Maize-Soybean Integration for Managing Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth in the Sudan Savannah Zone of Ghana

Field experiments were conducted at Gore near Zebila in Bawku West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana during the 2015 and 2016 cropping season on four Striga tolerant maize varieties in maize/soybean integration alongside maize monocrop as a means of managing the devastating effects of Striga. The study determined the relative Striga tolerance of the maize varieties in terms of yield and yield components, as well as the most effective intercrop for the reduction of Striga seed bank. The treatment differences were not significant (p < 0.05) in affecting plant height, plant population, leaf area index (LAI), Striga count and Striga biomass. Similarly, yield components of maize such as height of cob attachment, cob length, cob weight, 100 seed weight, grain yield, as well as straw weight were not significantly affected by the treatments. There was no relativity of Striga stress tolerance in terms of yield and yield components of the four maize varieties. All the entries efficiently tolerated the biotic stress of Striga and further supported growth and grain yield equally. There was reduced S. hermonthica seed bank production in the soil in both cropping systems. The four maize varieties are proven tolerant materials to Striga infestation and are therefore recommended for long-term Striga seed bank depletion in the study area.

Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Compounds Content of Extracts from Ceratotheca sesamoides Endl and Striga hermonthica (Delille) Benth Used as Antheminthic in Burkina Faso

The revaluation of medicinal plants in the veterinary pharmacopoeia is essential for the development of livestock in Burkina Faso. In order to justify the use of C. sesamoides and S. hermonthica in the treatment of gastrointestinal parasitosis of small ruminants, a quantification of phenolic compounds as well as antioxidant activity and acute toxicité evaluation of both plants were performed. Acute toxicity was evaluated by administering a single dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight of aqueous extract of both plants to mice. The highest total polyphenol content for C. sesamo?des was obtained in the ethyl acetate fraction with 47.236 ± 2.57 mgEAG/100mg while that of S. hermonthica was 74.871 ± 2.57 mgEAG/100mg obtained with the n-butanol Fraction. The dichloromethane extract of S. hermonthica obtained the highest total flavonoid content with 7.31 ± 0.48 mgEQ/100 while the highest total flavonoid content of C. sesamo?des was obtained with ethyl acetate fraction with 5.4273 ± 0.35 mgEQ/100mg. The aqueous extract of C. sesamo?des obtained the highest content of condensed tannins with 3.028 ± 0.13 mgEAT/100mg. Both plant’s extracts did not show any signs of toxicity in NMRI mice after administration of the dose of 2000 mg/kg. The antioxidant activity by DPPH, FRAP and ABTS methods was good compared to those of Quercetin and Trolox taken as standard.

Evaluation of antidiabetic activity of plants used in Western Sudan

Objective: To investigate the traditional antidiabetic uses of some indigenous Sudanese plants on streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats. Methods: Diabetic rats were treated with a 400 mg/kg dose of aqueous extracts of five plant species orally for 2 h(acute) or 14 days(chronic). In acute model blood glucose levels were monitored at specific intervals. In the chronic model blood samples were collected from overnight fasted diabetic rats on day 15 to estimate blood glucose level. And the body weight, serum lipid profile and activities of liver and kidney enzymes were measured. Histopathological observations of liver sections were also studied.Results: In the case of acute treatment, aqueous extracts of Tinospora bakis(T. bakis), Nauclea latifolia(N. latifolia) and Randia nilotica(R. nilotica) at 400 mg/kg significantly lowered(P < 0.05) blood glucose levels in diabetic rats whereas, chronic treatment of diabetic rats with 400 mg/kg of T. bakis, N. latifolia, R. nilotica and Mitragyna inremis proved to have significant(P < 0.05) antihyperglycemic effect and have the capacity to correct the metabolic disturbances associated with diabetes. Histopathological studies showed that the aqueous extracts of these four plants reinforced the healing of liver. However, Striga hermonthica aqueous extract did not exert any antihyperglycemic effect to diabetic rats. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that T. bakis, N. latifolia, R. nilotica and Mitragyna inremis have therapeutic value in diabetes and related complications and thus supporting the traditional uses of these plants in Sudanese traditional medicine.

Genotypic Variation for Low Striga Germination Stimulation in Sorghum “Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench” Landraces from Eritrea

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench), the second most important staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) after maize, is well adapted to marginal environments of drought stress and high temperatures. But besides drought stress, the obligate root-parasitic flowering plant Striga hermonthica is an equally economically important biotic stress in agro-ecological zones where soils are marginal. Notwithstanding widespread and intense Striga infestation, genetic variations in defence mechanisms against the parasite have been reported. Sorghum variants, producing low levels of chemical stimulants such as sorgolactones that deter the advance of Striga seed germination and are therefore deemed resistant to the parasite, have been also reported in a few studies. But the existence of sorghum genetic variation for this resistance especially among farmers’ landraces is yet to be demonstrated. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the levels of Striga germination stimulants in response to each of the 111 collected sorghum landraces and their progenies from Eritrea. The ability of a sorghum genotype to cause germination of a Striga seed as a measure of the amount of the germination stimulant produced was used to assess the resistance of these accessions. The data were recorded as Striga germination percentage by counting the number of germinated Striga seeds. Landraces EG47, EG1261, EG830, EG1076, EG54 and EG746 with 14.68%, 15.32%, 11.85%, 13.05%, 15.74% and 16.5% germination percentages respectively were found to stimulate low levels of Striga germination percentage compared to commercial checks, IS9830, SRN39, Framida, with 22.46%, 22.67%, 23.27% germination respectively. While these variants did not show complete resistance against Striga seed germination, the low level production of stimulant indicated their high level of resistance to Striga . These results implied that these accessions are likely potential sources of resistance against Striga infestation in SSA sorghum breeding programs.

Evaluation of Cereal-Legume Cropping on Striga Control and Maize Yield

Striga hermonthica(Del.)Benth is ranked as the number one constraint to maize productivity in Eastern Uganda.The use of trap crops is one of the control measures suggested for farmers with limited resources in Striga infested areas.In this study the main focus was on the effectiveness of intercropping in reducing Striga infestation and hence overall land productivity.The major objective was to identify suitable legumes in the control of Striga.In order to achieve this,on-farm experiments were conducted in Tororo and Busia districts of Eastern Uganda where the effect of the legumes on the Striga prevalence was evaluated.Maize(Zea mays)was intercropped with common beans(Phaseolus vulgaris),soybean(Glycine max)and silver leaf desmodium(Desmodium uncinatum)with sole maize(Z.mays)as the control.Soybean,beans and desmodium decreased the infestation of Striga by 26%,40%and 72%,respectively.There was a significant(p<0.05)difference in the number of emerged Striga and maize yield attained by desmodium and the rest of the legumes.Desmodium was found to be the most effective of the legumes in the control of Striga.