Symbionts in Mucuna pruriens stimulate plant performance through Nitrogen fixation and improved Phosphorus acquisition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anathi Magadlela ◽  
Nokhetho Makhaye ◽  
María Pérez-Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Plant Performance ◽  
Mucuna Pruriens ◽  
Nodule Development ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Carbon Costs ◽  
16S Rna ◽  
Paenibacillus Sp ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Aims South Africa is mainly dominated by savanna and grasslands ecosystems which have been previously reported to be acidic and nutrient deficient, specifically with regards to phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC, commonly known as velvet bean, is an indigenous legume in most African countries and has been reported to withstand these adverse soil conditions. The legume is used in many countries of the world for their medicinal value as well as for soil fertilization purposes. Although there are reports on M. pruriens growth and establishment in nutrient stressed ecosystems, no investigation has been conducted on M. pruriens symbiotic interactions, N source preference and associated growth carbon costs when subjected to P deficiency. In this study, we determined the impact of microbial symbionts on N nutrition and growth carbon costs of M. pruriens under P deficiency. Methods Microbe inoculation soils were collected from four geographical distinct KwaZulu-Natal locations. Thereafter, seeds were germinated in these natural soils and in early stages of nodule development, then seedlings were transferred in sterile quartz sand and supplied with Long Ashton nutrient media with varying P concentrations. Important Findings The 16S RNA sequence results revealed that M. pruriens was nodulated by Burkholderia sp., Paenibacillus sp., and Bacillus irrespective of P concentrations. Even though P deficiency resulted in decreased overall biomass/growth, the root biomass, nodule number and carbon costs increased. In addition, low P supplied saplings showed the highest AM fungi percentage root colonization. In M. pruriens, nitrogen derived from atmosphere had a positive correlation with P level and the saplings had a dual reliance on atmospheric derived N and soil derived N with increased reliance on soil N in low P supplied plants. Therefore, M. pruriens exhibited different morphological and microbial symbiosis when subjected to P deficiency.

scholarly journals Integrated Effects of Potassium Humate and Planting Density on Growth, Physiological Traits and Yield of Vicia faba L. Grown in Newly Reclaimed Soil

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Ayman H. A. Mahdi ◽  
Shimaa A. Badawy ◽  
Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef ◽  
Ahmed A. A. El Hosary ◽  
Usama A. Abd El Razek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Yield ◽  
Faba Bean ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Potassium Humate ◽  
Bean Plants ◽  
Reclaimed Soil ◽  
The Impact

Several agronomic factors, including planting density, affect plant growth and final yield. New soil suffers from severe fertility shortage and crop productivity. Potassium humate (KH) application improves soil fertility and plant performance under new soil conditions. Therefore, this investigation was performed in two seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to study the impact of KH application at the rate of 50 kg hectare−1 (ha−1) on growth, yield, physio-biochemical attributes, plant water status and nutrients in faba bean plants grown in newly reclaimed soil under three planting densities, i.e., D1 = 222.222 plants ha−1 (15 × 60 cm), D2 = 166.666 plants ha−1 (20 × 60 cm) and D3 = 133.333 plants ha−1 (25 × 60 cm). The results showed that KH application enhanced tissue water status by increasing the membrane stability index (MSI%) and relative water content (RWC%), while electric leakage (EL%) was reduced, alongside increased growth attributes physio-biochemical properties and nutrients. These results were positively reflected by the improved yield and its components (i.e., number of pods plant−1, 100-seed weight, seed yield plant−1 and seed yield ha−1) in favor of the medium planting density (166.666 plants ha−1). The results of the current study showed that the application of KH with the medium planting density (20 × 60 cm) was the best treatment combination to enhance the performance and productivity (2.97 ton ha−1) of faba bean plants grown under newly reclaimed soil conditions.

The methodological approach for the determination of the pressure of artificial raindrops as a question of the theory of splash soil erosion

2020 ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
Mihail Zver'kov
Keyword(s):  
Block Diagram ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Effective Pressure ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Splash Erosion ◽  
Rain Drops ◽  
Artificial Rain ◽  
The Impact

To the article the results of the theoretical and experimental researches are given on questions of estimates of the dynamic rate effect of raindrop impact on soil. The aim of this work was to analyze the current methods to determine the rate of artificial rain pressure on the soil for the assessment of splash erosion. There are the developed author’s method for calculation the pressure of artificial rain on the soil and the assessment of splash erosion. The study aims to the justification of evaluation methods and the obtaining of quantitative characteristics, prevention and elimination of accelerated (anthropogenic) erosion, the creation and the realization of the required erosion control measures. The paper considers the question of determining the pressure of artificial rain on the soil. At the moment of raindrops impact, there is the tension in the soil, which is called vertical effective pressure. It is noted that the impact of rain drops in the soil there are stresses called vertical effective pressure. The equation for calculation of vertical effective pressure is proposed in this study using the known spectrum of raindrops. Effective pressure was 1.4 Pa for the artificial rain by sprinkler machine «Fregat» and 5.9 Pa for long distance sprinkler DD-30. The article deals with a block diagram of the sequence for determining the effective pressure of rain drops on the soil. This diagram was created by the author’s method of calculation of the effective pressure of rain drops on the soil. The need for an integrated approach to the description of the artificial rain impact on the soil is noted. Various parameters characterizing drop erosion are considered. There are data about the mass of splashed soil in the irrigation of various irrigation machinery and installations. For example, the rate (mass) of splashed soil was 0.28…0.78 t/ha under irrigation sprinkler apparatus RACO 4260–55/701C in the conditions of the Ryazan region. The method allows examining the environmental impact of sprinkler techniques for analyzes of the pressure, caused by raindrops, on the soil. It can also be useful in determining the irrigation rate before the runoff for different types of sprinkler equipment and soil conditions.

Exploring the World Trade Organisation's Trade and Environment/Public Health Jurisprudence as a Model for Incorporating a Trade–Labour Linkage into the Organisation's Multilateral Trade Regime: Should African Countries Accept a Policy Shift?

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-65
Author(s):  
Tapiwa V. Warikandwa ◽  
Patrick C. Osode
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
World Trade ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Trade Regime ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
Appellate Body ◽  
The World ◽  
Labour Standards ◽  
The Impact

The incorporation of a trade-labour (standards) linkage into the multilateral trade regime of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been persistently opposed by developing countries, including those in Africa, on the grounds that it has the potential to weaken their competitive advantage. For that reason, low levels of compliance with core labour standards have been viewed as acceptable by African countries. However, with the impact of WTO agreements growing increasingly broader and deeper for the weaker and vulnerable economies of developing countries, the jurisprudence developed by the WTO Panels and Appellate Body regarding a trade-environment/public health linkage has the potential to address the concerns of developing countries regarding the potential negative effects of a trade-labour linkage. This article argues that the pertinent WTO Panel and Appellate Body decisions could advance the prospects of establishing a linkage of global trade participation to labour standards without any harm befalling developing countries.

Remittances, Economic Growth and Poverty: A Case of African OIC Member Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-143
Author(s):  
Nasim Shah Shirazi ◽  
Sajid Amin Javed ◽  
Dawood Ashraf
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Financial Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Simultaneous Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Simultaneous Equation Model ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
The Impact

This paper investigates the impact of remittance inflows on economic growth and poverty reduction for seven African countries using annual data from 1992-2010. By using the depth of hunger as a proxy for poverty in a Simultaneous Equation Model (SEM), we find that remittances have statistically significant growth enhancing and poverty reducing impact. Drawing on our estimates, we conclude that financial development level significantly increases the remittances inflows and strengthens poverty alleviating impact of remittances. Results of our study further show a signficant interactive imapct of remittances and finacial develpment on economic growth, suggesting the substitutability between remittance inflows and financial development. We further find that 3 percentage point increase in credit provision to the private sector (financial development) can help eliminate the severe depth of hunger in the region. Remittances, serving an alternative source of private credit, can be effective in this regard. Keywords: Remittance Inflow, Poverty Alleviation, Financial Development, Simultaneous Equation Model

Impacts of separate rejection water treatment on the overall plant performance

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Wett ◽  
J. Alex
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Operating Experience ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
High Tech ◽  
State Variables ◽  
Total N ◽  
Unit Process ◽  
Innovative Tool ◽  
The Impact

A separate rejection water treatment appears as a high-tech unit process which might be recommendable only for specific cases of an upgrading of an existing wastewater treatment plant. It is not the issue of this paper to consider a specific separate treatment process itself but to investigate the influence of such a process on the overall plant performance. A plant-wide model has been applied as an innovative tool to evaluate effects of the implemented sidestream strategy on the mainstream treatment. The model has been developed in the SIMBA environment and combines acknowledged mathematical descriptions of the activated sludge process (ASM1) and the anaerobic mesophilic digestion (Siegrist model). The model's calibration and validation was based on data from 5 years of operating experience of a full-scale rejection water treatment. The impact on the total N-elimination efficiency is demonstrated by detailed nitrogen mass flow schemes including the interactions between the wastewater and the sludge lane. Additionally limiting conditions due to dynamic N-return loads are displayed by the model's state variables.

scholarly journals Financial Inclusion, Income Inequality and Sustainable Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan African Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1780
Author(s):  
Chima M. Menyelim ◽  
Abiola A. Babajide ◽  
Alexander E. Omankhanlen ◽  
Benjamin I. Ehikioya
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Financial Access ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth ◽  
The Impact

This study evaluates the relevance of inclusive financial access in moderating the effect of income inequality on economic growth in 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the period 1995 to 2017. The findings using the Generalised Method of Moments (sys-GMM) technique show that inclusive financial access contributes to reducing inequality in the short run, contrary to the Kuznets curve. The result reveals a negative effect of financial access on the relationship between income inequality and economic growth. There is a positive net effect of inclusive financial access in moderating the impact of income inequality on economic growth. Given the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Targets in the sub-region, policymakers and other stakeholders of the economy must design policies and programmes that would enhance access to financial services as an essential mechanism to reduce income disparity and enhance sustainable economic growth.

scholarly journals Transitions in oral and gut microbiome of HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma following definitive chemoradiotherapy (ROMA LA-OPSCC study)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Oliva ◽  
Pierre H. H. Schneeberger ◽  
Victor Rey ◽  
Matthew Cho ◽  
Rachel Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Oral Microbiome ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
16S Rna ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Oral and gut microbiomes have emerged as potential biomarkers in cancer. We characterised the oral and gut microbiomes in a prospective observational cohort of HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients and evaluated the impact of chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Methods Saliva, oropharyngeal swabs over the tumour site and stool were collected at baseline and post-CRT. 16S RNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing were used to generate taxonomic profiles, including relative abundance (RA), bacterial density, α-diversity and β-diversity. Results A total of 132 samples from 22 patients were analysed. Baseline saliva and swabs had similar taxonomic composition (R2 = 0.006; p = 0.827). Oropharyngeal swabs and stool taxonomic composition varied significantly by stage, with increased oral RA of Fusobacterium nucleatum observed in stage III disease (p < 0.05). CRT significantly reduced the species richness and increased the RA of gut-associated taxa in oropharyngeal swabs (p < 0.05), while it had no effect in stool samples. These findings remained significant when adjusted by stage, smoking status and antibiotic use. Conclusions Baseline oral and gut microbiomes differ by stage in this HPV+ cohort. CRT caused a shift towards a gut-like microbiome composition in oropharyngeal swabs. Stage-specific features and the transitions in oral microbiome might have prognostic and therapeutic implications.

scholarly journals Multi-criteria decision-making model for supporting manufacturing settlements location in Africa after COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 184797902110233
Author(s):  
Stefania Bait ◽  
Serena Marino Lauria ◽  
Massimiliano M. Schiraldi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Multi Criteria Decision Making ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Location Selection ◽  
Decision Making Model

The COVID-19 emergency is affecting manufacturing industries all over the world. Notably, it has generated several issues in the products’ supply and the global value chain in African countries. Besides this, Africa’s manufacturing value-added rate grew only 1.5 since 2018, and the foreign direct investment (FDI) from multinational enterprises (MNEs) remains very low due to high-risk factors. Most of these factors are linked to a non-optimized location selection that can adversely affect plant performance. For these reasons, supporting decision-makers in selecting the suitable country location in Africa is crucial, both for contributing to countries’ growth and companies’ performance. This research aims at presenting a comprehensive multi-criteria decision-making model (MCDM) to be used by MNEs to evaluate the best countries to develop new manufacturing settlements, highlighting the criteria that COVID-19 has impacted. Thus, it has affected countries’ performance, impacting the plant location selection choices. A combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods have also been used for comparative analysis. The criteria used in the proposed approach have been validated with a panel of MNEs experts.

scholarly journals Estimating the burden of cardiovascular risk in community dwellers over 40 years old in South Africa, Kenya, Burkina Faso and Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e003499
Author(s):  
Ryan G Wagner ◽  
Nigel J Crowther ◽  
Lisa K Micklesfield ◽  
Palwende Romauld Boua ◽  
Engelbert A Nonterah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
South African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Genomic Studies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of these risk factors on future CVD outcomes and burden is poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of modifiable risk factors, estimated future CVD risk and compared results between three commonly used 10-year CVD risk factor algorithms and their variants in four African countries.MethodsIn the Africa-Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic studies (the AWI-Gen Study), 10 349 randomly sampled individuals aged 40–60 years from six sites participated in a survey, with blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid levels measured. Using these data, 10-year CVD risk estimates using Framingham, Globorisk and WHO-CVD and their office-based variants were generated. Differences in future CVD risk and results by algorithm are described using kappa and coefficients to examine agreement and correlations, respectively.ResultsThe 10-year CVD risk across all participants in all sites varied from 2.6% (95% CI: 1.6% to 4.1%) using the WHO-CVD lab algorithm to 6.5% (95% CI: 3.7% to 11.4%) using the Framingham office algorithm, with substantial differences in risk between sites. The highest risk was in South African settings (in urban Soweto: 8.9% (IQR: 5.3–15.3)). Agreement between algorithms was low to moderate (kappa from 0.03 to 0.55) and correlations ranged between 0.28 and 0.70. Depending on the algorithm used, those at high risk (defined as risk of 10-year CVD event >20%) who were under treatment for a modifiable risk factor ranged from 19.2% to 33.9%, with substantial variation by both sex and site.ConclusionThe African sites in this study are at different stages of an ongoing epidemiological transition as evidenced by both risk factor levels and estimated 10-year CVD risk. There is low correlation and disparate levels of population risk, predicted by different risk algorithms, within sites. Validating existing risk algorithms or designing context-specific 10-year CVD risk algorithms is essential for accurately defining population risk and targeting national policies and individual CVD treatment on the African continent.

scholarly journals Agricultural Cooperatives and COVID-19 in Southeast Africa. The Role of Managerial Capital for Rural Resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1046
Author(s):  
Nicola Francesconi ◽  
Fleur Wouterse ◽  
Dorothy Birungi Namuyiga
Keyword(s):  
Health Impact ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Elite Capture ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Reduced Mobility ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Food Value

While the health impact of COVID-19 in most African countries appears modest, the impact of social distancing measures, closing of markets and reduced mobility is felt across the board. Domestic, labor-intensive and traditional food value chains and the smallholders they serve appear to be particularly affected. During a systemic shock where idiosyncratic risk coping strategies fail, collective or organizational resilience becomes of the essence to protect the livelihoods of smallholders. In this study, we have used pre- and during-shock data on agricultural cooperatives from Southeast Africa to understand how resilient these smallholder-owned organizations are. We find that many organizations could not countervail market-disruptions and fell into a state of dormancy during the pandemic. One reason for this is that collective decision-making was heavily affected by the banning of gatherings. Only a few organizations devised innovative solutions to maintain the market linkages of rural smallholders. The lack of resilience demonstrated by most cooperatives appears to be associated with organizational immaturity, large membership size, elite capture and limited business-orientation, which underscore a general lack of managerial capital.

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