Effect of Inoculating Bradyrhizobium on Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Nutrient Uptake of Soybean in Calcareous Soil, Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

አህፅሮትከ7.0 ፒ.ኤች በሊይ የአፈር ፎስፈረስ ግዑዝ ስሇማይሟማ በከፍተኛ ሁኔታ ሇዝግጠት ተጋሊጭ ስሇሚሆን ዕፅዋቶች በቀሊለ አያገኙትም፡፡ ስሇዚህ ይህ የምርምር ጥናት በመተሏራ ስኳር ፋብሪካ በ 2008 ዓ.ም ምርት ዗መን የብረዲራይዞቢዬም ባክቴሪያ ክትባት አስተዋፅዖ አኩሪ አተርን ከሸንኮራ አገዳ ጋር በማሰባጠር በፎስፈረስ አወሳሰድና የፎስፈረስ አወሳሰድ ብቃትን ሇመገምገም ዓሊማ አንግቦ በመስኖ ተተግብሯሌ፡፡ ሙከራው ሦስት መጠን የባክቴሪያ ክትባት ማሇትም ላጊዩምፊክስ፣ SB6B1እና ያሌተከተበ እንዲሁም አራት ፎስፈረስ መጠን ማሇትም 0፣ 10፣ 20 እና 30 ኪ.ግ/ሄክታር ፎስፈረስ ወስዯዋሌ፡፡ ሙከራው የተ዗ጋጀው በራንዯማይዝድ ኮምፕሉት ብልክ ዲዛይን በፋክቶሪያሌ የተዯራጀ ሲሆን ሦስት ቅጂ ግሌባጭ አሇው፡፡ የጭብጥ (መረጃ) ትንትና እንዳሚያሰየው ብረዲራይዞቢዬም ክትባት ትርጉም ባሇው ሁኔታ የዕፅዋት ናይትሮጅንና ፎስፈራስ ይ዗ት ሊይ ካሌተከተበ አንፃር አመርቂ ውጤት አሳይቷሌ፡፡ የተሇያዬ የፎስፈረስ መጠን እንዲሁም የፎስፈረስና ክትባት ጥምረት በናይትሮጅንና ፎስፈረስ ይ዗ት ሊይ ትርጉም ያሇው ሌዩነት አሊሳዩም፤ ነገር ግን 30 ኪ.ግ/ሄክታር ፎስፈረስ በጠቅሊሊ ፎስፈረስ ይ዗ት ሊይ ከፍተኛ ሌዩነት አምጥቷሌ፡፡ በብረዲራይዞቢዬም ክትባት ምክንያት ፎስፈረስን የመውሰድ ብቃት ተሻሽሎሌ፡፡ በዚህ መሠረት ከፍተኛ አግሮኖሚክ ኢፊሼንሲ፣ ሪከቨሪ ኢፊሼንሲና ዩትሊይዜሽን ኢፊሼንሲ በSB6B1 ክትባት፤ ፊዚዮልጂካሌ ኢፊሼንሲና አግሮፊዚዮልጂካሌ ኢፊሼንሲ በላጉምፊክስ ክትባት አማካይነት በ10 ኪ.ግ/ሄክታር ፎስፈረስ ሲገኝ አግሮፊዚዮልጂካሌ ኢፊሼንሲ በ30 ኪ.ግ/ሄክታር ፎስፈረስ ተመዝግቧሌ፡፡ በአጠቃሊይ በ10 ኪ.ግ/ሄክታር ፎስፈረስ መጠን SB6B1 ባክቴሪያ ክትባት አመርቂ ውጤት ያስገኘ ሲሆን ላጊዩምፊክስ ዯግሞ ይከተሊሌ፡፡ የፎስፈረስ መውሰድ ብቃትን እንዲጨምር የተሻለ አያያዝ ዗ዴዎችን ማሇትም ፎስፌት የሚያሟሙ ረቂቅ ነፍሳት ወይም ማይኮሪ዗ ብረዲራይዞቢዬም ጋር በማጣመር መጠቀም አስፈሊጊ ነው፡፡ AbstractAt a soil pH value of above 7.0, inorganic phosphorus (P) is highly susceptible to precipitation as insoluble form that is unavailable to plants. Hence, a field experiment was conducted at Metehara Sugar Estate under irrigation during the 2014/15 cropping season to evaluate the effect of inoculating Bradyrhizobium on P uptake and P use efficiency of soybean intercropped with sugarcane. The treatments consisted of three levels of inoculation (Legume fix, SB6B1 and uninoculated) and four rates of P (0, 10, 20 and 30 kg Pha-1). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. Analysis of the data indicated that Bradyrhizobium inoculation significantly increased plant N concentration and P uptake compared to the uninoculated treatment. The effect of P rates and its interaction with inoculation was not significant on N concentration and P uptake, but significantly increased total P uptake at the application of 30 kg Pha-1. Phosphorus use efficiency indices were improved in response to inoculating the crop with Bradyrhizobium. The highest AE (13.6 kg kg-1), PRE (31.8%) and PUE (10.6 kg kg-1) were obtained by SB6B1 inoculation and the highest PE (117.2 kg kg-1) and APE (161.7 kg kg-1) were obtained by Legumefix inoculation all at 10 kg P ha-1except PE which recorded the highest at 30 kg P ha-1.Thus, it can be concluded that SB6B1 isolate can be used as the best inoculant followed by Legumefix isolate with 10 kg P ha-1of P fertilizer. However, strategies for increasing P use efficiency by adopting best management practices like co-inoculation of phosphate solubilizing microorganism or mycorrhiza with these Bradyrhizobium inoculants should be adopted to enhance P use efficiencies

The Response of Hybrid Maize (Zea mays) to N and P Fertilizers on Nitisols of Yeki District, Sheka Zone

and Environmental Sciences, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; 3CIMMYT, Addis Ababa አህፅሮትበኢትዮጵያ ዝቅተኛ የአፈርለምነት በተለይም ናይትሮጅን እና ፎስፎረስ፣ ለሰብል ምርታማነትን ለመጨመር ማነቆ የሆኑ ንጥረ ነገሮች ናቸው፡፡ በዘልማዳዊ ናትሮጂን እናፎስፎረስ ማዳበረያ ምክረሃሳብ ምክኒያት በኢትዮጵያ በብሔራዊ ደረጃ የተዳቀለ የበቆሎ ዝርያ ምርት ዘላቂ እና አጥጋቢ አይደለም፡፡ ስለዚህ የናይተሮጂን እና ፎስፎረስ ማዳበረያን መጠን እና አጠቃቀም በበቆሎ ምርት ላይ አጥጋቢ ምላሽ ለመፈለግ በደቡብ ምዕራብ ኢትዮጵያ የኪ ወረዳበ 2008 ዓ.ም ሁለት የተለያዩ ቦታዎች ላይ የመስክ ሙከራ አድረገን ነበር፡፡ ጥናቱ ሁለት ዓይነት ሙከራዎችን ያካተተ ነበር፤ የመጀመሪያው ጥናት ሰባት የተለያዩ የናይትሮጂን ማዳበሪያ ደረጃዎች ማልትም 0፤ 23፤ 46፤ 69፤ 92፤ 115 እና 138 ኪሎ ግራም በሄክታር ለእያንዳንዳቸው 30 ኪሎ ግራም ፎስፈረስ በሄክታር በመጨመር፤ ሁለተኛው ጥናት ደግሞ ሰባት የተለያዩ የፎስፈረስ ማዳበሪያ ደረጃዎችን ማለትም 0፤ 10፤ 20፤ 30፤ 40፤ 50 እና 60 ኪሎግራም በሄክታር እያንዳንዳቸው 92 ኪሎ ግራም ናይትሮጂን በሄክታር የያዘ ነበር፡፡ እነዚህ የናይትሮጂን እና የፎስፎረስ ደረጃዎች በአራት ረድፎች ውስጥ የተደረደሩ ሲሆን በእያንዳንዱ ረድፍ ሁለም የማዳበሪያ ደረጃዎች የዘፈቀዲዊ አኳኋን እንዱቀመጡተ ደርጓል፡፡ ውጤቶቹ የሚያሳዩት የናይትሮጂን እና የፎስፎረስ ደረጃዎች በበቆሎ ምርት፤ ፎስፎረስ እና ናይትሮጅን ንጠረ ነገሮችን የመጠቀም አቅም እና ዘዴ ላይ ከፍተኛ ተጽዕኖ ያሳደረ መሆኑን ነው፡፡ በአጠቃላይ ፎስፎረስ እና ናይትሮጅን ማዳበሪያ ደረጃዎች በከፍተኛ ፍጥነት ሲጨምሩ ፎስፎረስ እና ናይትሮጅን አጠቃቀም ፍጆታ ይቀንሳል፡፡ ፎስፎረስ እና ናይትሮጅን ማዳበሪዎችን መጨመር በሁለቱም ቦታዎች ላይ ከፍተኛ የሆነ የበቆሎ የጥራጥሬ መጠን፤ የ 1000 ጥራጥሬዎች ክብደት እና ከመሬት በላይ ምርት ጨምሩዋል፡፡ ከፍተኛ የሆነ ምርት ማለትም 8093 ኪሎ ግራም በቆሎ በሄክታር በቴፒእና 8158 ኪሎ ግራም በቆሎ በሄክታር በአዲስ አለም የማምረት አቅምከ 92  እና 69 ኪሎ ገራምና ይትሮጂን ማዳበሪያ በሄክታር በመጨመር በቅደም ተከተል ተገኝቷል፡፡ከፍተኛ ምርት ማለትም 8918 ኪ.ግ በሄክታር በቴፒ እና 8298 ኪ.ግ በሄክታር በአዲስአለም፤ በሁለቱም ቦታዎች 40 ኪ.ግ ፎስፎረስ በሄክታር በመጨመር ማግኘት ተችሉዋል፡፡ በሁለቱም ቦታዎች 69 ኪሎ ግራም ናይትሮጂን በሄክታር፤ እንዲሁም 30 እና 40 ኪሎ ገራም ፎስፎረስ በሄክታር በመጨመር በአዲስአለም እና ቴፒ በቅደም ተከተል በጣም ብዙ ትርፍ ተገኝቷል፡፡ Abstract Low soil fertility, particularly nitrogen(N)and Phosphorus(P) are among the most yield-limiting nutrients in Ethiopia. Due to blanket NP application at the national level, the response of hybrid maize in Ethiopia is inconsistent and not satisfactory. Hence, a field experiment was initiated to investigate the response of hybrid maize (Zea mays L.) to the application of N and P fertilizer rates and their use efficiency on Nitososl. The study comprised two sets of experiments set I had seven levels of N each with30 kg P ha-1(0, 23, 46, 69, 92, 115 and 138 kg N ha-1) while set II had seven levels of phosphorus each with 92 kg N ha-1(0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 kg P ha-1). Both sets of experiments were replicated in two locations. The treatments were laid out separately in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results showed that N and P rates of application significantly influenced yield and yield components, uptake and nutrient use efficiency. Generally, N and P use efficiency decreased with increased N and P fertilizer rates. Application of NP significantly increased the number of Kernels Cob-1, 1000-kernel weight, and above-ground dry biomass by at both locations. The maximum maize grain yield of 8093 kg ha-1at Tepi and 8158 kg ha-1at Addis Alem were obtained from 92kg N ha-1and 69kg N ha-1, respectively. The maximum grain yields of 8918kg ha-1at Tepi and 8298 kg ha-1at Addis Alem were produced by the application of 40kg Pha-1for both sites. Applications of 69kg Nha-1 at both sites, and 30 and 40 kg P ha-1were found to be most profitable rates at Addis Alem and Tepi, respectively

Thermal Inactivation Kinetics of Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus Conidia Isolated from Ethiopian Hot Red Pepper Powder

አህፅሮት ምግብን በሙቀት ኃይል ማብሰል ለዘመናት የቆየ ሥልጣኔ ሲሆን ከጥቅሞቹ አንዱ በምግብ ውስጥ የሚገኙ ምግብ-ወለድ በሽታ አምጭ  እና ምግብ-አበላሽ የሆኑ ደቂቅ-ዘአካላትን ለመቀነስ ወይም ለማጥፋት ይረዳል፡፡ በምግብ ውስጥ የሚገኙ ደቂቅ-ዘአካላት ግን የሙቀት ኃይልን በመቋቋም ደረጃ የየራሳቸው ባህሪ አላቸው፡፡ በዚህ ጥናት በበርበሬ ዱቀት ውስጥ በሚገኙ  በበሽታ አምጭነታቸውና በምግብ-አበላሽነታቸው በሚታወቁ ሁለት የሻጋታ ዓይነቶች ላይ የሙቀት ኃይልን የመቋቋም ባህሪያቸው ጥናት ተደርጎባቸዋል፡፡ ጥናቱ በ55፣ 65፣ 75፣ 85 እና 95oሴ  ለ30፣ 45፣ 60፣ 75 እና  90 ደቂቃ  በኦቶማቲክ ውሃ ማሞቂያ መሣሪያ ውስጥ በማሞቅ ተሰርቷል፡፡ በዚህ ጥናት መሠረት አስፔርጅለስ ፓራስቲከስ የሚባለው ሻጋታ አስፔርጅለስ ፊላቨስ ከሚባለው ሻጋታ በላይ የሙቀት ኃይልን የሚቋቋም ሆኖ ተገኝታል፡፡ በተጠቀምነው የሙቀት ኃይል (55 - 95o ሴ) የአስፔርጅለስ ፊላቨስን ቁጥር በ90%  ለመቀነስ የወሰደው ሰዓት ከ119.1-14.1 ደቂቃ ሲሆን  ለአስፔርጅለስ ፓራስቲከስ ግን ከ147-17.1 ደቂቃ ወስዷል፡፡ ምግብ ሲዘጋጅ የሚጨመር  የምግብ ጨው  በአስፔርጅለስ ፊላቨስ  የሙቀት ኃይልን የመቋቋም ባህሪ ላይ ያለው ጫና ከላይ በተገለፁት  የሙቀት ኃይል  በተለያየ የጨው መጠን (በ2፣ 6 እና 8 በመቶ) ተጠንቶ የጨው መጠን ሲጨምር የአስፔርጅለስ ፊላቨስ የሙቀት ኃይልን የመቋቋም ባህሪ እንዲጨምር አድርጎአል፡፡ ከ2-8 በመቶ የጨው መጠን  ከላይ በተገለፁት  የሙቀት ኃይል የአስፔርጅለስ ፊላቨስን ቁጥር በ90 %  ለመቀነስ ከ119.7-188.6፣ 36.1-41.5፣ 29.6-32.9፣ 20.4-21.7 እና 45.6-48.9  ደቂቃ ወስዷል፡፡ የዚህ ጥናት ውጤት በድህረ-ምርት የምግብ የቆይታ ጊዜን ለማራዘም በሚደረጉ ሂደቶች ውስጥ እንደ መነሻ መረጃ ሊጠቅም ይችላል፡፡ ነገር ግን የጥናቱን ውጤት ለመጠቀም በእያንዳንዱ የምግብ አዘገጃጀትና የምግቡ የይዘት ሁኔታ ላይ በመሞርኮዝ ሰፊና ጥልቅ ጥናት ማካሄድ ይፈልጋል፡፡   Abstract Thermal food processing is known to inactivate harmful microorganisms in foods. However different microbes have varying degrees of heat resistance. During this study, thermal inactivation characteristics of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus conidia isolated and characterized from Ethiopian hot red pepper powder were determined by the survivor curve method in digital water bath to realize their fate and stability under thermal food processing. The experiment was done at 55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 oC with exposure time of 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 min., and also at different NaCl concentrations for A. flavus. The D-values for A. flavus and A. parasiticus ranged from 119.1-14.1 and 147-17.1 min. respectively with Z-values of 35.2 and 34.4 oC in the written order. Both fungi were found sensitive to the moist heating following the first-order kinetics model. Aspergillus parasiticus was found resistant than A. flavus. The D-values for A. flavus at 2-8 % NaCl ranged from 119.7-188.6, 36.1-41.5, 29.6-32.9, 20.4-21.7 and 45.6-48.9 min. at 55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 oC, respectively. The NaCl decreased thermal sensitivity of the conidia and affected the linearity of inactivation. These results may serve as baseline information for postharvest pepper-based food preservation.  However, for its practical application, we recommend further detailed studies on respective food processing practices and food matrix

Fizička i kemijska svojstva gorskog bambusa (Yushania alpina) uzgojenoga u Etiopiji

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant currently known on earth, a property that enables it to be the best alternative as a future source of wood fi ber. This study investigated the effect of site and culm height on the physical and chemical properties of Yushania alpina culms grown in Ethiopia. Matured Yushania alpina 3 to 5-year-old samples were harvested from Hagere-Selam and Rebu-Gebeya sites. The culms were subdivided into three equal lengths (bottom, middle, and top), and the variations in physical and chemical properties between the two sites and the culm heights of Yushania alpina were investigated. The results showed that the average values of MC, basic density, tangential and longitudinal shrinkage of Yushania alpina culms for Hagere-Selam and Rebu-Gebeya sites were (91.78 and 80.32 %), (0.65 and 0.63 g/cm3), (6.63 and 5.84 %) and (0.63 and 0.56 %), respectively. The average values of cellulose, lignin, extractive and ash contents in the culms for Hagere-Selam and Rebu-Gebeya sites were (52.84 and 50.71 %), (26.55, and 26.04 %), (8.41 and 8.02 %) and (1.95 and 2.17 %), respectively. The results revealed that the site affected the MC, basic density, cellulose, lignin, extractive, and ash contents of Yushania alpina culms but not the tangential and longitudinal shrinkage. The culm height of Yushania alpina affected MC, basic density, tangential shrinkage, longitudinal shrinkage, cellulose, lignin, extractive, and ash contents. In the case of both sites, the highest percentages of MC, tangential and longitudinal shrinkage, and ash content were observed at the base and lowest at the top of the culms. On the contrary, both sites observed thehighest magnitude of basic density, cellulose and extractive at the top and lowest at the base of the culms. The variations in physical and chemical properties at different sites and culm heights infl uence the utilization of Yushania alpina culms for industries and end products.Bambus je trenutačno najbrže rastuća biljka u svijetu, što je čini najboljom alternativom za budući izvor drvnih vlakana. Ovom je studijom istraživan utjecaj staništa i visine bambusa Yushania alpina, uzgojenoga u Etiopiji, na fizička i kemijska svojstva njegove stabljike. Uzorci Yushania alpina stari tri do pet godina skupljeni su sa staništa Hagere-Selam i Rebu-Gebeya. Stabljike su podijeljene na tri jednake duljine (baza, sredina i vrh) na kojima su istraživane varijacije fizičkih i kemijskih svojstava stabljike s obzirom na dva staništa i visinu bambusa. Rezultati su pokazali da su prosječne vrijednosti sadržaja vode, gustoće te tangentnoga i uzdužnog utezanja stabljike Yushania alpina sa staništa Hagere-Selam i Rebu-Gebeya bile 91,78 i 80,32 %; 0,65 i 0,63 g/cm3; 6,63 i 5,84 % te 0,63 i 0,56 %, a prosječne vrijednosti sadržaja celuloze, lignina, ekstraktiva i pepela sa staništa Hagere-Selam i Rebu-Gebeya bile su 52,84 i 50,71 %; 26,55 i 26,04 %; 8,41 i 8,02 % te 1,95 i 2,17 %. Rezultati su pokazali da je stanište utjecalo na sadržaj vode, gustoću te sadržaj celuloze, lignina, ekstraktiva i pepela u stabljikama Yushania alpina, ali ne i na tangentno i uzdužno utezanje. Visina stabljike Yushania alpina utjecala je na sadržaj vode, gustoću, tangentno i uzdužno utezanje te na sadržaj celuloze, lignina, ekstraktiva i pepela. Za oba staništa utvrđen je najveći sadržaj vode, tangentno i uzdužno utezanje te sadržaj pepela u bazi stabljike, a najmanji u vrhu stabljike. Nadalje, u vrhu stabljike s oba staništa primijećena je najveća gustoća, sadržaj celuloze i ekstraktiva, a najmanje su vrijednosti izmjerene u bazi stabljike. Varijacije fizičkih i mehaničkih svojstava s obzirom na stanište i visinu stabljike utječu na upotrebu stabljike Yushania alpina u industriji i za završne proizvode

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF CARBOXYMETHYL ENSET AND CASSAVA STARCHES AS PHARMACEUTICAL GELLING AGENTS

Starch is usually modified either chemically, physically or enzymatically to augment its convenience for industrial use. In the current study, starches from Enset and cassava plants were carboxymethylated, and factors which affect the carboxymethylation process and degree of substitution (DS) were studied. The application of the carboxymethyl starches as alternative pharmaceutical gelling agents for topical delivery of drugs was also investigated. Accordingly, nine different topical gel formulations of ibuprofen were prepared. All formulations were evaluated with respect to cosmetic qualities, pH, drug content, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, in vitro drug release, anti-inflammatory activity and stability. The results showed that carboxymethylation was significantly affected by the starch source, reaction medium, temperature and time. All ibuprofen gel formulations showed homogeneous appearance, smooth texture and pleasant odor. The pH values of the formulations ranged from 6.80 to 7.22. Ibuprofen content ranged between 98.76 and 100.20% ensuring the uniformity of the drug content. The cumulative percent ibuprofen released over 12 h across cellulose membrane ranged from 43.8% cm-2 to 84.5% cm-2. Spreadability, extrudability, the cumulative drug release and diffusion coefficient of ibuprofen were influenced not only by the rheological properties of the formulations but also by the nature of the modified starches. Physicochemically stable ibuprofen gels were obtained with potent anti-inflammatory activities.   Keywords: Enset starch, cassava starch, carboxymethylation, degree of substitution, ibuprofen gel, in vitro drug release, anti-inflammatory activity, stability stud

Review of ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological evidences of some Ethiopian medicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of cancer

Background: Ethiopia is endowed with enormous diversity of plants. However, the majority of these plants have not been scientifically investigated. Traditional knowledge on the use of plants as medicinal agents has been transferred from generation to generation, as guarded secrets, through the word of mouth, and scientific studies on these herbs have not been properly compiled.Objectives: The main objective of this study was to review published ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological evidences of Ethiopian medicinal plants with anticancer potentials.Material and methods: A total of 92 articles have been reviewed. They were obtained from search engines such as PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used to search for the literature inside the databases: plant extract, anticancer, Ethiopia, antioxidant compounds, cytotoxic compounds and in vivo toxicity.Results: The current literature review revealed that about 136 anticancer plants belonging to 57 families have been identified in Ethiopia. Among these, 98 plant species were reported for their traditional use to treat different types of symptomatic cancers. However, only 29 species were scientifically studied for their in vitro cytotoxic or free radical scavenging activities. Plant parts commonly used for preparation of anticancer remedies were leaves (41.4%) and roots (32.8%). Among the reported plant species, whilst the crude extracts of Artemisia annua, Acokanthera schimperi and Catha edulis were found to be potent cytotoxic agents (IC50<15 g/ml), the total extracts of Cassia arereh, Rubus steudneri and Thymus schimperi showed strong radical scavenging activity (IC50 <15 g/ml). Chronic administration of Syzygium guineense hydroalcoholic leaf extract, on the other hand, induced pathological changes in liver and kidney of mice.Conclusions: Although several Ethiopian plants traditionally used for the treatment of cancer were shown to possess cytotoxic and free radical scavenging activities, in most cases compounds responsible for such activities have not been identified. Therefore, activity-guided detailed phytochemical studies coupled with evaluation of the safety particularly on those plant extracts that demonstrated potent activities should be carried out as this may lead to the discovery of safe and cost effective anticancer agents. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2017;31 (3):161-187]Keywords: Ethiopian medicinal plants, Antioxidant, Anticancer, Ethnopharmacology, Traditional us

Density and Seasoning Characteristics of Pinus caribaea Lumber Grown at Suba Forest, Oromia, Ethiopia

Determination of the seasoning characteristics, physical and mechanical properties of lumber species is helpful in identifying the main factors affecting the quality, suitability and overall performance of wood and wood-based products. The Pinus caribaea has been considered as industrial lumber species and there is a little study conducted in identifying the physical characteristics which on turn affects the quality of product derived from the lumber. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the density and seasoning characteristics of P. caribaea lumber. Sample trees were harvested from Suba Forest Oromia, Ethiopia. The experiments were carried out using air and kiln seasoning methods. To measure the initial moisture content, seasoning rate, shrinkage, wood density, and seasoning defects, six replicates of samples from each tree portions were prepared when green and promptly weighed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been employed in interpreting the experimental results. The obtained results have shown that the mean initial moisture content for air stacks was 78.2% while for the kiln seasoning stacks 82.9%. Seasoning time for sawn boards of 3 cm thick to reach 17% moisture continent (MC) required 61 days, while for kiln seasoning took 4.3 days to reach 14.62% MC. This showed that kiln seasoning was about 14 times faster than air seasoning. In air seasoning the MC (%) of the lumber from 78.2% to 16.9%; and, the obtained mean values of shrinkages were tangential (3.6%), radial (1.9%) and volumetric (5.4%). The initial moisture content (IMC) and green density (GD) of the lumber were significant difference along the tree height at a 95% probability level. The seasoning rate % and final MC (%) along the tree height were significant difference at 95% probability level, while the seasoning rate % and final MC were significant difference between seasoning methods at 99% probability level. Seasoning defects such as cup, bow, twist, and crook were observed on kiln seasoned. In addition, end checks and splits were observed on air seasoned boards. Therefore, the experimental factors should be monitored and optimized properly to obtain the lumber with good quality and utilize it for different purposes, including construction and industrial applications

ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological Science ANTAGONISM AND PRIMARY in vitro PROBIOTIC EVALUATION OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA (LAB) RECOVERED FROM Ergo

ABSTRACT Ergo is a naturally processed indigenous fermented dairy product, which is commonly prepared at household level and consumed in Ethiopia. The fermentation of this product is lactic acid bacterial dominated process. During this study 500 lactic acid bacterial isolates were recovered from ergo and tested for antagonism against four foodborne pathogens (E. coli O57:H7, Salmonella typhimurium DT104, Shigella shigelea SH10-1 and Staphylococcus aureus MERSA). Based on screening agar spot test method, 41.8% of LAB formed lysis zone against the test foodborne pathogens on modified MRS agar medium. Crude extracts of 40 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that inhibited the test pathogens with ≥ 10 mm lysis zone were tested against the pathogens. Of these 40 LABS, 55% (22 LAB isolates) of extracts were observed inhibitory to the test pathogens with the well diffusion method. Purified extracts (ammonium sulfate precipitated) of 72% (16 isolates) of those shown active with crude extracts test were exhibited inhibitory activity against the test foodborne pathogens. From inhibitory LAB of purified extracts, 17.5% were found antagonistic to three or four of the test foodborne pathogens. The same 16 LAB isolates with antagonistic characteristics were tested for acid tolerance at pH 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 for 3 and 6 hrs. Of these 16, none of the LAB isolates survived exposure to pH 2.0 for 3 hrs. Only 7 LAB isolates survived (with survival rate of >50%) the exposure at pH 2.5 for 3 and further incubation for 6 hours. All 16 isolates tolerated pH 3.0 for 3 hours. Further incubation for 6 hours reduced the survivors to 12. The 7 LAB isolates those survived exposure to pH 2.5 for 6 hrs were tolerated 0.3% bile (with survival rate of >95%) for 48 hours. The study indicated that the LAB isolates that are observed antagonistic to foodborne pathogens with purified extract could serve to formulate starter culture that can produce bioprotective ergo