ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN RIVERS AND PONDS FOR SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

¹Samaila Kunden Ishaya, ²Marcus Nengak Danjuma, ³Kwarfwang Kevin Jack

^1&2Nasarawa State University Keffi

      ³Plateau State University, Bokkos

Email: ikunden@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Nigeria is blessed with abundant surface water in rivers, streams, rivulets and ponds. However one of the greatest problems faced in the country is assessment of water quality from the numerous receiving surfaces for irrigation. This has resulted in the use of water likely to be injurious to the soils and plants, causing serious implications on the productive capacity of soils and the developmental processes of many crops. It is in this respect that this study undertook a review on assessment of water quality for irrigation and its application to Nigeria. The study used content analysis and reviewed relevant works on water quality for irrigation. The study examined major issues that affect the safety in the use of water for irrigation. These included issues associated to application of water high in salinity that may result in the built-up of salts in the soils, which cause difficulty in plants uptake of water a condition that causes plants to become stunted even when water is sufficient. High sodium ion in the irrigation water may raise exchangeable sodium percent in the soil and may impede the free flow of water and aeration in the soil thus interfering with normal developmental processes of many plants. Low or high pH in water affects the solubility of the soils and plants performance during irrigation. Other specific ion toxicity also have significant effect on water quality at levels that cause ailment to human health, for example the presence of trace elements in irrigation water can bio-amplify in due course within the food chain thus affecting the consumers of crops from such water. To use water wisely the study recommends that there is the need for intensive assessment of water quality for most surface sources and that research institutes be set in each state to monitor the quality of water to ensure standards recommended for a variety of uses are met.     

Keywords: Salinity, Sodicity, Toxicity, Assessment and Irrigation.

HAEMATOLOGY AND BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF BROILER FINISHER CHICKEN FED GRADED LEVELS OF ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA FRUIT PULP

B.J. Mufwa; A.A Maigari; I. Baya

Department of Animal Production

College of Agriculture, Jalingo, Taraba State

ABSTRACT

An experiment was conducted to investigate the replacement of maize with ziziphusmauritiana fruit meal in broiler finisher diets. One hundred and twenty Anak 2000 broilers were used for the study’ four diets were formulated using ZMFM at 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% in the diets respectively the birds were randomly allotted to dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment consults of thirty birds with ten birds per replicate. The experiment lasted for four weeks. Feed and water were given ad-libitum. The Haematological indices indicates high significant (P<0.05) difference at different levels of maize replacement with ZMFM in packed cell volume (PCV), Red blood cell (RBC) Haemaglobin (Hb) while blood cell (WBC), mean corpuscular Haemaglobin (MCH) Haemoglobin concentration (HB)Heterophils and Lymphocytes. The serum biochemical indices revealed high significant (P<0.05) difference in total protein, albumen, glucose, chloride, potassium and sodium. In view of above, up to 15% replacement of maize with ziziphusmauritiana fruit meal has no adverse effect on the blood component of broiler finisher chicken.Keywords: Broiler finisher, ziziphusmauritiana fruit meal maize and blood

ARSENIC REMEDIATION OF DRINKING WATER

Kamaru M. B¹. Umar S². Usman A. A³, Fatima L. B⁴

^1,2,3,4 Department of Science Laboratory

Technology Umaru Ali shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto

E-mail: bashirkamaru@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

In this study, the potential of limestone as an adsorbent of different particle sizes for the removal of arsenic from drinking water was investigated. Effects of various operating parameters such as particle size, contact time and adsorbent dosage ere studied using batch adsorption studies.  X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to certify the mineral composition of limestone. This method shows maximum removal of arsenic 98.4 % under the following operating conditions: contact time 10 min, adsorbent dosage 2 g, and particle size 2 µm and temperature 28 ^oC. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were employed to elucidate the adsorption behaviour of the system. The result of the adsorption process showed a poor correlation value with the pseudo-second-order model compared to the pseudo-first-order. This designates that the rate-determining steps in the adsorption of arsenic could be physical adsorption processes.

Keywords: Limestone, arsenic, adsorption, correlation, kinetics

EFFECT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON BIODIVERSITY: NIGERIA’S EXPERIENCE

¹Mathew, B. A., ²Aboritoli, S., ³Olorundare, J., ⁴Okpe, Y. Y. & ⁵Mustapha, S.I.

^1&2 Department of  Integrated Science, Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, Nigeria

 ^3&4 Department of Geography, Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, Nigeria

 ⁵ Ministry of Educ. and Human Capacity Development, Kwara State, Ilorin

Email : mathewaledare44@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Disturbed by the plethora of factors that aggregate together to destroy the beauty of the biodiversity and generally the ecosystem and make it unhealthy owning to heating up of the surface; the paper discussed to an extent the resultant effects of global warming on Nigeria and related problems  and mitigating steps has been presented and similarly recommendations has been adduced which among others includes the Government of Nigeria should acknowledge the importance of developing a national response to climate change, and taking steps to build a governance structure and technologies   for adaptation and mitigate the attendant effects of global warming.

Keywords: Global warming, Biodiversity, climate change, Nigeria

EFFECT OF PAWPAW PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST Sitophilus zeamais (Mots) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) ON MAIZE SEEDS

Adenekan, M. O¹, Olubode, T², Ikuejawa, I.I ³and Akinboboye, O.A¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Southwestern University, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. Nigeria,

²Department of Home and Rural Economics, Fed. Coll. of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

³Department of Agric. Extension and Management, Fed. Coll. of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan.

Email: mopadenekan@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The effect of Pawpaw plant partextracts (leaf, stem bark, root and flower) at different dosages (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5g) against Sitophilus zeamais infesting stored maize grains were assessed at the Biology Laboratory of the Southwestern University, Okun-Owa. Treatments were admixed with 30g of maize grains, infested with ten adults of S. zeamais and stored in 3.0 mm petri dishes. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated four times each. Data were collected on adult mortality, oviposition and percentage weight loss of the grain in each of the replicate. Data collected were analyzed using analysis of variance, while sample means were separated with the aid of least significant difference (LSD) at 5%. There were significant differences in adult mortality of S. zeamais treated with different dosages of the plant parts powder. The flower powder of the plant recorded the highest means adult mortality (10) compared to the lowest adult mortality of 0.1 obtained at the control experiment. The flower part powder also revealed the lowest mean eggs laid (oviposition) (7.1) and the lowest grain damage loss (1.4 %) when compared with the values of 18.7 and 40.0 obtained for mean eggs laid and percentage weight loss obtained when stem bark and control treatments respectively. This clearly showed that the powder of the flower of C. papaya showed good potential as bio-insecticide for protecting stored maize grains.

Keywords: Mortality, Sitophilus zeamais, toxicity, storage, oviposition, eclosion,

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROPATHOGENIC Escherichia coli (EPEC) AMONG CHILDREN WITH GASTROENTERITIS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Akinboboye, O.A¹., Adenekan, M.O¹., Olubode, T²., Ikuejawa, I. I³ & Onasanya, R.O⁴.

¹Department of Microbiology, Southwestern University, Okun-Owa, Ogun State.

²Department of Home and Rural Economics, Fed. Coll. of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan

³Department of Agric. Ext. and Management, Fed. Coll. of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan

⁴Department of Agriculture, Fed. College of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, P. M. B. 5029, Ibadan.

E-mail: omolikiarinola@gmail.com; mopadenekan@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of the most important pathogens causing severe and persistent watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and often lead to death in humans. Diarrhoeic faecal samples were collected from 210 children (aged < 5 years) in three different hospitals which are Federal Medical centre Idi-Aba Abeokuta, Otunba Tunwase Padectrics Centre, Ijebu Ode and Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching hospital Sagamu after questionnaires were administered. The stool samples were cultured for bacteria on Eosin methylene blue agar, MacConkey agar, and Salmonella-Shigella agar. Escherichia coli were identified using biochemical characterization. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were serotyped by slide agglutination test using specific Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli monovalent antisera (EPEC O111, O126, O86, O55, O128 and O26). Antibiotic sensitivity was carried out using disc diffusion method. Plasmids from multi-drug resistant Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were extracted by Alkali-lysis method and electrophoresed. Genomic DNA were extracted from Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and subjected to multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction for detection of effacing and attaching (eae), bundle-forming pili (bfp) and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli adherence factor (eaef) genes. The strains that exhibited multiple drug resistant were 21(18.8%) with plasmids detected in 12(57.1%) of the 21 multi-drug resistance Escherichia coli. Twenty-one of the Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains possessed effacing and attaching genes, 6 possessed bfp while 18 possessed eaef. Typical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains were more prevalent (tEPEC) with (71.4%) than atypical (aEPEC) (28.6%). The molecular characterization of the Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli among children in this study, revealed typical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (tEPEC) as the dominant strain in Ogun state.

Keyword: Multidrug, Enteropathogenic E. coli, Prevalence, Gastroenteritis, Typical Enteropathogenic E. coli,