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The Sustainability of the World's Soils
Published in Bill Pritchard, Rodomiro Ortiz, Meera Shekar, Routledge Handbook of Food and Nutrition Security, 2016
Stefan Hauser, Lindsey Norgrove
Still existing early forms of tropical agriculture used land in an extensive way by selectively removing vegetation by slashing, followed by burning, yet conserving part of the original vegetation. This ensures that after the cropping phase, fallow re-establishment is rapid. In many parts of West and Central Africa, such practices are enshrined in traditional laws affecting land use rights. For example, in southern Cameroon, mvut (Trichoscypha acuminata) and tom (Pachypodanthium staudtii) trees have to be conserved during clearing to gain exclusive control of the land (Diaw 1997). Likewise, it is forbidden to cut down Garcinia kola trees and thus they feature commonly in food crop fields (Fondoun and Tiki Manga 2000). In such fields, relatively shade-tolerant crops such as plantain (Musa spp. AAB), the cocoyams tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) and taro (Colocasia esculenta) are grown. In the savannah, with fewer trees, light-demanding crops such as sorghum, millet and cowpea are dominant. In the past, crops such as African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa), bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) and various species of melon were more important. These systems were predominant at low human population densities and are still deemed sustainable. However, here it is important to distinguish between sustainability and productivity. The traditional systems were sustainable, meaning they were reliably producing crops sufficient to sustain farming households year after year. Systems relied upon long fallow phases during which soil chemical fertility was restored, weeds were smothered, pests and diseases were reduced or eliminated, and soil macrofaunal populations reestablished under the permanent shade (Hauser 1993). These processes stabilized soil physical and chemical properties. Soil macrofauna produce large biopores with high continuity, allowing rapid water infiltration during heavy rainstorms, thus avoiding or reducing soil erosion.
Traditional practices and childhood cryptosporidiosis in Nigeria: A review
Published in Alexandria Journal of Medicine, 2018
Adekunle B. Ayinmode, Oluwasola O. Obebe
Most Nigerians wean their infant at about three to four months of age. Although some as early as the first two months of life by giving food like cereals made from maize (Zea mays), millet (Pennisetum americanum), or guinea corn (Sorghum spp) popularly referred to as pap, akamu, ogi, or koko in Yoruba land, and akamu in Hausa. Staple foods such as mashed, thinned, or pre-chewed form of yam (Dioscorea spp.), rice (Oryza sativa), gari (fermented cassava grits), and cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) are then gradually introduced. These traditional menus, that are consistently fed to infants are known to be high in carbohydrate and low protein and may not be adequate to support the development of a strong immune system without supplements. However, the effort to encourage the feeding of a balanced diet to children in some cultures in Nigeria is hampered by the myth that described feeding of protein-rich food like meat, fish and eggs as a taboo, because it is believed that children fed on such meal will later become thieves, witches or wizards.43–46
Oral administration of oxalate-enriched spinach extract as an improved methodology for the induction of dietary hyperoxaluric nephrocalcinosis in experimental rats
Published in Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 2018
Abhishek Albert, Vidhi Tiwari, Eldho Paul, Sasikumar Ponnusamy, Divya Ganesan, Rajkumar Prabhakaran, Selvi Mariaraj Sivakumar, Selvam Govindan Sadasivam
All the samples were analyzed in raw condition. Samples of leaf tea (5 g), almonds (5 g), wheat bran (5 g), cocoyam (5 g) and spinach (100 g) were procured from the local market. In order to determine the dry matter content, the samples were washed, shredded and dried in an oven at 105 °C for 24 h. For determination of total oxalate content, 1 g of finely ground samples were suspended with 50 mL of 2 M HCl. The soluble oxalate content was analyzed by the addition of 1 g of finely ground samples in 50 mL of water. Subsequently the extracts were kept in 80 °C water bath for 15 min, cooled and transferred to a 100 mL volumetric flask and made up to the volume with distilled water. Three extractions were carried out for each food sample. Oxalate in dietary samples was estimated using an oxalate kit procured from Trinity Biotech (Jamestown, NY). This method is based on oxidation of oxalate by oxalate oxidase followed by detection of H2O2 produced during the reaction (Hodgkinson and Williams 1972; Li and Madappally 1989). Calcium content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Molska et al. 2014). Since spinach extract contained the maximum oxalate level, the results were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Shimadzu FTIR-8300, Kyoto, Japan), in the spectral region of 400–4000 cm−1 using KBr pellet technique and Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis (LCQ Fleet, Thermo Fisher Instruments Limited, Waltham, MA) (Sandín-España et al. 2016). High oxalate content present in aqueous solutions of spinach extract was selected for the induction of hyperoxaluria and nephrocalcinosis in an animal model.