RESPONSE OF MAIZE TO PLANTING DENSITIES AND INCORPORATION METHODS OF PRECEDING COWPEA GREEN MANURE IN A DERIVED SAVANNAH ECOLOGY OF NIGERIA

A field trial was conducted in the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, a derived savannah ecological zone of Nigeria, between April to September, 2009 and March to August, 2010 to evaluate the response of succeeding maize to planting density and application methods of preceding cowpea green manure.  The green manure was established in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment arranged in a Randomized Complete Block design RCBD. There were three populations densities/ha of cowpea: 30cm×60cm(55,555), 30cm×30cm(111,111) and 30cm×15cm(222,222) and either incorporated or left as mulched six weeks after planting. One week after, maize variety, SUWAN1-SR was planted on all plots and a control plot. Biomass from population densities of 111,111 and 222,222 were similar (p>0.05) and higher (p<0.05) than that obtained from 55,555 in 2009. In 2010, different population produced significantly different biomass from each other, with biomass from 222,222 plants/ha being 52% greater than that from 111,111 plants/ha which was also 84% greater than from 55,555 plants/ha. Grain yield of maize from all incorporated green manure treatments were similar (p>0.05) and significantly higher (p<0.05) than from all mulched applied manure and control treatments in 2009. In 2010 maize grain yield was not significantly different across all treatments and control plots (p>0.05); highest grain yield (p>0.05) were obtained from treatments with both incorporated and mulched cowpea at 222,222 plants/ha. Grain yield of maize from all green manure plots were also higher (p>0.05) than the control plots. It was concluded that 111,111 plants/ha of Oloyin was the optimum for biomass production at 6 weeks after planting, for green manuring. Incorporating preceding cowpea green manure increased grain yield of succeeding maize. Growing cowpea at higher population density cannot make up for the losses of nutrient that would occur if the green manure is not incorporated.Â

EFFECT OF SEVERITY OF PRUNING ON GROWTH, YIELD AND SURVIVABILITY OF PIGEON PEA (Cajanus cajan) IN PIGEON PEA/PEPPER ALLEY CROPPING

A study was conducted at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria to determine the effect ofseverity of pruning on performance and survival of pigeon pea and fruit yield of pepper in a pigeonpea/pepper alley cropping. Six treatments arranged in randomized complete block design include pigeonpea pruned to 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm and 100 cm above the soil, un-pruned (check) and solepepper plot. In 2007, pruning of pigeon pea was done on 6th of August- at 12 WAP (weeks after planting)across all pruned treatments. This was repeated in pigeon pea pruned to 75 cm and 100 cm at 19WAP (27th September), and partially on treatment cut to 50 cm at 22 WAP (18thOctober) in 2007. In2008 pruning across all treatments was carried out once at 17 WAP on 6th October. The total prunings,days to 50% flowering, height at flowering, grain yield percentage survival of pigeon pea were significantlydifferent (p<0.05). Pigeon pea flowering was 6 -21 days and 25-46 days earlier (p<0.05) in theun–pruned plot relative to other treatments in the two years. Pigeon pea pruned to 25 cm had the least(p<0.05) percentage survival. Grain yield was highest in un-pruned plot and least in plot pruned to 25cm. Pruning pigeon pea to 50 cm above the soil was the best in terms of combining fresh fruit yield ofpepper, with optimum pruning biomass, early flowering, grain yield and survivability of pigeon pea

Design and Construction Of Extension Box and Wiring Of Lighting Points: (Students’ Work Experience Programme, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria)

The students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) is part of effort geared towards promoting practical application of acquired theoretical knowledge so as to develop students’ innovative and creative abilities as well as skills relevant to their chosen career. During the 2012/2013 SWEP activities, students were given practical exposure in key aspects of engineering such as mechanical, civil and electrical. This report clearly describes the electrical activities carried out during the 2012/2013 Students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) undertaken at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Electrical activities undertaken include: construction of extension boxes and wiring of lighting points in series and parallel using 2.5 mm flexible wire, 2.5mm3 core-cable, sockets, 3×6 mm pattress boxes, 13amps plug , 13 and 15 amp fuse,Junction boxes, etc.Performance evaluations of the developed materials were carried out with electric current flowing through the extension boxes when powered. Also, wires connected in parallel produces very bright illumination because the voltage is the same and not shared but the current varies hence, when one lamp goes off , others are not affected unlike series connection in which the same current flows and the voltage is divided between the lamps producing very dull illumination. Also, when one lamp goes off, all the lamps are put off as well because the current is broken

Design and Construction Of Extension Box and Wiring Of Lighting Points: (Students’ Work Experience Programme, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria)

The students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) is part of effort geared towards promoting practical application of acquired theoretical knowledge so as to develop students’ innovative and creative abilities as well as skills relevant to their chosen career. During the 2012/2013 SWEP activities, students were given practical exposure in key aspects of engineering such as mechanical, civil and electrical. This report clearly describes the electrical activities carried out during the 2012/2013 Students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) undertaken at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Electrical activities undertaken include: construction of extension boxes and wiring of lighting points in series and parallel using 2.5 mm flexible wire, 2.5mm3 core-cable, sockets, 3×6 mm pattress boxes, 13amps plug , 13 and 15 amp fuse,Junction boxes, etc.Performance evaluations of the developed materials were carried out with electric current flowing through the extension boxes when powered. Also, wires connected in parallel produces very bright illumination because the voltage is the same and not shared but the current varies hence, when one lamp goes off , others are not affected unlike series connection in which the same current flows and the voltage is divided between the lamps producing very dull illumination. Also, when one lamp goes off, all the lamps are put off as well because the current is broken

Design and Construction Of Extension Box and Wiring Of Lighting Points: (Students’ Work Experience Programme, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeri

The students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) is part of effort geared towards promoting practical application of acquired theoretical knowledge so as to develop students’ innovative and creative abilities as well as skills relevant to the ir chosen career. During the 2012/2013 SWEP activities, students were given practical exposure in key aspects of engineering such as me chanical, civil and electrical. This report clearly describes the electrical activities carried out during the 2012/2013 Students’ Work Experience Programme (SWEP) undertaken at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Electrical activities undertaken include: constru ction of extension boxes and wiring of lighting points in series and parallel using 2.5 mm flexible wire, 2.5mm3 core - cable, sockets, 3×6 mm pattress boxes, 13amps plug , 13 and 15 amp fuse,Junction boxes, etc.Performance evaluations of the developed materials were carried out with electric current flowing through the extension boxes when powered. Also, wires connected in parallel produces very bright illumination because the voltage is the same and not shared but the current varies hence, when one lamp goes off , others are not affected unlike series connection in which the same current flows and the voltage is divided between the lamps producing very dull illumination. Also, when one lamp goes off, all the lamps are put off as well because the current is broke

Nutrient Intakes and Nutritional Status of Mothers and their Under-Five Children in a Rural Community of Oyo State, Nigeria

Malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to high rates of childhood morbidity and mortality which make it a public health concern in Africa. This study assessed the nutrient intakes and nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children in a rural community of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 500 households with a mother and child pair were sampled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Information on household socio-economic status, hygiene practices, breastfeeding practices and clinical observation for signs of malnutrition were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires by trained interviewers. Weight for age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) for underweight, wasting and stunting, respectively were calculated and assessed by Epi Info software using the NCHS/WHO international reference values. BMI (weight/height2) of mothers were also constructed from the measurements of mothers’ weights and heights. The waist/hip ratio of mothers was also determined. An interactive 24 h recall repeated for three days was used to obtain data on food and nutrient intakes of the women. Information on foods consumed was converted into quantitative data of nutrients using Food Composition Table. The result showed a high proportion (81%) of mothers ate three times daily while 14% ate twice and 5% ate more than thrice daily. The mean daily intakes of calcium, vitamins A, B6, B12, niacin, and folate were found to be inadequate compared with the Recommended Intakes. The WHR of the mothers indicated that majority had low risk. Most of the mothers (69.2%) were normal, underweight 9.6%, overweight 15.8% and obese 5.4%. About 37% of the children were stunted, 18% were underweight and 14.3% were wasted. BMI correlated negatively with age (r = -0.41; p <0.05), and positively with education (r = 0.22; p<0.05) and income (r = 0.45; p <0.05). Clinical observation revealed PEM prevalence in 12% children while eyes pallor and palm pallor were present in 15% and 20% respectively. The nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children is poor with respect to the overall food consumption and micronutrient intake. Consequently, nutrition programmes in this area should include effective measures to promote nutritional status of mothers and children

The Pathogenic Potential of Campylobacter concisus Strains Associated with Chronic Intestinal Diseases

Campylobacter concisus has garnered increasing attention due to its association with intestinal disease, thus, the pathogenic potential of strains isolated from different intestinal diseases was investigated. A method to isolate C. concisus was developed and the ability of eight strains from chronic and acute intestinal diseases to adhere to and invade intestinal epithelial cells was determined. Features associated with bacterial invasion were investigated using comparative genomic analyses and the effect of C. concisus on host protein expression was examined using proteomics. Our isolation method from intestinal biopsies resulted in the isolation of three C. concisus strains from children with Crohn's disease or chronic gastroenteritis. Four C. concisus strains from patients with chronic intestinal diseases can attach to and invade host cells using mechanisms such as chemoattraction to mucin, aggregation, flagellum-mediated attachment, “membrane ruffling”, cell penetration and damage. C. concisus strains isolated from patients with chronic intestinal diseases have significantly higher invasive potential than those from acute intestinal diseases. Investigation of the cause of this increased pathogenic potential revealed a plasmid to be responsible. 78 and 47 proteins were upregulated and downregulated in cells infected with C. concisus, respectively. Functional analysis of these proteins showed that C. concisus infection regulated processes related to interleukin-12 production, proteasome activation and NF-κB activation. Infection with all eight C. concisus strains resulted in host cells producing high levels of interleukin-12, however, only strains capable of invading host cells resulted in interferon-γ production as confirmed by ELISA. These findings considerably support the emergence of C. concisus as an intestinal pathogen, but more significantly, provide novel insights into the host immune response and an explanation for the heterogeneity observed in the outcome of C. concisus infection. Moreover, response to infection with invasive strains has substantial similarities to that observed in the inflamed mucosa of Crohn's disease patients

AAV Exploits Subcellular Stress Associated with Inflammation, Endoplasmic Reticulum Expansion, and Misfolded Proteins in Models of Cystic Fibrosis

Barriers to infection act at multiple levels to prevent viruses, bacteria, and parasites from commandeering host cells for their own purposes. An intriguing hypothesis is that if a cell experiences stress, such as that elicited by inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) expansion, or misfolded proteins, then subcellular barriers will be less effective at preventing viral infection. Here we have used models of cystic fibrosis (CF) to test whether subcellular stress increases susceptibility to adeno-associated virus (AAV) infection. In human airway epithelium cultured at an air/liquid interface, physiological conditions of subcellular stress and ER expansion were mimicked using supernatant from mucopurulent material derived from CF lungs. Using this inflammatory stimulus to recapitulate stress found in diseased airways, we demonstrated that AAV infection was significantly enhanced. Since over 90% of CF cases are associated with a misfolded variant of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (ΔF508-CFTR), we then explored whether the presence of misfolded proteins could independently increase susceptibility to AAV infection. In these models, AAV was an order of magnitude more efficient at transducing cells expressing ΔF508-CFTR than in cells expressing wild-type CFTR. Rescue of misfolded ΔF508-CFTR under low temperature conditions restored viral transduction efficiency to that demonstrated in controls, suggesting effects related to protein misfolding were responsible for increasing susceptibility to infection. By testing other CFTR mutants, G551D, D572N, and 1410X, we have shown this phenomenon is common to other misfolded proteins and not related to loss of CFTR activity. The presence of misfolded proteins did not affect cell surface attachment of virus or influence expression levels from promoter transgene cassettes in plasmid transfection studies, indicating exploitation occurs at the level of virion trafficking or processing. Thus, we surmised that factors enlisted to process misfolded proteins such as ΔF508-CFTR in the secretory pathway also act to restrict viral infection. In line with this hypothesis, we found that AAV trafficked to the microtubule organizing center and localized near Golgi/ER transport proteins. Moreover, AAV infection efficiency could be modulated with siRNA-mediated knockdown of proteins involved in processing ΔF508-CFTR or sorting retrograde cargo from the Golgi and ER (calnexin, KDEL-R, β-COP, and PSMB3). In summary, our data support a model where AAV exploits a compromised secretory system and, importantly, underscore the gravity with which a stressed subcellular environment, under internal or external insults, can impact infection efficiency

Effect of Spatial Arrangement on the Performance of Cowpea /Maize Intercrop in Derived Savannah of Nigeria

Promising varieties of cowpea were found to be adaptable in the derived savannah; however, their performances in intercropping systems have not been investigated. Therefore, there is the need to investigate the effect of spatial arrangement of maize/cowpea on the performance of maize and cowpea. The experiment was a 2 x 5 factorial in randomized complete block design. A field experiment was conducted at Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Nigeria during the late cropping seasons of 2009 and 2010. The intercrop proportion mixture and population adopted in this study were additive and replacement series while Oloyin and Sokoto cowpea varieties were combined with TZESR-W maize variety as follows: Oloyin + maize in alternate row, Oloyin + maize in alternate row, Oloyin + maize in alternate stand, Oloyin + maize in strip cropping, Sokoto + maize in alternate row, Sokoto + maize in alternate row, Sokoto + maize in alternate stand, Sokoto + maize in strip cropping, sole maize, Sole cowpea. Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) was used to determine the productivity of the intercrop. The grain yield of cowpea obtained from alternate row intercrop and sole cowpea for 2009 and 2010 were similar. However, the grain yield of cowpea obtained from alternate row was 33, 37 and 59% higher than alternated stand, alternate row replacement and strip crop, respectively. Oloyin variety had significantly higher grain yield than Sokoto. Interaction of cowpea variety x spatial arrangement x cropping season was significant on 1000-seed weight. The two additive series had higher land equivalent ratio compared to replacement series. Maize yield was not affected in two additive series. In conclusion, intercrop was more productive than sole. The two additives arrangement enhances the performance grain yield of maize, Oloyin and Sokoto cowpea varieties

What Drives the Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices? Evidence from Maize Farmers in Northern Nigeria

The adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) remains low in sub-Saharan Africa, despite its promotion as a sustainable production system for mitigating agriculture’s contribution to climate change, as well as for helping farmers adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. This necessitates continuing research on its determinants, in order to identify appropriate mechanisms to encourage adoption. This paper investigates the factors that drive CSA practices’ adoption using recent plot-level survey data from Northern Nigeria. A Multivariate Probit Model was used to analyse the adoption of six CSA practices and control for the influence of socioeconomic, plot and institutional factors. Our study finds that the likelihood of CSA practices’ adoption is influenced by land ownership, social capital, gender, off-farm work participation and plot distance from homestead. However, these factors do not unanimously influence the six CSA practices considered and vary significantly among them. It was concluded that these factors have to be considered when designing policies to promote CSA towards the achievement of sustainable livelihoods among farm households in Nigeria. We recommend that farmers be encouraged to join groups (farmer groups, cooperatives), in order to build their social capital, which could expose them to better practices, obtain informal training from those who have adopted them, and obtain help for implementation