Yield performances of tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum) on organic manure buffered lateritic soils

Lateritic soils are found in many farms even though they have not been known to be encouragingly productive to farmers because of their non-supportive of agricultural products. This experiment was to help farmers whose lands are lateritic to produce more crops/ha when buffered with organic manure. There were six treatments namely: laterite soil, laterite soil buffered with organic manure, laterite soil buffered with NPK 15-15-15, sandy loam soil, sandy loam soil buffered with organic manure (OM) and sandy loam soil buffered with NPK 15-15-15. There were three replicates for each treatments, the arrangement was 2 × 6 × 3 factorial design of 36 pots, parameters measured during the experiment were days to emergency, days to flowering, days to fruiting, number of branches, number of fruits per plant, nodes and internodes, stem girth length, leaf length of plant, plant height (from the surface of the soil to the apex (tip) of the plant) at twice a week and number of leaves per plant counted and recorded each week. The whole arrangements were subjected to the same environmental and climatic conditions. Chemical and physical characteristics of the soil in different treatments were done in the laboratory before and after. The data collected were subjected to two-way ANOVA. The results revealed that seed germination percentage was higher in sandy-loam buffered soil, 92.5%, followed by lateritic buffered soil 87.5%. Statistical analysis showed statistical differences among the yield and yield parameters for types of soil. However, the growth parameters taken as height, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight were found to be higher in sandy-loam soil followed by laterite soil and finally alluvium soil. Statistical analysis of these also showed significant differences between the types of soil used. Laterite buffered soil could yield as high as sandy loam soil in the production of tomatoes.Keywords: buffered laterite, number of leaves, sandy-loam, soil factor

Screening African rice (Oryza glaberrima) for tolerance to abiotic stresses: I. Fe toxicity

AbstractIron (Fe) toxicity is recognized as one of the most widely spread soil constraints for rice production especially in West Africa. Oryza glaberrima the cultivated rice species that originated from West Africa is well-adapted to its growing ecologies. The aim of this study was to identify the promising O. glaberrima accessions tolerant to Fe toxicity from the 2106 accessions held at the AfricaRice gene bank. The screenings were conducted over a four-year period and involved evaluating the entries under Fe-toxic field conditions in West Africa, selecting good yielding accessions and repeating the testing with newly selected lines. Three accessions (TOG 7206, TOG 6218-B and TOG 7250-A) were higher yielding than O. sativa checks under stress but with similar yields under control conditions. These accessions yielded over 300g/m2 under both Fe toxicity and control conditions. In conclusion, these materials could be used as donors in breeding programs for developing high yielding rice varieties suited to Fe toxicity affected areas in West Africa

Sero-prevalence and serotypes of infectious bronchitis virus in free-range chicken in Plateau state, Nigeria

Globally, infectious bronchitis (IB) is an important respiratory viral disease responsible for enormous economic losses to poultry farmers.  In Nigeria, limited reports on the prevalence and serotypes of the IB virus are available. Here, we investigated the prevalence and serotypes of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in chicken in Plateau State. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out involving 440 apparently healthy free-range local chickens sampled from eleven villages in four Local Government Areas (LGA) of Plateau State. Sera collected from the birds were screened for the presence of four IBV serotypes namely; Massachusetts (Mass), Arkansas (Ark), Connecticut (Con) and Delaware (De-072) using haemagglutinationinhibition (HI) test. In all, a prevalence of 82.95% (n = 365) was recorded. At LGAlevel, prevalence of 79.50%, 47.37%, 95.45% and 100% were recorded in Kanam, Mangu, Qua’an pan and Bassa LGAs, respectively. Based on serotype prevalence, Mass had 89.30% (n = 326); Ark 79.70% (n = 291); Con 88.20% (n = 322) while De-072 was 42.70% (n = 156). There were statistically significant associations between dominant serotype and the LGAs (p≤0.001). This study shows high prevalence of IBwith at least four strains of IBV present in free-range chicken flocks in Plateau State requiring attention for control measures. Keywords: Free-range chicken; Infectious bronchitis virus; Plateau state, Serosurvey, Serotyp

Multiple small-effect alleles of Indica origin enhance high iron-associated stress tolerance in rice under field conditions in west Africa

Open Access Journal; Published online: 15 Jan 2021Understanding the genetics of field-based tolerance to high iron-associated (HIA) stress in rice can accelerate the development of new varieties with enhanced yield performance in West African lowland ecosystems. To date, few field-based studies have been undertaken to rigorously evaluate rice yield performance under HIA stress conditions. In this study, two NERICA × O. sativa bi-parental rice populations and one O.sativa diversity panel consisting of 296 rice accessions were evaluated for grain yield and leaf bronzing symptoms over multiple years in four West African HIA stress and control sites. Mapping of these traits identified a large number of QTLs and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with stress tolerance in the field. Favorable alleles associated with tolerance to high levels of iron in anaerobic rice soils were rare and almost exclusively derived from the indica subpopulation, including the most favorable alleles identified in NERICA varieties. These findings highlight the complex genetic architecture underlying rice response to HIA stress and suggest that a recurrent selection program focusing on an expanded indica genepool could be productively used in combination with genomic selection to increase the efficiency of selection in breeding programs designed to enhance tolerance to this prevalent abiotic stress in West Africa

CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF PIPED WATER SUPPLY OF ILE-IFE IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

This study was undertaken to determine the changes in the physico-chemical properties of piped water supplied in the state, between the treatment plant and points of use in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Thirteen samples of water were collected at different locations from treatment plant to the points of use and analyzed for the following selected parameters: alkalinity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solid, total solid, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, trace metals, sulphate and chloride. The results revealed that between treatment plant at Ede and the point of use, there are changes in the considered physico-chemical properties of the water supply.The most significant is the concentration of lead ion which was higher than the recommended 0.01mg/L by the world health organization and total alkalinity with a mean value of (325.36±81.85) mg/L. The study concluded that the treatment process needs to be reviewed to identify the possible source of the ion and put necessary prevention procedures

Response of broilers to improved and local fishmeal

A 42 day experiment with 204 one day old Marshal broilers was conducted to  assess the nutritional quality of two imported- and two local-fishmeal using the biological response of broilers as a measure of performance. These birds were randomly distributed into four dietary treatments namely two commercially available imported fishmeal (A, B) and a commercially available local fishmeal (C). Finally, a manually prepared fishmeal from African Butter Catfish (Schible mystus) [D] was the last one. A completely randomised design was adopted for the study. The results of the proximate composition the fishmeal showed that local manually prepared  fishmeal D (African Butter Catfish, Schible mystus) had the highest crude protein (47.6% CP) while the local commercially available fishmeal C had the lowest CP (15.95%). The imported fishmeal A and B have 34.3 and 28.06%CP, respectively. Dietary treatment significantly influenced the final body weight FBW (P=0.0002), weight gain WG (P=0.0002), feed intake (P=0.010) and feed conversion FC (P0.006) of broiler chicks. Broiler starters fed African Butter Catfish, Schible mystus (D) had the heaviest FBW and WG with the best FC. Those fed commercially available local fishmeal C had the lowest FBW and WG. Starters fed manually prepared fishmeal D had significantly better FBW and WG than those fed imported fishmeal B. At finishing phase, broilers fed imported fishmeal A and B as well as those fed manually prepared fishmeal D had significantly better FBW than those fed local available fishmeal C. Broiler chickens fed fishmeal C had the heaviest kidney with elevated serum alkaline phosphatase. In conclusion, the poor quality of local commercially available fishmeal C and the consequential poor biological response of broilers in this study revealed that a number of feedstuff particularly fishmeal were often being adulterated. Hence, the regulatory institutions such Nigeria Institute of Animal Science need to regulate the quality of the feeding ingredients being sold in the markets because of its economic and health related effect on the consumers of broiler products.Keywords: Broiler, body weight, kidney, alkaline phosphatase, African butter catfish, imported and local fishmea

Screening African rice (Oryza glaberrima) for tolerance to abiotic stresses: I. Fe toxicity.

Iron (Fe) toxicity is recognized as one of the most widely spread soil constraints for rice production especially in West Africa. Oryza glaberrima the cultivated rice species that originated from West Africa is well-adapted to its growing ecologies. The aim of this study was to identify the promising O. glaberrima accessions tolerant to Fe toxicity from the 2106 accessions held at the AfricaRice gene bank. The screenings were conducted over a four-year period and involved evaluating the entries under Fe-toxic field conditions in West Africa, selecting good yielding accessions and repeating the testing with newly selected lines. Three accessions (TOG 7206, TOG 6218-B and TOG 7250-A) were higher yielding than O. sativa checks under stress but with similar yields under control conditions. These accessions yielded over 300 g/m2 under both Fe toxicity and control conditions. In conclusion, these materials could be used as donors in breeding programs for developing high yielding rice varieties suited to Fe toxicity affected areas in West Africa

Epidemiology and clinicopathological manifestation of resurgent highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus in Nigeria, 2015

In January, 2015 the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria received some chicken carcasses from the Kano state Ministry of Agriculture. The carcasses were from a backyard-commercial poultry farm and a live bird market (LBM) in Kauna and Sabon gari, Kano state, northwestern Nigeria respectively. The farm kept  different types of chickens of various ages and stages and was experiencing high mortality of 350 birds daily with eventual 100% mortality observed in the older birds (54weeks). In a concurrent incidence, reports were received of unusual high mortality of birds brought from the northern part of the country at two LBMs in  Onipanu and Mushin, Lagos state, southwestern Nigeria. A total of 8 chicken  carcasses from the Kano suspicion were subjected to postmortem examination and testing. One broiler-chicken (4weeks old), 4 layer-chicken (22 weeks old) and 3 indigenous bred-chickens (from LBM) showed severe pathological lesions  consistent with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Moribund birds from the Lagos suspicion had cyanotic comb and wattles, torticollis and paralysis of the limbs. Parenchymatous organs, nasal and trachea swabs were collected from the dead and moribund birds respectively. The specimens were analyzed by RT-PCR and virus isolation in embryonating chicken eggs. All samples were found to be positive for HPAI (H5N1) subtype. This marks the re-introduction of HPAI (H5N1) subtype into Nigeria for a second time in the space of 9-years. So far, over 542 cases (January to December, 2015) have been confirmed positive for HPAI (H5N1) in 20 states of the country. Possible circumstances surrounding the resurgent and spread are discussed herein.Key words: Epidemiology, Resurgent HPAI H5N1, Pathology, Nigeria

Production and Partial Purification of Amylase By Aspergillus niger Isolated from Cassava Peel

Aspergillus niger strains 1, 2 and 3 isolated from cassava dumpsites were used for the production of amylase enzyme. The Aspergillus niger strains 1, 2 and 3 had diameter (mm) zone of clearance of 17.0, 23.0 and 8.0 respectively using Potato dextrose agar plates fortified with starch. Studies on the amylase enzyme activity (mg/ml) of Aspergillus niger strains 1 and 2 showed 19,340 and 16,510 respectively. These values were higher than the commercially available amylase enzyme that had an activity of 5,722.2. The protein (mg/ml) and specific activity (units/mg) for amylase from Aspergillus niger strain 1 was 28.39 and 681.23 while 21.76 and 758.73 from Aspergillus niger 2 respectively. Purification using ammonium sulphate (% w/v) at 60, 80 and 100 on amylase enzyme from Aspergillus niger strain 1 for enzyme activity, protein and specific activity was 44405.49, 17.01 and 2610.55, 28949.76, 23.62 and 1225.65, 36220.25, 16.67, and 2172.787 respectively. The microbial production of Amylase enzyme in Nigeria from Cassava peel will reduce cost of production, convert cassava peel from waste condition to wealth, and will boost economy through indigenous industrialization