Pollution by benzoate and phenol is currently a major global ecological challenge. Hence, utilization of benzoate and phenol by Bacillus pumilus in saline and non-saline cultures were tested in this work.
Field and screen house experiments were conducted during the 1997 cropping season at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. The experiments designed as 2 x 5 factorial and laid out in split-plot were to compare responses of field- and pot-grown maize varieties to N fertilizer application. Two open-pollinated maize varieties (DMRSR-Y and TZBP-W) were evaluated at five N levels (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg N ha-1) in both the field and the controlled environment.
A study of the problems and prospects of fish farming was conducted in Kwara State. Questionnaires were used to collect data from Fish farmers, Traders and Civil Servants. The response showed that the major constraints to fish farming were lack of funds to procure land, water supply to farmers, unstable prices of feeds and fingerlings and poor management of the ponds. Fish farming has many prospects which include: enhancing the income of the farmer, nutritionally.
Both the initial, and long term symptom responses to single and mixed infections with potato x potexvirus (PVX) and the L (wild strain) and LIIA (attenuated strain) of tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV) were monitored in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), cultivar GCR 236 (+/+) which were raised under greenhouse conditions at different seasons of the year in Japan. Symptoms expression, both in rapidly as well as in severity varied with the seasons among the treatments.
The antibacterial activity of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Ricinus communis were studied by the agar diffusion method. The ethanolic extract produced the greatest antimicrobial activity and the aqueous extract the least. Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive to the extracts while Bacteroides fragilis was the most resistant. The minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged between 60% (w/v) and 100% (w/v). Thus the extracts of Ricinus communis could be useful as a source of antibiotics against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.
Investigations based on field records and experiences at the Guinea Fowl Production Research Unit of the Kainji Lake Research Institute have shown that some diseases management conditions which include: yolksac, fungal infections, collibacillosis, helminthiasis, management problems in particular inbreeding, moulting, heatstroke and nutritional deficiencies affect significantly the reproductive organs, egg laying and hatchability.
Drinking water sources are epidemiologically suspected as one of the major transmission agents for pathogenic and perhaps drug resistant Enterobacteria. Accordingly, in the period October, 1995 – September, 1996, water samples as were available from tap, borehole, well, dams and rivers in randomly selected 19 Local Government areas of Kano State were screened for these bacteria. 1201 isolates comprising Citrobacter sp. (16.91%); Enterobacter aerogenes (14.99%); Klebsiella sp. (10.24%); Proteus sp. (9.58%); Shigella sp. (9.49%); Escherichia coli (8.24%); Salmonellae (7.99%) and Vibrio sp.
Mosquito coils (bars), formulated from three plant leaves, namely; Acalypha torta, Carica papaya and Calotropis gigantica, and seeds of Peganum harmala, were tested as repellents or toxicants against laboratory reared Culex sp. adult mosquitoes when burnt as an incense. None of the plants showed toxic activity, as knockdown was less than 5% in all cases. Slight repellency was observed with Acalypha sp. (0.21) and P. harmala (0.19), as these showed significant difference (P < 0.05) from values recorded for the control, i.e. bars without plant material.
Attendance records from all primary and post-primary schools in Akoko areas of Ondo State were examined to relate the rate of missed school days, school drop out rate from 1995 to 1998. During the survey, 9,525; 9,752 and 10,062 pupils (boys and girls) were registered in both primary and post-primary schools in the villages, the prevalence of guinea worm disease among school children were 27.7%; 6.2% and 2.3% in 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Susceptibility responses of cat fish – Clarias gariepinus to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa visà-vis treatment with chloramphenicol were investigated in the present study. Thirty healthy and physically active fishes weighing between 200-350g sourced from Challawa Gorge Dam, Karaye, Kano State were used for the study. These were divided into three aquarium tanks A, B, C (ten in each case). Fishes in A were infected with 1.0ml (about 1.2 x 106 cfu/ml) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyrenterally through linea alba by ventral medial furrow.
