African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12501

Table of Content: 19 January 2009; 8(2)

January 2009

Biogas technology research in selected sub-Saharan African countries – A review

This reviews aims to provide an insight and update of the state of biogas technology research in some selected sub-Saharan African countries in peer reviewed literature. This paper also aims to highlight the sub-Saharan countries’ strengths and weaknesses in biogas research and development capacity. An attempt is made to pinpoint future research in critically reviewing the biogas technology research. The...

Author(s): Anthony Manoni Mshandete and Wilson Parawira

January 2009

Strategies to lower greenhouse gas level by rice agriculture

The Earth's average temperature has risen to about 1oF in the past 100 years and is projected to rise another 3 to 10oF in the next 100 years. Human activity in last few decades has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. To normalize the nature health many researchers around globe devote their life to searching...

Author(s): Ya-Wen Hsu, Shashi Kant Singh, Ming-Yung Chiang, Yi-Yen Wu and Ing-Feng Chang,

January 2009

Relationship between placental thickness and growth parameters in normal Nigerian foetuses

To investigate the relationship between placental thickness and foetal growth parameters in normal singleton Nigerian foetuses. Six hundred and sixty-six pregnant Nigerian women were studied by ultrasound in a cross sectional prospective study at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Nigeria. The pregnancies were in the second and third trimesters, and were not complicated by either maternal or foetal disease. BPD and AC...

Author(s): Ohagwu, C. C. , Abu, P. O. , Ezeokeke U.O. and Ugwu, A .C. 

January 2009

Prevention of red cell lysis in artesunate-treated rats: A role for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

The effects of artesunate were investigated on red blood cell count and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in male rats. Twelve (12) male rats were divided into two groups of six (6) rats each. Group 1 rats were control rats which received normal saline while group 2 rats were treated with artesunate orally for five (5) days. 2.90 mg/kg of artesunate was given on the first day of treatment and 1.45 mg/kg was...

Author(s): Toyin M. Salman

January 2009

Determination of similarity among Turkish sweet gum (Liquidambar orientalis Mill.) populations using RAPD markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to determine genetic relationships among five native populations of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. Eighty-four oligonucleotide primers were used in PCR and 782 RAPD markers were evaluated for statistical analysis. Generated Nei-Li’s coefficient indicated that the highest similarity was 83.1% between samples from Koycegiz and Cine populations, while...

Author(s): Gulruh Albayrak and Ercan Arican

January 2009

Prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria and chromosomal determinants in surface water of Bangladesh

A total of 210 different bacteria were isolated from water samples collected in different surveillance sites in Bangladesh between May and July 2004. Of these, 147 isolates were analyzed and 103 were identified by different biochemical tests as well as stereotyped with specific antiserum. Sixty five percent of these isolates were identified as Escherichia coli which were resistant to multiple drugs including...

Author(s): Hasan M. Zahid, Zinat Mahal, and Mamun R. Chowdhury

January 2009

Intergenic and intragenic conjugal transfer of multiple antibiotic resistance determinants among bacteria in the aquatic environment of Bangladesh

Conjugation process was conducted to determine the means of transferring multiple loci of antibiotic resistant gene among bacteria in the surface water of Bangladesh. Our observation demonstrated that tetracycline resistant gene can be spread between bacteria in the aquatic environment. In this study, it was surprisingly observed that tetracycline resistant gene was transferable horizontally by conjugation process...

Author(s): Hasan M. Zahid Zinat Mahal and Mamun R. Chowdhury

January 2009

Breeding elite japonica-type soft rice with high protein content through the introduction of the anti-Waxy gene

Low amylose rice (<10%) that lies between glutinous and viscidity rice is called “soft rice”. There is an extremely significant negative correlation between amylose contents and protein contents in common rice grains. In an attempt to analyze whether the anti-Waxy gene could increase protein content while reducing amylose content in the rice grains, and develop good...

Author(s): Jian-yue Li, Shen-zhong Xu, Li-jun Yang, , Yong-guo Zhou, Shi-jing Fanand Wei Zhang

January 2009

Bayesian mapping QTL for fruit and growth phenological traits in Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet

In order to map the QTLs for the agronomic traits in Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet, we designed an F2 population derived from lablab accession (‘Meidou2012’ and ‘Nanhui23’) for construction of genetic linkage map and repeatedly measured three fruit traits (pod length, pod diameter and pod fresh thickness) and three growth phenological traits (flowering time, podding time and harvest...

Author(s): Juan Yuan, Runqing Yang and Tianlong Wu

January 2009

Effects of spent mushroom compost on quality and productivity of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in greenhouses

This study was conducted to determine the effects of spent mushroom compost (SMC), which is a waste product of mushroom processing through a year, on greenhouse cucumber growth as an organic matter source for the soil. The effects of SMC on several yield related characteristics, such as total yield, fruit width, fruit length, total soluble solids, first quality fruit yield in total yield and nutrition content of the...

Author(s): Ersin Polat, H. Ä°brahim Uzun, Bülent TopçuoÄŸlu, Kubilay Önal, A. Naci Onus and Mehmet Karaca

January 2009

Physiological quality of hybrid maize seeds during containerized-dry storage with silica gel

Seed storage operations in the tropics would benefit from low input techniques that can maintain seed physiological quality for considerably long periods without investments in cooling. A study was conducted to evaluate seed vigour and estimate seed longevity in maize during dry storage with commercial desiccant (silica gel) at various levels of gel/seed ratios in air-tight containers under ambient tropical temperature....

Author(s): Isaac O. Daniel, Kehinde O.Oyekale, Michael O. Ajala, Lateef O. Sanniand Makanjuola O. Okelana

January 2009

Alien and exotic Azolla in northern Iran

Azolla filiculoides a planktonic fern found floating on the surface of wetlands, ponds and rivers. Because of its ability to fix nitrogen through symbiotic cyanobacteria, it causes more rice production in paddy fields and is used as a green fertilizer. A. filiculoides was introduced from Philippine as a green fertilizer for rice crop to Iran, at 1986. The climatic condition of paddy fields, ponds and...

Author(s): Babak Delnavaz Hashemloian⊃ and Azra Ataei Azimi⊃

January 2009

Antagonistic bioactivity of an endophytic bacterium isolated from Epimedium brevicornu Maxim

Endophytic bacteria are one of the most potential biological control agents in plant disease protection. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of a strain of endophytic bacterium which was isolated from Epimedium brevicornuMaxim. The dual tests revealed that this endophytic bacterium strain displayed a wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity against 14 fugal phytopathogens and one bacterial...

Author(s): Rong-lin He, Guo-ping Wang, Xiao-Hong Liu, Chu-long Zhang and Fu-cheng Lin

January 2009

The effects of different sowing depth on grain yield and some grain yield components in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars under dryland conditions

The aim of the current study was to determine the effects of sowing depths (3, 5, 7, 9 cm) on grain yield and yield components for wheat cultivars during 2004-2006 at one site in Van Province in Eastern Turkey. Grain yield and yield components were found to positively correlate with coleoptile length, with marked declines observed in grain yield and yield components among varieties with shorter coleoptiles in...

Author(s): Mehmet Yagmur and Digdem Kaydan

January 2009

Altitudinal variation of some morphological characters of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Turkey

The objective of this study was to investigate the altitudinal variation within and between Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) populations in Turkey using 23 morphological characters. Seeds were collected from 149 open-pollinated parents (trees) from five populations sampled from different altitudes in the natural distribution range of the species in northern Turkey and raised in a nursery along the coast. The...

Author(s): Ibrahim Turna and Deniz Güney

January 2009

Biological control of post harvest disease caused by Aspergillus flavus on stored lemon fruits

Antagonistic activity of 24 selected bacterial strains detected by previous microbiological studies to Aspergillus flavus was tested in vitro and in vivoconditions. Within 24 strains, only ten strains showed remarkable inhibition zone (6-34 mm) against the pathogen in assays carried out in Petri plates. Both cell suspension and culture filtrates of prominent 10 bacterial strains were also tested...

Author(s): Recep Kotan, Neslihan Dikbas and Hidayet Bostan

January 2009

Evaluation of yield of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) grown on cotton waste and cassava peel

This work evaluated the yield of Pleurotus pulmonarius on different mixtures of cotton waste and cassava peel. P. pulmonarius demonstrated significantly higher colonization rate on cotton waste substrate (100 g cotton waste) 3 weeks after inoculation of spawn than any other substrate mixtures. Cotton waste had the shortest time for full mycelial ramification (3 weeks) and mushroom primodial...

Author(s): Grillo Joseph Adebayo, Banjo Nusirat Omolara and Abikoye Elizabeth Toyin

January 2009

Antifungal activity of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria isolates against Rhizoctonia solani in wheat

Seven plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strains were isolated from the rhizoplane and rhizosphere of wheat from four different sites of Pakistan. These strains were analyzed for production of indole acetic acid (IAA), phosphorous solublization capability and inhibition of Rhizoctonia solani on rye agar medium. Strains WPR-51, WPR-42 and WM-30 were selected to test in...

Author(s): Zarrin Fatima, M.  Saleemi, Muhammad Zia, T. Sultan, M.  Aslam, Riaz -Ur- Rehman and M. Fayyaz Chaudhary

January 2009

Insect mediated outcrossing and geneflow in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp): Implication for seed production and provision of containment structures for genetically transformed cowpea

Insect mediated out-crossing poses a lot of problems in plant breeding and seed production by creating unwanted genotypes or off-types in the field including mixtures in seed lots. Removal of off-types in the field or seed lots increases costs of production. Information on level of out-crossing in cowpea and its insect pollinators as well as associated pollen movement would be useful in developing strategies to reduce...

Author(s): Asiwe, J. A. N.

January 2009

Taxonomic studies of grasses and their indigenous uses in the salt range area of Pakistan

The present investigations were carried out in Salt Range area of Pakistan, regarding the morphology of grasses as an aid to their correct identification, their distribution and indigenous uses in the area. The study area is globally known by its large salt reserves and it has rich floral diversity. From the study area 62 species of grasses belonging to 11 tribes were collected. The largest tribe was Paniceae followed...

Author(s): Farooq Ahmad, Mir Ajab Khan, Mushtaq Ahmad, Muhammad Zafar, Abdul Nazir and Sarfraz Khan Marwat    

January 2009

Production of fusion m13 phage bearing the di-sulphide constrained peptide sequence (C-WSFFSNI-C) that interacts with hepatitis B core antigen

Effects of pH, temperature, and level of mixing on the production of fusion M13 phage bearing the peptide sequence (C-WSFFSNI-C) that interacts with HBcAg were investigated in this study. The optimum pH for the phage production was achieved at pH 7, followed by pH 6 and 8. The highest fusion phage titre was obtained at growth temperature of 37°C, followed by 27 and 42°C. The rotational speed at 250 rpm was the...

Author(s): Beng Ti Tey, Shin Tean Ooi, Khang Chi Yong, Michelle Yeen Tan Ng, Tau Chuan Ling and Wen Siang Tan,

January 2009

Effects of diesel fuel contamination on seed germination of four crop plants - Arachis hypogaea, Vigna unguiculata, Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays

The effects of different levels (%) of diesel fuel contamination on four crop plantsArachis hypogaea, Vigna unguiculata, Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays were studied. One percent level of contamination did not significantly reduce seed germination in Z. mays and S. bicolor but did in A. hypogaea and V. unguiculata(P<0.05). The 2.00% level of contamination...

Author(s): Erute Magdalene Ogbo    

January 2009

Pullulan production from coconut by-products by Aureobasidium pullulans

The production of pullulan from coconut water and coconut milk by Aureobasidium pullulans was investigated. The highest production of pullulan in batch fermentation with coconut water yield of 38.3 (g/L) and coconut milk yield 58.0 (g/L). The effect of initial pH, fermentation time, and additional nitrogen source was investigated. The highest pullulan concentration of 58.0 g/L was obtained for a fermentation...

Author(s): K. Thirumavalavan, T. R. Manikkadan and R. Dhanasekar

January 2009

Assessment of alkaliphilic haloarchaeal diversity in Sua pan evaporator ponds in Botswana

Cultivation-dependent and molecular-based culture-independent methods were used to assess alkaliphilic haloarchaeal diversity at Sua pan evaporator ponds in Botswana. Isolates belonging to the genera Natrialba, Natronococcus andNatronorubrum were recovered from brine samples by enrichment and identified through a series of biochemical tests as well as sequencing of 16S rRNA fragments. In addition, an...

Author(s): Ashant Pravin Gareeb and Mathabatha Evodia Setati

January 2009

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Solidago virgaurea extracts

Solidago virgaurea is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It has been traditionally used to terat urinary tract, nephrolithiasis and prostate. Our objective was to determine the antioxidant activities, reducing powers, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scaenging activities and antimicrobial activities of metanol and hot water extracts of S. virgaurea from Bursa region in...

Author(s): Hülya Demir, Leyla Açık, E. Burcu Bali, L. Yasemin Koç and Gönül Kaynak

January 2009

Screening of allyl alcohol resistant mutant of Rhizopus oryzae and its fermentation characterization

Ethanol is a main by-product in the fermentation broth of Rhizopus oryzae during the production of high-optical purity L-lactic acid. By screening the lower activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) mutant, thus decreasing the flux of pyruvic acid to ethanol may be a virtual method for increasing the conversion rate of glucose to L-lactic acid. Mutagenesis of R. oryzae As3.3461 was conducted in this...

Author(s): Zhi Zheng, Shui-Zhong Luo, Xing-Jiang Li, Xue-Feng Wu, Li-Jun Pan and Shao-Tong Jiang

January 2009

The antimicrobial effect of oils from Pentaclethra macrophylla Bent, Chrysophyllum albidum G. Don and Persea gratissima Gaerth F on some local clinical bacteria isolates

A comparative study of the antimicrobial effect of oils from Pentaclethramacrophylla Bent, Chrysophyllum albidium G.Don and Persea grattissima Gaerth F seeds on some local clinical bacteria isolates was investigated. The local clinical isolates were Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus...

Author(s): Ugbogu O. C. and  Akukwe A. R.

January 2008

Enhanced production of glucose oxidase from UV-mutant of Aspergillus niger

UV rays were used as mutagen in wild type strain of Aspergillus niger for enhanced production of glucose oxidase. After mutangenization and selection, mutant A. nigerstrains, resistant to 2-deoxy-D-glucose were obtained. The mutants showed 1.57 and 1.98 fold increase in activities of extra and intra cellular glucose oxidase respectively in comparison with the parental strain. Out of 6 mutants, mutant...

Author(s): Muhammad Ramzan and Tahir Mehmood

January 2009

Antimicrobial effect of natural dyes on some pathogenic bacteria

In this study we have detected the antimicrobial activity of four natural dyes (obtained from Rubia tinctorum, Allium cepa, Punica granatum L and Mentha sp.) on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Shigella sonnei RSKK 877, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Bacillus megaterium RSKK 5117, Bacillus subtilis RSKK 244,Bacillus cereus RSKK...

Author(s): Ayfer Çalış, Gökçen Yuvalı Çelik and Hikmet Katırcıoglu

January 2009

Small scale production and storage quality of dry-milled degermed maize products for tropical countries

The present study aims to propose a comprehensive appropriate technological package for small-scale processing of maize flour, which meets consumer demand for quality and achieves extended shelf life. One traditional soft cultivar was processed by the conventional method (direct grinding with disc mill) and was compared with flours obtained under various degerming and grinding intensities; two types of grinder (disc...

Author(s): Christian Mestres, Kosi Davo and Joseph Hounhouigan

January 2009

Total phenolics and antioxidant activity of jujube (Zizyphus jujube Mill.) genotypes selected from Turkey

We determined the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of methanol extracts from fifteen selected jujube genotypes endogenous to the Mediterranean region of Turkey.  Total phenolic content of the fruits was analyzed by Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method, while the total antioxidant activity was analyzed using the β-carotene bleaching, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and...

Author(s): Önder KamiloÄŸlu, Sezai Ercisli, Memnune Åžengül, Celil Toplu and Sedat Serçe

January 2009

Proximate and nutritional composition of kola nut (Cola nitida), bitter cola (Garcinia cola) and alligator pepper (Afromomum melegueta)

The proximate composition and the mineral content of three (3) traditional ‘snacks’, kolanut (Cola nitida), bitter kola (Garcinia cola) and alligator pepper (Afromomum melegueta) were evaluated. The results show that C. nitida has the highest moisture, crude fat and crude fibre contents of 66.4, 5.71 and 7.13%, respectively. Protein and ash contents were highest in A. melegueta (7.18 and...

Author(s): Odebunmi, E. O., Oluwaniyi, O. O., Awolola, G.V. and Adediji, O. D.

January 2009

Post-harvest bruchid richness and residual activity of pirimiphos-methyl on Callosobruchus maculatus F. infested pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) in storage

The residual activity of actellic dust (pirimiphos-methyl) on Callosobruchus maculatus F. and the field-to-store bruchid richness of pigeon pea grains were studied at Nsukka, Nigeria. Results of the bruchid richness study showed that there was no emergence or infestation of bruchids from both the treated and untreated grains six months post harvest. Assessment of the residual activity of pirimiphos-methyl...

Author(s): Dasbak, M.A., Echezona, B.C. and Asiegbu, J. E.

January 2009

Faunistic study on Pompilidae (Inseta: Hymenoptera) family in Ankara, Kirikkale, and Çankiri provinces

In this study that comprises Ankara, Kırıkkale and Çankırı provinces, 30 specimens in total were collected, and 6 species belonging to Turkey Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) family were identified as new records in Turkey fauna. The locality and members of these specimens are shown in this material. Their distribution is also studied in this work.   Key words: Insects, hymenoptera, pompilidae,...

Author(s): Mehmet Ali Kirpik

January 2009

A rapid mini-prep DNA extraction method in rice (Oryza sativa)

DNA extraction is an important step in molecular assays and plays a vital role in obtaining high-resolution results in gel-based systems, particularly in the case of cereals with high content of interfering components in the early steps of DNA extraction. Here a rapid mini-prep DNA extraction method, optimized for rice, which was achieved via some modifications in present DNA extraction methods, especially in first step...

Author(s): Ahmadikhah, A.

January 2009

Enhancement of anaerobic digestion of Nile perch fish processing wastewater

In East Africa, Nile perch processing into fish fillets for export generates large proportions of both solid and liquid fish wastes. These wastes are improperly utilized and/or disposed off untreated leading to environmental pollution problems. On the other hand, Nile perch fish processing wastewater (FPW) contains high concentrations of lipids and proteins, which have high methane yield potential. However, anaerobic...

Author(s): Robert Gumisiriza, Anthony Manoni Mshandete, Mugassa Steven Thomas Rubindamayugi, Frank Kansiime and Amelia Kajumulo Kivaisi.

January 2009

The growth performance of growing pigs during feed restriction and re-alimentation in a humid tropical environment

Thirty two crossbred (large white x landrace) pigs were used in a 56 days restriction and 56 days re-alimentation study to evaluate the effect of restricting growing pigs at 90, 80 and 70% of the ad libitum feed intake of the control. The pigs averaged 35.23 ± 0.560 kg at the start of the study. There were four treatments (control, 90, 80 and 70%). Each treatment had eight pigs allotted to 2...

Author(s): S. O. C. Ugwu and A. E. Onyimonyi