Assessment of age-related morphological changes in the testes of post-hatch light ecotype Nigerian indigenous chicken

The age-related morphological changes of the testes in light ecotype Nigerian indigenous chicken were evaluated in this study using gross anatomical, histological and histomorphometric techniques. The results showed that the testes of 3- to 9-month-old birds were light pink while testes of sexually mature chicken were creamy white in colour. The left and right testicular weight, length, diameter, circumference and the organosomatic indices increased significantly (p < .05) with increasing age across the groups. Although the mean tubular diameter and epithelial height of the left and right seminiferous tubules increased significantly (p < .05) with age, the tubular diameter, epithelial height and luminal diameter did not vary significantly (p > .05) between the left and right testes of all the groups. The one-cell layer thick germinal epithelium of the left testes at 3 to 6 months old showed islands of cell proliferation that contained spermatogonia and spermatocytes. At 6 to 9 months, the left testes exhibited numerous early spermatids with occasional occurrence of late stage spermatids while the right testes showed scanty early stage spermatids. At 12 to 18 months, the germinal epithelia of both left and right testes were characterized by the presence of Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, numerous early and late stage spermatids as well as spermatozoa. In conclusion, the morphological features highlighted in the present study show that at pre-pubertal periods, the left testes may develop faster than the right testes. However, both left and right testes may participate actively in the production of spermatozoa during the post-pubertal life.     

Susceptibility of various ceil culture systems to pseudorabies virus

A comparative study was carried out to determine the susceptibility of five different cell lines to pseudorabies virus (PRV), a herpes virus of pigs. The cell systems tested were swine testicle (ST), mink lung (ML), equine dermal (ED), porcine kidney (PK₁₅), and bovine turbinate (BT) cells. Virus titers obtained were 10^4.88, 10^4.38, 10^3.75, 10^2.63, and 10^0.25 for ML, ST, PK₁₅, BT and ED cells, respectively indicating that ML, ST, and PK₁₅ are optimal cell lines for the growth of PRV whereas BT and ED are not very sensitive.     

Role of bacteria isolates in the spoilage of fermented African oil bean seed ugba

Study was carried out to determine the spoilage association of traditionally fermented ugba, product of African oil bean seed. Samples were collected from three markets within Enugu metropolis in Eastern Nigeria. Microbial population of ugba was isolated, characterized and identified. Effect of time on product quality, total viable cell count and individual growth pattern of isolates was evaluated. Microorganisms isolated were Proteus sp., Klebsiella sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis, E. coli, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis. Initial viable cell count increased from 4.6 x 10(8) -6.2 x 10(8), 6.0 x 10(9) -6.9 x 10(9) and 3.9 x 10(8) -5 x 10(8) cfu g(-1) by the 4th day for samples from Mayor, Kenyatta and Garki markets, respectively. Organoleptic changes in texture and colour were seen to be a factor of time of storage. A decline in growth of Proteus sp., E. coli, Klebsiella sp. and S. epidermidis by the 4th day of storage was observed for all samples. Viable cells of B. licheniformis increased from 6.1 x 10(7) -17.7 x 10(7) cfu g(-1), 13.9 x 10(8) -20.0 x 10(8) and 8.7 x 10(7) -15.5 x 10(7) by the 4th day of storage for samples from Mayor, Kenyatta and Garki markets respectively. Growth of B. subtilis increased from 9.2 x 10(7) -19.9 x 10(7), 14.9 x 10(8) -21.2 x 10(8) and 11.5 x 10(7) -17.2 x 10(7) cfu g(-1) for samples from Mayor, Kenyatta and Garki markets respectively. Our results indicate that ugba spoilage is primarily a result of the continued activity of African oil bean seed fermentative organisms B. subtilis and B. licheniformis.     

Response of maize (Zea mays) to the application of foliar fertilizers in the Sudan and Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria

Soil fertility problems resulting in low maize yields in smallholder farms are common in the West African moist savanna. The effectiveness of commercial foliar fertilizers in improving maize growth and yield was evaluated in three savanna agro‐ecological zones of Nigeria in two steps. In step one, eight commercial foliar fertilizers were assessed in a greenhouse study with two soil types using maize (Zea mays L. cv. 2004 TZE‐Y POPDT STR C4). The treatments included a control and a reference that received the optimum concentrations of nutrients. In step 2, three promising products from the greenhouse study (Turbotop, Agroleaf General, and Agroleaf high‐P) were evaluated under field conditions to validate the efficacy of products to enhance crop growth and yield. The foliar products were applied at the rate of 5 kg ha^?1. The treatments also included three rates of P application (0, 30, and 60 kg P ha^?1) as triple super phosphate (TSP) with or without foliar fertilizers. In the greenhouse study, differences in maize shoot dry matter yield and N and P concentrations, attributable to the spraying of the commercial foliar fertilizers, were observed for both soils. Spraying Turbotop, Agroleaf General, and Agroleaf high‐P gave the highest shoot dry biomass and N and P uptake compared to other products. Under field conditions, foliar spraying of Agroleaf high‐P significantly increased the shoot dry biomass of maize compared with the 0 P treatment in all locations. The grain yield of maize ranged from 1 to 4 t ha^?1 with significant differences across sites. Products with high concentrations of P and N in their formulation improved maize yield suggesting that appropriate management of P and N resources is a prerequisite for a sustainable maize intensification in the savanna agro‐ecologies.