African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12476

Table of Content: 31 July 2012; 11(61)

July 2012

Commensal Staphylococcus spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes

Staphylococcus species, Acinetobacter species and Stenotrophomonas maltophiliaare of particular importance as they sometimes reside as flora on the intact skin and nasal passages of man and farm animals. Studies around the globe have shown them as “friends and foes” especially in immunocompromised individuals as they occur as commensals but sometimes as pathogens that infect, causing...

Author(s): Adegoke, Anthony A. and Okoh, Anthony I

July 2012

Bulked segregant analysis to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to heat tolerance at grain filling rate in wheat using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

The grain-filling rate (GFR) plays an important role in determining grain yield. An F2population of wheat was developed from a cross between the 2 wheat cultivars, Ksu106 (heat-tolerant) and Yecora Rojo (heat-sensitive). The parents and 205 F2plants were planted on the 20th of January during the winter season of 2009 to evaluate heat tolerance during the grain-filling period. The sowing...

Author(s): Mohamed Najeb Barakat, Abdullah Abdlulaziz Al-Doss, Adel Ahmed Elshafeiand Khaled Ahmed Moustafa

July 2012

In vitro conservation of Ceropegia elegans, an endemic plant of South India

The purpose of this study was to develop in vitro techniques for conserving endemic species, Ceropegia elegans by axillary shoot multiplication. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with kinetin (Kn) 23.20 μM + indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) 5.71 μM was the best for axillary bud proliferation inducing a mean of 7.11 ± 0.07 shoots per node. Shoots developed were rooted best on...

Author(s): P. V. Krishnareddy and T. Pullaiah

July 2012

Effects of sowing date on the growth and yield of maize cultivars (Zea mays L.) and the growth temperature requirements

A field experiment was conducted to analyze the relationship between growing degree days, yield and yield components of maize cultivars. Five maize cultivars (SC 108, SC 301, SC 604, SC 704 and TVG) were sown on four different dates during summer in a randomized complete block design with split plot arrangements with three replications. Maize cultivars exhibited significant differences on yield, weight of 100 seeds,...

Author(s): Mehdi Dahmardeh

July 2012

Induced systemic resistance in tomato plants against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici by different kinds of compost

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporium f. sp lycopersici is the most serious diseases attacking tomato plants. The objectives of the study were to determine the effects of three types of compost as resistance inducers in tomato plants against F. oxysporium f.sp. lycopersici and to provide new strategies to control the wilt disease of tomatoes. The results demonstrate...

Author(s): Abdel-Fattah G. M., and Al-Amri S. M.

July 2012

Regeneration of Andrographis paniculata Nees: Analysis of genetic fidelity and andrographolide content in micropropagated plants

Andrographis paniculata Nees is a valuable medicinal plant which yields the therapeutic compound andrographolide. The objective of the present study was to develop reliable in vitro propagation techniques in this plant species. The efficiency of shoot regeneration in A. paniculata was tested on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), thidiazuron (TDZ),...

Author(s): Vijayalaxmi S. Dandin and Hosakatte Niranjana Murthy

July 2012

Effect of blue-green algae on soil nitrogen

Nitrogen fixed by cyanobacteria is released either through exudation or through microbial decomposition after the alga dies. In paddy fields, the death of algal biomass is most frequently associated with soil dessication at the end of the cultivation cycle and algal growth has frequently resulted in a gradual build up of soil fertility with a residual effect on succeeding crop also. The effect of blue-green algae...

Author(s): Yagya Prasad Paudel and Shreeti Pradhan

July 2012

Adhesive ability and biofilm metabolic activity of Listeria monocytogenes strains before and after cold stress

Listeria monocytogenes is an important pathogen responsible for major outbreaks associated with food products. Adhesion to surfaces leads to significant modifications in cell physiology. In this work, the ability of L. monocytogenes to produce biofilm and its ability to adhere to abiotic surfaces under cold stress were evaluated. Metabolic activity of biofilm formed by L....

Author(s): Rihab BEN SLAMA#, Karima BEKIR#, Hanen MILADI, Amira NOUMI and Amina BAKHROUF

July 2012

Antioxidant and antimicrobial efficacies of Amaranthus polygonoides and its impact on L-asparaginase production

Traditional medicinal herbs play a vital role in primary healthcare throughout the world. The current investigation represents the analysis of antioxidant, antimicrobial activities of Amaranthus polygonoides and its application in L-asparaginase (anti-leukemic enzyme) production. The plant leaves were dried and extracted with distilled water to yield their crude extracts. Further, this extract was...

Author(s): Balakrishnan Naveena, T. G. Narayani, Punniavan Sakthiselvan and Nagarajan Partha

July 2012

Effects of different adjunct starter cultures on proteolysis of reduced fat Cheddar cheese during ripening

The evolution of non-protein-nitrogen (NPN), total and free amino acids in reduced fat Cheddar cheese, prepared by formulated milk for Cheddar cheese with optimized texture, using a single and mixture of adjunct starter cultures during storage was studied. The concentrations of NPN, free and total amino acids were significantly affected by the type of microorganism present and the storage time. The total concentration...

Author(s): Leila Nateghi

July 2012

Population genetic structure and demographic history of small yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis (Bleeker, 1877), from coastal waters of China

Small yellow croaker, Larimichthys polyactis (Bleeker, 1877), a commercially important benthopelagic fish, is widely distributed in the Bohai, Yellow and East China Seas. To evaluate the population genetic structure and demographic history of L. polyactis, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) control region (798 to 801 bp) in 127 individuals sampled from seven localities...

Author(s): WU Renxie, LIU Shufang, ZHUANG Zhimeng, SU Yongquan and TANG Qisheng

July 2012

Utilizing ultrasonic energy for reduction of free fatty acids in crude palm oil

Recently, biodiesel production from abundant bio-sources has drawn the attention of the academic and the industrial community. In this study, crude palm oil (CPO) containing 8.7% free fatty acid content (FFA) was used as raw material. Different common types of acid catalysts (sulfuric acid, methanesulfonic acid and hydrochloric acid) were optimized to investigate the catalytic activity of each acid in the pre-treatment...

Author(s): Adeeb Hayyan, Farouq S. Mjalli, Maan Hayyan, Inas M. Alnashef and Mohamed E. S. Mirghani

July 2012

Improved reproductive response of sheep in intrauterine insemination program with the use of royal jelly

The objective of the present study was to evaluate estrus and conception rates obtained with the use of progesterone (P4) cream in intravaginal sponges in conjunction with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) or eCG plus royal jelly (RJ) given at the time of sponge withdrawal. A total of 365 fat tailed ewes were assigned randomly to two treatment groups: insertion of intravaginal sponge containing 30 mg (LNP; n = 188) or...

Author(s): C. Gimenez-Diaz, B. Emsen, E. Emsen, M. Kutluca and F. Koycegiz