Journal and Journal Articles: Recent submissions

Now showing items 21-40 of 5266

    • Diospyros barteri Hiern (Ebenaceae): new records for the vascular flora of Benin 

      Dassou, G.H.; Adomou, A.C.; Kpétikou, C.G.; Neuenschwander, P. (2024-05-22)
      Diospyros barteri was recorded for the first time from Dodja, a sacred forest in the Commune of Abomey-Calavi, Benin. We provide a detailed description, illustration, habitat, ecology, flowering period, and population size of this species. These occurrences fill a gap in the distribution of the species in the Dahomey-Gap territory. Our new records show the importance of botanical surveys in sacred forests which are hotspots of biodiversity in the country. However, sacred forests are unfortunately ...

    • Shade tree functional traits drive critical ecosystem services in cocoa agroforestry systems 

      Addo-Danso, S.D.; Asare, R.; Tettey, A.; Schmidt, J.E.; Sauvadet, M.; Coulis, M.; Belliard, N.; Isaac, M.E. (2024-09-15)
      The inclusion of shade trees into cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) systems can generate livelihood opportunities for smallholder farmers. Yet, there is the need to examine the ecological context within which shade trees, and their functional traits, have a positive impact on ecosystem services in cocoa systems. Here, we used a network of farms of similar aged hybrid cocoa, in a nested design consisting of agroforestry or monoculture management, on three initial soil quality levels (poor, moderate ...

    • Assessing the effects of plant density and nitrogen on millet yield in Southern Niger using the CERES‑millet model 

      Garba, M.; Kamara, A.; Mohamed, F.S.; Tofa, A.; Mahamane, S.; Salissou, H.; Kapran, B.I.; Abdoulaye, T.; Garba, I.I. (2024-06-06)
      Background The dryland production environments in Niger Republic (Niger) generate variable crop production risks that reduce crop yields and increase regional food insecurity. Optimal combinations of crop varieties and management are needed to maximize crop water-limited yields in these environments. Methods In this study, we calibrated and validated the CERES-Millet model using data from field experiments. Seasonal analysis (1984–2020) was carried out in 18 selected sites across the three ...

    • Exploring quantitative trait nucleotides associated with response to yam mosaic virus severity and tuber yield traits in Dioscorea praehensilis Benth. germplasm via genome-wide association scanning 

      Adewumi, A.S.; Adejumobi, I.I.; Opoku, V.A.; Asare, P.A.; Adu, M.O.; Taah, K.J.; Stanley, A.E.; Olatunde, T.E.; Afutu, E.; Akaba, S.; Mushoriwa, H.; Agre, A.P. (2024-10-04)
      Yam production in sub-Saharan African countries faces challenges due to susceptibility to yam mosaic virus (YMV) disease, leading to significant yield losses. Dioscorea praehensilis, a semicultivated yam species known for its high yield and resistance to YMV, can be utilized as a new variety and a gene source to enhance tuber yield and YMV resistance of White Guinea yam.Investigating the genetic basis of tuber yield-related traits and YMV resistance in D. praehensilis through association mapping ...

    • Agronomic performance and consumer acceptability of improved water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) varieties in the Republic of Benin 

      Dansi, M.; Loko, Y.L.E.; Fakorede, J.G.; Agre, A.P.; Laly, J.; Amegan, A.; Ogou, H.; Adebola, P.O.; Yedomonhan, H.; Dansi, A.A. (2024-12)
      White yam (Dioscorea rotundata L.) is widely cultivated, and is a staple food in the Republic of Benin. However, its production is highly sensitive to soil infertility, leading to low yields over the years. In order to address the challenges of land reduction and climate change, it is crucial to introduce more adapted yam varieties to traditional Beninese agriculture. Water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) varieties are viable options, as they need less soil fertility and yield more than D. rotundata, but ...

    • Genome-wide mapping uncovers significant quantitative trait loci associated with yam mosaic virus infection, yield and dry matter content in White Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) 

      Adjei, E.A.; Odong, T.L.; Esuma, W.; Bhattacharjee, R.; Agre, A.P.; Adebola, P.O.; Chamba, E.; Asfaw, A.; Dramadri, I.; Mbabazi, S.T.; Edema, R.; Ozimati, A.; Ochwo-Ssemakula, M.; Alicai, T. (2024-10-04)
      Introduction: Yam is an important crop for food security in East and West Africa due to its high market value and customer demand. High tuber quality with yield and disease resistance are the main traits for acceptability of yam cultivars across the tropical zone. There has been limited progress in enhancing the production and quality traits of yams, despite the significant socio-economic significance of this crop. Method: To expedite the development of high-quality yam cultivars in Uganda, traits ...

    • Genome-wide association study for yield and quality of granulated cassava processed product 

      Aghogho, C.I.; Kayondo, S.I.; Eleblu, J.S.Y.; Ige, A.; Asante, I.; Offei, S.K.; Parkes, E.; Egesi, C.N.; Mbanjo, E.; Shah, T.; Kulakow, P.; Rabbi, I.Y. (2024-06)
      The starchy storage roots of cassava are commonly processed into a variety of products, including cassava granulated processed products (gari). The commercial value of cassava roots depends on the yield and quality of processed products, directly influencing the acceptance of new varieties by farmers, processors, and consumers. This study aims to estimate genetic advance through phenotypic selection and identify genomic regions associated and candidate genes linked with gari yield and quality. ...

    • Use of modelling tools to assess climate change impacts on smallholder oil seed yields in South Africa 

      Kephe, P.N.; Mkuhlani, S.; Rusere, F.; Chemura, A. (2024)
      Oil seed crops are the second most important field crops after cereals in the agricultural economy globally. The use and demand for oilseed crops such as groundnut, soybean and sunflower have grown significantly, but climate change is expected to alter the agroecological conditions required for oilseed crop production. This study aims to present an approach that utilizes decision-making tools to assess the potential climate change impacts on groundnut, soybean and sunflower yields and the greenhouse ...

    • Spatial and temporal distribution of optimal maize sowing dates in Nigeria 

      Mkuhlani, S.; Bendito, E.G.; Tofa, A.I.; Aliyu, K.T.; Shehu, B.M.; Kreye, C.; Chemura, A. (2024-05-02)
      Climate change and inter-annual variability cause variation in rainfall commencement and cessation which has consequences for the maize growing season length and thus impact yields. This study therefore sought to determine the spatially explicit optimum maize sowing dates to enable site specific recommendations in Nigeria. Gridded weather and soil data, crop management and cultivar were used to simulate maize yield from 1981–2019 at a scale of 0.5°. A total of 37 potential sowing dates between 1 ...

    • HybridQC: A SNP-Based quality control application for rapid hybridity verification in diploid plants 

      Ongom, P.O.; Ajibade, Y.A.; Mohammed, S.B.; Dieng, I.; Fatokun, C.; Boukar, O. (2024-09-26)
      Background/Objectives: Hybridity authentication is an important component of quality assurance and control (QA/QC) in breeding programs. Here, we introduce HybridQC v1.0, a QA/QC software program specially designed for parental purity and hybridity determination. HybridQC rapidly detects molecular marker polymorphism between parents of a cross and utilizes only the informative markers for hybridity authentication. Methods HybridQC is written in Python and designed with a graphical user interface ...

    • Use of low cost near‑infrared spectroscopy, to predict pasting properties of high quality cassava flour 

      Abubakar, M.; Wasswa, P.; Masumba, E.; Ongom, P.; Mkamilo, G.; Kanju, E.; Abincha, W.; Edema, R.; Sichalwe, K.; Tukamuhabwa, P.; Kayondo, S.; Rabbi, I.; Kulembeka, H. (2024-07-25)
      Determination of pasting properties of high quality cassava flour using rapid visco analyzer is expensive and time consuming. The use of mobile near infrared spectroscopy (SCiO™) is an alternative high throughput phenotyping technology for predicting pasting properties of high quality cassava flour traits. However, model development and validation are necessary to verify that reasonable expectations are established for the accuracy of a prediction model. In the context of an ongoing breeding effort, ...

    • A review on nitrogen flows and obstacles to sustainable nitrogen management within the Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa 

      Masso, C.; Gweyi-Onyango, J.; Luoga, H.P.; Yemefack, M.; Vanlauwe, B. (2024-06-15)
      The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is located in the upper reaches of the Nile River Basin and is shared by five East-African countries. The population in the catchment is growing rapidly and the lake is facing several environmental problems. During the past few decades, numerous efforts have been made across the five countries, with the coordination of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) to reduce the loading of reactive nitrogen (Nr) into the lake and Lake Watershed. However, most of the measures ...

    • Cross-country evidence of consumers' perception of food from animals fed on insects in DR Congo, Mali, and Niger 

      Dontsop-Nguezet, P.; Nyamuhirwa, D.A.; Shiferaw, F.; Manyong, V.; Sissoko, D.; Moussa, B.; Kouakou, A.G.; Zakari, S.; Abdoulaye, T. (2024-06-01)
      Insects can represent a valuable and cost effective source of animal feed in Africa. Recently, the interest in incorporating black-soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in animal feed has increased tremendously. However, many factors, including food neophobia and social and cultural context may affect consumers' perception of insect-technologies-derived food products. This study shed light on consumers' perception of the usage of BSFL as animal feed and consumption, buying, and commercialization of food from ...

    • A new phosphorus fertilizer blend enhances grain legume yield and profitability in northern part of Ghana 

      Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Ulzen, J. (2024-09)
      Low concentrations of phosphorus limit grain legumes’ yield in the northern part of Ghana. Smallholder farmers could benefit from P-fertilizer blends to improve yield. This study evaluated the responses of soybean, cowpea and groundnut to P-fertilizer blends and their profitability in researcher-managed and farmer-managed trials in Northern, Upper West, and Upper East regions. The experiment was set up in a cross-factorial arranged in randomized complete block design with four replications. The ...

    • Detoxification of aflatoxins in fermented cereal gruel (Ogi) by probiotic lactic acid bacteria and yeasts with differences in Amino Acid profiles 

      Banwo, K.; Adesina, T.; Aribisala, O.R.; Falade, T.D.O. (2023-03-10)
      Toxigenic members of Aspergillus flavus contaminate cereal grains, resulting in contamination by aflatoxin, a food safety hazard that causes hepatocellular carcinoma. This study identified probiotic strains as aflatoxin detoxifiers and investigated the changes to the grain amino acid concentrations during fermentation with probiotics in the presence of either A. flavus La 3228 (an aflatoxigenic strain) or A. flavus La 3279 (an atoxigenic strain). Generally, higher concentrations (p < 0.05) of amino ...

    • Think globally and act locally: assessing the environmental impacts of the Nigerian threatened native trees project 

      Awoyemi, A.G.; Olasupo, O.E.; Ajayi, A.D.; Bown, D. (2024-06-13)
      The environmental and socio-economic impacts of the Nigerian Threatened Native Trees Project are presented. This project conducted propagation trials and developed a freely downloadable online Manual of Tree Propagation (MTP) for 55 native tree species, training 146 local experts (32 women and 114 men) during the period (November 2015—December 2022). We used Google Analytics and interviews to assess the impacts of this project from January 2018—July 2023 (iEcology). Results show that the MTP has ...

    • Probiotic and cyanide degrading potentials of pediococcus pentosaceus and pichia exigua isolated from cassava products effluent 

      Banwo, K.; Ojetunde, J.T.; Falade, T. (2023-02-01)
      Cassava tubers contain high levels of cyanogenic glucosides that are toxic when consumed. Lactic acid bacteria and yeast from the effluent generated during the processing of cassava products were assessed for cyanide degradation and probiotic potentials. Pediococcus sp. OG08 and Pichia sp. OG4 had higher bile salt tolerance (p < 0.05) in 0.3 % bile salts (82.5 %,77.7 %) and 0.5 % bile salts (69.3 %, 71.2 %) respectively. They displayed high potassium cyanide tolerance (Pediococcus sp. OG08, 45.7 ...

    • Changes in the rhizosphere and root-associated bacteria community of white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) impacted by genotype and nitrogen fertilization 

      Idowu, A.P.; Yamamoto, K.; Koizumi, T.; Matsutani, M.; Takada, K.; Shiwa, Y.; Asfaw, A.; Matsumoto, R.; Ouyabe, M.; Pachakkil, B.; Kikuno, H.; Shiwachi, H. (2024-06-30)
      The bacterial diversity and composition of water yam (Dioscorea alata L. cv. A-19), which can grow without chemical fertilization, have recently been characterized with no significant differences compared with the use of chemical fertilization. However, the diversity and community structure of bacteria associated with the white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata), the most cultivated and economically important yam in West Africa, have not yet been investigated. This study characterized the bacterial ...

    • Circular bioeconomy practices and their associations with household food security in four RUNRES African city regions 

      Sekabira, H.; Feleke, S.; Manyong, V.; Spath, L.; Krutli, P.; Simbeko, G.; Vanlauwe, B.; Six, J. (2024-04-25)
      Achieving the United Nation’s 2030 agenda which aims, among other goals, to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, requires a sustainable resource use model deployed at scale across global food systems. A circular bioeconomy (CBE) model of resource use has been proposed to reuse of organic waste in agricultural production to enhance food security. However, despite several initiatives recently introduced towards establishing a CBE in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), minimal scientific ...

    • Striking variation in chromosome structure within Musa acuminata subspecies, diploid cultivars, and F1 diploid hybrids 

      Berankova, D.; Cizkova, J.; Majzlikova, G.; Dolezalova, A.; Mduma, H.; Brown, A.; Swennen, R.; Hribova, E. (2024-07-04)
      The majority of cultivated bananas originated from inter- and intra(sub)specific crosses between two wild diploid species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Hybridization and polyploidization events during the evolution of bananas led to the formation of clonally propagated cultivars characterized by a high level of genome heterozygosity and reduced fertility. The combination of low fertility in edible clones and differences in the chromosome structure among M. acuminata subspecies greatly hampers ...