African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12474

Table of Content: 9 October 2012; 11(81)

October 2012

Detection of banana [AB1] streak virus (BSV) Tamil Nadu isolate (India) and its serological relationship with other badna viruses

  Banana streak virus (BSV) is of quarantine significance since Musa is a vegetatively propagated crop. Diagnosis by symptomatology is unreliable because the symptoms are variable or absent. Hence, reliable and sensitive diagnostic tests are of major significance. Such sensitive diagnostic tests are also required for virus indexing of germplasm collections. Hence, attempts were made for...

Author(s):   S. K. Manoranjitham, M. Kavino, G. Thiribhuvanamala, T. Ganapathy, R. Rabindran and N. Kumar  

October 2012

The effect of calcium on auxin depletion-induced tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) pedicel abscission

  Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and calcium are the most important factors that instigate plant organ abscission. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms that underlie the effects of IAA and calcium on delayed abscission in tomato. The results showed a clear trend towards reduced abscission rates with increased concentrations of IAA, and the applications on pedicel proximal or distal side also resulted in a...

Author(s):   T. Xu, J. H. Li, M. F. Qi, S. S. Lv, X. H. Zuo, S. Gao, H. Li and T. L. Li  

October 2012

Pre-harvest fruit drop, bunch weight and fruit quality of ‘Rothana’ and ‘Ghur’ date palm cultivars as affected by some plant growth regulators

  Pre-harvest fruit drop is a serious problem of some date palm cultivars. During 2010 and 2011 seasons, the effect of plant growth regulators 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (50 and 100 ppm), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (100 and 150 ppm), gibberellic acid (GA3) (100 and 150 ppm) and benzyladenine (BA) (100 and 150 ppm) applications, at 40 and 70 days after pollination, on pre-harvest fruit...

Author(s):   Adel D. Al-Qurashi, Mohamed A. Awad, and Mohamed I. Elsayed  

October 2012

Tillage and manure effect on soil microbial biomass and respiration, and on enzyme activities

  Application of liquid pig manure on soil for agricultural use increases the organic matter content and constitutes an important input of nutrients into the soil, increasing microbial activity through the direct addition of nutrients and microorganisms. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of both tillage and liquid pig manure application on soil microbial biomass, enzyme activities and...

Author(s):   Hamid Kheyrodin, Khosro Ghazvinian and Majid Taherian  

October 2012

In vitro screening of soil bacteria for inhibiting phytopathogenic fungi

  At present, the greatest interest resides with the development and application of specific biocontrol agent for the control of diseases on plant and this form the focus of this work. Several soil bacteria were evaluated in vitro for their effectiveness on the basis of their ability to suppress fungi in plate inhibition assays. 51 strains of 12 bacterial species were performed against 12 strains...

Author(s):   Hammami Imran, Trabelsi H. Darine and EL Gazzah Mohamed  

October 2012

Comparison of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities of traditional sorghum beers with other alcoholic beverages

  Thirty samples of sorghum beers “dolo” were selected from traditionally fermented household manufacturers from Burkina Faso. Dolo samples were screened for theirtotal phenolic content, proanthocyanidins and putative antioxidant capacities, and were compared with industrial beers and wines. Total phenols were measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Proanthocyanidins content were...

Author(s):   Fatouma Mohamed Abdoul-latif, Romaric G. Bayili, Louis-Clément Obame, Imael H. N. Bassolé and Mamoudou H. Dicko  

October 2012

Prevalence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (cSHMT) genes polymorphisms in healthy Malaysian population

  Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and Cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (cSHMT) are enzymes involve in folate regulation in human. The C to T transition of the cSHMT and MTHFR genes at the 1420 as well as 677 nucleotides both carries TT genotype respectively. These enzymes have direct and indirect relations with the production of homocysteine. TT genotypes of both genes...

Author(s):   Fatin Izyan Ismil, Zalinah Ahmad, and Malina Osman  

October 2012

Recombinant production of the human complement factor 5a in Escherichia coli

  Up to now, the human complement factor 5a (C5a) has only been produced in small quantities in Escherichia coli in a soluble, bioactive conformation, which is not suitable for commercial production systems. This stems from the extremely high instability of C5a, as well as its aggregation-prone nature. Therefore, we analyzed several different methods for optimizing the solubility and biological...

Author(s):   Henrik Nausch, Jana Huckauf, Roswitha Koslowski, Udo Meyer, Inge Broer and Heike Mikschofsky  

October 2012

Effect of high concentration of thidiazuron (TDZ) combined with 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid (IBA) on Albion strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cultivar plantlets induction

  This study was conducted to understand the effects of high concentration of thidiazuron (TDZ) combined with 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid (IBA) on production of strawberry plantlets. Young folded leaves of “Albion”, “Seolhyang” and “Akihime” cultivars were collected, dipped in a detergent solution and then sterilized by treating with 70% (v/v) ethanol. The leaves were...

Author(s):   Rudi Hari Murti, Samir C. Debnath and Young Rog Yeoung  

October 2012

Storing cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds in active cattle kraals for suppression of Callosobruchus maculates

  Post-harvest seed damage of cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) by cowpea weevils(Callosobruchus maculates) is increasingly becoming a threat to food security among marginal communities. Effects of storing cowpea seeds in active cattle kraals (ACK) as an alternative to pesticide for suppression of C. maculates and improving seed quality were studied in three marginal communities of South Africa. A...

Author(s):   Phatu Mashela and Kgabo Pofu,  

October 2012

In vitro culture and medium-term conservation of the rare wild species Gladiolus imbricatus

  Gladiolus imbricatus, a rare species spread in the hill region of Europe, is resistant to abiotic and biotic stress being one of the most cold-tolerant in the genus. Moreover it contains high vitamin C and minerals in the leaves and the flowers are considered as edible. The aim of our study was to develop in vitro technologies for micropropagation, multiplication, corm development, somatic...

Author(s):   Elena Rakosy-Tican, Barna Bors and Ana-Maria Szatmari  

October 2012

Immune response and ileal microflora in broilers fed wheat-based diet with or without enzyme Endofeed W and supplementation of thyme essential oil or probiotic PrimaLac®

  An experiment was carried out to study the immune response and ileal microflora in broilers fed wheat-based diet with or without enzyme Endofeed W (EEW) and supplementation of thyme essential oil (TEO) or probiotic PrimaLac® (PP). Hypersensitivity, antibody production, haematology and immune organ weights were considered as the immune response and Lactobacillus,...

Author(s):   Vahid Khaksar, Abolghasem Golian and Hassan Kermanshahi