Potential of Biostimulants Based on PGPR Rhizobacteria Native to Benin’s Soils on the Growth and Yield of Maize (<i>Zea mays </i>L.) under Greenhouse Conditions

The application of biostimulants in agriculture represents an environmentally friendly alternative while increasing agricultural production. The aims of the study were to develop solid biostimulants based on five rhizobacteria native to Benin’s soils and to evaluate their efficacy on the growth and biomass yield of maize under greenhouse conditions on ferrallitic and ferruginous soils. Clay and peat were used as a conservation binder for the preparation of the biostimulants. These binders were used alone or combined in the different formulations with maize flour and sucrose. 10 g of biostimulants were applied at sowing in pots containing five kilograms of sterilised soil. The experimental design was a completely randomised block of 24 treatments with three replicates. The results obtained showed significant improvements (P < 0.001) in height (49.49%), stem diameter (32.7%), leaf area (66.10%), above-ground biomass (97.12%) and below-ground biomass (53.98%) on ferrallitic soil with the application of the clay + Pseudomonas putida biostimulant compared to the control. On the other hand, the use of the peat biostimulant + Pseudomonas syringae was more beneficial for plant growth on ferruginous soil. The height, stem diameter, leaf area, above-ground biomass and below-ground biomass of the plants under the influence of this biostimulant were improved by 83.06%, 44.57%, 102.94%, 86.84% and 42.68%, respectively, compared to the control. Therefore, these results confirm that Rhizobacteria express their potential through biostimulants formulated on maize. The formulated biostimulants can later be used by producers to improve crop productivity for sustainable agriculture.

Quality Control of Selected Antimalarials Sold in the Illicit Market: An Investigation Conducted in Porto-Novo City (Republic of Benin)

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by the bite of female Anopheles mosquito and particularly affects the tropical areas of the world. According to national statistics it is the leading cause of consultations and hospitalizations. Nowadays, despite the surveillance systems for efficient malaria control and access to generic drugs, Benin is witnessing an increased development of illicit drug markets with a large part of the population going towards such markets. However, this is not without adverse impact on the health of individuals, as well as, the economic status of the country. Therefore, the situation needs to be seriously considered by policy makers at various levels, health professionals but also the entire international community in order to thwart this scourge.Regarding the aforementioned situation, the current study was undertaken aiming to perform a quality control of selected antimalarial drugs of the illegal market in Porto-Novo city. Therefore, 40 antimalarial batches were randomly collected in the illicit drug market and submitted to analytical tests such as: macroscopic examination (a visual and critical examination);mass uniformity test;disintegration test;identification test and active ingredients’ content measurement. At the end of the study, the percentages of non-compliance is 97.5%, 5%, 15% and 27.5%, respectively for the content uniformity tests, disintegration, identification and assay. Over-all, 42.5% of noncompliance was recorded. The findings of this study prove that street vended drugs offer no guarantee of good quality and pose a threat to the health of populations. Also, the rate of non-compliance denotes a flaw in the security of the drug distribution system.