Post-Harvest Management Practices Of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna Subterranea (L.) Verdc) Seeds In Burkina Faso

Bambara groundnut plays a major role in the production systems and diets of farmers in Burkina Faso. This crop, due to certain production, storage, or preservation conditions, is subject to damage by insects and fungi. Effective post-harvest management can contribute significantly to reducing losses during storage. This study was carried out in the three agro-ecological areas in Burkina Faso to assess post-harvest management practices of Bambara groundnut among farmers. The data were collected from 180 farmers using surveys. The results showed that the culture of Bambara groundnut was mainly carried out by women (74.4%) on small farms (0.25-0.5ha). The harvested crops were dried at home during a period of 5 to 14 days. About 53% of farmers stored seeds for more than 3 months. Seeds were mainly stored in hermetically sealed cans (45.6%) and in plastic bags (31.1%). Some products such as wood ash and chemicals were used for seed storage. Challenges during seed storage were insects (91.4%) and fungi (42.9%). In the case of seeds attacked by pests (insects, fungi, etc.), farmers (84.4%) adopt a set of measures consisting of sorting, winnowing, drying, and repackaging the seeds. Besides the existence of traditional storage techniques, there is still a need to develop effective storage techniques and continue building farmers’ awareness on improved storage technologies to avoid post-harvest losses

Constructed wetland technology for the treatment and reuse of urban household greywater under conditions of Africa's Sahel region

Three pilot systems of a constructed wetland were assessed to advance the urban reuse of greywater for household gardening in areas of the world representative of Africa's Sahel (one unplanted and two planted with local species, namely Andropogon gayanus and Chrysopogon zizanioides). Principal component analysis showed planted systems provided higher removal efficiencies than the unplanted system and A. gayanus performed better for treating most water quality parameters. As expected, removal efficiencies for suspended solids (SS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were greater than 90% in all filters. The removal of five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) was, however, significantly greater in the filter planted with A. gayanus than in the unplanted control. For plant-beneficial parameters such as nutrients (NO3−, NO2−, NH4+, and PO43−), the removal in the planted filters was significantly higher than in the unplanted filter (>90% versus 73%–78%). The reduction of fecal coliforms was significantly greater in the two planted systems and exceeded 2.5 log10 removal. Analysis of the microbial water quality characteristics showed the concentration of fecal microbial indicators would achieve WHO guidelines for restricted irrigation with retention of some embedded nutrients, thus reducing pressures on areas experiencing climate variability, water scarcity, and land degradation. HIGHLIGHTS Planted filters produced treated greywater compliant with the WHO reuse guidelines for restricted irrigation.; Reduction of fecal coliforms was highest in the two planted systems, exceeding 2.5 log10 removal.; Filter planted with A. gayanus exhibited higher removal efficiencies of organic matter than the filter planted with C. zizanioides.; A. gayanus performed better than C. zizanioides for most water quality effluent parameters.

Greywater data from urban households in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and its comparative treatment by constructed wetlands

Mix greywater (laundry and dishwashing) were collected three times a week, from six representative households located in Zogona district of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and transported to an experimental site located in the campus of University Joseph Ki-ZERBO. For each sampling date, the greywater collected from the six households were mixed before use. The treatment wetlands (one unplanted and two planted with local plant species, Andropogon gayanus and Chrysopogon zizanioides respectively) were fed with the mix greywater for three successive days and then operated without greywater addition for four days. Once a week, the raw greywater and treated samples from each wetland were collected for analysis. The samples were collected in sterile 500 mL glass bottles for microbiological analysis and 1,000 mL plastic bottles for physico-chemical analyses. Physico-chemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature (T, °C), and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured directly from the influent and effluent using a portable pH/EC/TDS/temperature meter (Hanna Instruments, Romania) and Oxi 3310 (WTW Germany GmbH) (APHA 1998). The five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), nitrate (NO₃⁻), nitrite (NO₂⁻ ), ammonia (NH₄⁺), ortho phosphate (PO₄³⁻) were determined according to the Standard Methods (APHA 1998). Fecal coliforms, Esherichia coli, and enterococci were used as fecal indicators to evaluate the removal of microorganisms. The spread plate method and Chromocult Coliform Agar ES medium (Merck KGaA, Germany) were used to evaluate fecal coliform and E. coli (44 °C for 24 h), while Slanetz and Barthley agar medium (Liofilchem srl, Italy) (37 °C for 48 h) was used for enterococci (APHA 1998)

Assessing greywater characteristics in the sahel region and perception of the local population on its reuse in agriculture

Research on greywater reuse in water stressed areas is in full swing. However, the perception of greywater reuse is one of the least researched areas in West Africa, particularly in Sahelian countries. This study aimed to fills a significant gap in the existing literature, which has largely ignored the specific socio-demographic contexts of developing countries in the Sahelian regions. The study involved in-depth interviews with 240 rural households and the collection of 40 greywater samples in four locations for laboratory analysis. The survey focused on greywater management and household perceptions of greywater reuse in agriculture. The analyses focused on determining the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of greywater collected from households. The results showed that over 80 % of households discharged greywater into the natural environment without prior treatment. The majority of respondents were aware that poor greywater management poses a health risk. The results also showed an association between locality, gender, education level and perceptions of poor grey water management. Respondents were willing to accept the reuse of greywater in agriculture, to consume irrigated vegetables and to install a greywater treatment system. The quality analysis showed that the greywater was not in compliance with the legal discharge limits. This study highlights that in order to promote sustainable greywater management practices within households, it is important to design effective greywater treatment systems that meet the needs of the target population. Awareness campaigns, education and training programmes on wastewater management could also be established

Greywater data from rural household of Sahelian region (Noungou, Koubri, Burkina Faso) and its treatment by a horizontal constructed wetland

Mixed greywater (laundry, dishwashing and shower) was collected from a rural household of Noungou, Burkina Faso. The collected greywater was treated in situ through a horizontal constructed wetland. The treatment system is a subsurface horizontal flow wetland with an upstream pre-treatment step. The planted section is semi-underground and made of concrete and planted with Chrysopogon zizanioides. The treated greywater is collected in an underground storage reservoir. Once a week, the raw greywater and treated samples from each section were collected for analysis. The samples were collected in sterile 500 ml glass bottles for microbiological analysis and 1000 ml plastic bottles for physico-chemical analyses. Physico-chemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature (T, °C), and dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured directly from the influent and effluent using a portable pH/EC/TDS/temperature meter (Hanna Instruments, Romania) and Oxi 3310 (WTW Germany GmbH) (Clesceri et al., 1999). The five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), nitrate (NO₃⁻), ammonium (NH₄⁺), orthophosphate (PO₄³⁻) were determined according to the Standard Methods (Clesceri et al., 1999). Fecal coliforms, Esherichia coli, and enterococci were used as fecal indicators to evaluate the removal of microorganisms. The spread plate method and Chromocult Coliform Agar ES medium (Merck KGaA, Germany) were used to evaluate fecal coliform and E. coli (44 °C for 24 h), while Slanetz and Barthley agar medium (Liofilchem srl, Italy) (37 °C for 48 h) was used for enterococci (Clesceri et al., 1999)

Development of a Constructed Wetland for Greywater Treatment for Reuse in Arid Regions: Case Study in Rural Burkina Faso

This study implemented and assessed, over a period of four weeks, a full-scale constructed wetland designed to collect and treat the greywater for a rural household located in an arid environment typical of Africa’s Sahel region. The system was constructed from local materials and consisted of a shower room, a receiving basin, a pre-treatment filter, and a subsurface horizontal flow wetland planted with Chrysopogon zizanioides. Results showed the overall removal of organic matter was greater than 90%, and orthophosphate and ammonium were reduced by 73% and 60%, respectively, allowing for the treated water to retain some embedded nutrients. The removal efficiency of fecal bacteria varied from 3.41 (enterococci) to 4.19 (fecal coliforms) log10 units which meets World Health Organization Guidelines for restricted irrigation. Our assessment of the full-scale household constructed wetland technology adds to the relatively low number of constructed wetland studies conducted outside a laboratory setting. Furthermore, it supports efforts to promote safe reuse of an underutilized resource at the rural household level in Sub-Saharan Africa and other arid regions in the developing world, supporting prospects for using treated greywater for agricultural reuse in regions that experience water scarcity, climate variability, and land degradation

Etude de la résistance aux antibiotiques des souches cliniques de Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolées au laboratoire national de santé publique de Ouagadougou

Introduction: l’utilisation massive et répétée des antibiotiques en santé humaine, animale et dans l’environnement a généré au fil du temps une augmentation des résistances bactériennes. Ainsi, la prise d’antibiotique, répétée ou ponctuelle, peut conduire à l’émergence de bactéries résistantes comme Pseudomonas aeruginosa rendant les traitements antibiotiques ultérieurs moins efficaces. Objectif: étudier le profil de résistance des souches de P. aeruginosa aux antibiotiques, isolées au Laboratoire National de Santé Publique (LNSP) de Ouagadougou. Méthodologie: il s’agissait d’une étude rétrospective et prospective allant du 1er juin 2017 au 31 décembre 2018 au sein du LNSP. Au cours de notre étude, des souches de P. aeruginosa ont été isolées des pus et des urines en utilisant les techniques conventionnelles de bactériologie. Pour l’étude de la résistance, 15 antibiotiques ont été testés en utilisant les critères du Comité d’Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie version 2015. Résultats: au total, 17 souches de P. aeruginosa ont été isolées entre juin 2017 et décembre 2018. Ces souches ont montré des taux de résistance variable aux bêta-lactamines : Ticarcilline (76,5%), ceftriaxone (58,8%), ceftazidime (23,5%). Les aminosides et la colistine ont été les antibiotiques les plus actifs sur l’ensemble des 17 souches étudiées. Conclusion: au cours de notre travail, les souches de P. aeruginosa étaient principalement résistantes aux carboxypenicillines, à la fosfomycine, au cotrimoxazole et à la rifampicine. Ces résistances pourraient être dues à l’utilisation abusive des antibiotiques ou à certains facteurs de risques d’acquisition des résistances. Mots-clés: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, résistance aux antibiotiques, Burkina Faso English Title: Antibiotic resistance study of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated at “Laboratoire National de Santé Publique” of Ouagadougou English Abstract Introduction: The massive and repeated use of antibiotics in human, animal and environmental health facilities has generated over time an increase in bacterial resistance. Thus, the repeated or punctual antibiotic use can lead to the emergence of resistant bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa making subsequent antibiotic treatments less effective. Objective: To study the resistance profile of P. aeruginosa strains to antibiotics, isolated at Laboratoire National de Santé Publique Methodology: This was a retrospective and prospective study from June 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018. During our study, P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from pus and urine using conventional bacteriological techniques. For the antibiotic’s resistance study, 15 antibiotics were tested using the criteria of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology version 2015. Results: A total of 17 P. aeruginosa strains were isolated between June 2017 and December 2018 have been tested.  These strains showed variable resistance rates to beta-lactams: Ticarcillin (76.5%), ceftriaxone (58.8%), ceftazidime (23.5%). Aminoglycosides and colistin were the most active antibiotics among all 17 strains studied. Conclusion: During our work, P. aeruginosa strains were mainly resistant to carboxypenicillins, fosfomycin, cotrimoxazole and rifampicin. This resistance could be due to the overuse of antibiotics or to certain risk factors for acquiring resistance. Keyswords: Pseudomonas earuginosa, antibiotics resistance, Burkina Fas