Illovo Sugar (South Africa)

Background and aims: The large grove-forming tropical tree Microberlinia bisulcata (Fabaceae subfamily Detarioideae) in southern Korup, SW Cameroon, displays strong mast fruiting. The soil is poor in phosphorus and potassium: the climate is strongly seasonal. Evidence is presented that masting is probably determined primarily by mineral nutrients and secondarily by radiation. Method and materials: Field data on phenology and climate variation (1989 to 2017), and soil moisture, nutrients in litter and fruits, insect herbivory and tree growth are integrated. Some data come from previous studies at Korup, and they are combined with new data to enable an extended analysis. Key results: To test the nutrient resource limitation hypothesis, phenological recordings were matched with climate variables and modelled using logistic and time-series regressions. A strong predictor was average daily rainfall in the dry season, low in the current year of masting and high in the year prior. Less strong was the increase in dry season radiation between prior and mast years. Masting events showed no relationship to annual stem increment. Masting was reduced after two caterpillar attacks. Fallen-leaf phosphorus concentration increased in the inter-mast interval and that for potassium peaked mid-interval. These elements were likely accumulating and being stored, triggering masting when internal thresholds were crossed. A drier dry season prior to masting may have increased tree carbon, the wetter one increased nutrient acquisition and uptake via roots and mycorrhizas. A rooting-fruiting trade-off in carbon is proposed. Storage of phosphorus may be mostly in bark of branches; that for potassium on soil organic colloids. Conclusion: The long-term driver appears to be stochastic dry-season rainfall. Synchrony across masting trees might be enhanced by equilibration of nutrients across the mycorrhizal-root network. Life history strategy determined by mineral nutrient resource dynamics provides the best explanation and an advanced model for the observed pattern of masting events.

The principal objective of the research was to determine an exploration target estimate for the Xaudom Iron Ore project. Geophysical data inversion modelling was carried out and the results calibrated against local drill hole interpretation-based geological models. The results compared favourably and enabled a number of correction factors to be established. Subsequent drilling and geological modelling have yielded NI 43-101 compliant resources that are similar to the initial inversion based modelling estimates within optimised pit shells, showing the robustness of the Exploration Target technique. The approach discussed here may be useful for delineating exploration targets for other magnetite-rich iron mineralized areas faced with complex deformational histories.

Eight genotypes of Saccharum officinarum were crossed with Saccharum spontaneum and 14 genotypes of S. officinarum were crossed with Erianthus arundinaceus. A total of 39 hybrids were evolved. These 39 hybrids were raised in the field and used as donor clones for in vitro culture studies. Plantlets were regenerated from 1-month-old callus. The grown up plants were transplanted to well prepared field, to study the variations generated for the biometric as well as for biochemical characters. There were significant differences between the donor clones and their sub clones for all the character of interest. The somatic segregation was gradual and wider, showing a range of divergence from the mean towards the end of the scale. Fifty-one sub clones were selected with commercial potential which have 13% fibre, 200 cm stalk length, 10 cm internode length and pure obtainable cane sugar per cent of 10.

Abstract In 1992, a large outbreak of bloody diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli O157 infections occurred in southern Africa. In Swaziland, 40,912 physician visits for diarrhea in persons ages >5 years were reported during October through November 1992. This was a sevenfold increase over the same period during 1990-91. The attack rate was 42% among 778 residents we surveyed. Female gender and consuming beef and untreated water were significant risks for illness. E. coli O157:NM was recovered from seven affected foci in Swaziland and South Africa; 27 of 31 patient and environmental isolates had indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns. Compared with previous years, a fivefold increase in cattle deaths occurred in October 1992. The first heavy rains fell that same month (36 mm), following 3 months of drought. Drought, carriage of E. coli O157 by cattle, and heavy rains with contamination of surface water appear to be important factors contributing to this outbreak.

We present a descriptive analysis of a mechanism to coordinate and implement human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and care in the occupational setting. The mechanism we describe is a multidisciplinary committee composed of stakeholders in the occupational health environment including unions, management, medical researchers, and medical personnel. The site chosen for the analysis was a South African sugar mill in rural KwaZulu-Natal. The factory is situated in an area of high HIV seroprevalence and has a workforce of 400 employees. The committee was initiated to coordinate a combined prevention-care initiative. The issues that were important in the formation of the committee included confidentiality, trust, and the traditional roles of the stakeholder relationships. When these points were addressed through the focus on a common goal, the committee was able to function in its role as a coordinating body. Central to this success was the inclusion of all stakeholders in the process, including those with traditionally opposing interests and legitimacy conferred by the stakeholders. This committee was functionally effective and demonstrated the benefit of a freestanding committee dedicated to addressing HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) issues. We describe the implementation and feasibility of a multisectoral committee in directing HIV/AIDS initiatives in the occupational setting in rural South Africa.

Feed is the major cost of indoor lamb production, it accounts for up to £12/lamb reared (MLC, 1994) which is equivalent to 23% of the output value. Most intensively produced lambs are fed expensive specially formulated lamb creep diets. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect varying the proportions of the starch (barley, WB) and digestible fibre (dried molassed sugar beet feed; SBF) and a protein pellet compared to a commercial lamb creep (LC) on lamb physical and financial performance.180 early weaned lambs, (weaned at 6 weeks of age), weighing on average 17.5 kg liveweight were allocated to one of six treatments; 0% SBF, 20% SBF, 40% SBF, 60% SBF, 80% SBF and LC. Each diet contained 20% protein balancer pellets with the remainder being whole barley. The LC diet was offered alone.

The inclusion of fibrous ingredients in diets for weaned piglets has been reported to enhance health but also to reduce voluntary intake and performance. This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of inclusion of a highly digestible fibre source by including different levels of molassed or unmolassed sugar beet pulp (SBP) in the diet of piglets weaned at 25 days of age.

The ARC (1980) energy system sees growth in the single dimension of energy retention (ER) which increases, with diminishing marginal efficiency, as ME intake increases. The quantitative relationship between ME intake and ER is predicted from q, the proportion of the gross energy which is metabolisable. An experiment on growing sheep on controlled feeding of different feeds was carried out to provide data suitable for testing ARC (1980) and other energy systems.Scottish Blackface wether sheep in single pens, entered the experiment at 25 kg liveweight (LW), when 11 were slaughtered. The remainder were allocated to 3 x 3 x 3 treatments with an intended 4 replicates per treatment. The factors were (i) feeds: feeds B, U and M shown in Table 1, (ii) levels of feeding. L, M and H where H was 936 g/d at 25 kg and was increased by 52 g/d each week, L was half H and M half-way between L and H, (iii) slaughter point, after 9 or 18 weeks, or at 40 kg liveweight.