Trachurus trachurus (locally called kote) is a table fish that has become increasingly important in the Nigerian diet because of its low price. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of processed kote on the a...Trachurus trachurus (locally called kote) is a table fish that has become increasingly important in the Nigerian diet because of its low price. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of processed kote on the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in selected tissues of weaned male albino rats using standard methods. Chemical analyses were carried out on processed fillet, skin, head & bone (SHB) diets under standard conditions. 40 male rats (40.76 ± 2.42 g) were fed with processed fillet or SHB diets for 14 days to assay for the activities of ALP in harvested samples of brain, liver, kidney, heart, stomach, small intestine and spleen;ALT and AST in the liver and heart. All data were subjected to analysis of variance by Duncan’s multiple range test and considered significant at a minimum of p < 0.05. Levels of ALP & AST in the liver, heart, kidney and brain were reduced (p < 0.05) in rats fed on test diets compared with the controls, but within accepted limit. The level of ALT in the kidney, stomach and small intestine were elevated (p < 0.05) compared to the controls, but within the accepted limit. In conclusion, coal smoked fillet and SHB greatly improved healthy growth of the rats, followed by the wood smoked and poached diets. Results suggested that processed kote SHB could be a veritable source of valuable nutrients for human food and animal feed.展开更多
Pelargonium sidoides DC is used in herbal medicine for the treatment of various infections. The roots are being indiscriminately harvested for local and export trade and the collection rate is becoming unsustainable. ...Pelargonium sidoides DC is used in herbal medicine for the treatment of various infections. The roots are being indiscriminately harvested for local and export trade and the collection rate is becoming unsustainable. Seed germination dynamics of this species was studied with the aim to reveal factors that influence its survival in the wild in order to adopt the appropriate germination conditions for use in ex-situ propagation and conservation program. Germination was affected by age of seeds, temperature and pre-chilling conditions. Temperature higher than 25 oC reduced germination by 60%. When seeds of P. sidoides were subjected to pre-chilling treatment for seven days, there was a significant drop in final germination by 29% compared to the other treatments. Although, final germination was not affected by different light treatments, continuous light significantly promoted germination velocity Seeds harvested from the plants grown in the green house performed better in germination than those collected from the field. The ecological implications of these observations on the propagation and conservation ofP. sidoides are discussed.展开更多
Vernonia amygdalina Del. is a tropical species susceptible to frost which is an annual phenomenon of the winter season of the Eastern Cape. Limited populations of the species arc in the province dieback during the win...Vernonia amygdalina Del. is a tropical species susceptible to frost which is an annual phenomenon of the winter season of the Eastern Cape. Limited populations of the species arc in the province dieback during the winter period, thereby making large scale cultivation through conventional vegetative propagation impossible. In our effort to increasing the population of the species within the province, a micropropagation approach through tissue culture teehnology was employed. Two growth regulators （BAP ＆ NAA） were tested at four levels of concentration under continuous light and dark conditions. Plantlets were subsequently transferred to the field after acclimatization at different temperature conditions. The result of the study showed that BAP generally performs better than NAA for callus induction under continuous darkness, while direct micropropagation of shoot under continuous light condition at I mg L^-1BAP showed the best result. To achieve greater success for the rapid multiplication of the species, this study further demonstrates that the optimum temperature range for acclimatizing the species prior to the transfer of the plantlet to the field is between 23 ±3 ℃.展开更多
文摘Trachurus trachurus (locally called kote) is a table fish that has become increasingly important in the Nigerian diet because of its low price. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of processed kote on the activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in selected tissues of weaned male albino rats using standard methods. Chemical analyses were carried out on processed fillet, skin, head & bone (SHB) diets under standard conditions. 40 male rats (40.76 ± 2.42 g) were fed with processed fillet or SHB diets for 14 days to assay for the activities of ALP in harvested samples of brain, liver, kidney, heart, stomach, small intestine and spleen;ALT and AST in the liver and heart. All data were subjected to analysis of variance by Duncan’s multiple range test and considered significant at a minimum of p < 0.05. Levels of ALP & AST in the liver, heart, kidney and brain were reduced (p < 0.05) in rats fed on test diets compared with the controls, but within accepted limit. The level of ALT in the kidney, stomach and small intestine were elevated (p < 0.05) compared to the controls, but within the accepted limit. In conclusion, coal smoked fillet and SHB greatly improved healthy growth of the rats, followed by the wood smoked and poached diets. Results suggested that processed kote SHB could be a veritable source of valuable nutrients for human food and animal feed.
文摘Pelargonium sidoides DC is used in herbal medicine for the treatment of various infections. The roots are being indiscriminately harvested for local and export trade and the collection rate is becoming unsustainable. Seed germination dynamics of this species was studied with the aim to reveal factors that influence its survival in the wild in order to adopt the appropriate germination conditions for use in ex-situ propagation and conservation program. Germination was affected by age of seeds, temperature and pre-chilling conditions. Temperature higher than 25 oC reduced germination by 60%. When seeds of P. sidoides were subjected to pre-chilling treatment for seven days, there was a significant drop in final germination by 29% compared to the other treatments. Although, final germination was not affected by different light treatments, continuous light significantly promoted germination velocity Seeds harvested from the plants grown in the green house performed better in germination than those collected from the field. The ecological implications of these observations on the propagation and conservation ofP. sidoides are discussed.
文摘Vernonia amygdalina Del. is a tropical species susceptible to frost which is an annual phenomenon of the winter season of the Eastern Cape. Limited populations of the species arc in the province dieback during the winter period, thereby making large scale cultivation through conventional vegetative propagation impossible. In our effort to increasing the population of the species within the province, a micropropagation approach through tissue culture teehnology was employed. Two growth regulators （BAP ＆ NAA） were tested at four levels of concentration under continuous light and dark conditions. Plantlets were subsequently transferred to the field after acclimatization at different temperature conditions. The result of the study showed that BAP generally performs better than NAA for callus induction under continuous darkness, while direct micropropagation of shoot under continuous light condition at I mg L^-1BAP showed the best result. To achieve greater success for the rapid multiplication of the species, this study further demonstrates that the optimum temperature range for acclimatizing the species prior to the transfer of the plantlet to the field is between 23 ±3 ℃.
