In-vitro antifungal activity of leaf, stem bark and root extracts of Irvingia gabonensis against fungi associated with its seed deterioration

Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill seeds are often contaminated in storage by postharvest spoilage fungi. This study investigated the nutritional contents of the seeds, phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity of different parts of the plant as well as their antifungal effects against fungi isolated from the deteriorated seeds. Proximate, mineral and phytochemical analyses were carried out using standard laboratory techniques. The antioxidant activity was against DPPH radicals. Ethanol extracts (100 and 200 mg/ml) of the various parts were screened against the isolates using pour plate method in Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates. The plates were examined for growth daily for 10 days. Data were statistically analysed. The healthy seeds contained higher protein (13.73%), fat (58.73%) and fibre (2.50%), whereas, higher content of moisture (10.17%) and carbohydrate (15.47%) were observed in the spoilt seeds. The leaf had highest contents of alkaloids (1228.3 mg/100 g), flavonoids (1345.9 mg/100 g), tannins (1345.9 mg/100 g), saponins (578.3 mg/100 g) and carotenoids (2348.3 μg/100 g). The antioxidant activity of the leaf (50.30%) was the highest. Fungi isolated from the deteriorated seeds were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Curvilaria lunata. The leaf was most effective against A. niger, A. flavus and C. lunata whereas the stem bark extract was most effective against A. fumigatus. The F-values were significant for model, treatment, concentration and number of days for the leaf and root. This study confirmed the antifungal activity of extracts of various parts of the plant against isolates implicated in the deterioration of its seeds. The extracts could be used as preservative to enhance the shelf-life and nutritional quality of the seeds. Keywords: Irvingia gabonensis, Spoilage of seeds, Antifungal activity, Free radical scavengers, Preservative

Safety and Security Assessment of Tourist Destinations: A Field Study in A Nigerian Geopark

In the travel industry, safety and security are imperative and any attraction sites which ignore these tasks stand to lose out on the intense competition for tourists. One way to ensure that safety and security are satisfactorily provided is to regularly assess and seek the perceptions of stakeholders. Studies that make such an attempt, particularly in a Nigerian Geopark are relatively underrepresented in the literature. This study therefore evaluates safety and security situations at a large geopark and one of the most visited tourist destinations in Nigeria. Through direct observation, an on-site assessment of safety and security measures was undertaken by experts. The assessment instrument was designed using an empirical adaptation of standards which have been suggested in the literature. In addition, members of the site management were interviewed on various outcomes of the field study. Generally, the safety and security architecture in the study area appeared to be insufficient as the management seemed restrained to be too proactive for fear of scaring wildlife and visitors. Besides, the management did not consider the site to be under any serious threat as no major accident and/or crime has been recorded in the last decade. The study concludes that safety and security approaches in the study area do not reflect standard measures but rather cautious approach and an overly dependence on a supposed good past record. The result of this study can facilitate standard practice for safety and security in tourist destinations. This study fills the knowledge gap by providing information on the Nigerian experience regarding safety and security of Geopark in the Global South

Accidental sulphuric acid poisoning in a newborn

A six hour old baby girl presented with shortness of breath and haematemesis five hours after accidental ingestion of sulfuric acid. We report the clinical presentation of corrosive ingestion in a neonate a rare and sparsely reported occurrence at such tender age.Key words: Acid ingestion, corrosives injuries, caustic substances, chemical ingestion, newborn

Gender Assessment of Cocoa Farmers’ Involvement in Cocoa Enterprise in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the levels of involvement of male and female cocoa farmers’ in cocoa enterprise/value chain in Ibadan, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 160 respondents in the study area. Data were collected using interview schedule on socio-economic characteristics, constraints faced by cocoa farmers and levels of involvement in cocoa enterprises. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools and T-test. Findings from this study revealed that most (77.2%) of the respondents were male and 57.4% fell in the age range of 36-45 years. Also, 98.5% of them had formal education. For operations requiring greater energy such as site selection, 77.2 and 6.5% of the men and female respondents respectively were fully involved. Lack of credit facilities and input were the most severe constraints faced by the respondents. Independent T-test analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in the levels of involvement of both male and female cocoa farmers in the study area. The higher mean value of the male respondents compared to that of the female respondents implies that men are much more involved in the cocoa enterprise than women in the areas sampled/visited. This study therefore recommends that women cocoa farmers in the study area are given utmost priorities in the various agricultural intervention programmes, because of their significance in the cocoa value chain

Breeding Value of Cocoa (<i>Theobroma cacao</i> L.) for Pod and Bean Traits: A Consequential Advance in Nigerian Cocoa Breeding Program

The understanding of the generated hybrids’ breeding value gives a measure of probable advances in a breeding program. Four cocoa genotypes (testers) were crossed with two distinct lines (T65/7 and T86/2). The parents and the hybrids were separately established in randomized complete block design with six replications. The fourteen genotypes were evaluated for pod length (PL), weight (PW), beans/pod (NoB), bean length (BL), width (Bwi) and thickness (BT). The treatment, parent, crosses and Line x Tester sources of variation were significant (P ≤ 0.05). Hybrids from the same maternal parent differed significantly (P < 0.05) for the six traits. Contribution to the total variance of PL, PW and Bwi were in the following order: Tester > Line x Tester > Lines. The highest general combining ability (0.42) occurred in T65/7 for PW; the least (-0.081) occurred in T86/2 for PL. Cross combination T65/7xT57/22 produced the highest specific ability of combination (4.33) for NoB. Variance of GCA and SCA were significant (P < 0.05) for the six traits. The GCA/SCA ratios revealed the inheritance of PL, PW, Bwi and BT to be additive. Non-additive gene effect controlled NoB and BL. Heterosis for the six traits ranged between -17.82% for BT (T65/7xT57/22) to 52.40% for PW (T65/7xT53/8). Increased productivity in cocoa is possible through hybrid breeding programs

Breeding Value of Cocoa (<i>Theobroma cacao</i> L.) for Pod and Bean Traits: A Consequential Advance in Nigerian Cocoa Breeding Program

The understanding of the generated hybrids’ breeding value gives a measure of probable advances in a breeding program. Four cocoa genotypes (testers) were crossed with two distinct lines (T65/7 and T86/2). The parents and the hybrids were separately established in randomized complete block design with six replications. The fourteen genotypes were evaluated for pod length (PL), weight (PW), beans/pod (NoB), bean length (BL), width (Bwi) and thickness (BT). The treatment, parent, crosses and Line x Tester sources of variation were significant (P &#8804; 0.05). Hybrids from the same maternal parent differed significantly (P &lt; 0.05) for the six traits. Contribution to the total variance of PL, PW and Bwi were in the following order: Tester &gt; Line x Tester &gt; Lines. The highest general combining ability (0.42) occurred in T65/7 for PW; the least (-0.081) occurred in T86/2 for PL. Cross combination T65/7xT57/22 produced the highest specific ability of combination (4.33) for NoB. Variance of GCA and SCA were significant (P &lt; 0.05) for the six traits. The GCA/SCA ratios revealed the inheritance of PL, PW, Bwi and BT to be additive. Non-additive gene effect controlled NoB and BL. Heterosis for the six traits ranged between -17.82% for BT (T65/7xT57/22) to 52.40% for PW (T65/7xT53/8). Increased productivity in cocoa is possible through hybrid breeding programs