ABSTRACT
Yield is one of the most important component in breeding program and it depends on the relationship between plant traits. Twenty (20) hybrids of tropical maize were evaluated to investigate the relation between various traits and yield at the research and development farm of the faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University Keffi, Nigeria. Two environment were used for this experiment which include 2021 for non-stress and 2022 for stressed and the experiment was laid out in a complete randomized block design with three replications. The result showed significant difference among the studied traits exception for Days to anthesis, Days to maturity, Protein content and Days maturity for stress and non-stressed respectively. Correlation analysis suggest that there is a perfect relationship between Days to silking and Days to anthesis (0.98) for non-stress and a moderate relationship (0.55) under stressed environment while there is a moderate negative correlation between Days to silking and Protein content (0.52) for stress condition.

ABSTRACT
Major limiting factors of wide consumption of cowpea in day today diet include poor digestibility and the presence of anti-nutritional factors. Whole and dehulled seeds of eight improved cowpea lines grown in N’Djamena and Bebedjia (Chad) were analysed for four antinutritional factors contents (total phenols, tannins, flavonoids, phytates) and antioxidant activity, in order to assess the variability and the effect of decortication. In each locality, the experimental design was a triplicated randomly complete block design. Standard methods were used to evaluate these biochemical traits. The results showed a wide variability among genotypes for these traits in whole and dehulled seeds. In average, the decortication reduced polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids and phytate contents by 72.3%, 64%, 48.6% and 30.1% respectively. The dehulling also reduced the antioxidant activity by 42.25%. Dehulling appeared as a proper processing method to reduce anti-nutritional factors and improve the bioavailability of nutrients, especially when cowpeas are used as food for infants and children.

ABSTRACT
Test of deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectation base on location of the Tiv and Fulani local chicken ecotypes of Nigeria was undertaken using eighty (80) matured birds (40 birds each for Tiv and Fulani ecotypes). Blood samples were collected from five locations each of the ecotype to determine their blood protein. Blood protein loci namely: haemoglobin, albumen, transferrin and carbonic anhydrase were determine using electrophoresis. Data collected were analyzed using popgene version 1.31. The result revealed significant deviations (P<0.05) from Hardy-Weinberg expectations in the two ecotypes except in the Fulani ecotype were haemoglobin did not deviate significantly. Based on location, there were no significant (P>0.05) deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectations in the Fulani ecotype except in location 4 were Hb, Al and Ca as well as location 5 where Al and Ca were significant. Allelic frequencies of albumin showed significant (P<0.05) deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectations at locations 1 and 5 while allelic frequencies of transferrin deviated significantly (P<0.05) from the Hardy-Weinberg frequency at location 5. In the Tiv ecotype, albumin showed the highest significant (P<0.05) deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg expectations in all locations. The allelic frequencies of transferrin did not differ significantly (P>0.05) from the Hardy-Weinberg expectations. From the finding of this research, it was concluded that the deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectations at the four blood proteins loci of the two ecotypes indicated that the Tiv and the Fulani chicken populations are variable in their genome and that there are chances of genetic improvement when crossed between themselves across location or with exotic breeds. Generally, these findings provide the fundamental step in the direction of judicious decision-making before the development of genetic enhancement and preservation programmes without interfering with the uniqueness of the Tiv............

ABSTRACT
Vitamin E (VE) is an antioxydant defense system and a signaling molecule which has been the subject of various clinical trials in cancer chemoprevention or in adjuvant therapy after chemotherapy. In some circunstances it is indexed to act as a pro-oxidant inducing adverse effects such as progesssion of cancer metastasis or diabetes. The objective of this work is firstly to investigated the effect of VE (α-T) supplementation on mices, in way to evaluate the risk in developping diabetes and secondly to make review on vitamin E modulated genes. The study was performed on 32 adult albino mices in which alpha-tocopherol was administred at different doses. After, blood biochemical paramaters status has been analysed. Renal damages were researched by histopathological analysis. We have made review on VE modulated genes through indexed articles in genetic databases, PubMed Central and Google scholar. An inadequate status of blood biochemical paramaters especially, glucose level, hyperlipidemia and a hypercreatininemia has been observed. Renal damages with modifications in structures were noted. A list of genes modulated by VE, which could explain mechanisms by which α-T- induced diabetes could appear was highlighted. The study shows that high doses of α-T supplement resulted in disorder of biochemical parameters, with dysfunction of renal tissue and development of diabetes.

ABSTRACT
: Background: A study to obtain reference data that would be useful in comparative and analytical studies on ABH secretor status in Kano, North Western Nigeria. Method: A total of 256 subjects made up of 129 consecutive blood donors and 127 women attending Antenatal Clinic in AKTH were recruited for the study. Their secretor status was determined using saliva samples. Results: One hundred and eighty (70.31%) of the subjects studied secretors while Non- secretors were 76 (29.69%). Conclusion: There is high rate of non-secretors in Kano metropolis compared to various studies carried out in different parts of the Nigeria though similar to other climes like Dhaka in Bangladesh and Karachi in Pakistan which may be associated with the high incidence of duodenal Ulcer disease in the locality of this study.

ABSTRACT
Sex determination is a process that leads to the physical separation of male and female gamete-producing structures to different individuals of a species. Sexual reproduction is an ancient feature of eukaryote life, yet the sexes as we currently recognize them are relative late comers in the evolution of sex. Sex determination systems in plants have evolved many times from hermaphroditic ancestors (including monoecious plants with separate male and female flowers on the same individual),and sex chromosome systems have arisen several times in flowering plant evolution. Sex chromosome evolution is intimately connected with Y chromosome degeneration. Most current understanding of how the distinctive properties of Y chromosomes evolved comes from theoretical work on the evolution of genomic regions with low recombination. The identification of sex chromosomes in plants is problematic because most of them do not differ morphologically from autosomes or from one another. For example in some species, such as Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa, X and Y chromosomes are too small to support observations of their distinguishing characteristics.) In the majority of plants, male and female organs are formed and developed simultaneously, but only up to a point when the growth of either set of sex organs is inhibited. Inhibition of sexual development can vary in character so that in most cases, sexual development is inhibited by the absence of cell division. In many species of bryophytes, heterothallism (unisexuality) has been correlated with the presence of sex chromosomes. Although the extent of heterothallism and sex chromosomes in the bryophytes has not been assessed systematically, this is the only known group of homosporous plants that uses sex chromosomes in sex determination. To date, studies of bryophyte sex determination have focused on the heterothallic liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Many dioecious species, including those with well-developed sex chromosomes, ........

ABSTRACT
For an organized cross breeding program, information on heterotic grouping, perse performance, and commercial heterosis of newly introduced maize lines is required. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the heterotic group, commercial heterosis, perse and crosses mean performance of newly introduced from IITA-Nigeria and CIMMYT- Zimbabwe quality protein maize inbred lines. 36F1 progenies generated from the four testers and nine lines, and including four standard checks a total of 40 entries, and thirteen inbred lines were planted by using Alpha lattice design with three replications at Bako National Maize Research Center and Jimma Agricultural Research center in 2019/20 main cropping season. The combined analysis over the two locations showed there were significant differences at (P<0.01) or (P<0.05) between the genotypes in grain yield, and yield contributors of the studied traits. In this study, lines that showed positive SCA when crossed with tester A were assigned to the opposing heterotic group (group B), and vice versa, based on the significance of the SCA effects. This also suggests that these inbred lines could be placed in the same heterotic group as AB. From the study, L5 had the highest yield (3.6 t/ha) of the inbred lines, followed by L2 (3.13t/ha) and L7 (2.53t/ha) respectively were identified. Regarding to the crosses, Eight promising crosses, L2xT4, L3xT4, L4xT4, L5xT2, L6xT3, L7xT2, L9xT1, and L9xT4, with higher yield than the checks, were identified. For grain yield, about twelve crosses nine crosses showed positive and significant advantages over the standard check BH545 with range of (33.3% to-24.2%) were also observed. Multilocation evaluation, tryptophan and lysine content of these genotypes must be re-evaluated to confirm the findings of this study and to use in recurrent breeding program or for directly release of the promised crosses. In general, molecular based heterotic grouping is more effective in clarifying ............