University of Nigeria, Nsukka

About: University of Nigeria, Nsukka is a education organization based out in Nsukka, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 10211 authors who have published 13685 publications receiving 138922 citations.

Use of Indigenous Knowledge as a Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation among Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for Policy

Abstract: The study discusses use of indigenous knowledge as a strategy for climate change adaptation among farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The local farmers in this region through the indigenous knowledge systems have developed and implemented extensi ve adaptation strategies that have enabled them reduce vulnerability to climate variability and change over the years. However, this knowledge is rarely taken into consideration in the design and implementation of modern mitigation and adaptation strategie s. This paper highlights some indigenous adaptation strategies that have been practiced in sub Saharan Africa and the benefits of integrating such indigenous knowledge into formal climate change adaptation strategies. The study recommends the need to incor porate indigenous knowledge into climate change policies that can lead to the development of effective adaptation strategies that are cost -effective, participatory and sustainable.

Comparative analysis of factors in the adoption of traditional and recommended soil erosion control practices in Nigeria

Abstract: In developing countries, there is a general dearth of empirical information on the socio-economic and agronomic variables needed for planning environmental management programmes. Much of the existing evidence on the adoption of soil erosion control practices come from the advanced countries and concentrate on the recommended ones which are not usually easily adopted by farmers. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of 125 small farmers in highly erosion-prone Anambra State of Nigeria, this paper attempts the isolation of the major factors influencing farmers' adoption of traditional and recommended soil erosion control practices. Multiple regression results show that income, farm size and risk attitude were the most important factors in the adoption of recommended practices while employment, farm output prices and interest rate influenced the adoption of traditional practices most. Also a chi-square test rejects the hypothesis of significant difference between factors determining the adoption of both clusters of practices. It is recommended, among other things, that it is these implicated variables that should be focused on in erosion control practice adoption programmes.

A Comparative Study Of The Phytochemical And Anti-Microbial Properties Of The Eastern Nigerian Specie Of African Mistletoe (Loranthus micranthus) Sourced From Different Host Trees

Abstract: A comparative study of the phytochemical and anti-microbial properties of leaves of Loranthus micranthus harvested from six host trees, namely, Irvingia gabonensis, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Kola acuminata, Baphia nitida, Persea americana and Azadirachta indica , was carried out using standard methods. The result showed marked variations in phytochemical constituents and anti-microbial activities of the extracts from the different host trees, both kind and in degree. The extracts from K. acuminata, P. americana and to lesser extent, I. gabonensis showed marked broad-spectrum activities against bacteria and fungi. When compared with standard antibiotics (amoxycillin and ketoconazole) as controls, some of the extracts were found to be significantly more active than the control. The extract from P. americana exhibited significant anti-pseudomonal activity (P I. gabonensis, P. macrophylla and A. indica all showed significant activity (P Staph. aureus when compared to amoxycillin. Alkaloids were found to be most abundant in K acuminata; P. americana and I. gabonensis The preponderance of alkaloids in the extracts from K. acuminata, P. americana and I. gabonensis as compared to the extract from the other host plants could be suggestive of a relationship between alkaloidal content and the antimicrobial activity. Hence, during the preparation of Pharmaceutical /herbal formulation for the treatment of non- specific infections, mistletoe may be preferentially sourced from K. acuminata and P. americana . Keywords: Mistletoe, host-tree variation, antimicrobial activity, phytochemical contents, Loranthus micranthus, comparative study. Bio-Research Vol.2(1) 2004: 18-23

Genome-wide association study for agronomic and physiological traits in spring wheat evaluated in a range of heat prone environments.

Abstract: We identified 27 stable loci associated with agronomic traits in spring wheat using genome-wide association analysis, some of which confirmed previously reported studies GWAS peaks identified in regions where no QTL for grain yield per se has been mapped to date, provide new opportunities for gene discovery and creation of new cultivars with desirable alleles for improving yield and yield stability in wheat We undertook large-scale genetic analysis to determine marker-trait associations (MTAs) underlying agronomic and physiological performance in spring wheat using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) Field trials were conducted at seven sites in three countries (Sudan, Egypt, and Syria) over 2–3 years in each country Twenty-five agronomic and physiological traits were measured on 188 wheat genotypes After correcting for population structure and relatedness, a total of 245 MTAs distributed over 66 loci were associated with agronomic traits in individual and mean performance across environments respectively; some of which confirmed previously reported loci Of these, 27 loci were significantly associated with days to heading, thousand kernel weight, grain yield, spike length, and leaf rolling for mean performance across environments Despite strong QTL by environment interactions, eight of the loci on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 5A, 5D, 6B, 7A, and 7B had pleiotropic effects on days to heading and yield components (TKW, SM−2, and SNS) The winter-type alleles at the homoeologous VRN1 loci significantly increased days to heading and grain yield in optimal environments, but decreased grain yield in heat prone environments Top 20 high-yielding genotypes, ranked by additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI), had low kinship relationship and possessed 4–5 favorable alleles for GY MTAs except two genotypes, Shadi-4 and Qafzah-11/Bashiq-1–2 This indicated different yield stability mechanisms due to potentially favorable rare alleles that are uncharacterized Our results will enable wheat breeders to effectively introgress several desirable alleles into locally adapted germplasm in developing wheat varieties with high yield stability and enhanced heat tolerance