October 2004
Applied genomics in the improvement of crops grown in Africa
Crop biotechnology seems to be in its infancy in Africa, some national researchers are well trained in this area but lack of funding from their national governments does not allow them take advantage of their knowledge and professional skills. Among the agro-biotechnology tools, tissue culture ranks first in the micro-propagated and tree crops. DNA marker-aided breeding for a range of traits (particularly to overcome...
October 2004
Expression of a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase gene in peach (Prunus persica L.) fruit in response to treatment with carbon dioxide and 1-methylcyclopropene: possible role of ethylene
In this study we investigated the effect of exogenous ethylene treatment on ethylene production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase activity and expression of an ACC oxidase (PP-ACO1) gene previously cloned (Mathooko et al., 2001) in peach (Prunus persica L.) fruit. We also investigated the mode of action of CO2 and 1-methycyclopropene (1-MCP) in the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis during...
October 2004
Hydrogen as clean fuel via continuous fermentation by anaerobic photosynthetic bacteria, Rhodospirillum rubrum
Hydrogen has been considered a potential fuel for the future since it is carbon-free and oxidized to water as a combustion product. Bioconversion of synthesis gas to hydrogen was demonstrated in a continuous fermentation utilizing malate as a carbon source.Rhodospirillum rubrum, an anaerobic photosynthetic bacterium catalyzed water gas shift reaction which was used in this research. The synthesis gas (CO) was used as a...
October 2004
Dechlorination of 1,2– dichloroethane by Pseudomonas aeruginosa OK1 isolated from a waste dumpsite in Nigeria
As part of our attempt at isolating and stocking some indigenous microbial species, we isolated a bacterium from a waste dumpsite with appreciable dechlorination activity. 16S rDNA profiling revealed the isolate to be a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the sequence has been deposited in the NCBI nucleotide sequence database (accession number AJ550306). The bacterium utilized 0.1% (v/v) 1, 2...
October 2004
Effect of ropy and capsular exopolysaccharides producing strain of Lactobacillus plantarum 162RM on characteristics and functionality of fermented milk and soft Kareish type cheese
The contribution of selected ropy and capsular Lactobacillus plantarum 162RM on texture of fermented milk as well as on the functionality of kareish cheese was established in this study. The cell suspension of this strain was used in combination with commercial starter cultures MY900 (Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus andStreptococcus thermophilus) and MM100 (Lactococcus lactis...
October 2004
Effect of C:N ratio on alpha amylase production by Bacillus licheniformis SPT 27
Bacillus licheniformis SPT 27 is an isolate which produces extra cellular alpha (µ-) amylase exhibiting activity at a wide pH range and was relatively stable. The B.lichenformis isolate, however, produces low yields of the amylase. Our results show that the amylase production is higher in the presence of starch, with Amarantus peniculatus starch producing the highest amount of amylase....
October 2004
Compositional differences in the phenolics compounds of muscadine and bunch grape wines
Wines contain a large array of phenolic compounds, belonging to non-flavonoids, flavonoids and phenolic-protein-polysaccharide complexes. Phenolics in wine are responsible for wine color, astringency, and bitterness. This study evaluates phenolic composition of commercial and experimental wines derived from bunch (Vitis vinifera) and muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) grapes to determine compositional differences in...
October 2004
Synergism of cockroach (Periplaneta americana) α-amylase and α-glucosidase hydrolysis of starches
Cockroach Periplaneta americana α-amylase hydrolysed starch to maltose and maltodextrin. However, this enzyme was not active against maltose and maltotriose (2 h of reaction). α-Glucosidase of the same organism exhibited activities toward maltose and maltodextrin to glucose. Synergism was observed especially between both enzymes to produce glucose for cockroach P....
October 2004
Factors controlling micropropagation of Myrica esculenta buch. – Ham. ex D. Don: a high value wild edible of Kumaun Himalaya
Various factors such as browning, season, media type and plant growth regulators influence the micropropagation of female trees of Myrica esculenta. These factors have successfully been addressed after addition of some media additives, collection of the explant at right season, standardizing the media type and use of plant growth regulators at varying concentrations. Polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP - 0.5%) was found...
October 2004
The value of morpho-anatomical features in the systematics of Cucurbita L.
Comparative studies on the morphology and anatomy of the three species of Cucurbita L. (C. moschata, C. maxima and C. pepo) in Nigeria were carried out. The morphological features of significance include variations in the number of tendrils, fruit size, shape, nature of fruit stalk, leaf shape and flower colour. Seed-coat anatomy revealed four distinct zones, which varied in thickness and tissue layers. ...
October 2004
Influence of NPK fertilizer on tuber yield of early and late-planted cassava in a forest alfisol of south-western Nigeria
Four new cassava varieties ( NR 8082, TMS 00033, TMS 91/ 453 and TMS 00447) were fertilized with NPK ( 20-10-10) at the rates of 0, 200, 400, and 800 kg/ha in an experiment with the crop planted early (April) in 1999 and then late (September) in 2000. Tuber yield was 28% higher in early-planted cassava than in the late cultivation. Yield was reduced by 44% in NR8082, 15% in TMS 00033 and...
October 2004
Studies on the antimicrobial effects of garlic (Allium sativum Linn), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia Linn)
The antimicrobial effect in vitro of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of garlic (Allium sativum Linn.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and lime (Citrus aurantifoliaLinn.) juice were assayed against Staphylococcus aureus; Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. All the test organisms were susceptible to undiluted lime-juice. The aqueous and ethanolic...
October 2004
In vitro activity of three selected South African medicinal plants against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase
Crude extracts of three ethnobotanically selected medicinal plants were screened for activity against two functions of human immunodeficiency type 1 reverse transcriptase. Inhibition of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity was evaluated by measuring the degree of incorporation of methyl-3H thymidine triphosphate using polyadenylic acid.oligodeoxythymidylic acid as a template primer. Ribonuclease H activity was...
October 2004
Lipid peroxidation and ascorbic acid levels in Nigeria children with acute falciparum malaria
This study was undertaken to establish data on the roles of lipid peroxidation and ascorbic acid in the pathology of malaria in Nigeria children. We measured the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation and ascorbic acid in the plasma of 406 parasitaemic and 212 non-parasitaemic Nigerian children. Lipid peroxidant levels were significantly higher in children with moderate and high parasitaemia...
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