Assessment of cyanogenic potential,nitrate and nitrite contents,and trypsin inhibitor activity of some Nigerian legumes

Edible seeds of seven varieties of legumes commonly consumed by Nigerians in large quantities were evaluated for total protein, cyanogens, nitrate and nitrite contents, and trypsin inhibitor activity using chemical, biochemical, enzymatic, and spectrophotometric methods. All analyzed samples contained cyanogen and nitrate with levels ranging from 5.88 +/- 0.26 to 28.55 +/- 1.32 mg/100 g of DM and from 49.64 +/- 4.60 to 239.42 +/- 7.20 mg/100 g of DM, respectively. Only three of the varieties contained detectable levels of nitrite, which varied from 0.54 +/- 0.01 to 3.19 +/- 0.2 mg/100 g of DM. Trypsin inhibitor activity was detected in all of the samples, ranging from 7.75 to 100.75 micromol/min/mg of protein. Total protein content of the legumes ranged from 17.8 to 28% on a dry weight basis. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.71) between the cyanogenic potential and the nitrate content of the dry seeds. Processing reduced about 78.6-88.8% and 71.0-89.5% of total cyanogen and nitrate contents of the seeds, respectively. Following administration of 5.0-15 mg of NO3 to rats by stomach intubation, analysis of their 24, 48, and 72 h urine showed that only 40% of the administered nitrate appeared in the urine unmetabolized. Processing was shown to drastically reduce these antinutritional factors to very low levels. The health implications of these findings are discussed.     

Seroprevalence,hematological and biochemical alterations in Brucella-seropositive Muturu cattle in Nigeria

Veterinary Research Communications - This study evaluated the prevalence, hematological and some biochemical alterations in Brucella seropositive Muturu breed of cattle which may change the...     

Compound farms of southeastern Nigeria:

Compound farms are a homegarden-type of agroforestry system involving the deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in a multistoried association with agricultural crops and small livestock within the compounds of individual houses. In addition to the advantages of diversified production, risk minimization, improved labour and nutrient use efficiences and soil conservation, compound farms represent germplasm banks containing many of the useful tree/ shrub species currently disappearing due to indiscriminate clearing of fore and woodlands.     

The influence of moisture level,light, aeration and glucose upon acetylene reduction by a black earth soil

The influence of moisture level, light, aeration, and glucose upon C₂H₂ reduction by a clay soil was studied. C₂H₂ reduction was greater in 15 g samples of the air-dried soil moistened with 9 ml water than in samples moistened with 5 ml water. Illumination of the soil led to significantly more C₂H₂ reduction than when the soil samples were incubated in the dark. The addition of glucose to the soil increased C₂H₂ reduction. C₂H₂ reduction by soil samples incubated under an aerobic gas phase (either Ar + O₂, 80; 20; or air) was not significantly different from that of samples incubated under an anaerobic gas phase (Ar). Several questions regarding the use of the C₂H₂ reduction technique in assessing nitrogen fixation by natural ecosystems are raised.     

Farmers’ Fruit Tree-growing Strategies in the Humid Forest Zone of Cameroon and Nigeria

Many studies have stressed the importance of trees to rural households. Few, however, have focused on actual numbers and densities of trees in different land-use systems. Based on community-level participatory research in six communities, semi-structured household interviews and full-farm fruit tree inventories, this study aims to understand farmers’ tree-planting strategies. Relationships between the diversity, number and density of fruit trees and farm size, land-use system, land tenure, distance from the homestead, proximity to the forest, market access and household characteristics are investigated. The key factors determining the differences in tree-growing strategies between communities appear to be market access, land use and access to forest resources. Within communities, differences between individual households were less easy to explain but tenure was important as was farm size. Smaller farms had higher fruit tree densities, a relationship that was particularly strong in communities with good market access. Overall there was a great deal of variability both within and between communities and many of the factors affecting tree-planting decisions were found to be highly inter-related. Despite this complexity, trees on farm play an important role in rural household's livelihoods. Therefore, expansion of tree cultivation should be recognized as a promising pathway to achieve increased income and food production by policy makers and extensionists alike. In addition to improved tree propagation and management techniques, farmers should be strengthened in the processing and marketing of agroforestry tree products and more emphasis should be placed on the development of tree enterprises. By doing so, farmers will be able to earn a more important and consistent income from fruit trees, contributing to the Millennium Development Goals.