VARIATION AMONG AGRONOMIC TRAITS AND MINERAL CONTENTS IN 15 ACCESSIONS OF GARDEN EGG PLANT (Solanum aethiopicum) IN SOUTHWEST OF NIGERIA

Throughout Africa, S. aethiopicum is very popular and plays a vital role in many human diets. Despite the fact that there are previous reports on yield characteristics and nutrition of the crop, there is a need to assess the crop for variations in mineral properties. This study aimed at determining the amount of genetic variability and level of heritability of agronomic and mineral contents of S. aethiopicum accessions. Fifteen accessions of S.aethiopicum were evaluated in an RBCD experimental design to generate data for use. Data were collected for agronomic, morphological and mineral contents. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA and the significant means were also separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% probability level. Variance component method was used to estimate phenotypic and genotypic variations as well as heritability. Significant differences were observed among accessions for the various morphological and mineral nutritional traits evaluated. High heritability estimates, Phenotypic and Genotypic variances were observed for mineral content and fruit yield. Genotypic and phenotypic variances ranged between 0.31 and 11078.85 for the agronomic traits. The hierarchical cluster analyses revealed five distinct clusters at similarity index of 85%. The first cluster included 6 accessions; the second included accessions NHS 101A, and OG 03; the third were NHS 104 and OG 01; the fourth included NHS 105; and the fifth included NHS 106, NHS 108, OS 02 and OS 03. Accessions OS 01 and OS 03 appear unique based on the traits for which the accessions were assessed.This study revealed that substantial variation exists within the accessions of S.aethiopicum evaluated, hence, it will help in breeding process of good quality genotypes for higher yields and mineral content.

Paradīzes ābols un tā līdzinieki Eiropas valodās: ģeolingvistisks pārskats

The article deals with the semantic motivation of names denoting tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum). It is based on the material recorded in subdialects of European languages as answers to the questionnaire of the Atlas Linguarum Europae and presented in a geolinguistic map. In general, 6motivational groups of names have been established: 1) names based on Nahuatl tomatl, cf. Fr. tomate, Gm. Tomate, Port., It. tomata, Engl., Welsh, Irish, Scots, Manx tomato, Latv. t(u)omāts / t(u)omats / tumāts, Lith. tumãtas, etc.; 2) names based on Nahuatl tomatl with voiced anlaut, cf. Gr., Turk. domata, Alb. domate, Mac. domat, Serb. domatija; 3a) ‘apple of paradise’, cf. Gm. Paradeisapfel, Cr. paradajske, Hung. paradiscom, Cz. paradajka / rajče; 3b) ‘love-apple’, cf. Engl. love-apple / apple of love, Gm. Liebesapfel, Fr. pomme d'amour, It. pomodamore; 3c) ‘small apple’, cf. Cors. pumata, Sard. bomata; 3d) ‘golden apple’, cf. It. pomodoro, Russ., Bruss., Ukr., Pol., Cr. pomidor, Lith. pomidoras / pamidoras / pamidoris, Latv. pamidòrs, etc.; 3e) ‘Frankish apple’, cf. Gr. frango¬milo, Bulg. frenki; 3f) ‘swine-apple’, cf. Kalm. haxan aľmn; 4a) ‘egg-plant’, cf. Bulg. patladžan, Russ., Ukr. baklažan; 4b) ‘Frankish egg-plant’, cf. Gr. frangomɛlindzána; 4c) ‘red(dish) egg-plant’, cf. Bosn. crveni patlidžan; 5a) ‘red tomato’, cf. Bulg. črveno domate; 5b) ‘red cucumber’, cf. Kum. k՚՚yzylbadirdzag; 6) ‘sth. red / pink’, cf. Rum. roşie / roşă. Having examined the attested forms regarding their origin and semantics, the author concludes that the names denoting a tomato plant or its fruit are rich in variants in the Baltic languages. But in some European languages, the tomato has been named after another fruit or vegetable (preferably apple, eggplant, and cucumber). Some phraseological units using the name of tomato are met in colloquial German. Only a few toponyms with the names of tomato have been attested in Latvian toponymy; there are no anthroponyms derived from them.

Идентификация Fusarium spp. и Alternaria spp. в семенах некоторых овощных культур

In this paper the results of molecular diagnostics of Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp. in bell pep-per and eggplant seeds of local genotypes at different time points of storage are presented. The diagnos-tics was effectuated using nested-PCR protocol with genus-specific and species-specific primers to F. ox-ysporum, F. solani, F. nivale, F. equiseti, F. culmorum, F. verticillioides, F. avenaceum, A. alternata, and A. solani. In the samples of studied bell pepper and eggplant genotypes A. alternata was found. In egg-plant seeds certain species of Fusarium spp. were identified.

Comparative characteristics of the biochemical composition of VIR eggplant collection in a greenhouse

Relevance. The presence of valuable biologically active substances, carbohydrates, organic acids and others in the eggplant fruits makes the culture one of the vegetables with the highest antioxidant activity. The VIR collection of eggplant includes 830 accessions from 70 countries of the world. The study of new acquisitions in the VIR collection presupposes a comprehensive assessment of the received material according to morphological, biological and economically valuable characteristics. The main objective of the study was to assess the variability of the biochemical parameters of egg-plant fruits in technical ripeness; as well as determination of the best accessions by the chemical composition of fruits and the content of biologically active substances.Materials and methods. The study of 19 accessions of eggplant accessions was carried out in 2020 in a winter greenhouse in Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR (St. Petersburg). The morphological description of the accessions and the assessment for biological and economically valuable traits were carried out in accordance with the methodological guidelines and the VIR classifier. Biochemical analysis was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of VIR in the phase of technical ripeness of fruits in terms of: dry matter content, sugars, total acidity, ascorbic acid, pigments and anthocyanins.Results. As a result of this study, the amplitude of variability in the content of dry matter (6.44- 8.68%), sugars (1.78-3.72%), ascorbic acid (5.92-21.08 mg/100 g), titrated acidity (0.10-0.31%), chlorophylls (0.52-15.13 mg/100 g), carotenoids (1.19-6.99 mg/100 g), β-carotene (0.11-0.52 mg/100 g) and anthocyanins (12.94-1031.40 mg/100 g) in eggplant fruits. Accessions with a high content of biologically active substances in fruits in technical ripeness were identified: Russian hybrids Bourgeois F1, Azhur F1; local accessions from Armenia: k-3156, k-3159, k-3161.

Heavy Metal Concentration and Health Risk Assessment of Selected Fruits Sold in Jos Metropolis

The present study investigated the level of heavy metals in selected fruits sold commonly in Jos, Nigeria. The fresh fruits (Avocado pear, Black currant, Egg Plant, Golden melon, and Soursop) were purchased from five major markets (Terminus, Farin Gada, Building materials, Bukuru, and Fobur) in Jos. Each fruit sample was collected in triplicate and analyzed using standard procedures. The concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu, As, Cd, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cr) was determined using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistics and then compared with the WHO/FAO acceptable limits. The results revealed low concentrations of Fe (0.125–0.241 mg/kg), Cu (0.015–0.020 mg/kg), Zn (0.925–1.135 mg/kg), Mn (0.025–0.045 mg/kg), Cr (0.018–0.029 mg/kg), and Pb (0.031–0.055 mg/kg) in all five fruits studied. Only cadmium exceeded the acceptable limit of 0.020 mg/kg stipulated by WHO/FAO, with the highest cadmium concentration of 0.085 mg/kg detected in Soursop. Accumulation of cadmium in the kidneys leads to kidney damage and osteoporosis. The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) values of all metals were lower than the recommended tolerable daily intake values, except for arsenic, for which the hazard quotient greater than 1 was also detected in all the fruits studied. This could be a result of pollution in the environment of the regions where the fruits were cultivated. Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic causes cancer. Environmental pollution raises health challenges to the consumers and therefore, drastic measures should be implemented to control it.

Penile Fracture - Our Initial Experience and Outcome

BACKGROUND Penile fractures occur when the engorged penile corpora are forced to buckle and “pop” under the pressure of a blunt sexual trauma, due to slippage of the penis out of the vagina during intercourse. Patients typically describe that a “plop” sound was followed by immediate de-tumescence, severe pain, and swelling, called as “egg-plant” deformity, as a result of the injury. The immediate surgical exploration with evacuation of the haematoma and repair of tunica albuginea defect is the ideal treatment. METHODS Over a period of more than 3 years between May 2015 and January 2019 we have treated 26 patients with penile fractures. All of them presented within 24 hours after sustaining the injury. None had associated urethral injury. Apart from clinical examination and history the investigation most commonly used by us to aid diagnosis was Ultrasound (USG) and colour doppler which helped in identifying the site and size of the defect as well as the blood collections. All were treated by surgical exploration. RESULTS Patients were discharged either on 2nd or 3rd post-operative day. None of our patients developed any postoperative wound infection. Post-operative hematoma developed in 01 patient. 01 patient had complaints of slight bend of the penis to the affected side but with no sexual problem. There was no history of erectile dysfunction in any of these patients. CONCLUSIONS To diagnose penile fracture, our study relied on history and physical examination mainly and did not recommend imaging, except for, in patients with possible urethral injuries. Immediate surgical intervention can make good functional results and surgical exploration can be considered in all cases of penile fractures. The procedure is simple with minimal morbidity, low morbidity and short hospital stay. KEYWORDS Fracture, Corpora, Tear

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity and Polyphenolic Content of Commonly Consumed Egg Plant Varieties and Spinach Varieties in Sri Lanka

Aims: To evaluate the antioxidant capacity and the polyphenolic content of commonly consumed egg plant varieties and spinach varieties in Sri Lanka, in order to screen the potential for utilizing them in developing of functional food products. Study Design: Complete randomized design was performed. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Livestock, Fisheries & Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, between September 2020 and October 2020. Methodology: Locally available, commonly consumed eggplant varieties Solanum torvum, Solanum macrocarpon, Solanum melongena BW 11, Solanum melongena and two spinach varieties Basella alba and Talinum paniculatum were collected, freeze dried & powdered. Methanolic extracts were prepared using 80% methanol.Total Antioxidant capacity (TAC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, Reducing power assay, Total Phenolic Content (TPC) and Total Flavonoid Content of fresh methanolic extracts were measured. Results: S. torvum, S. macrocarpon, S. melongena BW 11, S. melongena showed more or less similar but remarkable DPPH radical inhibition activity ranging from 92.49 to 93.02%. TAC results of tested eggplant varieties ranged from 3.02to 8.98 mg AAE / g dw. From the two tested spinach varieties B. alba leaf extract had higher antioxidant activity but lower flavonoid content than T. paniculatum leaf extract. TPC of methanolic extractions of all tested vegetable sample was within the range of 2.49 to 670.00 µg GAE / g dw. There was a significant difference between the recorded TPC for all the tested samples and S. macrocarpon and two varieties of S. melongena showed much lower TPC when compared to TPC of S. torvum. Conclusion: These are considerable sources of polyphenols and are having a remarkable antioxidant activity. The potential of them to be utilized in functional food industry is high and yet to be investigated.

Fungitoxic effect of ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Ocimum gratissimum and Benlate in the control of Post harvest Fungal diseases of Solanum melongena Linn (Egg plant).

Fungitoxic properties of ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica, Ocimum gratissimum and benlate were used in vitro for the control of post-harvest fungal diseases of Solanum melongena, caused by Aspergillus niger, Rhizoctonia solani and Mucor ramosissimus. Pathogenicity test confirmed them as the causal organisms of the fruit rots. The three pathogens were treated with both ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts of the two plants at concentrations ranging from 25 to 100% and benlate at concentrations between 2.5 and 10.0%. Various concentrations were added to prepared Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media. The pathogens were inoculated separately into the PDA media and were incubated for eight days. Fungitoxic effects of these extracts on the mycelial growth of the pathogens were significant at P?0.05 for all treatments. The pathogens were completely inhibited at 100% concentration of both extracts and at 10% concentration of benlate. With respect to ethanolic extract; O.gratissimum was more efficient than A. indica but not with aqueous extract.

Influence of types of eggplant plant formation on productivity in the conditions of summer-autumn turnover in film greenhouses

Relevance. The annual increase in the area under the eggplant culture in small farms and the individual sector is explained by high nutritional, dietary, taste, and also the multi-purpose use of fruits. For optimal growth and development, eggplant needs a high amount of active temperature, which greatly limits the cultivation of crops in many regions of Russia. However, the egg-plant growing area is expanded through the use of industrial and film unheated greenhouses. The development of technology elements for growing eggplant in film greenhouses is relevant, as it contributes to an increase in the area of farms.Materials and methods. The aim of the research was to substantiate the elements of the technology for growing eggplant in film unheated soil greenhouses. The studies were carried out in 2018-2019 at the base of the Educational and Scientific Production Center “Vegetable Experimental Station named after IN AND. Edelstein» RGAU-Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev in the summer-autumn turnover in a film unheated soil greenhouse. The objects of research were varieties and F1 eggplant hybrids: F1 Borovichok, F1 Bagira, F1 Tender, F1 Patio Trio, as a control they used a hybrid F1 Pelican; eggplant varieties: Mushroom pleasure, Black handsome, Don Quixote, they used the Frant variety as a control.Results. In general, based on the results of studying the influence of the formation of two and three stalked eggplant varieties and hybrids on the total yield in the conditions of summer-autumn turnover in film soil greenhouses, we recommend that all studied hybrids and varieties be grown in three shoots.