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Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Biotic stress is caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, nematodes as well weeds and it significantly reduces crop yield globally. For instance, the outbreak of a new strain of stripe rust in wheat worldwide, the emergence of white scale insect affecting mango in Ethiopia, the newly emerged Maize Lethal Necrosis viral disease in maize, and invasive fall armyworm insect are devastating maize crop and causing yield loss in Africa. To reduce the yield losses due to biotic stresses, the development of resistant variety and integrated insect pest approach is the way forward for managing disease and insects at respective agroecologies. Thus, this review paper discussed on conventional breeding methods and molecular-assisted selection for breeding resistance to foliar disease in major cereal crops. Wide array of germplasm such as landraces, recombinant inbred lines, pure lines, Double haploid lines, elite lines, multi-parent population, mutant lines, introgressed lines, hybrids, open population variety and wild relative can be used as source germplasm and should be screened under artificial inoculation and or at hotspot areas to develop disease resistance variety. Many maize inbred lines and hybrids showed resistance to turcicum leaf blight, grey leaf spot and common rust diseases and indicating that these genotypes have carrying genes/favorable alleles for multiple disease resistance and it is possible to develop variety resistance to fungi foliar disease in maize. Similarly, several advanced lines and some varieties showed resistance to strip and leaf rust in wheat. However, host plant resistance could be broken down due to new emerging race pathogens. Thus, conventional breeding and molecular screening should be integrated for resistant variety development. Indeed, Marker-assisted selection through backcrossing, gene pyramiding, combined Genome-Wide Association, and transcriptome approach is useful to identify candidate genes and resistant parents in crops. .......
Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Curcuma longa is a widely used plant in folk medicine. Here, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of the ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa with particular emphasis on its combined effect with sunlight, as the extract can produce fluorescence in the presence of UV rays. Curcumin is one of the most active ingredients of Curcuma longa. The ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa when added to lawn cultures of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and exposed to sunlight the growth of bacteria was remarkably reduced. Micro broth dilution assay also showed decreased MIC values after exposure to sunlight with MSSA. Our results encourage the potential use of Curcuma longa as an antibacterial product.
Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The SARS-CoV-19 pandemic affected the whole world, with a particularly high and severe incidence in patients with co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The SARS-CoV-2 variants, Delta and Omicron, posed an additional challenge in the management of these patients because of their virulence and high transmissibility. Objective: To assess the disturbance of certain biomarkers in COVID-19-positive T2DM patients in Pointe-Noire. Methods: We performed a descriptive cross-sectional study on a cohort of 206 type 2 diabetic patients affected by COVID-19. Blood samples were taken for analysis of biomarkers (CBC, ESR, CRP, GLY, and HbA1c, lipid profile, urea and creatinine). RNA was extracted from nasopharyngeal samples and PCR was performed to determine the presence of Delta and Omicron variants. Results: The mean age of our patients was 56.33 ± 12 years. The Delta variant was the most common 132 (64.08%), followed by the other variants 57 (27.67%) and Omicron 17 (8.25%). We observed significant disturbances (p<0.05) in biomarkers as a function of Delta and Omicron variants concerning: TC, TG, HDL, LDL, DDI, VS, CRP, GLY, and HbA1c. Conclusion: We identified the Delta variant as the most frequent in the diabetic population studied. Almost all biological markers studied were disrupted during COVID-19 infection in the type 2 diabetic population.
Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Tomatoes are grown using chemical or organic fertilizers, which influence their quality at harvest. The study aimed to evaluate the agro-morphological and germinative characteristics of three tomato genotypes under CAFCOOP products. The Nadira F1, Rio grande and Roma savanna genotypes tested for their reaction to the effect of the CAFCOOP Ltd product were obtained from the Mfoundi market (Yaoundé). Germination time, emergence of seedlings and first leaf outline, number of secondary roots and stem development were counted manually at the nursery. In the field, a caliper was used to measure plant stem, while a graduated ruler was used to measure root length and plant height. The number of secondary roots, branches and plants were counted manually. The results obtained showed significant genotypic variation in all agro-morphological traits. The number of roots varied from 14.15 ± 2.8 to 22.46 ± 3.53 for Roma, from 10.38 ± 1.89 to 24.71 ± 3.69 for Nadira F1 and from 14.62 ± 2.99 to 24.38 ± 3.47 for Rio grande, for chemical and organic treatments respectively. Plant stem diameter ranged from 5.15 ± 1.14 mm to 9 ± 0.46 mm for Nadira F1 and Rio Control, with no significant difference between treatments. The number of branches per plant, with no significant difference between treatments, ranged from 11.50±3.83 to 17.95±2.98 for Nadira F1 and Rio grande. Our study has enabled us to gain a better understanding of the positive effect of organic products on tomato production.
Original Research Article
Seroprevalence of Viral Markers and Syphilis among Blood Donors at Gabriel Touré Chu
Coulibaly I, Dembélé K. S, Fane B, Diarra M, Diarra M, Coulibaly M, Camara S, Diarra M. A, Konate S, Diarra I, Malle K, Diarra K. K, Ba A, Maiga A. I
EAS J Biotechnol Genet, 2024; 6(2): 18-24
DOI: 10.36349/easjbg.2024.v06i02.001
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ABSTRACT
Blood transfusion is a therapeutic act which consists of administering blood or one of its components (red blood cells, platelets and plasma), from one or more healthy subjects to a sick subject. Blood donation is a life-saving gesture that is highly encouraged but a source of pathologies which constitutes a real public health problem. Objective: To study the seroprevalence of viral markers among blood donors at the Gabriel Touré University Hospital in Mali. Method: Cross-sectional study from January 2020 to December 2021. This study was carried out at the CHU Gabriel Touré transfusion service in Mali on the results of blood donors. The donors were selected according to the criteria established by the National Blood Transfusion Center in Mali. Results: the prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and Syphilis were respectively 0.27%, 10.67%, 2.28% and 0.76% among all donors. The male gender dominated with a positive prevalence of 10.98% for HBV. The prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis B co-infection was the most represented with 0.27% collected. Conclusion: the prevalence of infectious agents among blood donors remains high in Bamako, Mali. This study suggests greater attention to raising awareness about testing for viral agents like HIV and hepatitis B.
Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Only recently microbial impurity of beach sand has become an essential issue, particularly during the COVID-19 and in the post-Covid period when a large number of beachgoers are infected not only by the virus but also with other microbes. Besides the bacterial and viral microbes, fungal contamination of beach sand has also been studied in detail in the recent past. Although few Candida spp. have been isolated from the beach sand, the growths of common pathogenic Candida spp. like Candida albicans has not been studied so far. In this study, we used two species of pathogenic Candida – Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis to observe their growth patterns in sea sand. Growths of both species were inhibited in sea sand. It eliminates the possibility of long survival of these species in sea sand and thus their existence mainly appears as surface contamination.
Original Research Article
ABSTRACT
Cotton is one of the most important cash crops in Ethiopia and plays a significant role in the agricultural and textile industrial development of the country’s economy. However, the progress in cotton production and productivity in rain-fed environments has been impeded by the absence of improved varieties and inadequate management practices. Presently, there are no recommended cotton varieties specifically tailored for rain-fed environments in northwestern Ethiopia, an area that is largely conducive to cotton cultivation. Interestingly, some investors have chosen to cultivate genotypes that have been recommended for irrigation purposes, particularly within the central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. In the current investigation, an assessment was conducted on various cotton varieties in order to determine their quantitative traits during the primary cultivation period of 2017 and 2018 at Pawe Agricultural Research Centre. The objective of the experiment was to assess seven cotton genotypes using a randomized complete block design, with the aim of identifying genotypes that are highly adaptable and possess high-yielding characteristics. The statistical analysis of variance demonstrated a significant distinction among the traits that were examined. Within this study, the most productive genotypes were identified as Werer-05 and Candia, with yields of 1722.19 kg/ha and 1617.41 kg/ha, respectively. The observed variations in the characteristics of the various cotton varieties indicate the presence of diversity, which holds significant implications for future cotton breeding.