Volume 47 (2014): Issue 4 (December 2014)

Productivity of bovine species is drastically reduced when the animals are subjected to heat stress as often occurs in tropical regions. Although zebu cattle are considered to be heat tolerant, their productivity could improve when cooling measures are applied to mitigate the effects of heat stress. In this study, twenty four Sokoto Gudali heifers under mean ambient temperature of 27.4 ­°C and temperature humidity index (THI) of 78 were subjected to four cooling treatments: no cooling (control), fan, shower and shower with fan. Rectal temperature of heifers reduced from 39.3 °C (in the afternoon) to 39.2, 38.5, 38.5 and 38.0 °C for control, fan, shower and shower with fan, respectively, one hour after administration of treatments. Dry matter intake (DMI) and growth rate of heifers increased significantly (P < 0.05) when cooling measures were applied. DMI of heifers varied from 2.08 to 3.78% of body weight (BW) while average daily gain (ADG) varied from 0.38 to 0.86 kg/d with cooled animals having the higher values. Application of cooling measures significantly improved the performance of zebu heifers raised in a hot and humid environment.

The effect of graded levels of grains of selim on the performance, gut microbial population and carcass characteristics of finisher broilers was investigated. Two hundred and four (204) 28 days old broiler chicks (Marshal breed) were randomly allotted to four treatments with each treatment having three replicates of 17 chicks each in a completely randomized design. Finely blended grains of selim was administered through drinking water on treatments 2, 3 and 4 at concentrations of 0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 g per litre while chicks on treatment 1 (control) received 1.0 g per 1.5 litre of antibiotics (Gendox). Chicks were fed ad libitum with isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets containing 20% crude protein and 3000 Kcal/kg metabolisable energy for four weeks. Results showed no significant (P > 0.05) differences among treatments in the final body weight, total weight gain, daily weight gain, total feed intake, daily feed intake and feed:gain ratio. There were differences in the microbial population of the gastro-intestinal tract with colony count decreasing as the concentration of grains of selim increases. Carcass characteristics and organ weights were similar (P > 0.05) except for thigh and spleen weights, and large intestine lengths where differences (P < 0.05) exist. Mortality ranged from 8.47% - 13.47% across treatments. The results indicated that grains of selim have antimicrobial and anthelminthic properties, and promote growth in broiler chickens

Quality Protein Maize (Zea mays L.) (QPM) varieties have been developed by scientists at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training in Nigeria. For these varieties to have significant impact, they must possess traits acceptable to farmers. A study was carried out to evaluate the agronomic and sensory traits of two Quality Protein Maize - ART-98-SW-6-OB (QPM1) and ILE-1-OB (QPM2), in comparison with ART-96-SW-1 (High Protein Maize) and SUWAN-1-SR (a popularly grown improved variety) in three maize growing communities of South West, Nigeria. Sixty (60) farmers comprising males and females were evaluated for six sensory parameters. The parameters tested were appearance, colour, flavour, texture, taste and overall acceptability. The results of the agronomic evaluation showed that there were no significant differences in the height of QPM varieties and HPM at harvest. QPM varieties gave the highest grain yield of 2.38t/ha for ART-98-SW-6OB and 2.36t/ha for ILE-1-OB. Sensory evaluation showed that when the maize varieties were processed into corn-soy milk, QPM corn-soy milk had the highest sensory scores for all sensory parameters tested. Quality Protein Maize varieties had high grain yield and were most preferred for maize pudding and corn - soy milk. The QPM varieties, if formulated into foods for household or commercial purposes, should have good chance of being accepted by farmers with continuous promotional campaigns.

This study examined rice marketing as a means of poverty alleviation in Niger State, North Central Nigeria. Ninety-eight representative rice marketers’ households were used for the study. Descriptive statistics, Foster, Greer and Thorbecke poverty measures as well as logistic regression model were used as the analytical tools for the study. The result of the descriptive statistics shows that forty-nine percent of the rice marketers have no western education and majority of the rice marketers’ households used open spaces for defecation. The result of the poverty profile shows that all the representative households were poor using 1.25 dollar a day poverty benchmark and only 32 percent were poor using the estimated relative poverty benchmark of N 1,894.2 per capita. The result of the logistic regression model shows the following factors influenced the poverty status of the rice marketers’ households in the study area. These are age and gender of the rice marketers, household size, other sources of income, marital status of the rice marketers and their educational status. The study recommends manageable household size as well as improved level of education for members of the rice marketers’ households for poverty reduction in the study area.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd., is the oldest pseudocereal native from the Andean Region from 20° N in Columbia to 40°S in Chile, it grows from sea level to an altitude of 3 800 m, adapted to several agroclimates and abiotic stress. Quinoa is an annual plant that reaches a height of 0.2 to 3.0 m, it can display a variety of colours from the leaves and inflorescences. Quinoa seeds present a rich source of a variety of minerals, vitamins and higher contents of most essential amino acids, especially lysine which reveals its potential for a valuable ingredient in the preparation of highly nutritious food and also its nutraceutical properties. The high genetic variability and premises properties of quinoa make it potential to be grown worldwide, even it has been declared “The International Year of the Quinoa” (IYQ) by the United Nations in the year 2013.

There is no systematic monitoring of global spreading of pathogens through international trade carried out by any organisation regulating world-wide trade in animals and their products. A critical evaluation of the impact of international trade provisions on global pathogen spread is missing as well. Data related to this kind of analysis are no more internationally collected. However, information on animal infection occurrence is of paramount importance for decision-making on animal health import conditions based on pathogen introduction risk assessment considering first of all the epizootiological situation in exporting countries. Actual international animal health information system covers just a small part of known animal infections and provides much less information on their occurrence and epizootiological characteristics than before (except for a few selected emergency infections). It provides the importing countries zero or insufficient data for objective risk assessment to avoid pathogen introduction through international trade. Illegal export/import is not recorded in any information system. The globalisation era trade requires much more efficient information system, including monitoring of global spread of pathogenic microflora through trade, as the basis for more effective international preventive and control anti-epizootic measures. There is an urgent need to re-establish animal health information system within the United Nations Organization as its inseparable component for follow-up execution of animal health technical assistance and global anti-epizootic programmes.