60 research outputs found
Indigenous leafy vegetables of Eastern Africa — A source of extraordinary secondary plant metabolites
No full textIndigenous African leafy vegetables vary enormously in their secondary plant metabolites whereat genus and the species have a great impact. In African nightshade (Solanum scabrum), spiderplant (Cleome gynandra), amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Ethiopian kale (Brassica carinata) and common kale (Brassica oleracea) the specific secondary metabolite profile was elucidated and gained detailed data about carotenoids, chlorophylls, glucosinolates and phenolic compounds all having an appropriate contribution to health beneficial properties of indigenous African leafy vegetables. Exemplarily, various quercetin glycosides such as quercetin-3-rutinoside occur in high concentrations in African nightshade, spiderplant, and amaranth between similar to 1400-3300 mu g/g DW. Additionally the extraordinary hydroxydnnamic acid derivatives such as glucaric isomers and isocitric acid isomers are found especially in amaranth (up to similar to 1250 mu g/g DW) and spiderplant (up to 120 mu g/g DW). Carotenoids concentrations are high in amaranth (up to 101.7 mu g/g DW) and spiderplants (up to 64.7 mu g/g DW) showing high concentrations of beta-carotene, the pro-vitamin A. In contrast to the ubiquitous occurring phenolics and carotenoids, glucosinolates are only present in the Brassicales species Ethiopian kale, common kale and spiderplant characterized by diverse glucosinolate profiles. Generally, the consumption of a variety of these indigenous African leafy vegetables can be recommended to contribute to different benefits such as antioxidant activity, increase pro-vitamin A and anticancerogenic compounds in a healthy diet. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Evaluation of Growth, Yield and Bioactive Compounds of Ethiopian Kale (Brassica carinata A. Braun) Microgreens under Different LED Light Spectra and Substrates
No full textMicrogreens are innovative vegetable products whose production and consumption are gaining popularity globally thanks to their recognized nutraceutical properties. To date, the effects of lighting conditions and growing substrate on the performances of Brassica carinata microgreens (indigenous to Africa) remain underexplored. The present study aimed at providing insights into the influence of different lighting treatments provided by LEDs, namely monochromatic blue (B), red (R), cool white (W) and a combination of three color diodes (B + R + W), and substrates (cocopeat, sand and cocopeat–sand mix (v/v) (1:1)) on the growth, yield and bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens. Seeds were germinated in dark chambers and cultivated in growth chambers equipped with LED lighting systems for 14 days under a fixed light intensity of 160 ± 2.5 μmol m−2 s−1 and photoperiod of 12 h d−1. The best performances were associated with the spectrum that combined B + R + W LEDs and with substrate resulting from the cocopeat–sand mix, including the highest yield (19.19 g plant−1), plant height (9.94 cm), leaf area (68.11 mm2) and canopy cover (55.9%). Enhanced carotenoid and flavonoid contents were obtained with B + R + W LEDs, while the B LED increased the total amount of chlorophyll (11,880 mg kg−1). For plants grown under B + R + W LEDs in cocopeat, high nitrate levels were observed. Our results demonstrate that substrate and light environment interact to influence the growth, yield and concentration of bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens
Things Fall Apart back to the Owners: Adapting Achebe’s Text to Film for the Igbo Populace
No full textAt the beginning of scholarship on film adaptation, critics dismissed adapted films as watered down versions of their literary antecedents. Scholars such as Woof (1950) argued that the films were reductive of the supremacy of the texts, and that films depended on the popularity of literary texts in order to gain credibility. This fidelity-betrayal aesthetic would see adapted films reviled and disregarded as fodder only fit for the lower classes of the society. In further arguments that were logocentric (aiming to vouch for the supremacy of the text and dismiss the dependence of the adapted film), films adapted from literature were judged to be less intellectually stimulating, and born out of a lack of ingenuity on the part of the filmmakers to create new works of art, completely autonomous in their right (Cartmell, et al. (2008). Using the case of Things Fall Apart (the literary text and the adapted film) this paper, however, seeks to counter this notion and rationalize that in adapting the film from Achebe’s text, the filmmaker succeeds in bringing the story of Okonkwo and Umuofia back home – to the people among whom it originally happened. The main argument in this paper is hinged on the understanding that while the text is discriminative, allowing only the schooled members of the Igbo population to read their story, the film is more accommodating. This is made possible because the cinematic medium has the ability to reach a larger section of the Igbo people who do not have a reading chance or interpretive ability to interact with the narrative in the literary form and the meanings thereof
Mainstreaming Efficient Legume Seed Systems in Eastern Africa: Challenges, opportunities and contributions towards improved livelihoods
No full textThis technical paper begins with an introduction to
grain legumes and their importance in Eastern Africa,
followed by trends in production and productivity,
variety development, release and promotion.
It proposes and describes 12 basic principles
necessary to mainstream legume seed systems (and
thereby legume production and utilization) in crop
development programmes for sustainable agricultural
intensification in Eastern Africa. These principles
include a closer look at the legume seed theory of
change, taking note of how the various players help
move activities of stakeholders through outputs,
outcomes and impacts and how they interact through
spheres of action, influence and interest; innovative
approaches for early-generation seed (EGS) supply;
a connection between EGS and commercial class
seed; strong policy environment; strong institutional
framework; multistakeholder involvement; linkage to
utilization and markets; and the role of legumes in
empowering women and youth
Dataset of technical, economic, and environmental parameters of microgrids: A literature-based analysis
No full textLiterature-derived dataset comprising: article details (year, author, title, and journal); microgrid applications (country, configuration, and use case); key component parameters (capital, replacement, and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, capacity, lifespan, and technical characteristics); and system-level aspects (capacity, production, capital, replacement, and O&M costs, net present cost (NPC), payback period (PBP), cost of energy (COE), and carbon emissions)
Adoption of East Coast Fever Vaccine among Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Kenya: The Case of North Rift Kenya
No full textInfluence of New Technology on Learners and Teachers' Professional Development-Kenya
No full textAs the world we are living in experience fast changes in our economic, political and social lives, there is need for a new perspective in the manner in which teachers approach teaching and learning in their classroom environments. This thus calls for the creation of learning networks for Kenyan teachers so as to enhance their individual technological development and that of their learners. Rather than clinging to the current educational practices that aims at improving the current situation, there is need for us to approach the crisis of schooling from a completely different perspective. The need to learn how to learn and to provide multichannel learning opportunities through a variety of flexible delivery mechanism forms the basis of this new perspective. How can we teach teachers how to learn? Ongoing professional development through the establishment of collaborative learning networks promise to provide incentives for change not perceived before. An important driving force behind these professional networks is the emerging information and communication technologies. Modalities on how best we can make our teachers in schools embrace new technology in their classroom content delivery and in their own career development in the current digital world, is the ultimate concern of this concept paper
Raw data of repellent activity of Cymbopogon citratus and Tagetes minuta and their specific volatiles against Megalurothrips sjostedti
No full textThese data support the research article “Repellent activity of Cymbopogon citratus and Tagetes minuta and their specific volatiles against Megalurothrips sjostedti” . The Y- tube olfactometer was used to evaluate the behavioral response of males and females of M. sjostedti. The document provides data on the variation of amounts of compounds in the fresh and old cut leaves of lemongrass. In addition, the data of compounds of Mexican marigold at vegetative and flowering stages are also provided. The variation of amounts of volatile compounds in the plants is described in the table. The data of major compounds from Cymbopogon citratus and Tagetes minuta and their effect on the behavioral responses of female bean flower thrips are presented in the tables.
The data are the tables, figure in the text word and excel. The data were collected in Kenya
Assessment of Variation in Agronomical Traits among Herbicide Tolerant M3 and M4 Maize Lines
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