Effects of varying concentrations of plant growth regulators on the in vitro propagation of Amaranthus (Amaranthus tricolour L.)

Amaranthus is an important vegetable crop that belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. An experiment was carried out to study the effects of varying concentrations of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) on the in vitro propagation of amaranthus seed using seed explants. The seeds were cultured in vitro on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media containing different concentrations (0.1mg/L to 0.2mg/L) of auxin (NAA) gibberellin (GA3) and cytokinin (BAP). Early germination was observed in media treated with NAA 0.02mg/L. Best vigor was recorded in media treated with 0.20mg/L BAP treatment. All media has same number of leaves with the exception of 0.2mg/LNAA treatment. Highest root length was observed in media treated with 0.15 mg/L GA3 and 0.2mg/l GA3 and NAA. Highest shoot length was recorded in media treated with 0.15 mg/L GA3. Results of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated significant differences among the treatments compared with the control (p < 0.05). The protocol developed in this study is suitable for large scale seedling formation, biomass production and obtaining uniform materials for various in vitro studies for the improvement of amaranthus

Oral Toxicity of Agro-Fungicides: Tilt (Propiconazole), Bayleton (Triadimefon) And Their Mixture to Nubian Goats

Introduction: The hazard use of pesticides, emergence of many diseases with high prevalence e.g (cancer, kidney failure and hepatic problems) urged the need for research on fungicides which are continuously received by human in Sudan via fruit and vegetables.Objective: To detect the toxicity of these fungicides in experimental animals. Methods: Twelve Nubian goats were used in these experiments; they were grouped into three groups (and one control group) and dosed orally with two fungicides [Propiconazole (100mg/kg/day), Triadimefon (100mg/kg/day)] and their mixture (50:50 mg/kg/day). Animals were closely observed for clinical signs and behavior. Dead or slaughtered animals underwent postmortem examination and lesions were recorded. Samples from different organs were preserved for histopathological studies. Freshblood was collected for heamatological and Serobiochemical analysis.Results: Five minutes post-dosing, the animals showed some clinical signs which recovered after four hours. Death occurred in days 12- 25 in the animals dosed with the mixture. The most prominent feature in postmortem lesions was the congestion in different organs. Histopathological changes were the fatty change of liver and kidneys. In Triadimefon dosed group, the values of PCV, Hb and MCHC decreased significantly (

Effect of varying shade levels on vegetative performance and chlorophyll contents of groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) shoots

Groundnut, also commonly known as peanut (Arachis hypogaea), is a tropical legume mainly grown to produce oil and for human and animal consumption. Light has been the most important factor influencing plant growth, with changes in irradiance having impacts on plant growth, morphology, and anatomy. This research was aimed to evaluate the effect of varying levels on vegetative performance and chlorophyll contents of groundnut shoots. This experiment was conducted in the Botanical Garden of the Department of Biology, Kaduna State University, Kaduna State Nigeria. Healthy seeds of Arachis hypogaea were procured from Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, Zaria. The seeds of A. hypogea were sown in polythene bags containing garden soil. This experiment was laid under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), each treatments were replicated three (3) times. Growth parameters were measured using ruler and digital weighing balance. It was observed that, seeds germinated after 9 days. From the results obtained, shade affected all growth parameters studied. A. hypogea grown under shade showed reduction in number of leaves, root length, leaves fresh weight and dry weight, stem fresh and dry weights, root fresh and dry weight respectively. Results of chlorophyll composition showed the lowest content of chlorophyll in groundnut shoots grown under shade. It is recommended that, planting of groundnut under shade should be avoided because it ffects growth and chlorophyll compositions in A. hypogea shoots

Studies on the germination and seedling characteristics of the savanna palm trees

Mode of germination and seedling characteristics of four Savanna palm trees; Borassus aethiopum, Hyphaene thebaica, Phoenix reclinata and Raphia sudanica were studied. In the course of their germination, the radicle was found to be cotyledonary in nature, and it carried the undeveloped plumule below ground before its further development. This is called cryptogeal germination which occurred in two stages: (i) preparatory germination and (ii) germination proper. Bigger seedlings were produced by larger seeds. Pinnate and palmate leaf arrangements with parallel venation were also found among these palms. Keywords: Palm trees, germination, seedling, characteristics, Savanna, Nigeri

Studies on the performance of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the growth and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Experiments were conducted in the Botanical Garden of the Department of Biology of Kaduna State University to study the effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on the growth and yield of Cucumis sativus L. The seeds for the experiment were locally sourced. Four (4) days after transplanting, a rate of 2ton/ha, 4ton/ha, 6ton/ha poultry manure was applied. Similarly, a rate of 25g/ha, 50g/ha, 75g/ha of NPK was also applied and a control. Seeds of cucumber were planted by broadcasting on the seed bed the seedlings were transplanted after germination. The plants were subjected to irrigation by watering morning and evening. The results of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated significance difference among the treatments with respect to the parameters studied (p < 0.05). Highest plant height of 33cm was recorded with 6ton/ha compared to the control which had 11.5cm. However, highest number of leaves was recorded with 4ton/ha and was followed by the 6ton/ha. The best stem girth of 1.8cm, was observed with 4ton/ha while the control had 0.88cm stem girth. Excellent vigour was produced by the 6ton/ha, while the lowest vigour was observed with the 2ton/ha. The best plant yields of was observed with 6ton/ha compared with the control which had the least performance. On the other hand, 25kg/ha of NPK had the highest plant height of 20.5cm while the lowest plant height of 13cm was observed with 75kg/ha, compared to the control which had 11.5cm. The 25kg/ha gave the highest number of leaves followed by the 50kg/ha and 75kg/ha which both had the lowest number of five (5) leaves. Similarly, 50kg/ha had the highest stem girth of 1.2cm while the lowest stem girth was observed with the control which had 0.7cm stem girth. The best vigour was recorded with the 25kg/ha compared to the control which had the least vigour. Also, highest plant yields was recorded with 25kg/ha and the lowest plant yield was observed in the control. The application of poultry manure in the propagation of Cucumis sativus remarkably influenced the growth and yield of Cucumber

The effect of plant growth regulators on callus initiation in wormwood (Artemisia annua L.)

Studies were carried out in the Biotechnology laboratory of Plant Science Department of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria to study the effect of some plant growth regulators on the in vitro initiation of callus using the leaves of Chiyong variety of Artemisia annua. The explants were sterilized and incubated on Murashige and Skoog basal media augmented with varying concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 μm/l of Giberellic acid (GA3), Benzyle amino purine (BAP), Naphthyle acetic acid (NAA),2,4-Dichlrophynoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), Indole butyricacid (IBA) and Kinetin (Kin). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 2 replicates. Low BAP concentration of 0.5 μm/l and a high concentration of NAA of 3.0 μm/l as well as equal concentration of BAP of 1.0 μm/l and IBA of 1.0 μm/l had the least days (7days) to regeneration. For regeneration percent, equal low concentrations of BAP of 0.5 μm/l and NAA of 0.5 μm/l had the highest performance of 94%. However, no significant difference was observed between treatments with respect to vigor. Equal low concentrations of BAP (0.5 μm/l) and (0.5 μm/l) NAA and BAP(1.0 μm/l) combined with IBA(1.5 μm/l) had the highest height. Results of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated significant difference among the treatments compared with the control (P<0.05). Therefore, combined BAP and NAA treatment is an efficient protocol for callus initiation and proliferation. A combination of GA3 and BAP is suitable for shoot initiation from callus using cultures of A. annua.Keywords: Artemisia annua, in vitro, Nodal cuttings, growth regulator

Hepatoprotective role of vitexin against cadmium-induced liver damage in male rats: A biochemical, inflammatory, apoptotic and histopathological investigation

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGCadmium (Cd) is one of the potent occupational and environmental toxicants, which induces oxidative stress to the multiple organs of the body, including liver. The present investigation was planned to evaluate the protective role of vitexin against Cd-prompted hepatotoxicity in rats. 24 male rats were divided into 4 groups viz. control, Cd-induced group (5 mg/kg), Cd + vitexin-treated group (2 mg/kg + 30 mg/kg), and vitexin-treated group (30 mg/kg). After 30 days of treatment, it was indicated that Cd escalated the level of liver function enzymes namely alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as well as total bilirubin. Whereas the levels of albumin and total proteins were decreased in the rats. Additionally, it reduced the enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GSR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), in addition to glutathione (GSH) content, whereas levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were escalated. Furthermore, level of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as the activity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were increased. Besides, the level of Bax, caspase-9 and caspase-3 were elevated, while the Bcl-2 level was reduced following the Cd intoxication. Histopathological observation revealed significant hepatic tissue damage in Cd-administered rats. However, treatment of rats with vitexin significantly (p < 0.05) improved the Cd-induced disruptions in biochemical parameters as well as histological damages. Therefore, it is concluded that vitexin could be used as a therapeutic agent to counter the Cd-generated hepatic toxicity in rats owing to its anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory potential

The effect of nano-copper additives on the porosity, mechanical properties, and microstructure of alumina ceramics using commercial rice husk ash as a pore former

The aim of the present research is to examine the effect of Cu metal addition in nano-scale particle size on the mechanical properties and porosity of porous alumina ceramics using commercial rice husk ash as pore forming agent and silica (SiO2) source. Porous alumina ceramics reinforced were prepared using nano-scale Cu metal particles as their strengthening phase. Solid-state and sacrificial techniques were used to prepare the porous alumina reinforced ceramics. A field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission and electron microscope (TEM) were used to analyze the microstructure and ceramic phases. Different ratios of Cu metal were added (3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) at different ratios of commercial rice husk ash. The results of this investigation show that with increasing ratios of Cu metal, the porosity decreased and the mechanical properties increased. The increase in the mechanical properties could be attributed to the decrease in the porosity, the toughening mechanism, increase density of porous alumina ceramics, and formation of the tenorite (CuO) phase due to sintering at high temperature (1600 °C). Some potential applications include purging of gas filtration and thermal insulation

Voxel-wise comparison of co-registered quantitative CT and hyperpolarised gas diffusion-weighted MRI measurements in IPF

The patterns of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) lung disease that directly correspond to elevated hyperpolarised gas diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI metrics are currently unknown. This study aims to develop a spatial co-registration framework for a voxel-wise comparison of hyperpolarised gas DW-MRI and CALIPER quantitative CT patterns. Sixteen IPF patients underwent 3He DW-MRI and CT at baseline, and eleven patients had a 1-year follow-up DW-MRI. Six healthy volunteers underwent 129Xe DW-MRI at baseline only. Moreover, 3He DW-MRI was indirectly co-registered to CT via spatially aligned 3He ventilation and structural 1H MRI. A voxel-wise comparison of the overlapping 3He apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and mean acinar dimension (LmD) maps with CALIPER CT patterns was performed at baseline and after 1 year. The abnormal lung percentage classified with the LmD value, based on a healthy volunteer 129Xe LmD, and CALIPER was compared with a Bland–Altman analysis. The largest DW-MRI metrics were found in the regions classified as honeycombing, and longitudinal DW-MRI changes were observed in the baseline-classified reticular changes and ground-glass opacities regions. A mean bias of −15.3% (95% interval −56.8% to 26.2%) towards CALIPER was observed for the abnormal lung percentage. This suggests DW-MRI may detect microstructural changes in areas of the lung that are determined visibly and quantitatively normal by CT

Schwinger boson theory of anisotropic ferromagnetic ultrathin films

Ferromagnetic thin films with magnetic single-ion anisotropies are studied within the framework of Schwinger bosonization of a quantum Heisenberg model. Two alternative bosonizations are discussed. We show that qualitatively correct results are obtained even at the mean-field level of the theory, similar to Schwinger boson results for other magnetic systems. In particular, the Mermin-Wagner theorem is satisfied: a spontaneous magnetization at finite temperatures is not found if the ground state of the anisotropic system exhibits a continuous degeneracy. We calculate the magnetization and effective anisotropies as functions of exchange interaction, magnetic anisotropies, external magnetic field, and temperature for arbitrary values of the spin quantum number. Magnetic reorientation transitions and effective anisotropies are discussed. The results obtained by Schwinger boson mean-field theory are compared with the many-body Green's function technique.Comment: 14 pages, including 7 EPS figures, minor changes, final version as publishe