Université d'Agriculture de Kétou

Abstract Equitable access to agricultural land remains a central challenge for sustainable and inclusive rural development in Africa. Despite the recognized importance of this issue, a comprehensive and systematic synthesis of land conflict types, key governance actors, and prevailing tenure systems is scarcely documented across Africa. This review fills this gap by applying a transparent and reproducible systematic review protocol – including database searching, screening, and thematic coding – which resulted in the selection of 55 studies from Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and African Journals Online. The findings reveal that inheritance (63.64%) is the most prevalent land tenure regime, while borrowing is the least common (23.67%), indicating a shift away from communal arrangements. Land conflicts are predominantly centred on ownership (28.57%) and usage rights (25%), often exacerbated by fraudulent allocations. The review underscores the central, yet often conflicting, roles of state and customary institutions, with 80% of studies highlighting corruption as a major impediment to effective land law enforcement. Women are identified as the most vulnerable actors in land access and security. The study concludes that transparent, inclusive land governance reforms, which harmonize formal and customary systems, are urgently needed to mitigate conflicts and empower marginalized stakeholders.

Gastrointestinal nematode infections, particularly those caused by Haemonchus contortus, remain a major constraint to livestock health and productivity. With the increasing prevalence of resistance to synthetic anthelmintics, the search for effective plant-based alternatives has intensified. This study presents the first systematic comparison of how agro-ecological conditions and seasonal variation influence both the phytochemical composition and the in vitro anthelmintic efficacy of three medicinal plants widely used in ethnoveterinary practice: Bridelia ferruginea, Mitragyna inermis, and Combretum glutinosum. Leaves from these plants were harvested across contrasting ecological zones of Benin during both the dry and wet seasons. Acetone–water extracts were prepared and evaluated for their ability to inhibit H. contortus larval migration. In parallel, total phenols, condensed tannins, and flavonoids were quantified using spectrophotometric assays. Phytochemical profiles varied significantly (p < 0.01) across both seasons and ecological zones, with generally higher concentrations of phenolic compounds recorded during the wet season (p < 0.05). In contrast, the strongest anthelmintic activity (≥ 25% and < 80% inhibition) was consistently obtained with dry-season extracts. Notably, extracts of C. glutinosum and B. ferruginea from zone IV achieved 65% and 75% inhibition, respectively, while M. inermis from zone II reached 60% inhibition at 600 µg/mL, with clear dose-dependent responses. Across nearly all zones, dry-season extracts outperformed their wet-season counterparts. Agro-ecological and seasonal factors affect both phytochemistry and anthelmintic activity; dry-season harvests in Sudano-Guinean and Sudanian zones maximize efficacy, supporting their use in sustainable parasite control for small ruminants in tropical regions.

The aim of this work is to experiment and compare the operation of two solar cookers, namely a parabolic solar cooker and a box solar cooker in order to encourage the population to use solar thermal equipment. For this purpose a parabolic cooker fitted with a mirror as a reflector and a box cooker were created. These two sensors are tested under the same conditions following the international standard procedure for testing solar cookers and reporting performance. Under a solar flux varying between 250 W/m2 and 1009.78 W/m2, the maximum water temperature is 108.87°C and 98.02°C at the parabolic cooker and the box cooker, respectively. The parabolic cooker has a standardized cooking power than the box cooker. The specific boiling time is 0.41 h.m2.Kg-1 and 0.54 h.m2.Kg-1 for the parabolic cooker and the box cooker respectively. The output of the parabolic cooker is higher than the canned one in the morning. The two efficiencies decrease as a function of time and in the evening the efficiency of the parabolic collector becomes lower compared to that of the box cooker. In view of these results, solar cookers can be used in our climate zone to meet certain cooking energy needs.

Gastrointestinal (GI) parasites remain a significant global challenge to livestock health and farm productivity, particularly in resource-limited regions. Accurate and reliable fecal egg count (FEC) methods are essential for quantifying parasite burden and evaluating anthelmintic efficacy. This study compared the diagnostic performance of the Mini-FLOTAC and the modified McMaster techniques for detecting GI parasites in West African Long-legged (WALL) sheep under field conditions in southern Benin. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, during which 200 fresh fecal samples were collected from four-month-old lambs across five representative sheep farms. Each sample was divided and analyzed in parallel using the Mini-FLOTAC (using 2 g of feces diluted in a 1:10 ratio with saturated sodium chloride solution) and the modified McMaster technique (using 3 g of feces in a 1:15 dilution). Diagnostic parameters, including the intensity of infection expressed as eggs/oocysts per gram of feces (EPG/OPG, respectively), the prevalence, and the precision, were statistically analyzed and compared. Method agreement was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. The Mini-FLOTAC technique demonstrated superior performance, detecting a broader spectrum of parasites, including Nematodirus spp., Marshallagia spp., and Moniezia spp., which were frequently undetected by McMaster. Agreement between techniques was high for strongylids and Eimeria spp. (κ ≥ 0.76), but poor for other taxa (κ < 0.30). Mini-FLOTAC recorded significantly higher FECs and oocyst per gram of feces (OPG) values across farms (p < 0.05), and consistently exhibited greater diagnostic precision, with lower coefficients of variation (CVs ranging from 12.37% to 18.94%) and higher reproducibility (> 80% precision). Misclassification analysis revealed that the McMaster method underdiagnosed up to 12.5% of infections, especially for low-shedding species. These findings highlight Mini-FLOTAC as a more sensitive, precise, and operationally robust tool for GI parasite surveillance in small ruminants. Its adoption can improve the reliability of epidemiological monitoring and support sustainable parasite control programs in resource-limited settings.

This research investigates isotropic compact stars in [Formula: see text] gravity, adopting an innovative methodology based on conformal Killing vectors to characterize strange quark stars and evaluate their physical plausibility and stability. By applying the simplified MIT bag model equation of state (EoS) for quark matter, we obtain analytical solutions to Einstein’s field equations for observed masses of candidate strange stars, using [Formula: see text] as our primary example. The parameter [Formula: see text] (spanning [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]) regulates adjustments within the [Formula: see text] framework, permitting systematic exploration of critical stellar attributes. Our findings reveal singularity-free metric potentials, consistently declining effective energy density ([Formula: see text]) and pressure ([Formula: see text]), and fulfillment of all energy conditions throughout the tested [Formula: see text] range. Analysis of the mass–radius relation for a fixed bag constant [Formula: see text] indicates that maximum mass points and corresponding radii diminish as [Formula: see text] increases, but expand for [Formula: see text]. A predefined density profile devoid of central singularities combined with the MIT bag EoS yields exact solutions to the modified Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equations, thereby bypassing computational hurdles. Stability assessments confirm equilibrium through force interactions, with [Formula: see text] gravity introducing a distinctive force [Formula: see text]: outwardly repulsive when [Formula: see text] and inwardly attractive when [Formula: see text]. Further verification comes from subluminal sound velocities ([Formula: see text]) and adiabatic indices exceeding [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]). Characteristically high surface/central densities and redshifts ([Formula: see text]0.23–0.36) match expectations for strange quark stars, while all compactness ratios [Formula: see text] respect the Buchdahl limit. Ultimately, this study establishes a robust, stable stellar framework for strange stars by harnessing conformal symmetries and [Formula: see text] gravity, creating a foundation for subsequent investigations of alternative density profiles in modified gravity theories.

Abstract Bar soil (locally known as “terre de barre”, a ferralitic soil common in southern Benin), a ferralitic material abundantly available in southern Benin, offers a low-cost local resource but exhibits poor geotechnical performance, particularly low bearing capacity and high sensitivity to water, making it unsuitable for road construction. This study investigates the stabilization of bar soil through the incorporation of pulverized ceramic waste (broken tiles), ground and sieved to 0.08 mm, in proportions ranging from 2.5% to 15% by weight. Geotechnical characterization tests were conducted in accordance with current ISO and French standards. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in the treated soil’s properties. While the untreated bar soil contains 48% fines and fails to meet the Experimental and Study Center for Building and Public Works (CEBTP) specification limits, the addition of 7.5% ceramic waste reduces fines to 28%, enhancing the particle size distribution. Furthermore, the plasticity index decreases to 13 at 12.5% ceramic content, and the maximum dry density reaches 2.10 t/m³ at 15%, exceeding the minimum threshold of 1.90 t/m³. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR), a key indicator of load-bearing capacity, increases from 23% for raw soil to 48% at 15% ceramic waste, qualifying the material for use in sub-base layers under traffic classes T1 to T5. Based on these findings, an optimal ceramic waste content between 7.5% and 15% is recommended. This approach offers a technically effective and economically viable solution aligned with CEBTP design guidelines 1984, revised in 2019.

Salt stress is a major abiotic factor limiting crop productivity worldwide, as it disrupts plant growth, metabolism, and survival. In this study, we report that the genes PvPR10-2 and PvPR10-3 were significantly up-regulated in bean leaves and stems in response to combined salt and jasmonic acid (NaCl–JA) treatment. Foliar application of JA with salt induced physiological alterations, including stem growth inhibition, H2O2 accumulation, and activation of antioxidant enzymes. To investigate the role of PvPR10-3 in response to salt and phytohormones, we introduced this gene into Arabidopsis and found that its heterologous expression conferred salt tolerance to the transgenic lines. Interestingly, exogenous JA contributed to salt tolerance by reducing H2O2 levels, inducing ROS-scavenging enzymes, and promoting the accumulation of phenolic compounds and ABA. Furthermore, gene expression analysis of the transgenic lines revealed that PvPR10-3 expression under NaCl–JA stress is associated with the induction of JA-related genes like MYC2, JAZ2, JAZ11, and JAZ12, as well as SA-responsive genes, like ALD1 and TGA2, and two ABA-independent components DREB2A and ERD1, suggesting potential coordination between JA, ABA, and SA signaling in salt stress response. Additionally, key flowering regulators (FT, GI) were upregulated in transgenic lines under NaCl–JA treatment, suggesting a previously unexplored link between salt tolerance pathways and the regulation of flowering time. Taken together, our findings suggest a role of PvPR10-3 in enhancing salt stress tolerance and the involvement of exogenous JA in tolerance potentially by modulating ROS balance, hormone-associated gene expression, and protective secondary metabolites.

Abstract Background The intensity and spread of resistance of Anopheles populations to traditional neurotoxic insecticides pose a considerable threat to vector control tools. This resistance has led to the search for new classes of insecticides with a different mode of action. Thus, this study aimed to collect data on the susceptibility of An. gambiae s.l. to chlorfenapyr, a pyrrole insecticide in several communes of the south–north transect of Benin. Methods An. gambiae s.l. were collected as larvae and pupae from eight communes located along the south–north transect of Benin and reared to adulthood. Female mosquitoes aged 3–5 days were exposed to pyrethroid-impregnated papers (permethrin, deltamethrin, alphacypermethrin) using WHO tube assays and to chlorfenapyr using the CDC bottle assay. Polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the molecular species composition in the An. gambiae s.l. and the frequency of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations. Results A high level of resistance to pyrethroids was observed at all sites. At all sites, mean mortality was 36.51% with deltamethrin, compared with 83.75% with pre-exposed delthamethrin, representing a 2.29-fold increase in mortality (P &lt; 0.0001). Nevertheless, the different mosquito populations in each commune showed susceptibility to chlorfenapyr with 100% mortality already after 48 h of exposure. Furthermore, An. gambiae s.s., An. coluzzii and An. arabiensis were species of the Anopheles gambiae s.l. identified in sites, with An. coluzzii (60%) being the most represented, followed by An. gambiae s.s. (27%). Moreover, the west kdr frequency was very high (62 to 100%) in all sites, regardless of the species of the Anopheles gambiae s.l. Conclusion The Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations tested were susceptibility to chlorfenapyr in the north–south transect of Benin despite their high level of resistance to pyrethroids. These results will be very useful for the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) of Benin in the choice of insecticides according to the control strategy to be implemented.

Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. However, most of the P in the Earth's crust is insoluble, making it inaccessible to plants. This review examines the ability of phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) to convert these insoluble forms of P into plant-accessible forms, highlighting their potential use as biofertilizers. PSMs mainly consist of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and fungi, which play crucial roles in the soil P cycle. The mechanisms of P solubilization encompass not only the key components of the soil P cycle but also relate to PSM species and the presence of phosphatase/phosphohydrolysis-related genes. Organic P are mineralized by enzymatic activity, while inorganic P, such as iron-phosphate, aluminium-phosphate, and calcium-phosphate are solubilized through organic acid production, proton extrusion, siderophore secretion, and exopolysaccharide production. Additionally, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are among the PSMs that effectively enhance P uptake in plants. Using PSM inoculants as biofertilizers has shown promise in improving soil P availability. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal application conditions, including timing, inoculum forms, and dosages, to maximize their effectiveness.