Infectious diseases remain to be a global health burden due to the development of antibiotic resistance by pathogenic microorganisms. Antibiotic resistance has led to increased number of deaths among children and adults. Medicinal plants have been used over the years in the treatment and remedy of various infections affecting human beings. The use of secondary metabolites from medicinal plants and fungal endophytes can be an alternative to disease management without the negative impact o...
Cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. for production of biodiesel as an alternative source of energy is crucial for sustainable development in Nigeria. Pests and pathogens especially fungi have been reported to be a major constraint to commercial cultivation of J. curcas in Asia and some West African countries. However, this is yet to be fully investigated and documented in Nigeria. Fungal pathogens infecting J. curcas in southwestern Nigeria were therefore investigated. Two hundred plant s...
ABSTRACT Alpha amylase enzyme (EC 3.2..1. 1) (a-1, 4 glucan-glucanohydrolase) is widely distributed in nature such as plants, animals and microorganisms. Production of extracellu Jar alpha-amylase from fungi was isolated from rhizosphere of Moringa oleifera. Three (3) fungi isolates were selected after serial dilution of the soil samples, four optimization parameters was employed to determine the enzyme activity and they include effect of inoculum size, pH, nitrogen source and surfactant·on...
Pest and diseases have a serious effect on food production. Global crop yields are reduced by 20 to 40% annually due to impact of pests and diseases.Indiscriminate use of insecticides to combat insect challenges, have increased the selection pressure leading to resistance in insects. In such a situation, alternate options of insect control are advocated. The use of microbial insecticidal compounds offer adequate levels of insect control and pose fewer hazards.Microbial insecticidal compou...
ABSTRACT Biological control of Ceratocystis paradoxa using Trichoderma spp. were conducted on oil palm spouted seeds. Eighteen spp. of fungi belonging to ten genera were identified as fungi associated with diseased sprouted seeds. Out of these genera, Aspergillus spp. occurred most frequently and in relative abundance at 25.9%, Trichoderma spp. (23.4%), Ceratocystis paradoxa (11.1%), Fusarium spp (9.9%), Penicillium spp. (8.7%), Rhizopus sp. (7.4%) and Curvularia sp. (4.9%) respectively. Pest...
Abstract: Potato Cyst Nematodes (PCN) (Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida Woll.) are quarantine pests of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) worldwide capable of causing significant yield loss and difficult to manage with conventional methods. The study explored the diversity of antagonistic fungi associated with PCN obtained from soil samples collected in Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties in Kenya and their effect on PCN egg viability and hatching was also evaluated. Twelve fungal isolates from f...
Abstract: This study assessed the nontarget effect of entomopathogenic fungi on the Western honey bee Apis mellifera L. and the African stingless bee Meliponula ferruginea Cockrell (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Pathogenicity of five Metarhizium anisopliae (ICIPE 7, ICIPE 20, ICIPE 62, ICIPE 69, and ICIPE 78) (Metschnikoff) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and one of Beauveria bassiana (ICIPE 284) (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordicipitaceae) isolates were evaluated on bees at 108 conidia...
ABSTRACT Fresh healthy carrot promote good health but harbour a wide range of contaminants. To assess the microbial quality of carrots sold in Ibadan, a total of fifteen samples were purchased from five vendors. Samples were analyzed to study the density of microorganisms by standard plate count. ...
Abstract: Endophytic fungal isolates Hypocrea lixii F3ST1 and Beauveria bassiana G1LU3 were evalu-ated for their potential to endophytically colonize and induce active compounds in Phaseolus vulgaris,as a defense mechanism against pea leafminer (Liriomyza huidobrensis) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). Endophytic colonization was achieved through seed inoculation with the volatile emis- sions from P. vulgaris plants being analyzed using GC-MS. The crude extracts of P. vulgaris obtai...
ABSTRACT The use of chemical herbicide in the management of aquatic weeds does not only constitute environmental and health problem but its cost and its non-specific nature calls for the use of biological control agents. An investigation was conducted into the probable use of indigenous fungi as potential mycoherbicides for water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) control. Trips were made to Badagry Creeks, Mile 2 and Lagos Lagoon in Lagos State and Ogun river in Isheri, Ogun state to collect sa...
In this work, the antimicrobial properties of fresh Buchholzia Coriacea (wonderful kola) and its extracts was investigated. The proximate composition of the fresh kola was also determined. B. coriacea was dried, milled and extracted using two different solvents of varying polarity: hexane and methanol. The effect of the fresh kola, hexane and methanol extracts was tested on some food borne pathogens. This was evaluated by measuring the zone of inhibition on nutrient agar for bacteria and malt...
Studies on incidence and effect of temperature and relative humidity on post-harvest rot of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) were conducted in Bolari, Pantami and Tudun Wada district headquarters in Gombe LGA of Gombe state, Nigeria. The aim was to determine the incidence and severity of post-harvest rot of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta), to isolate and identify the fungi responsible for the rot, to determine the virulence of the pathogen and the effect of temperature and relative humidity on...
Abstract: The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of cucurbits, tree fruits and related crops in most continents of the world, including Africa. To manage the pest, most farmers in sub-Saharan Africa rely on synthetic chemicals which have detrimental effects to the environment and the habitat. Excessive use of chemicals may also lead to development of pest resistance and Z. cucurbitae has reportedly shown the most increased resistance to the used insecticides. Fo...
Abstract: Studies were carried out to establish the role and significance of rice stem borers as pests of rice crop in irrigated low land rice ecosystems in Tanzania; and to evaluate the effectiveness of some management options against the pest. A survey by means of structured questionnaire was init ially used to assess the farmer’s perception on rice stem borers and their management practices in three wards of Kilombero district in Morogoro Region, namely, Mkula, Sanje and Signali. This w...
Abstract Biological deterioration of wood is one of the major challenges on wood utilization especially in tropical countries like Nigeria. This is because of the favourable weather condition for the bin-deteriorating agents to thrive. This study is therefore carried out to investigate the biodegrading agents of logs in sawmills and planks in plank markets in Ibadan, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected using checklist, and laboratory examination of collected samples from decayed logs ...