Life Science (Biology)

Evaluations of morpho-physiological variances in soybean varieties under low water conditions

2025-10-09T01:00:37Z

Evaluations of morpho-physiological variances in soybean varieties under low water conditions Mangena, Phetole; Mabulwana, Paseka Tritieth This study used pot experiments with a completely randomized design (CRD) in triplicates to evaluate physiological and morphological attributes used for the characterization of drought stress tolerance in six soybean varieties (Knap, Mopani, LS677, LS678, Pan1564, and Sonop). Growth and physiological parameters analyzed in this study, included plant height, number of flowers, number of pods, seed number per pod, leaf surface area (LSA), grain yield, and total phenolics, flavonoids, ureides as well as antioxidant activity. Low water conditions caused varied negative effects depending on the level of stress on both morphological and physiological responses of the plants. Enhanced secondary products (ureides, total phenolic, and flavonoid content) were observed in plants subjected to severe water stress, in addition to reduced photosynthetic components and percentage grain yields. However, soybean variety Sonop, LS677, and LS678 consecutively, induced high secondary metabolite accumulations and antioxidant activity possibly preventing the occurrence of excessive oxidative stress damage caused by water shortage. The performance of LS varieties, Knap and Sonop were more prominent than Mopani and Pan1564. Results showed potential tolerance to stress in Sonop, LS678 and LS677, attributed to the strong free radical scavenging activity and maintenance of photosynthetic pigments used to achieve sufficient growth balance in plants. Journal article published in Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, February - 2022; Volume – 10(1) page 12 – 20

Green synthesis of Zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanostructures using S. frutescences plant extract for photocatalytic degradation of dyes and antibiotics

2024-10-25T01:00:15Z

Green synthesis of Zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanostructures using S. frutescences plant extract for photocatalytic degradation of dyes and antibiotics Munyai, Shonisani; Mahlaule-Glory, Louisa M; Hintsho-Mbita, Nomso Charmaine Pollutants such as dyes and pharmaceuticals have become a problem in the environment, thus there is a need to find multifunctional materials that are safe and can be used for the removal of various pollutants. In this study, we report on the synthesis of Zinc sulphide (ZnS) nanostructures and their use as photocatalysts for the degradation of dyes and various antibiotics. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the functional groups found in plants and these were linked to the biomolecules identified through Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). Ultravioletvisible spectroscopy (UV–vis) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of the ZnS nanostructures. Thermal Gravimetric Analysis(TGA) and Brunner Emmet Teller(BET) confirmed the material was thermally stable up until 480 °C and mesoporous in nature, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM)showed that the material is spherical in shape and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)further corroborated their formation. From the degradation analysis, 90% of the malachite green (MG) dye could be degraded in 60 min at optimum conditions(pH 6, 25 mg and 10 mg l−1 ) and the holes were responsible for the degradation. Lastly, when tested against antibiotics, the ZnS material managed to degrade both the sulfisoxazole (SSX) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX). These results showed that the ZnS nanoparticles could be used as a multifunctional material for the degradation of various pollutants. Journal article published in Journal of Mater. Research Express 9 (2022) 015001

Integrated morphological and molecular characterization of the fish parasitic nematode Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) gendrei Campana-Rouget, 1961 infecting Labeobarbus altianalis (Boulenger, 1900) in Kenya

2023-07-15T01:00:17Z

Integrated morphological and molecular characterization of the fish parasitic nematode Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) gendrei Campana-Rouget, 1961 infecting Labeobarbus altianalis (Boulenger, 1900) in Kenya Rindoria, Nehemiah M.; Morara, George N.; Smit, Willem J.; Truter, Marliese; Smit, Nico J.; Luus-Powell, Wilmien J. During a parasitological survey carried out between May and August 2022 in the River Nyando, Lake Victoria Basin, a single species of Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) was recorded from the intestine of the Rippon barbel, Labeobarbus altianalis (Boulenger, 1900) (Cyprinidae). Based on light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and DNA analyses the parasite was identified as Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) gendrei Campana-Rouget, 1961. Light microscopy, SEM and DNA studies on this rhabdochonid resulted in a detailed redescription of the adult male and female. The following additional taxonomic features are described in the male: 14 anterior prostomal teeth; 12 pairs of preanal papillae: 11 subventral and one lateral; six pairs of postanal papillae: five subventral and one lateral, with the latter pair at the level of first subventral pairs when counted from the cloacal aperture. For the female: 14 anterior prostomal teeth and the size and absence of superficial structures on fully mature (larvated) eggs dissected out of the nematode body. Specimens of R. gendrei were genetically distinct in the 28S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) mitochondrial gene regions from known species of Rhabdochona. This is the first study that provides genetic data for a species of Rhabdochona from Africa, the first SEM of R. gendrei, and the first report of this parasite from Kenya. The molecular and SEM data reported herein provide a useful point of reference for future studies on Rhadochona in Africa. Journal article published in the International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 21 (2023) 201-209

Use of data mining algorithms chaid and cart in predicting egg weight from egg quality traits of indigenous free-range chickens in Zambia

2022-12-01T01:00:12Z

Use of data mining algorithms chaid and cart in predicting egg weight from egg quality traits of indigenous free-range chickens in Zambia Liswaniso, S.; Qin, N.; Tyasi, T.; Chimbaka, I. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of data mining algorithms Chi-square Automatic Interac tion Detector (CHAID) and Classification And Regression Tree (CART) in predicting egg weight from different egg quality traits such as egg length (EL), egg width (EW), shell weight (SW), shell thickness (ST), albumen weight (AW), yolk height (YH), yolk width (YD) and yolk weight (YW). To attain this, 364 indigenous free-range chicken eggs were employed. The goodness of fit test was done to compare the predictive performance of these algorithms. Pearson correlation coefficient between the egg weight and the predicted egg weights was found to be 0.907 (P < 0.01) for the CHAID algorithm. Coefficient of determination (R2 ), Adjusted R2 (Adj-R2 ), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Relative approximation error (RAE), standard deviation ratio (SD ratio) for the CHAID algorithm were esti mated to be 0.823, 0.823, 2.23, 0.04, and 0.23 correspondingly. Pearson correlation coefficient between the egg weight and the predicted egg weights was found to be 0.771 (P < 0.01) for the CART algorithm. The R2 , Adj-R2 , RMSE, RAE, SD ratio for the CART algorithm were estimated to be 0.593, 0.593, 2.32, 0.07, and 0.24 correspondingly. Given its stronger prediction accuracy (R2 ), lower values of RMSE, and RAE, the CHAID algorithm can be recommended for analysis of egg quality traits of free-range indigenous chickens. Journal article published in the journal of Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences February 2021 | Volume 9 | Issue 2