Agricultural mechanization has been integral to agricultural transformation during periods of development. Mechanization-service provisions can be constrained by economies of scale, seasonality, limited mobility, or heterogeneous inputs quality. However, information has been scarce regarding how the private sector has overcome these constraints especially in countries like Nigeria that are at low agricultural development stages. We present the results of a small survey of tractor owner-operators conducted in Nigeria. We find that existing private-sector tractor-hiring services in Nigeria are indeed constrained. However, we also find heterogeneity among these owner-operators. In particular, those who buy tractors from private markets or from private individuals are more efficient than those who receive tractors through government programs, providing services to a greater area at lower costs, including during off-peak seasons, sometimes selecting machinery types according to soil types. We conclude with a discussion of some policy implications.
Fruits and vegetables constitute a major type of food consumed daily apart from whole grains. Unfortunately, the residual deposits of pesticides in these products are becoming a major health concern for human consumption. Consequently, the outcome of the long-term accumulation of pesticide residues has posed many health issues to both humans and animals in the environment. However, the residues have previously been determined using conventionally known techniques, which include liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the recently used liquid-phase microextraction techniques. Despite the positive technological effects of these methods, their limitations include; time-consuming, operational difficulty, use of toxic organic solvents, low selective property and expensive extraction setups, with shorter lifespan of instrumental performances. Thus, the potential and maximum use of these methods for pesticides residue determination has resulted in the urgent need for better techniques that will overcome the highlighted drawbacks. Alternatively, attention has been drawn recently towards the use of quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe technique (QuEChERS) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) to overcome the setback challenges experienced by the previous technologies. Conclusively, the reviewed QuEChERS-dSPE techniques and the recent cleanup modifications justifiably prove to be reliable for routine determination and monitoring the concentration levels of pesticide residues using advanced instruments such as high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
This study examined the general hygiene and sanitary practices of street food venders in Nigeria. 110 random samples of street food venders were selected to represent 18% of street food venders in the study area. Data was collected using pre-test structured questionnaire and observation checklists. The relationships in the factors studied were determined. Food venders lacked basic training on hygiene and only 2.7% had formal training on food preparation. 63.6% acquired skills from parents while 33.7% acquired skills by self practice. 44.5% of vendors used their mouths to blow air into polythene bags to open, before using it to package foods for customers. 60.0% of the vendors prepared foods in unkempt environment with flies around the foods. The study indicated absence of evidence of relationship between venders' education and vending location as well as between gender and personal hygiene. This study largely suggested non-compliance with the Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines for street food control in Africa. The non regulation of street food vending business in Africa especially Nigeria portends danger of outbreak of food poisoning.
This work was designed to evaluate the acute and subchronic toxicity ofE. pulcherrimamethanol extract. Mean lethal dose (LD50) and subchronic toxicity were determined using Lorke’s method to assess the effect of the extract on kidney and liver functions along histopathology assessment of the liver and kidney, respectively. The LD50determined was 3807.89 mg/kg both orally and intraperitoneally. The kidney function parameters indicated elevation of the serum urea above the normal value in both control and the group treated with 10 mg/kg of the extract with mean values of 7.92 ± 1.19 and 7.86 ± 1.14 mMol/L, respectively. The creatinine and electrolytes were within the normal values. The results of ALAT, ASAT, ALP, T protein albumin, and bilirubin in all cases were within the normal values. Kidney, liver function parameters, and relative organ weight were statistically insignificant across all groups. This shows that various concentrations ofE. pulcherrimaextract did not influence negatively the liver and kidney function parameters. Further studies are required to rule out the observed mild hepatic histological changes among a few members of the groups treated with 100 and 1000 mg/kg/day and any possible hepatoprotective and nephron-protective potential the extract may possess.
The aim of this study is to carry out preliminary investigation of bioactive compounds and bioautographic studies of whole plant extract ofEuphorbia pulcherrimaonEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus,Salmonella typhi, andPseudomonas aeruginosa. Tukey HSD test of hierarchy for the effect of different solvents crude extract on bacterial isolates indicates the methanol extract as the most bioactive. The Tukey HSD analysis also showed that the bioactivities of the crude extracts of the various parts ofEuphorbia pulcherrimawere part dependent and the whole plant was the most bioactive. The ethyl acetate fraction of the methanol extract of the whole plant ofEuphorbia pulcherrimahas been shown in this work to contain phytochemicals which have shown remarkable activities againstEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus,Salmonella typhi, andPseudomonas aeruginosa. The bioactivities against the test organisms were due to the combined effects of the compounds separated on TLC plates. Families of terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponin, and steroids that were detected in the extracts were identified by GC-MS. The various classes of phytochemicals in theE. pulcherrimaplant provided the antimicrobial potency of the plant.
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