed at using the application of multi-factor models to support fisheries management decisions for successful resources’ conservation. The study was based on the tilapia species Coptodon guineensis, which is among the most widely exploited in Benin coastal zone. In an attempt to suggest conservation strategies, the phenotypic variability of 356 accessions of this species was assessed in relation with water salinity, and several interactions. The fish were collected through small-scale experimental fishing using cast nets and gillnets. The findings indicated that the salinity observed in the sampled rivers is due, at proportions ranging from 0.13% to 47%, to the sea surface salinity (SSS) of the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting a leading inland origin of the salinity of these rivers. The evidence also showed that the tilapia populations have been relatively adapted to the increasing water salinity of the sampled rivers. The fish species*river type and fish species*fish sex interactions had significant effects on phenotypic characteristics rather than river type*fish sex interaction. For an efficient conservation of these populations, two conservation areas (Lake Nokoué and Porto-Novo lagoon vs Lake Toho and Grand-Popo lagoon), could be considered for this tilapia species. Keywords: Aquatic salinization, population adaptation, growth parameters, interaction pattern

Effet d’une complémentation valorisant les ressources localement disponibles sur les performances de production laitière des vaches en vue de réduire l’intervalle vêlage-vêlage en zone périurbaine de Bobo-Dioulasso au Burkina Faso

Objectif : L’objectif de l’étude était d’évaluer l’effet d’une complémentation stratégique valorisant les ressources localement disponibles, durant le pré et le post-partum des vaches, sur leurs performances de production laitière, l’évolution pondérale des veaux et la réduction de l’intervalle vêlage-vêlage des mères. Méthodologie et résultats : Trois traitements ont été réalisés avec un effectif total de 60 vaches dont 20 vaches complémentées avec du tourteau de coton, du son de maïs, des pierres à lécher et de l’eau de boisson ad libitum) avant et après vêlage (lot VCAAV), 20 vaches complémentées seulement après vêlage (lot VCAV) et 20 autres non complémentées (lot VNC). La production moyenne de lait trait a varié significativement d’un traitement à l’autre (VCAAV = 4,95 ± 0,70 litres; VCAV = 4,14 ± 0,50 litres; VNC = 3,42 ± 0,71 litres). A la naissance (PMN), le poids moyen des veaux issus du lot VCAAV était de 26,92 kg, tandis que celui des lots VCAV et VNC était de 18 kg, soit une différence moyenne de 09 kg. Enfin, les VCAAV sont revenues en chaleur trois mois en moyenne contre cinq mois et plus en moyenne pour les VCAV et les VNC. Conclusion et application des résultats : La production laitière des vaches peut être améliorée en saison sèche par une complémentation stratégique avant et après mise-bas avec des ressources alimentaires localement disponibles telles que le tourteau de coton, le son de maïs, les pierres à lécher et de l’eau de boisson ad libitum). La complémentation a permis non seulement une augmentation de la productivité, mais aussi une augmentation du poids des veaux avant et après vêlage et une réduction sensible de l’intervalle vêlage-vêlage. Ce qui est un objectif fondamental pour le producteur de lait qui veut toujours un veau par vache par an. Mots clés : Vaches, complémentation pré et post-partum, quantité lait, poids veaux, intervalle vêlagevêlage

Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activities of Combretum molle and Pericopsis laxiflora

In Burkina Faso as in several African countries, diabetes is becoming a very serious disease and public concern. Patients use both drugs and plants for treatment. Thus, Combretum molle and Pericopsis laxiflora have been identified as plants used in Burkina Faso for the treatment of that disease. The aim of the study was to assess phytochemical components and antioxidant activities of those plants in order to highlight why diabetes patients refer to them. The phytochemical analysis of water, ash quantification and screening were done using the standard methods; the antioxidant activities of the ethanolic extract against 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and hydroxyl radical were performed using colorimetric or spectrophotometric methods. The Inhibitory Concentration (IC) was determined using GraphPad Prism version 5. The results showed 6.76±0.076% and 7.52±0.015% of water contents in Combretum molle and Pericopsis laxiflora, respectively. The ash content was 3.41±0.35% for Combretum molle and 3.87±0.15% for Pericopsis laxiflora. The screening revealed the presence of tannins, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and saponins in both plant materials. However, alkaloids were found in Pericopsis laxiflora and hydrolysables tannins and heterosides cardiotonics in Combretum molle. The IC50 for the extract plant of Combretum molle was 42 μg/mL and that of the Pericopsis laxiflora was 44.15 μg/mL for DPPH radical. The antioxidant effect of the extract plant of Combretum molle was 216 μg/mL and the extract plant of Pericopsis laxiflora was 225 μg/mL on the nitric oxide radical. It was concluded that the presence of tannins, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponin, alkaloids and cardiotonic heterosides, explains why traditional medicine uses both plants together to treat certain diseases. However, further investigations of the pharmacological potential for diabetes treatment are needed.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Phytochemical, antioxidant activities, Combretum molle, Pericopsis laxiflora, Burkina Fas

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Local Chicken Ecotypes in Burkina Faso Using Microsatellite Markers

The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of local chicken ecotypes from Burkina Faso using microsatellite markers. A total of 71 individuals representing local chicken populations from the Centre-East (18), Centre-North (17), Sahel (18) and South-West (18) were used to estimate genetic diversity indices, population structure and phylogenetic relationships using 20 selected polymorphic microsatellite markers. The number of alleles, mean number of alleles, mean of observed and expected heterozygosity and polymorphic information content were 127, 6.35, 0.391, 0.521, 0.539 and 0.541, respectively. The estimated overall fixation index between loci (F), among populations (FIS) and inbreeding coefficient within chicken ecotypes were 0.239, 0.267 and 0.243, respectively. Analysis of the molecular variance revealed that 77% of the total genetic diversity was attributed to within-population variation and the remaining 1% and 22% were attributed to among-regions differentiation (FST) and among-individual differentiation (FIT), respectively. The highest pairwise genetic distance (0.026) was found between the local Konde ecotype and those from the Centre-North region while the lowest distance was observed between local chickens from the Sahel and the Centre-North regions (0.003). Neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree and principal component discriminant analyses confirmed the observed genetic distances between populations. The results show that local chickens in Burkina Faso have a rich genetic diversity with little differentiation between the studied populations. This study provides important information on measures of genetic diversity that could help in the design and implementation of future genetic improvement and conservation programs for local chickens in Burkina Faso

Milk production of hand-milked dairy cattle in Burkina Faso

The overall aim of the present thesis was to improve milk production and milking routines in Burkina Faso. There is a long tradition of keeping livestock in Burkina Faso and there are large numbers of cattle in the country. However, Burkina Faso today depends on the import of meat and milk, and the domestic production is greatly in need of improvement. The first in this thesis study was a survey that aimed to investigate the current situation in dairy farming and milk processing in periurban areas of Burkina Faso. Two experimental studies and two field studies were designed to answer questions arising from the survey. Day-to-day variation in milk yield and milk composition was determined in ten multiparous Zebu cows. Three different hand-milking techniques identified in the survey were compared in twelve Zebu cows, milked by three different milkers. A milk recording pilot study was carried out on ten farms, with a total of 79 cows. Finally, milk hygiene was investigated along the dairy chain, from the cow to the dairy or market. The main constraints on milk production in peri-urban areas of Burkina Faso are low availability of feed and water, lack of selective breeding, milking management and lack of infrastructure. The milking routine was hand-milking and restricted suckling in both traditional and semi-intensive systems. The pilot milk recording data suggested it would be possible to improve milk production through selective breeding and that monthly milk recording would be useful for this purpose. The relative day-to-day variation in milk yield was much higher in hand-milked and restrictedly suckled cows (18-21%) than previously reported for machine milked cows (6-8%). Therefore, more frequent milk recording would be needed in order to use milk records for improving cow management. Three hand-milking techniques ("full hand grip", "thumb in" and "pull down") did not differ in their effects on teat treatment, milk yield or milk composition. However, different hand-milking techniques seemed to suit different milkers. Overall, low somatic cell counts were found in milk, which indicated good udder health. Milk was contaminated with bacteria directly after milking and the total bacteria count was dangerously high (10⁶-10⁷ cfu/ml) when the milk reached the consumers

Demand for Agriculture Mechanization in the Hauts-Bassins Region in Burkina Faso

This study aims to assess the status of agriculture mechanization in the Hauts Bassins Region (HBR) of Burkina Faso and elicit demand levels for machine services via a survey of 946 farm households. Overall, animal traction remains the primary means of land preparation while small engines are widely used for threshing and winnowing. Labor saving from engine power is greatest for harvest activities. Willingness to pay (WTP) elicitation suggests that access to machines remains a key concern. The mean WTP for custom hire tractor plowing, 28,409 CFA ($48), was 36% higher than reported rental costs, and approximately 30% of the sample not using custom hire plowing services were willing to pay the prevailing price. Further, farmers in households with high proportions of women and children were least likely to use and demand tractor services, while irrigators had the highest stated demand