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Molecular characterisation and plant-growth promotion potential of phosphate solubilising bacteria from roots of selected crops around morogoro municipality, Tanzania
No full textSoil infertility is reported to be among the most limiting factors for crop production and yield.
Despite being abundant in most soils, only a small proportion of phosphorus is readily available to
plants due to its high reactivity with soil constituents and slow release from phosphate compounds.
Phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) play an important role in phosphorus nutrition. These
microbes can solubilise various insoluble phosphate compounds through different mechanisms
including production of organic and inorganic acids, production of chelating substances and
ammonium assimilation, thus enriching soluble phosphorus into soil solution for plant uptake. Use
of phosphate solubilising bacteria in agriculture has been reported to increase crop yield in different
crops including maize (Zea mays L.). Other than phosphate solubilisation, PSB can also solubilise
micronutrients including zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe). PSB are also known to produce various plant
growth promoting substances such as indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore, which are important
for crop growth and development. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the plant growth
promotion potential of phosphate solubilising microorganisms by, in addition to phosphate
solubilisation, looking at their potential for zinc solubilisation, siderophore and IAA production and
plant growth promotion in general. Purified colonies of bacteria from 19 native PSB isolated from
selected field and garden crops grown around Morogoro municipality, Tanzania, were found to be
strong phosphate solubilisers, hence were selected for further studies. Morphologically, these
bacteria were whitish, yellowish to creamy in colour, rod shaped and gram negative. Based on 16s
rRNA gene sequence most of the isolates were found to belong to the bacterial genus Burkholderia
while a few others belonged to the genus Ralstonia. All isolates were positive for IAA and
siderophore production and zinc solubilisation although at varying levels. On phosphate
solubilization, Burkholderia cepacia strain GPY1 isolated from rice was the most promising strain
releasing the highest phosphorus concentration (84.8 mg of soluble P L-1) compared to the lowest
amount (10.85 mg of soluble P L-1) that was released by Burkholderia territorii strain KBB5
isolated from rice. Similarly, Burkholderia cepacia strain ATCC 25416 isolated from rice was the
most promising IAA producer, producing up to 28 mg of L-1, followed by Burkholderia cepacia
strain GYP1 isolate from sweet potato which released 21 mg L-1 of IAA. On the other hand, the
lowest IAA amount (i.e. 1.072 mg L-1) was from Burkholderia territorii strain S2 isolated from rice.
Furthermore, siderophore production as measured in percentage siderophore unit (PSU) was
highest (95 %) by Burkholderia sp. QN m1 isolated from sweet pepper, followed by Burkholderia
territorii strain KBB5 (94.82%) and Burkholderia territorii strain S2 (93.98%) both isolated from
rice, while the lowest percentage siderophore unit was 28.77 % produced by Burkholderia cepacia
strain GYP1 isolated from sweet potato. The highest quantinty of zinc soulubilised was 347.5 mg
of soluble Zn L-1 by Burkholderia territorii strain KBB5 isolated from sweet potato followed by
Burkholderia cepacia strain ATCC (242.1 mg L-1) isolated from sweet potato.
Direct application of bacterial cultures to maize seedlings was observed to significantly (P = 0.05)
increase both plant height and shoot elongation as compared to a water treated control. Bacteria
strains indicated varying abilities in promoting root and shoot elongation. However, strains
belonging to B. cepacia were the most promising plant growth promoters as compared to other
strains. Overall, the finings of this study imply that bacterial isolates can be used as inoculants for
enhancing plant growth and consequently yield. However field trials need to be carried out to
evaluate the performance of the strains under field conditions.International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA
Quality of care practices provided to children under five years of age in Temeke municipal, Dar es salaam
No full textMasters ThesisThis study was carried out to assess quality of care practices provided to children of below
five years of age in Temeke Municipality Dar es Salaam. The study consisted of two
phases, the first phase was development of a care assessment tool (Care Score Index) and
the second phase was assessing the quality of care practices in the study area using the
developed tool. The tool comprised of four parameters of child care practices which are
maternal health seeking practices and child immunization, child feeding practices,
psychosocial care practices and hygiene practices. A total of 198 mothers with their
children were randomly selected to participate in a cross-section study in four wards of
Temeke Municipal. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 20 and WHO Anthro
software version 3.2.2. The development of Care Score Index has been taken as a first step
in formulating a more universal tool to be used for assessing child care practices within
households in different societies in Tanzania.
Respondents were found to have good care practices with high proportion of scores in
category one which represented higher scores, except for maternal health seeking practices
whereby greater proportion were in category two (lower scores). Maternal factors such as
education, marital status, occupation and number of children were found to have no
significant association with quality of care practices. The overall care score was
significantly associated with underweight (p=0.003) while child feeding practices score
was significantly associated with underweight (p=0.009) and wasting (p=0.017). The study
concluded that composite of index for dimension of quality of child care practices has
potential in assessing health and nutrition outcome. Therefore, it is recommended that
coverage of more varied type of stakeholders should continue in developing and validating
simple tools to measure care practices that can be used in different societies in Tanzania.Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD
Indiscriminate use of agro-verinary pesticides and susceptibility status of xenopsylla cheopis (family: pulicidae) in plague endemic foci in Tanzania
No full textMasters ThesisThe control of rodent-borne fleas, which play major role in the transmission of plague, is
the mainstay of plague control. The application of chemical insecticides forms the most
powerful and widely used control measure. The reliability and continued use of this
approach however is threatened by the development of resistance. The excessive use of
agro-veterinary pesticides is increasingly associated with the development of resistance in
different arthropods; however, such possibility has not been explored in flea vectors of
plague in Tanzania. This study identified injudicious uses and/or malpractices which
potentially enhance exposure of flea vectors to agro-veterinary insecticides and emergence
of resistance thereof. Furthermore, the study assessed susceptibility status of major plague
flea vector, Xenopsylla cheopis, to commonly used agro-veterinary and public health
pesticides. The study was conducted in Lushoto and Mbulu districts, northern Tanzania,
both of which are active plague foci. About 91% of the respondents in Lushoto and 93%
respondents in Mbulu reported using agricultural pesticides during the cropping season.
Excessive and injudicious use of agricultural and veterinary pesticides was common
across the study districts. Most of the farmers reported applying agricultural pesticides for
up to four times per a cropping season. The three out of fourteen most commonly used
agricultural pesticides in Lushoto were master kinga72WP (mancozeb 640g/kg+
cymoxanil 80g/kg) (44%), suracron720EC (profenos 500g/l EC) (25.3%) and Sumo 5EC
(lambda-cyhalothrin) (18.7%). The three out of seventeen most commonly used
agricultural pesticides in Mbulu were Dursban 50W (Chlorpyrifos) (29%), Duduban
450EC (Cypermethrin 10g/lt+chloropyrifos 35g/lt) (18%) and Dursban+farmerzeb
(Chlorpyrifos 48%, Mancozeb 80%WP). Cybadip (Cypermethrin) (≥45%) and paranex
(alphacypermethrin) (≥13%) were the two most commonly used veterinary pesticides
across the districts. Moreover, the susceptibility of Xenopsylla cheopis, originating from
wild population in Mbulu was assessed against nine different agro-veterinary and public
health pesticides via contact bioassays. The percentage mortality after exposure to
recommended doses of eight insecticides tested was strongly suggestive of resistance
(100% 24 h mortality, 93 - 96%). The fleas confirmed resistance to lambdacyhalothrin and
carbaryl, with 90% mortality. The reference ‘susceptible’ colony Xenopsylla Cheopis was
fully susceptible (100% 24 h mortality) to all tested insecticides. Similarly, the field
Xenopsylla Cheopis was fully susceptible (100% 24 h mortality) to 5× and 10× the
recommended doses of all insecticides indicating low resistance intensity. Conclusively,
this study identified a suite of injudicious uses and/or malpractices; excessive use of
agricultural chemicals, maluse of agro-veterinary chemicals as well as poor adherence to
the application and safety procedures, all of which potentiate contamination of
environments/surfaces and exposure of the chemicals to fleas thereof. Furthermore, the
study indicates resistance in the wild population of Xenopsylla cheopis from Mbulu
district. As such, flea vector populations across Lushoto and Mbulu districts are putatively
under intense risk of resistance development, thus warranting further studies across plague
endemic areas in country to understand distribution of the resistance, involved resistance
mechanisms; and confirm the contribution of agro-veterinary insecticidesRodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (Acronym: RAT-TECH
Consumer demand for branded and packaged processed foods: comparison of selected rural and urban areas in Tanzania
No full textThis study intended to explore the demand for packaged and branded processed food
products in selected urban and rural towns of Tanzania. Two urban cities (Morogoro and
Dodoma) and four rural towns (Turiani, Matombo, Hombolo and Msaga) were chosen
whereby the sample size of 630 respondents was randomly selected. Garrett’s ranking
technique, Logistic Regression Model, Multinomial Logistic Model and Kruskal Wallis
Test were used to asses consumer’s purchasing habits and drivers of consumer choices.
Results showed that there were variations and some similarities in consumers’ habits in
rural and urban areas, in small and big towns on; nature of processed food bought, buying
places, specific type of product preferred and the most influencing drivers for the preferred
product. Furthermore, the study revealed that a majority of the consumers in urban areas
were driven by “quantity” as they bought in large volumes of packaged maize flour while
the rural consumers were influenced by “storage” when they bought large volumes of
packaged maize flour. While “large volume” was the most important factor influencing
urban consumers at the purchase of packaged edible oil, “safety” was the most important
attribute for rural consumers. In addition, the study showed that consumers from both rural
towns and urban cities prefer branded maize flour and branded cooking oils due to their
preference for “good sensory test”. Majorly, from the findings study draws two
recommendations; (i) There is a need for governmental influence through its regulatory
bodies to enforce selling of packaged and branded processed food as a measure of
ensuring information symmetry between the manufacturer and consumer, (ii)
Manufacturers of processed foods need to devise new and innovative marketing strategies
on packaging and branding for further penetration to rural markets.African Economic Research Consortium (AERC
Hazard analysis in the locally processed tomato sauces in selected companies in Iringa and Dae es salaam
No full textMasters ThesisThis dissertation aimed at analysing food hazards in the locally processed tomato sauces,
assessing the adherence to food safety and quality control practices (FSQCPs), and
investigating the microbial and pesticide residues contamination in the final product. The
study was conducted in four companies in Iringa and Dar es Salaam, used structured
questionnaires and observation checklist to collect data on the basic characteristics of firms,
food hazards, and FSQCPs. Using laboratory tests, a total of forty samples of the final product
collected from different batches of the companies under the study, were biologically and
chemically investigated for the microbial and pesticide residues, respectively. The study
reports three major findings. First, a detailed hazard analysis tool, indicating how each
production process is undertaken along the entire production process chain of tomato sauce,
for each company in the sample was developed and elaborated. Second, it was found that, on
average, such companies adhered to majority of the components of FSQCPs. Third, for
laboratory tests, the microbial load was found to be less than the detectable limits (that is, a
limit of <100 CFU) and for chemical analysis there was no detectable residues of any
pesticides. This finding suggests that tomato processing, to a greater extent, reduces the levels
of both microbial load and pesticide residues that may be present in raw tomatoes sauce.
Therefore, it is recommended that, tomato processing companies should continuously enhance
the adoption of FSQCPs for strengthening product quality and productivity. Also, future
studies may be extended to other food processing value chains in Tanzania
Comparison of silicon status in rice grown under the system of rice intensification and flooding regime in Mkindo Irrigation Scheme, Morogoro, Tanzania
No full textJournal articleSilicon (Si) is the second most abundant element available in the earth's crust, and is considered as
a benefcial element for crop growth especially rice. A study was conducted in Mkindo irrigation
scheme, Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania to assess the Silicon status in rice grown under the
System of Rice Intensifcation and continuous flooding at various growth stages. The experiment
was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two treatments which were two
water application regimes: T1 was alternate wetting and drying using SRI technology and T2 was
continuous flooding. The treatments were replicated three times and the rice variety used was
SARO 5 (TXD 306). The experiment was conducted in two seasons from October 2019 to January
2020 and from March 2020 to June 2020. Si status in rice seeds and grains as well as rice plant
leaves at various growth stages were evaluated according to elemental analysis based on Energy
Dispersive X- Ray Fluorescence and results were analyzed using GENSTAT software. Si content
in rice seeds observed prior to the experiment was 6.76%. Si content in rice grains was gradually
increasing during reproductive stage and later drops during harvest. Si content in rice plant
leaves increased signifcantly from vegetative to ripening stage whereby the highest Si content
was recorded in T
1 (12.37%) while T2 recorded the lowest value (10.15%). It was concluded that,
the alternate wetting and drying feld conditions enhances adequate uptake of Si compared to
continuous flooding practices
Market System Analysis of Bamboo Products in Ruvuma Region, Tanzania
No full textMaster ThesisThe aim of this study was to conduct market system analysis of bamboo products in
Ruvuma region in Tanzania. Seventy producers, two processors and twenty five traders
were interviewed in Mbinga and Songea districts. Questionnaire survey, key informant
interview and direct observation were the key methods for qualitative and quantitative
data collection. Descriptive analysis was performed for quantitative data while content
analysis was conducted for qualitative data analysis. Results showed that key actors were
producers, processors, traders and input suppliers. Main products manufactured were
winnowing trays with an average price of TZS 3400, baskets with an average price of
TZS 3900, jamanda with an average price of TZS 6000 and barbeque sticks with an
average wholesale price of TZS 550 per packet. Markets for these products were; within
the village and Songea, Mbinga and Nyasa towns. Only barbeque sticks accessed markets
in Dar es Salaam. Producers who work individually had the following gross margins;
baskets 22%, winnowers 44%, tenga 47% and jamanda 32%. Those working in informal
groups had a gross margin of 78% implying that working in groups reduced costs and
increased efficiency and productivity. Processors and traders had a gross margin ratio of
53% and 40% respectively. Inadequate policy and strategy attention to bamboo limited
value chain development. INBAR, SUA and TFS roles were observed in improving
bamboo management through supplying support services. However, there were little
efforts on skills improvement and value addition. The study suggests that producers
should organise themselves in groups to increase access to market information and
support for profit maximization.Forestry and Value Chains Development programme (FORVAC
The role of governance structures and practices related to land, water and waste in supporting transformation of Ilula and Madizini emerging urban centres, Tanzania
No full textPhD ThesisRural-Urban Transformation or Transition (RUT), that is, urbanization processes, have for
decades been continuously influenced by globalization, regional contexts and local
situations. In Tanzania, many rural villages are being transformed from rural (villages) into
urban (townships) entities. The factors driving their transformation are many and varied,
but the most important are residential history, geographical location, the rate of population
growth from both immigration and natural increase and the announcement of township
status. Within formal administrative units like townships and village centres, Emerging
Urban Centres (EUCs) have been rapidly growing both demographically and economically.
EUCs represent urban centres at the initial stage of centre development, characterized by
having experienced a process of change from a ‘large village’ to a ‘small town’ with an
above-average increase in economic activity and population growth during the last decade.
Rapid growth within EUCs has consequently led to land use changes with various
implications. There has also been an increase in the demand for land for urban functions
like roads, housing, industrial and social institutions, the demand for domestic water from
multiple users and the rate of solid waste generation with varied composition. However,
despite rapid growth, urban planning and governance mechanisms are not keeping pace
with these rapid socio-economic transformations. Therefore, the rapid demographic and
economic growth within emerging urban centres has led to major governance challenges
related to land, domestic water and solid waste. The broad objective of this study was to
identify how governance practices (public and private) in relation to land; domestic water
and solid waste management have developed in supporting processes of rural-urban
transformation. Specifically, the study analyses the dynamics of the emergence of urban
centres with a focus on their densification and spatial expansion, as well as government
decision-making structures at the district, township and village levels, resource availability
(land and water) and examining recent past developments in resource governance (land,
water and waste), including service provision.
The study was conducted in Ilula and Madizini Emerging Urban Centres (EUCs), two sites
that are at different stages in their administrative transition along a rural-urban continuum.
This study hypothesized that, the level of administrative transition has impacts on
governance structures and practices in respect of accessing resources (land) and service
provision (domestic water and solid waste collection) for rapidly growing populations. A
combination of research methods was employed to collect data, including 468 household
surveys (323 in Ilula and 145 in Madizini), 97 informants’ interviews, 39 in-depth
household interviews, transect walks and spatial analysis of water points. Households for
survey were proportionally selected according to the number of households reported in the
national census for 2002 for each individual EUC. Key informants were purposively
selected on the basis of their administrative or decision-making role and knowledge about
land, domestic water and solid waste management practices within EUC and the township
at large. Households for in-depth interviews were purposively selected on the basis of
observed variations and commonalities in the household survey data responses.
Descriptive analysis was used to analyse quantitative data from the household surveys,
while content analysis was applied to analyse qualitative data from qualitative interviews.
Spatial analysis was conducted to document land-use changes from 2007 to 2017 within
the two EUCs. Mapping of public domestic water points was also conducted. Binary
logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the factors determining the likelihood
of households having access to land within EUCs. A multinomial logit (MNL) model was
used to determine the factors influencing households in choosing solid waste disposal
practices.
Results indicate that in the last decade EUCs have experienced changes in land use in the
form of the conversion of land-use classes, housing densification and spatial expansion. In
both sites, the built-up area has increased while agricultural land has declined. For
example, in Ilula EUC, the built-up area increased from 149 ha (22.82%) in 2007 to 318 ha
(48.7%) in 2017, an increase of 168 ha (113% increase), while agricultural land declined
from 425 ha (65.08%) in 2007 to 246 ha (37.67%) in 2017, a decrease of 179 ha (-42%
decrease). In Madizini EUC, the built-up area increased from 68 ha (22.2%) in 2007 to 151
ha (49.5%) in 2017, an increase of 83 ha (122% increase), while agricultural land declined
from 192 ha (62.9%) in 2007 to 147 ha (48.1%) in 2017, a decrease of 45 ha (-24%).
Generally, land-use dynamics within EUCs in the last decade has implications for the
planning of service provision and future urban development, especially where there is
limited public land. Similarly, governance structures and practices related to township
administration, land, domestic water and solid waste management have changed in support
of rural-urban transformation. However, the transformation process has occurred
differently in the two case studies, with Ilula being in the advanced stage of Madizini
where the process is still in its early stage. Changes in the governance structures includes,
for example, the dissolution of village government and village land councils following the
establishment of new governance institutions like a Township Authority (TA) and the
appointment of a Township Executive Officer (TEO) to replace village governance
structures in Ilula township. Results revealed that 76% of surveyed households have access
to land. Binary logistic regression results indicated that, age, EUC of residence and
occupation were significantly associated with household access to land (P<0.05).
Households have acquired land through different sources, with social relations (52%) being
the main source of land access. Households own about 79% of land, but only 43% of
household land and housing has registered title.
Furthermore, village water committees have been changed through the establishment of
water utility authorities to correspond to the increased domestic demand for water.
Moreover, results of the household survey indicated that 75 % of surveyed households’
access domestic water from a tap, 23 % from a well and 2 % from other sources. Only 21%
of domestic water sources are located inside household compounds, 74% being located
outside. The location of domestic water points has implications for the costs of accessing
water and productive labour time. In solid waste management domain, results of the
household survey indicated that, 70 % of households’ dispose of their solid waste in
garbage bins on their compounds, 12 % in burning pits on their compounds, 17 % in public
waste dumps and 1 % in both garbage bins and by burning on their compounds. MNL
results revealed that, EUC of residence, household size and membership of waste
management committees were statistically significant regarding households’ choices of
solid waste disposal practices (P<0.05).
The study concludes that EUCs are rapidly growing in term of population growth, the
concentration of economic activities and the development of social services but that local
government authorities are lagging behind in planning service provision (establishment of
functional institutions and infrastructures development) for the rapidly growing population
within both EUCs. The study recommends that, the respective government authorities
facilitate the formal administrative transition to township status to give local government
authorities within townships autonomy in decision-making and in planning service
provision for the rapidly growing populations of both EUCs. The government should pay
special attention to the EUCs in resource allocation for service provision and
infrastructural development so as to tap the development potential associated with rapid
growth within EUCs. Effective synergies between the government, the private sector and
local communities should be initiated with regard to resource mobilization for planning
and service provision within EUCs.Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and School of
Agricultural Economics and Business Studies (SAEBS
Gendered access to indirect benefits from natural gas extraction in Kilwa District, Tanzania
No full textInternational Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 4 No. 1, April 2020, pp: 1-12Natural gas extraction contributes substantially to the economy of many
countries around the world were natural gas resource is found. Despite its
potential benefits, it is not known to what extent the benefits are equally
enjoyed by both men and women in the respective host communities. The
existing studies focus more on benefit-sharing at the national level and lack
gender analysis. Using a cross-sectional design, a study was conducted to
establish gendered access to indirect benefits from natural gas extraction.
Quantitative data were collected from 373 households and qualitative data
through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and participant
observation Findings revealed that about 53% of community members
categorized access to indirect benefits to be of high level. The indirect benefits
largely cut across investments and support in education, health, water, and
employment opportunities. The study concludes that, while investment by
Extractive Companies (ECs) has managed to improve health services the
shortage of technical staff has remained unsolved. Likewise, while various
benefits revealed to exist in education the chronic problem on girls drops out of
school remains to be a challenge. Therefore, the study recommends various
strategies to be adopted to address the remaining gender-related challenges
that limit fully enjoyment from ECs investment among men and women
Immunoreactivity of Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen 2 alpha in mouse pancreatic islet cells.
No full textCells of the pancreatic islets produce several molecules including insulin (beta cells),
glucagon (alpha cells), somatostatin (delta cells), pancreatic polypeptide (PP cells),
ghrelin (epsilon cells), serotonin (enterochromaffin cells), gastrin (G cells) and small
granules of unknown content secreted by the P/D1 cells. Secretion mechanism of
some of these molecules is still poorly understood. However, Cathepsin L is shown
to regulate insulin exocytosis in beta cells and activate the trypsinogen produced by
the pancreatic serous acini cells into trypsin. The structure of the propeptide region
of Cathepsin L is homologous to Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-2 alpha (CTLA-2
alpha) which is also shown to exhibit selective inhibitory activities against Cathepsin
L. It was thought that if CTLA-2 alpha was expressed in the pancreas; then, it would
be an important regulator of protease activation and insulin secretion. The purpose
of this study was, therefore, to examine by immunohistochemistry the cellular localization
and distribution pattern of CTLA-2 alpha in the pancreas. Results showed that
strong immunoreactivity was specifically detected in the pancreatic islets (endocrine
pancreas) but not in the exocrine pancreas and pancreatic stroma. Immunostaining
was further performed to investigate more on localization of Cathepsin L in the pancreas.
Strong immunoreactivity for Cathepsin L was detected in the pancreatic islets,
serous cells and the pancreas duct system. These findings suggest that CTLA-2
alpha may be involved in the proteolytic processing and secretion of insulin through
regulation of Cathepsin L and that the regulated inhibition of Cathepsin L may have
therapeutic potential for type 1 diabetes