Phytochrome belongs to red/far-red light family of photoreceptors. It exists in two spectral forms named red light absorbing form (Pr), said to be the inactive form and far-red light absorbing form (Pfr) which is the active form. This photoreceptor is structurally divided into two modules- the amino acid (N-) terminal photosensory module and caboxylic acid (C-) terminal His kinase-like catalytic output module. Five different types exist in Arabidopsis (PhyA-E). Roots and hypocotyls elongation in Arabidopsis is regulated by photoreceptors one class of which is phytochrome. The role of phytochrome B (PhyB) in red light responses has been established through studies using PhyB mutant and truncated versions. N-terminal module of PhyB containing 651 amino acids was shown to be biologically active in regulating photomorphogenesis. Meanwhile, the C-terminal module was long assumed to be involved in downstream signal transduction. Recently, this module was suggested to play a role in integrating red and blue light signaling to circadian clock. Here, the study shows that the C-terminal module of PhyB is needed for root growth and strongly modulates the root to hypocotyl ratio at 22°C. At an elevated temperature (34°C), this ratio was altered suggesting a role of this module in temperature signaling during plant growth.   Key words: Phytochrome, red/far-red, Roots, hypocotyls.

For production and preservation of traditional fermented foods, the genera, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used. This study was carried out to determine the characteristics and the antimicrobial activities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from selected Nigerian traditional fermented foods. Changes in pH and titratable acidity (TA) of the samples were investigated for a period of four days (96 h). Eleven tentative LAB from fermented maize and cassava (Ogi and Fufu, respectively) were isolated and characterized. The spoilage organisms from fish were aseptically identified and the antimicrobial activity was determined by agar well diffusion method against three isolated food spoilage organisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogene and Bacillus cereus). The isolates were selected and further identified as Lactobacillus amylolyticus strain L6, Lactobacillus plantarum strain ci-4w and Lactobacillus sakei strain MLS1 by the aide of genotypic characteristics (16S rRNA gene sequences). These strains were screened for their EPS producing activity, resistance to low pH and bile salts as well as bacteriocin activity. These strains can be used as starter culture or protective cultures to improve the hygiene, quality and increased safety of the food products by inhibiting the food borne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Key words: Lactic acid bacteria, fermented foods, exopolysaccharides, antimicrobial activity, ogi, fufu.

Drought-tolerant multipurpose fruit trees Vangueria infausta (Burch) subsp. rotundata (Robyns) and Berchemia discolor (Klotzsch) Hemsl are native to Kenya. These fruit tree species are suitable for dryland agroforestry and support local communities with food, medicine, fodder and other necessities. Reports by the local communities indicate that the two species suffer from diebacks and cankers. The aim of this study was to identify the fungi associated with V. rotundata and B. discolor and determine the cause of diebacks and cankers symptoms observed. Samples were collected from two sites (Tiva and Ikanga) in Kitui County and one site (Mkange) in Makueni County. Fungal isolations were carried out by incubating the samples on malt extract agar media supplemented with Streptomycin Sulphate. Morphological identification grouped the fungal isolates into 7 clusters. Botryosphaeriaceae and Nectriaceae had the highest frequency of occurrence (32.7 and 30.5%) respectively. DNA was extracted from pure fungal cultures, amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences clustered the fungal isolates into seven families; Botryosphaeriaceae, Sporocadaceae, Nectriaceae, Trichosphaeriaceae, Pleosporaceae, Diaporthaceae and Glomerellaceae. Using Koch's postulates, this study showed that isolates of Botryosphaeriaceae within the genera Lasiodiplodia, Alanphillipsia and Dothiorella are pathogenic to B. discolor and other indigenous agroforestry species due to their ability to cause similar symptoms to those observed in the field. This is the first study to investigate the fungal flora linked to V. rotundata and B. discolor dieback and canker diseases. Key words: Vangueria rotundata, Berchemia discolor, Botryosphaeriaceae, Nectriaceae canker, dieback, DNA and ITS primers.

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], is believed to be originated in Ethiopia and Sudan. Although, many morphological and molecular diversity studies reveal the existence of genetic variations with sorghum populations, their distribution within basic races were not considered. Hence, the present study aimed to analyze the extent and distribution of genetic variation within basic Ethiopian sorghum landraces using SSR markers. A total of 107 landraces obtained from Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) representing 12 ecological zones grouped according to their race types based on inflorescence and spiklet on field at their maturity time. Twelve SSR markers revealed a total of 110 alleles with average polymorphic content of 0.76 and the allele frequencies show 42 of them were rare (less than 0.05), 22 ranged from 0.05 to 0.1, while 46 of them were higher than 0.1. Expected and observed heterozygosity were 0.78 and 0.2, respectively. The genetic differentiation between populations were also moderate (FST=0.07 for races and 0.13 for E/zones) indicating continuous exchange of genes among them. Partitioning the total genetic variation also indicated 61.38 and 55.17% of the variations were among individuals within racial and zonal populations, respectively. Neighbor-Joining cluster analysis also indicated four major grouping of the landraces according to their racial groups where majority of race caudatum and durra form separate groups while intermediate durra-bicolor form two separate sub-clusters. Overall locus, the intra-racial population diversity showed the greatest genetic diversity (He=0.77 and 0.75) among race dura-bicolor and caudatum, respectively. Information with sorghum races along their important agronomic traits could be used for conservation and future breeding programs of sorghum.   Key words: Sorghum bicolor, races, genetic diversity, SSR.

Jatropha is a drought-tolerant plant producing seed oil for the biodiesel. Limitation to the development of jatropha is unavailability of high-yielding varieties and efficient in vitro regeneration system which is required for micropropagation. In this study, in vitro regeneration system from jatropha juvenile cotyledon was established. Firstly, concentrations of hormones in the MS medium were optimized and it was found that 1.5 mgL-1 benzyl adenine (BA) + 0.05 mgL-1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) + 0.5 mgL-1 thidiazuron (TDZ) turned out to be the best for shoot induction (3.82 ± 0.18 shoots/explant). Secondly, shoot induction medium was fortified with different concentrations of glutamine and adenine sulfate. It was found that 25 mgL-1 each of glutamine and adenine sulfate was the most effective, resulting to 9.09 ± 0.37 shoots/explant and 93.0% regeneration frequency. Regenerated shoots were cultured on medium containing 0.5 mgL-1 BA and different concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3), 0.5 mgL-1 GA3 with 0.5 mgL-1 BA  were found to be the best for shoot elongation (2.13 ± 0.18 cm). The highest frequency of root (40%) was observed on the medium with 0.5 mgL-1 IBA. The established procedures will be useful for the mass propagation and genetic transformation of elite jatropha genotypes.   Key words: Adenine sulfate (Ads), benzyl adenine (BA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), in vitro regeneration, glutamine (Gln).

The Zygosaccharomyces is notorious for its remarkable spoilage characteristics. In the present study, the visual and rapid identification of the genus Zygosaccharomyces was performed by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay using specific primers in Mini Dry Bath within 30 min at 65°C followed by a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) detection. The sensitivity evaluation revealed LAMP-LFD assay with 1.0×101 copies/μL of Zygosaccharomyces DNA as its detection limit, which was the same as the methods of real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, qPCR or PCR methods not only need to be performed in a specialist analytical laboratory with expensive equipment but also with risk of aerosol pollution. The LAMP-LFD assay had no cross-reactivity against 10 other yeast species and its specificity was 100%. A total of 25 Qiangli loquat Dew samples (17 bottles bulged and eight normal-appearing) were detected within 40 min with 100 and 92.0% accurately and specifically, when compared with the qPCR assay and the microbiology culture method, respectively. Therefore, the simple, fast, sensitive and low-cost LAMP-LFD assay is an effective and useful tool for the on-site identification of the genus Zygosaccharomyces.   Key words: Zygosaccharomyces, on-site detection, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), lateral flow dipstick (LFD).

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium naturally found in soil, water and grain dust. B. thuringiensis has been used for decades as biological control for pests of economical and medical importance. The aim of this study was to test different growth media for the optimal production of vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip3) by B. thuringiensis recovered from the local environment. The local B. thuringiensis was grown under shaker conditions in commercially based media and commonly known growth based media to produce Vip3. The optimal C/N ratio for Vip3 production (3.88) was achieved with 20 g/l of glucose as carbon source and 15 g/l of soybean as nitrogen source. Different combinations of carbon and nitrogen sources were examined. Glucose and soybean were the best carbon and nitrogen source, respectively, for maximal Vip3 production. Terrific Broth supplemented with 20 g/l glucose was found to yield optimum growth significantly (P <0.01, t-test) after 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 h compared to a formulated medium with optimized C/N ratio of 3.88. The highest vegetative cell count was achieved after 22 h, thus indicating a higher production of Vip3 protein. The method described in this study will facilitate the production of biopesticides in a cost-effective manner.   Key words: Bacillus thuringiensis, bioinsecticides, Vip3, culture media, vegetative protein.

The desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca L.) can be one of the most common trees in Senegal. Thus, the objective is to carry out an analytical fractionation of these seeds to consider prospects for valuing the different constituents and a diagram of fractionation processes. The physical characterization of the seeds made it possible to know the fruit-seed and kernel-hull proportions. The chemical composition of the seeds shows that three main fractions represent 90% of its dry matter: The fibrous (68%), the lipid (14%) and the proteins (nearly 9%). The kernel is made up of 34.50% (80% of the lipid) and 28.75% of proteins (or 93% of the protein) while the hull is essentially fibrous, 90% contains 85% of the fibers. The high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids oleic and linoleic (73%) associated with those of saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic) in high proportions (27%) and the high contents of sterols (2.11 g/kg), and in tocopherols (512.40 mg/kg), make desert date oil an excellent food oil. On the other hand, it has qualities that make it suitable for use in various non-food applications. Proteins are made up of three main amino acids: glutamic acid (20.35%), arginine (14.42%) and aspartic acid (11.29%). The amino acid composition is close to that of oil seeds whose cakes are widely used in animal or even human food. Given their essentially lignocellulosic composition, the hulls obtained from shelling can be used as fuel or be extruded and used for the manufacture of composite agro-materials. Key words: Desert date, Balanites aegyptiaca, seeds, analytical fractionation, proteins, lipids.

Developing a protocol for somatic embryogenesis (SE) for adult mother plants of Jatropha curcas, aids to overcome problems such as harvesting time and an uneven yield, providing the opportunity to propagate proven elite genotypes. Until now, several authors have achieved SE in J. curcas using different explants, however, in none of these protocols adult plants have been used as mother plant material. Furthermore, the challenge of overcoming the morphogenesis limitations successfully and further regeneration of adult plants of J. curcas has been great. The main objective of this study was to develop a somatic embryogenesis protocol for adult plants of the oil producing J. curcas. transverse thin cell layers (tTCL) of young petioles were used as explants. Half strength Y3 and MS media were used containing three different concentrations of 2,4-dichloropherioxyacetic acid and 6-benzil-aminopurine in a factorial trial. Nine accessions of J. curcas of various ages (3-12 years.) were tested using this protocol. All accessions responded positively to callus induction and to the induction of somatic embryos, demonstrating the protocol to be genotype-independent. This study enables micropropagation of adult of proven elite plants of J. curcas via somatic embryogenesis.    Key words: Jatropha curcas, transverse thin cell layers (tTCL), somatic embryos, half strength media, regeneration.

Identification of zygotic and nucellar seedlings of Harumanis mango by morphological approach is impossible or hard to be performed. Therefore, this research were to identify zygotic or nucellar seedlings from Harumanis mango polyembryonic seeds through simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers in relation with germination sequence and vigour of seedlings for source of true-to-type cutting material. The results showed that there were 3 seedlings per seed on average. The result from the molecular analysis of 136 seedlings (45 seeds) showed four zygotic seedlings in seeds 1, 15, 29 and 43 representing 8.9% of seeds evaluated. Most of the zygotic seedlings were found towards the end of germination sequence except for seed number 15 and the rest were considered as nucellar seedlings. Based on the fitted logistic regression, the predicted sequence to obtain 90% nucellar seedlings is 5.47. This means that, the germination sequence of less than 6 has 90% chance of getting nucellar seedlings compared to zygotic seedlings. Morphological characters such as number of leaves, stem diameter and leaf area could also be used as references with germination sequence. The results showed that there were significant (p<0.01) relationships between germination sequence and all the growth variables. All growth variables were negatively correlated with germination sequence. This suggested that in order to have 90% chances of getting nucellar seedling (germination sequence below 6), the seedling needs to exhibit several morphology characters; big stem girth, tall plant, high leaf number and large leaf area. Therefore, choosing vigour seedling will increase chances of getting nucellar seedlings, which can be used as cutting source for true-to-type planting material or for breeding purposes.   Key words: Harumanis, molecular, morphology, nucellar, SSR markers, zygotic.