Maize is consumed throughout the year in Kenya.Storage facilities of Maize vary with the economic status of the producers.Poor resource producers are likely to have unsuitable storage facilities whose conditions may p...Maize is consumed throughout the year in Kenya.Storage facilities of Maize vary with the economic status of the producers.Poor resource producers are likely to have unsuitable storage facilities whose conditions may predispose stored maize to post-harvest fungal infections.The most frequently encountered fungus in stored maize is Aspergillus flavus which produces aflatoxins that causes teratogenic,carcinogenic,mutagenic and hepatotoxic problems.Fungicides are used to control post-harvest fungi,but these have health implications.Hence an alternative safe method is the use of plant-based products which have anti-fungal compounds.This study was therefore designed to evaluate growth inhibitory effects of Ocimum kilimandscharicum oil on Aspergillus flavus.The leaves were collected from the plants growing naturally in Ruiru in Kiambu County,and the leaves were air dried in a shed,and oil was extracted through hydro-distillation.A total of 80 kg of threshed stored maize collected from randomly selected farms in Murang’a County were used to isolate Aspergillus flavus.Fungal growth experiments were done on PDA amended with different concentrations of the oil.Significant(p<0.001)inhibition of fungal radial growth occurred at oil concentration of 3.33 ul/ml.However,concentrations above 6.67ul/ml totally inhibited the growth of the fungus.Similarly,significantly(p<0.001)large zones of inhibition were observed in the highest concentration of 400 ul/ml.From the results,it can be concluded that O.kilimandscharicum oil acts against Aspergillus flavus and is a potential source for developing an antifungal agent.It is recommended that the efficacy of this oil needs to be tested on other post-harvest fungi.展开更多
In most parts of Cameroon particularly the Menoua Division,common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.)is usually consumed immediately after harvest or after a few months of storage.Contamination of common bean by fungi usually...In most parts of Cameroon particularly the Menoua Division,common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.)is usually consumed immediately after harvest or after a few months of storage.Contamination of common bean by fungi usually occurs in the field and during storage.It is possible that the incidence of food contamination by fungi varies between field and storage.The study aimed at determining the incidence of common bean infection by fungi during harvest and during storage.Six common bean cultivars both during harvest and storage were evaluated.Analysis of variance showed no significant difference(P˃0.05)between their incidences of infection by fungi during harvest.The incidence of common bean infection during storage was shown to differ significantly between each cultivar(P≤0.05).A comparison of the mean incidence level of infection by fungi in the two groups of bean cultivars(cultivars during harvest and cultivars during storage)using the independent t-test analysis revealed a significant difference between their mean incidence of infection.The findings conclude that the incidence of common bean infection by fungi during storage is higher than during harvest in the Menoua Division.These findings will help to sensitise farmers on the improvement of bean storage conditions.展开更多
文摘Maize is consumed throughout the year in Kenya.Storage facilities of Maize vary with the economic status of the producers.Poor resource producers are likely to have unsuitable storage facilities whose conditions may predispose stored maize to post-harvest fungal infections.The most frequently encountered fungus in stored maize is Aspergillus flavus which produces aflatoxins that causes teratogenic,carcinogenic,mutagenic and hepatotoxic problems.Fungicides are used to control post-harvest fungi,but these have health implications.Hence an alternative safe method is the use of plant-based products which have anti-fungal compounds.This study was therefore designed to evaluate growth inhibitory effects of Ocimum kilimandscharicum oil on Aspergillus flavus.The leaves were collected from the plants growing naturally in Ruiru in Kiambu County,and the leaves were air dried in a shed,and oil was extracted through hydro-distillation.A total of 80 kg of threshed stored maize collected from randomly selected farms in Murang’a County were used to isolate Aspergillus flavus.Fungal growth experiments were done on PDA amended with different concentrations of the oil.Significant(p<0.001)inhibition of fungal radial growth occurred at oil concentration of 3.33 ul/ml.However,concentrations above 6.67ul/ml totally inhibited the growth of the fungus.Similarly,significantly(p<0.001)large zones of inhibition were observed in the highest concentration of 400 ul/ml.From the results,it can be concluded that O.kilimandscharicum oil acts against Aspergillus flavus and is a potential source for developing an antifungal agent.It is recommended that the efficacy of this oil needs to be tested on other post-harvest fungi.
文摘In most parts of Cameroon particularly the Menoua Division,common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.)is usually consumed immediately after harvest or after a few months of storage.Contamination of common bean by fungi usually occurs in the field and during storage.It is possible that the incidence of food contamination by fungi varies between field and storage.The study aimed at determining the incidence of common bean infection by fungi during harvest and during storage.Six common bean cultivars both during harvest and storage were evaluated.Analysis of variance showed no significant difference(P˃0.05)between their incidences of infection by fungi during harvest.The incidence of common bean infection during storage was shown to differ significantly between each cultivar(P≤0.05).A comparison of the mean incidence level of infection by fungi in the two groups of bean cultivars(cultivars during harvest and cultivars during storage)using the independent t-test analysis revealed a significant difference between their mean incidence of infection.The findings conclude that the incidence of common bean infection by fungi during storage is higher than during harvest in the Menoua Division.These findings will help to sensitise farmers on the improvement of bean storage conditions.
