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Item Fatty acid profile, oxidative stability of lipids and sensory attributes of water restricted Xhosa goat meat supplemented with vitamin C(CSIRO Publishing, 2021-09-21) Akinmoladun, O. F. 0009-0000-7455-2041; Fon, F. N.; Mpendulo, C. T. 0009-0007-9049-0793; Hugo, A. 0000-0001-9557-0804; Falowo, A. B.; Nantapo, C. T. W.Context. Water scarcity often accompanied by limited water intake (WI) in livestock may result in pre-slaughter stress, thereby affecting meat quality parameters. Aims. This study was conducted to determine the effect of vitamin C (VC) supplementations on fatty acid (FA), lipids oxidation and sensory attributes of Longissimus lumborum muscles of Xhosa goats subjected to different watering regimen. Methods. In total, 42 goats were randomly assigned into seven treatments: without water restriction, WR (W0, control); WR of 70% of ad libitum WI (W70); WR of 50% ad libitum WI (W50); WR of 70% of ad libitum WI + 3 g VC daily (W70+); WR of 50% of ad libitum WI intake + 3 g VC daily (W50+); WR of 70% of ad libitum WI + 3 g VC and extra 5 g VC given every 8 days (W70++); WR of 50% of ad libitum WI + 3 g VC and extra 5 g VC given every 8 days (W50++). The goats were fed for 75 days and killed following standard procedures. Bodyweight changes, thaw loss, ultimate pH (pHu), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), moisture and fat content, sensory attributes and FA profile of the meat were evaluated. Key results. Results indicated that the decreased final weight in the untreated groups (W70 and W50) was reduced (P > 0.05) in the treated groups (W70+, W50+, W70++, W50++). The treatment effect was not significant (P > 0.05) on pHu, thaw loss and TBARS values. The moisture and fat content in the water-restricted groups were lower (P < 0.05) than in W0. The meat sensory appearance was affected (P < 0.05) by WR. Regardless of VC concentration, vaccenic and docosahexaenoic acid increased (P < 0.05), while linolenic acid decreased as the WR levels increased. Conclusions. WR of 70% and 50% of ad libitum WI, with or without VC, did not negatively affect the meat’s lipid oxidation and FA profile. Implications. Limited WI reduces body weight. However, a daily dose of VC could help reduce body weight loss during water scarcity.Item EFFECT OF PROCESSING METHODS ON CHEMICAL AND NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF BAMBOO (Bambusae arundinacea) LEAVES(Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 2021-08-13) Akinmoladun, O. F 0009-0000-7455-2041Due to their abundant macro and micronutrients, some leaves hold a lot of promise as potential forage plants for livestock. However, a major limitation is the high content of anti-nutritional factors that combine with nutrients and reduce their bioavailability. This study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the effect of processing on the chemical and nutrient composition of bamboo leaves. The leaves were subjected to four different physical processing methods; T1 (control, air drying), T2 (fermenting in an airtight bag for five days), T3 (soaking in ordinary water for 24 h), and T4 (soaking in warmwater at 50 oC for 20 min). Fresh samples of the leaf were also analyzed on a wet basis (T5). Samples from respective treatment groups were analyzed for proximate composition, mineral constituents, anti-nutritional factors, vitamin C, flavonoids and antioxidant activities following standard procedures. The values obtained were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance using the generalized linear model of SAS. Although there was no significant effect of processing on ether extract and crude fiber, the crude protein content was significantly higher (P≤0.05) for T3 and T4. The ash content was lowest (P≤0.05) in T3 compared to other treatment groups. The fiber fractions (acid detergent lignin, neutral detergent fiber, hemicellulose and cellulose) were highest (P≤0.05) in T1 than other treatment groups. T1 had the lowest (P≤0.05) for phosphorous and potassium. However, T2, T3 and T4 had similar (P>0.05) phosphorous and sodiumcompositions. The processing effect was not significant (P>0.05) on vitamin C, alkaloids, saponins, and tannin. However, the phytate was highest (P≤0.05) in T1. The physical processing of bamboo leaves lowers the antinutrient appreciably without adversely affecting the proximate composition. Further, the high nutrient composition of bamboo leaves, irrespective of processing methods, attests to its potential as an important forage plant.Item Stress amelioration potential of vitamin C in ruminants: a review(Springer, 2021-12-27) Akinmoladun, Oluwakamisi Festus 0000-0001-6462-374XRuminants, as well as other livestock, can synthesize vitamin C (VC) in their liver, and therefore, dietary requirements from exogenous supplementation are often ignored. However, metabolic demand may be exceeded, leading to a decreased endogenous synthetic capacity of VC following exposure to stressful conditions. Such conditions include high thermal load, limited water intake (induced by water scarcity), physiological status and infectious diseases. The obvious consequences are decreased performance, susceptibility to infections and increased mortality. This review discusses the potential role of vitamin C in ruminants’ stress management and summarizes the in vitro and in vivo research to date. The different administration routes, comparative advantages and supplementation outcomes on growth, production parameters and physiological status were also identified. Also, areas where there was a lack of evidence or controversy, including critical literature research gaps, were identified, while the mechanism of VC’s actions on significant outcomes was explained.Item Vermicompost Amended With Rock Phosphate as a Climate Smart Technology for Production of Organic Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris)(Frontiers Media, 2022-02-16) Ajibade, S; Mnkeni, PNS 0000-0003-0598-7708; Manyevere, A 0000-0002-4756-0895; Mupambwa, HA 0000-0003-1315-5100Vermicomposting is being promoted as climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technology for developing organic nutrient sources that can be adopted by smallholder farmers. The amendment of soils with cost-effective and available inorganic fertilizers like rock phosphate (RP) and phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms should also be promoted. Our study investigated the seedling and maturity growth of Swiss chard. The crop maturity study investigated the effect of amending an Oxisol soil with three phosphorus (P) sources applied at three different rates (0, 25, and 50 mg P kg−1 soil), cow and pig manures, and P-solubilizing bacteria resulting in the following treatments: control (soil), soil + RP alone, soil + RP-enriched cow manure vermicompost (VC) with phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB), and soil + RP-enriched pig manure vermicompost (VP) with PSB. The study investigated the growth performance and accumulation of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) in the edible parts of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. valgaris var. Cicla). The seedlings were grown using pine bark compost and the three P sources (VC, VP, and RP) at five different application rates (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%). The results revealed that the use of 50 mg P kg−1 as VP gave the highest fresh weight of 39.78 g, leaf area of 240.41 cm2 , and a total P in tissues of 326.91 mg kg−1 at 8 weeks after transplanting. The 50 mg P kg−1 application as VC resulted in a higher Zn content of 8.50 mg kg−1 , which was above the permissible level. These results suggest that the best treatment mixture for establishing fully matured Swiss chard was the 50 mg P kg−1 as VP. Therefore, pig manure vermicompost that has been inoculated with phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms is a promising CSA technology that can improve organic vegetable production by smallholder farmers.Item A bibliometric review of vegetation response to climate change(Springer, 2021-10-25) Afuye, Gbenga Abayomi 0000-0001-7965-2009; Kalumba, Ahmed Mukalazi 0000-0001-7593-9096; Busayo, Emmanuel Tolulope 0000-0002-9274-2145; Orimoloye, Israel Ropo 0000-0002-6473-317XGlobal assessment of vegetation response to climate change (VRCC) studies was conducted to reveal the research evolution, current research hotspots and better understanding of dominant themes in VRCC areas of research from 1992 to 2019 through the use of bibliometrics. A total of 186 articles with the search term “Vegetation response to Climate change” were retrieved using the Web of Science (WOS) database. The annual growth rate of 10.3% connotes that research on VRCC has been increasing over time during the survey period. Average citations per article experienced many fluctuations over the years rather than maintaining the same growth rate, which connotes that this field of research reached was unstable in terms of average total citation per document. Results show that China ranked first followed by the USA and the UK, and this shows the dominance of these countries on VRCC studies over the years in review. Results from corresponding authors’ nationalities show that multiplecountry publications are relatively low compared to articles from single-country publications which showed a dominant trend. Hence, we can infer that most studies on VRCC were sustained by single-country publications. Results from this study revealed top-cited articles, the top global distribution of documents, academic collaboration, most relevant keywords and Word TreeMap of high-frequency keywords. The findings of this study show that “temperature” is in a central position in all keywords with the largest significant appearance in the field. In conclusion, the findings from this study may be applicable for planning and managing vegetation and forest ecosystem research and provide hints for future development.Item Proximate, Vitamins, Minerals and Anti-Nutritive Constituents of the Leaf and Stem of Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet: A Folk Medicinal Plant in South Africa(MDPI, 2022-10-20) Afuape, Abolaji Olajumoke 0000-0002-7514-1073; Afolayan, Anthony Jide 0000-0003-3701-2286; Buwa-Komoreng, Lisa Valencia 0000-0003-2861-6547)Helichrysum odoratissimum (L.) Sweet (Asteraceae) is a perennial shrub used in South African folk medicine to combat human diseases such as diabetes, coughs, asthma, and diarrhoea, and for wound treatment. This study evaluated the leaf and stem of H. odoratissimum for their nutritive and anti-nutritive qualities using the standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and colorimetry. Crude fat and protein were high in the leaf (7.61% and 7.82% DW), but low in the stem (2.25% and 3.4%), respectively. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content was significantly higher in the stem (68.5%) compared to the leaf (43.6%), while non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) in the leaf (24.93%) was higher than in the stem (15.67%). Mineral analysis showed that both the leaf and stem of H. odoratissimum are good sources of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Appreciable amounts of vitamins B2, C and E in the leaf and stem supports the folkloric utility of the plant in the traditional treatment of wounds, coughs and colds. A tolerable amount of phytate in both leaf (0.36%) and stem (1.06%) might be a factor for safer consumption of the plant as food and medicine. These findings suggest the use of the plant as a source for dietary supplementation and ethnomedicinal applications.Item Assessing the Venturing of Rural and Peri-Urban Youth into Micro- and Small-Sized Agricultural Enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(MDPI, 2023-10-31) Thibane, Zintle; Mdoda, Lelethu; Gidi, Lungile; Mayekiso, AneleThis study aimed to empirically assess the venturing by rural and peri-urban youth into micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of the study was achieved by focusing on the following specific objectives: analyzing youth involvement in agricultural enterprises; estimating the factors that influence youth participation in micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises; and identifying constraints and opportunities for youth involvement in micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province. The study used multi-stage and snowballing sampling to select the respondents, and cross-sectional primary data were collected from 120 youths who ventured into micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises. Only 70 youths from the sample participated in agricultural enterprises. The study was geared toward proposing a funding framework aligned with the characteristics of small- and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) which can be used by both development finance institutions (DFIs) and commercial banks to assess applications for funding SMEs.Item Factors Influencing the Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Adoption of Digital Technologies in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(MDPI, 2023-07-25) Bontsa, Nasiphi Vusokazi; Mushunje, Abbyssinia; Ngarava, SaulThe objective of the study was to determine the factors that influence the perceptions of smallholder farmers towards the adoption of digital technologies. A purposively selected sample of 250 smallholder farmers who were cross-sectionally surveyed from Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill Local Municipalities in South Africa was used in the study. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Attention, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model were used to analyse the data. The results showed that digital technologies were perceived to be expensive, cause a digital divide, and discouraged the use of Indigenous Knowledge even though they increased production. Positive perception towards digital technologies was associated with cattle rearing, with extreme negative perception for sheep and goat rearing. Educational level, employment status, monthly income, household size, being part of a cooperative (1% level), age, and source of income (10% level) were significant factors affecting smallholder farmers’ perceptions of digital technologies. In conclusion, there are economic, social justice, and traditional perceptions towards digital technologies by smallholder farmers, with socio-economic factors affecting the perceptions. The study recommends providing low-cost digital technologies that promote Indigenous Knowledge, which should target the youth and young farmers with less education in small households who are full-time farmers with moderate-to-high incomes and are part of farmer groups/organisations.