Bromatological Analysis of the Fodder Marketed in the Peri-Urban Areas of Bujumbura (Burundi): Towards Spontaneous Fodder Conservation by Transformation into Silage

Peri-urban areas of Bujumbura host a significant number of dairy cattle, which consequently ensure a substantial production of milk consumed in the Burundian capital. The presence of these cows in peri-urban areas has led to the emergence of an atypical market for spontaneous forage species. The present study seeks to determine the food and nutritional value of this fodder. A test on its conservation by transformation into silage was also carried out. Botanical field investigations and plant samples collection were carried out under the guidance of fodders suppliers. Based on the bromatological value deficiency thresholds for cattle, the results showed that the content of digestible nitrogenous matter and major elements (Ca, P, K, and Mg) in the forage is within acceptable limits. The final product obtained after fermentation, based on its color, its smell, and its consistency, is indeed silage. The chemical composition of fermented fodder showed that the nutritional quality has remained almost the same. Further research on digestibility of this forage is necessary. A study of the environmental determinants of spontaneous forage distribution at multiple sites and over a wide range of parameters may contribute to a better understanding of the importance of this fodder particularly in times of fodder deficit

The vascular plant diversity of Burundi

Background and aims – The vascular plant diversity of Burundi is still insufficiently explored, described, and understood. The goal of this paper is to show the degree of botanical exploration and the spatial patterns of botanical diversity in Burundi to date. Material and methods – The study is based on a dataset containing virtually all plant collections, observed in herbaria, recorded in databases, or cited in literature, made in Burundi. All data were compiled, cleaned, and each record georeferenced. Various distribution analyses were carried out, some of which were based on a grid of 199 hexagonal cells. Key results – The dataset comprises 37,200 herbarium collections representing 3,860 species grouped in 1,290 genera and 216 families. The expected species richness is estimated at 4,869. The average number of collections per species is 8.8, but 1,149 species (27%) are sampled only once. The seven most species-rich families are Fabaceae (539 spp.), Poaceae (387), Asteraceae (298), Orchidaceae (286), Cyperaceae (272), Rubiaceae (227), and Acanthaceae (128), which together account for over 50% of the vascular plant flora of Burundi. The seven largest genera are Cyperus (90 spp.), Crotalaria (60), Indigofera (50), Polystachya (48), Habenaria (47), Vernonia (45), and Eragrostis (41). In terms of number of herbarium collections, the six most important families are Poaceae (4,754 collections), Fabaceae (4,300), Asteraceae (2,226), Rubiaceae (2,191), Cyperaceae (1,730), and Lamiaceae (1,275). The four areas most intensively explored and with the highest known species diversity are the Rusizi plain, the Kibira rain forest belonging to the Albertine Rift, the Bururi and Rumonge areas in the west, and the Mosso depression in the east. Conclusion – With a collecting index of 133 collections per 100 km2, the botanical exploration of Burundi can be considered as relatively good. However, 28% of the species are only represented by a single record and some 1,000 species are potentially present but have remained uncollected to date. For every 100 new collections, there are on average 6 new species records, indicating that Burundi’s inventory is still not complete

Seasonal and Geographic Variation of Pediatric Malaria in Burundi: 2011 to 2012

We analyzed hospitalization records from 2011 to 2012 to examine the spatial patterns of pediatric malaria in Burundi. Malaria case data for those below the age of five years were categorized according to the four principal seasons of Burundi, which are two rainy seasons (February to May; September to November) and two dry seasons (June to August; December to January). The Getis-Ord Gi* statistic was used to examine seasonal spatial patterns of pediatric malaria, whereas geographically weighted regression (GWR) were used to examine the potential role of environmental variables on the spatial patterns of cases. There were a total of 19,890 pediatric malaria cases reported during the study period. The incidence among males was higher than that among females; and it was higher in rural districts. The seasonal incidence peaks occurred in the northern half of the country during the wet season while during the dry season, incidence was higher in southern Burundi. Elevation played a greater role in explaining variance in the prevalence of pediatric malaria during seasonal peaks than rainfall. The counterintuitive finding in northern Burundi confirms previous findings and suggests other factors (e.g., land cover/land use) facilitate the persistence of the mosquito population in the highlands of Africa

Contribution to the domestication of indigenous Fabaceae species of Burundi: Entada abyssinica seedling production

In Burundi, species used in reforestation are quasi-exclusively exotic. Indigenous species and their ecosystems arecontinuously being degraded due to demographic pressure. It is crucial to domesticate indigenous species particularlythose with socio-economic role such as Fabaceae woody species. This study aims at (i) optimizing seed germination of E. abyssinica, (ii) evaluating the mechanical scarification effect on seedling growth and (iii) seedling growth parameters. We used mechanical and boiling water to scarify E. abyssinica seeds and imbibed at two duration times. Seeds weregerminated at three different temperatures. The results reveal the effectiveness of the mechanical scarification up to100% germination compared to boiling water, 75% (or non-scarified seeds, 4%) and a quick germination (meangermination time and time to 50% germination). Deep-scraping on seed hilum differs from a superficial one andproduces excised seed radicles and seedlings with abundant and fasciculate root system. Growth parameters revealfastness of E. abyssinica growth approaching one meter per year. The present study concludes that E. abyssinica is a fast-growing species that should be adopted in afforestation, reforestation and ecosystem restoration programs. Further research should investigate field growth parameters of E. abyssinica and pursue domestication trials of other indigenous plant species with high socio-economic and ecological importance

The ECAT dataset: expert-validated distribution data of endemic and sub-endemic trees of Central Africa (Dem. Rep. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi)

International audienceIn this data paper, we present a specimen-based occurrence dataset compiled in the framework of the Conservation of Endemic Central African Trees (ECAT) project with the aim of producing global conservation assessments for the IUCN Red List. The project targets all tree species endemic or sub-endemic to the Central African region comprising the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), Rwanda, and Burundi. The dataset contains 6361 plant collection records with occurrences of 8910 specimens from 337 taxa belonging to 153 genera in 52 families. Many of these tree taxa have restricted geographic ranges and are only known from a small number of herbarium specimens. As assessments for such taxa can be compromised by inadequate data, we transcribed and geo-referenced specimen label information to obtain a more accurate and complete locality dataset. All specimen data were manually cleaned and verified by botanical experts, resulting in improved data quality and consistency