Post-Harvest Fungi Associated with Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) Seeds Produced in Burkina Faso

Cowpea is a very popular foodstuff among people in sub-Saharan Africa. In Burkina Faso, it is the main food legume, especially in rural areas. Its production is facing difficulties including post-harvest losses caused by fungi. Therefore, the objective of this study was to isolate and identify fungal strains associated with cowpea seeds produced in Burkina Faso. Thus, a total of 108 seed samples were collected in the three agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso. The sanitary analysis of the seeds was carried out using the direct contact method. The isolation and purification of the isolates were performed on Potato Dextrose Agar medium while their identification was done through macroscopic and microscopic phenotypical characterization using different culture media (Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), Malt Extract Agar (MEA) and Czapeck Dox Agar (CZA)) and different identification keys. A total of 10 fungal species were isolated, with predominance of Aspergillus flavus, Aspegillus niger, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium oxysporium and Rhizopus sp. whose infection rates were 70.8% to 100% of seed samples. In addition to being present in all three zones, the infection rates of Aspergillus flavus (56.55%), Aspergillus niger (20.35%) and Rhizopus (32.80%) were higher in the Sahelian zone. In the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Macrophomina (50.66%) and Fusarium (18.88%) presented the highest infection rates, while Penicillium sp. showed the highest infection rate (2.84%) in the Sudanian zone. This finding demonstrated the necessity to improve post-harvest and conservation techniques of cowpea to limit crop losses and preserve the sanitary quality of this important foodstuff.

Isolation and Assessment of Cyanide Biodegradation Potential of Indigenous Bacteria from Contaminated Soil

Eight effective bacterial strains were isolated from cyanide-contaminated soil, from which, two (S11 and S13) were tested to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration using potassium cyanide (KCN) and potassium tetracyano nickelate (K2Ni(CN) 4). The isolates were tested for their KCN biodegradation potential (by measuring ammonia production) at neutral and alkaline pHs (7.0 and 9.0). Furthermore, the effect of the initial KCN concentration on biodegradation was evaluated at the optimal pH using nitrogen free M9 medium, supplemented with KCN as nitrogen source. The results showed that both strains tolerated cyanide concentrations of up to 10 × 10-3 mol⋅l-1 (0.651 g⋅l-1 KCN;2.409 g⋅l-1 K2Ni(CN)4) which makes them good candidates for cyanide bioremediation. For both strains, a change of initial pH from 7.0 to 9.0 significantly enhanced KCN degradation. S13 grown at pH 9.0 and S11 cultivated at pH 7.0 released the highest and lowest amounts of ammonia, respectively. For both strains, the release of ammonia increased when the initial KCN concentration increased from 10-3 to 5 × 10-3 mol⋅l-1. These findings open prospects for the application of these bacteria for remediation of cyanide-contaminated soils and wastewater at alkaline pH, alkaline pH being conditions that prevent cyanide volatilization.

Purification Potential of Local Media in the Pre-Treatment of Greywater Using Vertical Biofilters under Sahelian Conditions

Several on-site greywater treatment systems are under development including biofiltration, whose efficiency is influenced by the filter media. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the type of filter media and their grain size in the removal of organic and microbial pollutants from greywater. Hence, three types of local filter media of different grain size were used for the pre-treatment of greywater. Their removal potential and clogging time were evaluated and compared. The results indicated that the type of filter media and the grain size have an influence on the elimination of organic and microbial pollution from greywater. Indeed, sand of 1 - 2 mm in size obtained the highest removal efficiencies of organic pollutants (67.35% and 78.04% for COD and BOD5 respectively) and microbial indicators (2.07, 1.77 and 2.27 log. units for E. coli, fecal coliforms and enterococci respectively). Although media of fine texture enhanced the removal efficiencies, they experienced significant clogging problems. To overcome these limitations while enhancing the removal efficiency, 1) pre-treatment stage with coarse materials followed by a treatment with finer materials or 2) the use of a combination of fine and coarse materials should be considered.

Greywater Treatment by High Rate Algal Pond under Sahelian Conditions for Reuse in Irrigation

High Rate Algal Pond (HRAP) was constructed and operated using a mixer device to investigate its capability in treating greywater for reuse in gardening. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters were monitored. With a hydraulic retention time of 7.5 days and a solid retention time of 20 days, the average removal efficiencies (ARE) were 69% and 62% for BOD5 and COD respectively. The ARE for , and were 23%, 52% and 43% respectively. The removal of suspended solids (SS) was unsatisfactory, which could be attributed to the low average algal settling efficiencies of 9.3% and 16.0% achieved after 30 and 60 minutes respectively. The ARE of fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci were 2.65, 3.14 and 3.17 log units respectively. In view of the results, the HRAP technology could be adapted for greywater treatment in sahelian regions. However, further studies on the diversity of the algal species growing in the HRAP unit are necessary in order to increase the removal of SS. Hazards of a reuse of the effluents are discussed on the basis of the various qualitative parameters. The residual content of E. coli was varying from 4 CFU per 100 mL. Based on WHO guidelines for greywater reuse in irrigation, the effluents could be used for restricted irrigation (E. coli < 105 CFU per 100 mL). Furthermore, the reuse potential is discussed on the basis of FAO guidelines using SAR (3.03 to 4.11), electrical conductivity (482 to 4500 μS/cm) and pH values (6.45 to 8.6).