A review on the potential of underutilized Blackjack (Biden Pilosa) naturally occurring in sub-Saharan Africa

Mtenga, Deodata V.; Ripanda, Asha

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09586

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 127 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The same weeds also have medicinal properties, e.g. the extracts of blackjack have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties (Mtenga and Ripanda, 2022). Diverse weed communities can promote crop health and diversity of beneficial arthropods such as bees and natural predators of insect pests (Bretagnolle and Gaba, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: the challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa

Thierfelder,

Mhlanga,

Ngoma

et al. 2024

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Production and utilization of crop residues as mulch and effective weed management are two central elements in the successful implementation of Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems in southern Africa. Yet, the challenges of crop residue availability for mulch or the difficulties in managing weed proliferation in CA systems are bigger than a micro-level focus on weeds and crop residues themselves. The bottlenecks are symptoms of broader systemic complications that cannot be resolved without appreciating the interactions between the current scientific understanding of CA and its application in smallholder systems, private incentives, social norms, institutions, and government policy. In this paper, we elucidate a series of areas that represent some unquestioned answers about chemical weed control and unanswered questions about how to maintain groundcover demanding more research along the natural and social sciences continuum. In some communities, traditional rules that allow free-range grazing of livestock after harvesting present a barrier in surface crop residue management. On the other hand, many of the communities either burn, remove, or incorporate the residues into the soil thus hindering the near-permanent soil cover required in CA systems. The lack of soil cover also means that weed management through soil mulch is unachievable. Herbicides are often a successful stopgap solution to weed control, but they are costly, and most farmers do not use them as recommended, which reduces efficacy. Besides, the use of herbicides can cause environmental hazards and may affect human health. Here, we suggest further assessment of the manipulation of crop competition, the use of vigorously growing cover crops, exploration of allelopathy, and use of microorganisms in managing weeds and reducing seed production to deplete the soil weed seed bank. We also suggest in situ production of plant biomass, use of unpalatable species for mulch generation and change of grazing by-laws towards a holistic management of pastures to reduce the competition for crop residues. However, these depend on the socio-economic status dynamics at farmer and community level.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: the challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa

Thierfelder,

Mhlanga,

Ngoma

et al. 2024

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…pilosa infestation suppressed the growth of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) by 40% on day 60 and 80% on day 120 after sugarcane planting under field conditions in Okinawa, Japan, and caused 80% of the final production losses [30]. The species infestation reduced the production of a bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) by 48% in Uganda and by 18-48% in B. pilosa has been used as folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases such as fever, diarrhea, hepatitis, snake bite, and wounds [6,7] and as a nutritious vegetable [8][9][10][11]. Recent investigations showed B. pilosa has a wide range of pharmacological activity such as for malaria, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and hypertension [12][13][14].…”

Section: Impacts Of B Pilosamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Invasive Mechanisms of the Noxious Alien Plant Species Bidens pilosa

Kato-Noguchi,

Kurniadie

2024

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bidens pilosa L. is native to tropical America and has widely naturized from tropical to warm temperate regions in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. The species has infested a wide range of habitats such as grasslands, forests, wetlands, streamlines, coastal areas, pasture, plantations, agricultural fields, roadsides, and railway sides and has become a noxious invasive weed species. B. pilosa forms thick monospecific stands, quickly expands, and threatens the indigenous plant species and crop production. It is also involved in pathogen transmission as a vector. The species was reported to have (1) a high growth ability, producing several generations in a year; (2) a high achene production rate; (3) different biotypes of cypselae, differently germinating given the time and condition; (4) a high adaptative ability to various environmental conditions; (5) an ability to alter the microbial community, including mutualism with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; and (6) defense functions against natural enemies and allelopathy. The species produces several potential allelochemicals such as palmitic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, salycilic acid, quercetin, α-pinene, and limonene and compounds involved in the defense functions such as 1-phenylhepta-1,3,5-trine, 5-phenyl-2-(1-propynyl)-thiophene, 5-actoxy-2-phenylethinyl-thiophene, and icthyothereol acetate. These characteristics of B. pilosa may contribute to the naturalization and invasiveness of the species in the introduced ranges. This is the first review article focusing on the invasive mechanisms of the species.

show abstract

“…According to [13], C. gynandra (Cleomaceae family) and Vigna unguiculata (Fabaceae family) are considered amongst the top five most important traditional vegetables in Zimbabwe. Although these vegetables are important traditional food sources, other species such as B. pilosa (Asteraceae family) are used not only as a food product but as medicine [14] based on the indigenous use of the plants. B. pilosa L. [15] is reportedly used to treat malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, and infected wounds or burns [16].…”

Section: Type Of African Leafy Vegetables (Alvs) Consumed By Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional and Functional Value of African Leafy Vegetables: Advantages and Limitations

Joyce Malebo

2024

Plant-Based Diet

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Globally, communities experience food insecurity, highlighting a need for access to food sources that are readily available with nutritional benefits. African leafy vegetables represent a plant-based food source that is rich in nutritional content and health benefits. These vegetables can grow unattended in the wild with minimal agricultural inputs which may negatively affect the environment, highlighting the advantages of their use. However, there is still a need to investigate the nutritional and functional value of these vegetables, focusing on their advantages and limitations before they can be recommended as an alternative food source. The chapter will focus on evaluating peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other publications to conduct a qualitative review.

show abstract

A review on the potential of underutilized Blackjack (Biden Pilosa) naturally occurring in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 127 publications

Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: the challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa

Unanswered questions and unquestioned answers: the challenges of crop residue retention and weed control in Conservation Agriculture systems of southern Africa

The Invasive Mechanisms of the Noxious Alien Plant Species Bidens pilosa

Nutritional and Functional Value of African Leafy Vegetables: Advantages and Limitations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About