Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due... more Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due to poor infrastructure. Statistics from the Kenya police indicate that this mode of transport accounts for most road accidents in Kakamega County. This leads to injuries, maiming, or death. The research was conducted to evaluate the impact of training levels undertaken by boda boda operators on road safety, accidents, and their awareness levels on safety measures. Four hundred and eighty questionnaires were randomly administered to boda boda operators, health facilities and law enforcement officers. The variables included age, education level, marital status, training level and awareness, ownership, time of operations and number of passengers ferried. It was observed that 64% of boda boda operators had no valid licenses. About 51% of the operators were trained through apprenticeship, 33% through driving school and 16% self-training. An average of 61% did not have any road safety training. There was significant difference between the number of years in operation and accident involvement (X2=3.299, df=3, p<0.05).Those who had worked between 1-5 years had higher accidents than those withover 10 years. The licensed and trained operators had significantly fewer accidents than untrained operators (X2=1.172.; df=1 p<0.05) accounting for47% and 53%, respectively. In conclusion, most of the boda boda accidents are due to lack of training and awareness on road safety. Thus, there is urgent need for the operators to go to driving school, and also get awareness training on road safety. The County should provide continuous training and road safety awareness programmes. This will provide knowledge, and change perceptions on road safety practices in Kakamega County. The information could be used in policy development and improvement in Kenya.
Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due... more Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due to poor infrastructure. Statistics from the Kenya police indicate that this mode of transport accounts for most road accidents in Kakamega County. This leads to injuries, maiming, or death. The research was conducted to evaluate the impact of training levels undertaken by boda boda operators on road safety, accidents, and their awareness levels on safety measures. Four hundred and eighty questionnaires were randomly administered to boda boda operators, health facilities and law enforcement officers. The variables included age, education level, marital status, training level and awareness, ownership, time of operations and number of passengers ferried. It was observed that 64% of boda boda operators had no valid licenses. About 51% of the operators were trained through apprenticeship, 33% through driving school and 16% self-training. An average of 61% did not have any road safety trainin...
Background: Injury among high school students has received disproportionately little attention as... more Background: Injury among high school students has received disproportionately little attention as a public health concern in Kenya. Objective: To establish the prevalence of injuries occurring among high school students in Kieni West District, Nyeri County, Central Kenya. Methods: A Cross sectional study design was adopted where stratified random samples were recruited disproportionately to ensure adequate representation of most of segments of student population. Data was collected from 498 students (n = 294) girls and (n = 204) boys who were Original Research Article
Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria lead to a considerable increase in hu... more Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria lead to a considerable increase in human morbidity and mortality globally. This requires to search potential actinomycete isolates from undiscovered habitats as a source of effective bioactive metabolites and to synthesis metabolite-mediated antibacterial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The main purpose of the present study was to identify actinomycetes isolated from Thika waste dump soils that produce bioactive metabolites to synthesize antibacterial AgNPs. The synthesis of metabolite-mediated AgNP was confirmed with visual detection and a UV-vis spectrophotometer, whereas the functional groups involved in AgNP synthesis were identified using a FTIR spectrophotometer. The antibacterial activity of the metabolite-mediated AgNPs was tested by a well diffusion assay. Identification of actinomycete isolates involved in the synthesis of antibacterial AgNPs was done based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The visual detection sh...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are sources of chemical substances that have different biological act... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are sources of chemical substances that have different biological activities including those useful in the treatment of human and animal diseases. Amongst the indigenous herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia in Kisii region, Southwest Kenya are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruvian, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica. A study was carried out on these herbs in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to determine the essential and non-essential heavy metals present in the herbs and their levels. Leaf samples of these plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were digested by wet digestion method and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The essential and non-essential heavy metals in the plant extracts were quantified. As a guideline, FAO/WHO defined the permissible limits (ppm) of the vario...
White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks a wide host range of broad-leafed plants wh... more White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks a wide host range of broad-leafed plants which includes soybeans. The effect of twelve metal ions (Hg+2, Co+3, Ag+1, La+3, Cd+2, Cr+3, Cu+2, Zn+2, Mo+5, Sr+2, Sn+4 and Ba+2) on the growth of pathogenic fungus S. sclerotiorum was studied. The fungus was isolated from infected soybean plant collected at Rongai, Kenya. The isolate was tested for the tolerance to metal ions at concentrations of 50.0, 100.0, 250.0 and 500.0 ppm amended into the C: N (35:1) glucose peptone prepared using 1.5% (3.75g) agar culture medium. All the investigated metal ions exhibited concentration dependent mycelial growth using disc diffusion test. Of 12 metal cations tested, only copper and zinc stimulated mycelial growth of S. sclerotiorum mycelial in relatively higher concentrations. Higher concentrations of Hg+2, Ag+1, La+3 and Cd+2 inhibited growth of fungi causing an opaque halo in the medium. FT-IR spectral analysis of culture filtrate reviewed oxal...
Nanostructured delivery systems for fertilizers could minimize leaching and consequently reduce t... more Nanostructured delivery systems for fertilizers could minimize leaching and consequently reduce the amountsapplied. In this study, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSNs) were explored as controlled release carriers forfertilizers. A series of MSNs with particle sizes, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore diameters, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas and BJH total pore volumes ranging between 50 nm – 900 nm, 2.4 nm - 4.4 nm, 589 m2g-1- 1013 m2g-1 and 0.61 cm3g-1 – 0.81 cm3g-1 respectively were synthesized via Liquid Crystal Templating Mechanism(LCT). Urea was used as a model fertilizer to access the fertilizer loading and controlled release behaviour of MSNs.Loading was achieved by a simple immersion technique using concentrated aqueous urea solution. As much as19.8 % - 78.2 % of the MSNs surface areas and 16.8 % - 99.0 % of the mesopore volumes were loaded with ureamolecules, mainly by physisorption. In vitro release studies of urea-loaded MSNs (UMSNs) in water indicated aburst...
2 Abstract: Medicinal plants are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional med... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal plants are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medicinal treatment of various ailments. In Kisii region, southwest Kenya, amongst the indigenous herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruvian, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica. A study was carried out on these plants in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to test for the presence of phytochemical compounds in the eight selected traditional medicinal herbs. Leaf samples of the selected herbs growing in the ecological conditions of the Kisii region were collected, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were extracted with one solvent namely water. The aqueous portion of the extract was used for phytochemical analysis to determine the presence of bioactive compounds. Results showed that saponins, tannins, steroids, terpenoids an...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medi... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medicinal treatment of various ailments. Flavonoids are phytochemical compounds that provide protection against ultraviolet radiation, pathogens and herbivores to herbs. Flavonoids have effect on human nutrition and health as antioxidant and chelating compounds. Phenols are phytochemical compounds that function in nutrient uptake, protein synthesis, enzyme activity, photosynthesis; structural components and allelopathy in herbs. The phenolic compounds, have biological and pharmacological properties especially their antimicrobial activity, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities. In Kisii region, southwest Kenya, amongst the herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifo...
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different milking time in a cow affects th... more The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different milking time in a cow affects the nutrients levels in the milk. Milk is considered as balanced diet food with nutrients playing an important role in the body of a human being like calcium build and maintain strong bones and teeth, magnesiumhelps in muscular functions, potassium helps in blood pressure control, muscle and nerve function while zinc stimulates the activity of enzymes in the body, supports immune system, synthesize DNA and in wound healing.Nutrients levels were determined using analytical methodsAAS for analysis of calcium, magnesium and zinc and AES for analysis of potassium. Cow milk obtained in the morning and in the evening had different levels of nutrients in free range indigenous and zero grazed exotic cows. The results showed that in free range indigenous cow milk, nutrients are higher in the morning than in the evening except magnesium while in zero grazed exotic cow milk, the nutrients analysed ar...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs constitute effective sources of natural products consumed as phytomed... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs constitute effective sources of natural products consumed as phytomedicines. For instance leaf decoctions of Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica, are used for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia among other diseases in Kisii region, southwest Kenya. However, the pH levels of aqueous extracts of these herbs have not been adequately described yet these would have implications on the body's biological system. Consequently, a study was carried out on these herbs in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to determine pH levels of the aqueous extracts of the herbs. In the study, leaf samples of the eight selected plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. A portion of the powdered leaves was dissolved in distilled water to obtain aqueous extract. The pH levels of the aqueous extracts of the samples we...
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Baryis an ubiquitous phytopathogenic fungus capable of infecti... more Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Baryis an ubiquitous phytopathogenic fungus capable of infecting a wide varietyof vegetables, ornamentals, and field crops causing significant quality and yield losses. Plants susceptible to thispathogen encompass 75 families, 278 genera, and 408 species (Boland and Hall, 1994). The general inability ofeconomically important crops to develop germplasm resistant to this pathogen has focused attention on the needfor a more detailed understanding of the pathogenic factors involved in disease development.S. sclerotiorum wasstudied to determine the impact of culture media representing disparate carbon to nitrogen sources and ratios onmycelial growth, oxalate accumulation, and culture pH. The three parameters exhibited significant variations withrespect to the differing preference for the nutrient sources and ratios; most oxalate accumulated on high CN (75:1)nutrient media, the intermediate CN (35:1) nutrient media exhibited the best growth potential, wh...
As the world’s population continues to increase, food supplies must grow to meet the nutritional ... more As the world’s population continues to increase, food supplies must grow to meet the nutritional requirements. Onemeans of establishing the stability and adequate supply of food is to mitigate crop losses caused by pathogens.Soybean is the world’s most important legume in terms of production and due to its high content of protein (30-40%)w/w and oil (15-22%) w/w. The crop yield is however affected by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a ubiquitousphytopathogenic fungus which attacks a wide range of plants. Though the diseases reported in western, Nyanza,Eastern and Rift valley provinces, most data from developing countries such as Kenya is unavailable and this is one ofthe reasons for carrying out this study. In Kenya Sclerotinia white mould has been. How oxalate metabolism isregulated in plants is currently not well understood. Effective pathogenesis by the fungus requires the secretion ofoxalic acid hence understanding the metabolism of oxalic acid is of great importance in the control of ...
A diploid fungus, Candida albicans, is a form of yeast that is a casual agent of opportunistic or... more A diploid fungus, Candida albicans, is a form of yeast that is a casual agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans and is traditionally treated using herbs. Amongst the indigenous herbs used for the purpose in Kisii region, southwest Kenya are: Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia sciatica. A study was carried out on these herbal plants in the year 2011and 2012. The objective was to determine the antifungal activity of these herbs that are also used for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia. In the study, leaf samples of these plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were extracted with four solvents namely hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and ethanol. Portions of the crude extracts were screened against Candida albicans, by the well diffusion method. Results showed that the standard antibiotics namely ...
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2014
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the second most important food crop after maize in Kenya. It is pop... more Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the second most important food crop after maize in Kenya. It is popular among smallholder farmers because it has short cropping cycles and large production volumes per area which fulfil both households’ food demands as well as generating income. In order to increase productivity and quality, farmers use pesticides and other agrochemicals. These pesticides if improperly handled impact negatively on the health of the users. The objective of the study was to evaluate the pesticide safety measures adopted by potato farmers in Chebiemit Division of Elgeyo/Marakwet County. Data was collected through stratified simple sampling where 323 potato farmers were administered with structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. The study found out that 96% of the farmers were aware of pesticide safety labels and the level of awareness was influenced positively by education (χ2 = 4.08, p < 0.05, df = 2) and training (χ2 = 3.05, p < 0.05, df...
In the recent decades, there has been a concern on heavy metals in waste water and high cost of c... more In the recent decades, there has been a concern on heavy metals in waste water and high cost of conventional methods of removing heavy metals, for this reason search on adsorbents of biological origin which is low cost and efficient is necessary. In this work defatted Moringa oleifera seed powder was studied as a potential alternative adsorbent for removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorption kinetics and initial ions concentration adsorption capacity using sorption models were evaluated. The results showed that the optimum pH for biosorption of Cu(II) was 6.5 while that of Pb(II) was 5.5. Contact time for Cu(II) was observed to occur after 30 min while that of Pb(II) occurred after 40 min. FTIR analysis revealed that defatted Moringa oleifera seed biomass had presence of amino, carboxyl, hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, these groups were responsible for biosorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Biosor...
Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due... more Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due to poor infrastructure. Statistics from the Kenya police indicate that this mode of transport accounts for most road accidents in Kakamega County. This leads to injuries, maiming, or death. The research was conducted to evaluate the impact of training levels undertaken by boda boda operators on road safety, accidents, and their awareness levels on safety measures. Four hundred and eighty questionnaires were randomly administered to boda boda operators, health facilities and law enforcement officers. The variables included age, education level, marital status, training level and awareness, ownership, time of operations and number of passengers ferried. It was observed that 64% of boda boda operators had no valid licenses. About 51% of the operators were trained through apprenticeship, 33% through driving school and 16% self-training. An average of 61% did not have any road safety training. There was significant difference between the number of years in operation and accident involvement (X2=3.299, df=3, p<0.05).Those who had worked between 1-5 years had higher accidents than those withover 10 years. The licensed and trained operators had significantly fewer accidents than untrained operators (X2=1.172.; df=1 p<0.05) accounting for47% and 53%, respectively. In conclusion, most of the boda boda accidents are due to lack of training and awareness on road safety. Thus, there is urgent need for the operators to go to driving school, and also get awareness training on road safety. The County should provide continuous training and road safety awareness programmes. This will provide knowledge, and change perceptions on road safety practices in Kakamega County. The information could be used in policy development and improvement in Kenya.
Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due... more Motorcycle transportation commonly known as boda boda, is very useful in rural areas of Kenya due to poor infrastructure. Statistics from the Kenya police indicate that this mode of transport accounts for most road accidents in Kakamega County. This leads to injuries, maiming, or death. The research was conducted to evaluate the impact of training levels undertaken by boda boda operators on road safety, accidents, and their awareness levels on safety measures. Four hundred and eighty questionnaires were randomly administered to boda boda operators, health facilities and law enforcement officers. The variables included age, education level, marital status, training level and awareness, ownership, time of operations and number of passengers ferried. It was observed that 64% of boda boda operators had no valid licenses. About 51% of the operators were trained through apprenticeship, 33% through driving school and 16% self-training. An average of 61% did not have any road safety trainin...
Background: Injury among high school students has received disproportionately little attention as... more Background: Injury among high school students has received disproportionately little attention as a public health concern in Kenya. Objective: To establish the prevalence of injuries occurring among high school students in Kieni West District, Nyeri County, Central Kenya. Methods: A Cross sectional study design was adopted where stratified random samples were recruited disproportionately to ensure adequate representation of most of segments of student population. Data was collected from 498 students (n = 294) girls and (n = 204) boys who were Original Research Article
Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria lead to a considerable increase in hu... more Infectious diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria lead to a considerable increase in human morbidity and mortality globally. This requires to search potential actinomycete isolates from undiscovered habitats as a source of effective bioactive metabolites and to synthesis metabolite-mediated antibacterial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The main purpose of the present study was to identify actinomycetes isolated from Thika waste dump soils that produce bioactive metabolites to synthesize antibacterial AgNPs. The synthesis of metabolite-mediated AgNP was confirmed with visual detection and a UV-vis spectrophotometer, whereas the functional groups involved in AgNP synthesis were identified using a FTIR spectrophotometer. The antibacterial activity of the metabolite-mediated AgNPs was tested by a well diffusion assay. Identification of actinomycete isolates involved in the synthesis of antibacterial AgNPs was done based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The visual detection sh...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are sources of chemical substances that have different biological act... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are sources of chemical substances that have different biological activities including those useful in the treatment of human and animal diseases. Amongst the indigenous herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia in Kisii region, Southwest Kenya are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruvian, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica. A study was carried out on these herbs in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to determine the essential and non-essential heavy metals present in the herbs and their levels. Leaf samples of these plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were digested by wet digestion method and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The essential and non-essential heavy metals in the plant extracts were quantified. As a guideline, FAO/WHO defined the permissible limits (ppm) of the vario...
White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks a wide host range of broad-leafed plants wh... more White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks a wide host range of broad-leafed plants which includes soybeans. The effect of twelve metal ions (Hg+2, Co+3, Ag+1, La+3, Cd+2, Cr+3, Cu+2, Zn+2, Mo+5, Sr+2, Sn+4 and Ba+2) on the growth of pathogenic fungus S. sclerotiorum was studied. The fungus was isolated from infected soybean plant collected at Rongai, Kenya. The isolate was tested for the tolerance to metal ions at concentrations of 50.0, 100.0, 250.0 and 500.0 ppm amended into the C: N (35:1) glucose peptone prepared using 1.5% (3.75g) agar culture medium. All the investigated metal ions exhibited concentration dependent mycelial growth using disc diffusion test. Of 12 metal cations tested, only copper and zinc stimulated mycelial growth of S. sclerotiorum mycelial in relatively higher concentrations. Higher concentrations of Hg+2, Ag+1, La+3 and Cd+2 inhibited growth of fungi causing an opaque halo in the medium. FT-IR spectral analysis of culture filtrate reviewed oxal...
Nanostructured delivery systems for fertilizers could minimize leaching and consequently reduce t... more Nanostructured delivery systems for fertilizers could minimize leaching and consequently reduce the amountsapplied. In this study, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSNs) were explored as controlled release carriers forfertilizers. A series of MSNs with particle sizes, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore diameters, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas and BJH total pore volumes ranging between 50 nm – 900 nm, 2.4 nm - 4.4 nm, 589 m2g-1- 1013 m2g-1 and 0.61 cm3g-1 – 0.81 cm3g-1 respectively were synthesized via Liquid Crystal Templating Mechanism(LCT). Urea was used as a model fertilizer to access the fertilizer loading and controlled release behaviour of MSNs.Loading was achieved by a simple immersion technique using concentrated aqueous urea solution. As much as19.8 % - 78.2 % of the MSNs surface areas and 16.8 % - 99.0 % of the mesopore volumes were loaded with ureamolecules, mainly by physisorption. In vitro release studies of urea-loaded MSNs (UMSNs) in water indicated aburst...
2 Abstract: Medicinal plants are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional med... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal plants are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medicinal treatment of various ailments. In Kisii region, southwest Kenya, amongst the indigenous herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruvian, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica. A study was carried out on these plants in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to test for the presence of phytochemical compounds in the eight selected traditional medicinal herbs. Leaf samples of the selected herbs growing in the ecological conditions of the Kisii region were collected, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were extracted with one solvent namely water. The aqueous portion of the extract was used for phytochemical analysis to determine the presence of bioactive compounds. Results showed that saponins, tannins, steroids, terpenoids an...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medi... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs are an important source of phytochemicals that offer traditional medicinal treatment of various ailments. Flavonoids are phytochemical compounds that provide protection against ultraviolet radiation, pathogens and herbivores to herbs. Flavonoids have effect on human nutrition and health as antioxidant and chelating compounds. Phenols are phytochemical compounds that function in nutrient uptake, protein synthesis, enzyme activity, photosynthesis; structural components and allelopathy in herbs. The phenolic compounds, have biological and pharmacological properties especially their antimicrobial activity, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities. In Kisii region, southwest Kenya, amongst the herbs used as phytomedicines for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia are Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifo...
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different milking time in a cow affects th... more The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different milking time in a cow affects the nutrients levels in the milk. Milk is considered as balanced diet food with nutrients playing an important role in the body of a human being like calcium build and maintain strong bones and teeth, magnesiumhelps in muscular functions, potassium helps in blood pressure control, muscle and nerve function while zinc stimulates the activity of enzymes in the body, supports immune system, synthesize DNA and in wound healing.Nutrients levels were determined using analytical methodsAAS for analysis of calcium, magnesium and zinc and AES for analysis of potassium. Cow milk obtained in the morning and in the evening had different levels of nutrients in free range indigenous and zero grazed exotic cows. The results showed that in free range indigenous cow milk, nutrients are higher in the morning than in the evening except magnesium while in zero grazed exotic cow milk, the nutrients analysed ar...
2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs constitute effective sources of natural products consumed as phytomed... more 2 Abstract: Medicinal herbs constitute effective sources of natural products consumed as phytomedicines. For instance leaf decoctions of Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia asiatica, are used for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia among other diseases in Kisii region, southwest Kenya. However, the pH levels of aqueous extracts of these herbs have not been adequately described yet these would have implications on the body's biological system. Consequently, a study was carried out on these herbs in the year 2011 to 2012. The objective was to determine pH levels of the aqueous extracts of the herbs. In the study, leaf samples of the eight selected plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. A portion of the powdered leaves was dissolved in distilled water to obtain aqueous extract. The pH levels of the aqueous extracts of the samples we...
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Baryis an ubiquitous phytopathogenic fungus capable of infecti... more Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Baryis an ubiquitous phytopathogenic fungus capable of infecting a wide varietyof vegetables, ornamentals, and field crops causing significant quality and yield losses. Plants susceptible to thispathogen encompass 75 families, 278 genera, and 408 species (Boland and Hall, 1994). The general inability ofeconomically important crops to develop germplasm resistant to this pathogen has focused attention on the needfor a more detailed understanding of the pathogenic factors involved in disease development.S. sclerotiorum wasstudied to determine the impact of culture media representing disparate carbon to nitrogen sources and ratios onmycelial growth, oxalate accumulation, and culture pH. The three parameters exhibited significant variations withrespect to the differing preference for the nutrient sources and ratios; most oxalate accumulated on high CN (75:1)nutrient media, the intermediate CN (35:1) nutrient media exhibited the best growth potential, wh...
As the world’s population continues to increase, food supplies must grow to meet the nutritional ... more As the world’s population continues to increase, food supplies must grow to meet the nutritional requirements. Onemeans of establishing the stability and adequate supply of food is to mitigate crop losses caused by pathogens.Soybean is the world’s most important legume in terms of production and due to its high content of protein (30-40%)w/w and oil (15-22%) w/w. The crop yield is however affected by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a ubiquitousphytopathogenic fungus which attacks a wide range of plants. Though the diseases reported in western, Nyanza,Eastern and Rift valley provinces, most data from developing countries such as Kenya is unavailable and this is one ofthe reasons for carrying out this study. In Kenya Sclerotinia white mould has been. How oxalate metabolism isregulated in plants is currently not well understood. Effective pathogenesis by the fungus requires the secretion ofoxalic acid hence understanding the metabolism of oxalic acid is of great importance in the control of ...
A diploid fungus, Candida albicans, is a form of yeast that is a casual agent of opportunistic or... more A diploid fungus, Candida albicans, is a form of yeast that is a casual agent of opportunistic oral and genital infections in humans and is traditionally treated using herbs. Amongst the indigenous herbs used for the purpose in Kisii region, southwest Kenya are: Carissa spinarum, Urtica dioica, Warburgia ugandensis, Senna didymobotrya, Physalis Peruviana, Bidens pilosa, Leonotis nepetifolia and Toddalia sciatica. A study was carried out on these herbal plants in the year 2011and 2012. The objective was to determine the antifungal activity of these herbs that are also used for the treatment of diabetes, malaria and pneumonia. In the study, leaf samples of these plants were obtained from Kisii region, washed, air-dried and milled. The samples were extracted with four solvents namely hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and ethanol. Portions of the crude extracts were screened against Candida albicans, by the well diffusion method. Results showed that the standard antibiotics namely ...
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2014
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the second most important food crop after maize in Kenya. It is pop... more Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the second most important food crop after maize in Kenya. It is popular among smallholder farmers because it has short cropping cycles and large production volumes per area which fulfil both households’ food demands as well as generating income. In order to increase productivity and quality, farmers use pesticides and other agrochemicals. These pesticides if improperly handled impact negatively on the health of the users. The objective of the study was to evaluate the pesticide safety measures adopted by potato farmers in Chebiemit Division of Elgeyo/Marakwet County. Data was collected through stratified simple sampling where 323 potato farmers were administered with structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. The study found out that 96% of the farmers were aware of pesticide safety labels and the level of awareness was influenced positively by education (χ2 = 4.08, p < 0.05, df = 2) and training (χ2 = 3.05, p < 0.05, df...
In the recent decades, there has been a concern on heavy metals in waste water and high cost of c... more In the recent decades, there has been a concern on heavy metals in waste water and high cost of conventional methods of removing heavy metals, for this reason search on adsorbents of biological origin which is low cost and efficient is necessary. In this work defatted Moringa oleifera seed powder was studied as a potential alternative adsorbent for removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorption kinetics and initial ions concentration adsorption capacity using sorption models were evaluated. The results showed that the optimum pH for biosorption of Cu(II) was 6.5 while that of Pb(II) was 5.5. Contact time for Cu(II) was observed to occur after 30 min while that of Pb(II) occurred after 40 min. FTIR analysis revealed that defatted Moringa oleifera seed biomass had presence of amino, carboxyl, hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, these groups were responsible for biosorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Biosor...
Erastus S.K. Mwangi1٭, Erastus G. Gatebe1, Mary W. Ndung’u, 2012
Consumption of soybeans and food products made from them is increasing because of their desirable... more Consumption of soybeans and food products made from them is increasing because of their desirable nutritional value and associated health benefits. However, soybeans like other legumes contain oxalate; which is considered pathological in the formation of urinary/kidney stones. The main objective of the current study is to determine the amount of oxalate in soybean seed varieties grown in Kenya. The insoluble and soluble oxalate content from nine soybean varieties were extracted using hot acid (80 °C, 2 M HCl) and hot distilled water (80 °C), respectively. The supernatant was determined for oxalates and calcium content by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and by atomic absorption flame emission spectrophotometer (AAS), respectively, against the oxalate and calcium standard solution. The mean total oxalate concentration in the 9 cultivars of soybean analyzed was 1.665 g/100 g of dry weight, with values ranging between 0.832 and 2.847 g/100 g of dry weight, the greatest proportion being insoluble (average of 61.6%). The mean total calcium content was 1.764 g/100g of dry weight, with values ranging between 0.434 and 4.994 g/100g of dry weight. There was a correlation between total oxalate (soluble and insoluble) and calcium content in the seeds of soybean varieties. The amounts of total oxalate in soybean seeds exceed current recommendations for oxalate consumption by individuals who have a history of calcium oxalate kidney/urinary stones. This is the first report on assessment of oxalate concentration on soybean grown in Kenya. SCS-1 displayed the lowest total oxalate levels and is a strong reason why the adoption of the improved varieties of soybean should be encouraged. The study serves as the basis to find soybean cultivars lower in oxalate, which will have lower risk for kidney stone formation after human consumption.
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