Effect of Cowpea Seed Beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus) Infestation on Selected Landraces of Bambara Groundnut During Storage

The study was carried out to assess the effect of Callosobruchus maculatus infestation on selected Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean) landraces in Gombe during storage to determine the Landrace (s) that are less susceptible to infestation caused by C. maculatus during storage. The trial was done in the Botany laboratory of Gombe State University, Gombe. Seeds were collected from five different Landraces, 40 grams each of healthy and C. maculatus infestation free seeds were infested with two males and three females. Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replicates was used to assess the effects of C. maculatus infestation on the selected landraces of Bambara groundnut during storage. The results of the analysis of variance displayed significant differences (p≤ 0.05) among the parameters studied. It indicated that the Mottled and Cream landraces are relatively less susceptible and witness lower damage from the bruchids attack 14.6 (36%) and 17 (46%), whereas Red and Black landraces are more susceptible 24 (61 %) and 22 (57 %) (recorded higher damage from the C. maculatus in terms of percentage weight loss recorded). These results showed the existence of variation among the different Bambara groundnut landraces used due to the infestation of C. maculatus. It can be observed from this study that the use of infestation free landraces at storage time may perhaps be a worthwhile and auspicious factor for integrated pest management especially on bruchids in Bambara groundnuts. additionally, Mottle and Cream landraces might be employed as sources of resistance genes for the subsequent plant improvement program.

Phytoremediation of PAHs in Contaminated Soils: A Review

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are also part of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), are considered to be especially toxic to humans (carcinogenic), likewise to plants, microorganisms and other living organisms. PAHs soil contamination occurs by storage leaking, transport loss, the land disposal of petroleum waste, and accidental or intentional spills. Due to their ubiquitous occurrence, recalcitrance, bioaccumulation potential and carcinogenic activity, PAHs are a significant environmental concern. The methods of controlling and repairing PAH-contaminated soils mainly include physical remediation, chemical remediation and phytoremediation. However, there was an increasing focus on phytoremediation technologies as a result of their unique advantages, including low cost, lack of secondary pollution and large-area application. Phytoremediation is therefore one of the soil remediation technologies with the greatest potential.

Kinetic Analysis of the Adsorption of Ethyl Violet onto Graphene Oxide Sheets Integrated with Gold Nanoparticles

An example of biosorption is when the sorbent is made from a biodegradable material. Biosorption is now being seen as a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable alternative to traditional pollution treatment methods. Bioremediation is one of the branches of bioremediation that is used to minimise pollution in the context of incorrect dye waste disposal. The sorption isotherm of Ethyl Violet onto graphene oxide were analyzed using three models—pseudo-1st, pseudo-2nd and Elovich, and fitted using non-linear regression. Statistical analysis based on root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), accuracy factor (AF), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and Hannan–Quinn information criterion (HQC) that showed that the pseudo-second-order model was the best which was the same finding from the original published work. The calculated evidence ratio was 11 with an AICc probability value of 0.91 indicating that the best model was at least 11 times better than the nearest best model, which was pseudo-1st. Further analysis is needed to provide proof for the mechanism usually tied to this kinetic. Nonlinear regression analysis using the pseudo-2nd order model for the highest concentration tested, which was 10 mM, gave values of equilibrium sorption capacity qe of 30.928 mg/g (95% confidence interval from 29.328 to 32.527) and a value of the pseudo-2nd-order rate constant, k2 of 0.020 (95% confidence interval from 0.011 to 0.028).

Characterization of Cypermethrin-degradation by a Novel Molybdenum-reducing Morganella sp. Isolated from Active Agricultural Land in Northwestern Nigeria

The increasing use of cypermethrin in agricultural fields, household and industrial applications for effective pest control had increased the global burden of the pollutant over the years. Consequently, there is an urgent need to devise techniques to eliminate this pollutant from the environment. A bacterium capable of degrading cypermethrin has been successfully screened and characterized. The bacterium was grown in a mineral salt medium (MSM) supplemented with cypermethrin as its sole carbon and energy source at an optimum pH 7.5, temperature 40 ºC, a carbon source concentration of 4 g/L, optimum incubation time of 24 h and an inoculum size of 400 µL. The potential of Morganella sp. to degrade cypermethrin makes it an important instrument for the degradation of cypermethrin. This knowledge may be useful for the optimization of environmental conditions for cypermethrin bioremediation and important for detoxification of cypermethrin polluted sites.

Isolation and Characterization of Biosurfactant-producing Alcaligenes sp. YLA11 and its Diesel Degradation Potentials

This study aimed to isolate and identify biosurfactant producing and diesel alkanes degrading bacteria. For this reason, bacteria isolated from the diesel contaminated site were screened for their potential to produce biosurfactants and degrade diesel alkanes. Primary selection of diesel degraders was carried out by using conventional enrichment culture technique where 12 bacterial strains were isolated based on their ability to grow on minimal media supplemented with diesel as sole carbon source, which was followed by qualitative screening methods for potential biosurfactant production. Isolate B11 was the only candidate that shows positive signs for drop collapse, foaming, haemolytic test, oil displacement of more than 22 ± 0.05 mm, and emulsification (E24) of 14 ± 0.30%. The effect of various culture parameters (incubation time, diesel concentration, nitrogen source, pH and temperature) on biodegradation of diesel was evaluated. The optimum incubation time was confirmed to be 120 days for isolates B11, the optimum PH was confirmed as 8.0 for the isolate, Similarly, the optimum temperature was confirmed as 35oC. In addition, diesel oil was used as the sole carbon source for the isolates. The favourable diesel concentration was 12.5 % (v/v) for the isolate. The isolate has shown degradative ability towards Tridecane (C13), dodecane, 2, 6, 10-trimethyl- (C15), Tetradecane (C14), 2,6,10-Trimethyltridecane (C16), Pentadecane (C15). It degraded between 0.27% - 9.65% individual diesel oil alkanes. The strain has exhibited the potential of degrading diesel oil n-alkanes and was identified as Alcaligenes species strain B11 (MZ027604) using the 16S rRNA sequencing.

Characterization of Aniline Degradation by A Previously Isolated Molybdenum-reducing Pseudomonas sp.

Microorganisms play an integral role in detoxification and removal of toxic compounds from the environment. Aniline is the simplest aromatic amine, consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group that is used as herbicide to control weeds. Aniline is detrimental to both environment and health. In this research, six previously isolated bacteria (isolate A-F) were screened on Bushnell Hass media for their potential to grow and utilize aniline as a sole carbon source. Isolate A (Pseudomonas sp.) was found to tolerate and grow best with aniline sole source of carbon. Optimum conditions for aniline degradation by this isolate were found to be pH 6.0, temperature between 30 and 37 °C, inoculums size of 600 μL, aniline concentration of 200 mg/L and incubation time of 96 h. The capacity of this isolate to reduce toxic aniline to less toxic form is novel and makes the bacterium important instrument for bioremediation of this pollutant.

Molybdenum Blue Production from Serratia sp. strain DRY5: Secondary Modeling

In this work, kinetic growth models such as Luong, Yano, Teissier-Edward, Aiba, Haldane, Monod, Han and Levenspiel were used to model molybdenum blue production from Serratia sp. strain DRY5. Based on statistical analyses such as root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), and accuracy factor (AF), the Monod model was chosen as the best. The calculated values for the monod constants qmax (the maximum specific substrate degradation rate (h−1), and Ks (concentration of substrate at the half maximal degradation rate (mg/L)) were found to be 3.86 (95% confidence interval of 2.29 to 5.43), and 43.41 (95% confidence interval of 12.36 to 74.46) respectively. The novel constants discovered during the modelling exercise could be used in further secondary modelling.

Comparative Insecticidal Effects of Dry Ocimum Gratissium (Scent Leaves) and Rambo™ Paper on Mosquitoes in Jos, Nigeria

Insecticides are chemicals or biological substances that are used to kill or disable insects. Blood feeding mosquitoes are responsible for the intolerable biting nuisance and transmission of large number of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, filarias is amongst others, causing serious health problems to humans and obstacles to socioeconomic development of developing nations like Nigeria. The insecticidal effect of scent leaves (Ocimum gratissum) and Rambo™ paper on mosquitoes was investigated. The study is aimed at comparing the insecticidal effects of Ocimum gratissimum and Rambo™ paper on mosquitoes in Jos. 100 mosquitoes were exposed to dried Ocimum gratissum and Rambo™ paper at different time intervals of 5, 10 and 12 min. Results obtained showed a time dependent insecticidal effect on mosquitoes, which was 54.2%, 54.0% and 55.6% total mortality of mosquitoes at respective time intervals on exposures to both Rambo™ paper insecticide and Osimum gratissum, indicating that there was a significant difference in the lethal effect of Rambo™ paper insecticide and scent leave on mosquitoes at (p<0.05). In comparing the lethal effect of Rambo™ paper insecticide and Ocimum grasstisimum on mosquitoes at differnt locations in Jos, at Dogon Karfe, after 10 min of treatment, Rambo™ paper had the highest lethal effect of 21 (84.0%) compared to scent leaves 6 (24.0%) and at Abattoir Jos, after 12 min of treatment, Rambo™ paper had the highest lethal effect of 17 (94.4%) compared to Ocimum grasstisimum 3 (16.7%). These comparisons were significant at p 0.05. This study provides evidence that Ocimum grasstisimum has a mosquitocidal effect. However, the Rambo™ paper gave a better mosquitocidal effect than Ocimum grasstisimum. There is a need to discover better additive or extract options that could give Ocimum grasstisimum a better effect as a natural product available in Africa towards the malaria eradication programme.