ABSTRACT The bovine leukocyte antigen (BoLA) class II genes play a significant role in presenting processed peptides to CD4 + T lymphocytes. BoLA genes particularly class II are highly polymorphic, enhancing the number of peptides that an individual can recognise thereby triggering a cascade of immune responses. This study investigated the genetic diversity of the BoLA class II genes in 249 animals comprising of Nguni ecotypes, Bonsmara and Afrikaner cattle from Khomas, Omusati and Zambezi re...
ABSTRACT CHARACTERIZATION AND PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OF INDIGENOUS CHICKENS IN NORTHERN NAMIBIA REGIONS Farmers in all the studied regions regard poultry production as their primary source of domestic animal protein, with the domestic fowl being the most widely kept poultry species. Other uses are participation in socio - cultural ceremonies, selling for money and gifts. The extensive system of management is the most frequent. This system requires minimal costs, but mortalities due to disease...
ABSTRACT For many years mining has been a vital component of the development of many countries. Although an important income generator, mining is one of the factors that affect biodiversity and ecosystems.There is an increase in the intensity of environmental damage caused by mining over the years, and thus an increased need to rehabilitate the disturbed ecosystems. The success of any rehabilitation project requires an ecological understanding of natural indigenous vegetation communities. Thi...
ABSTRACT Mistletoes have detrimental effects in ecosystems where they occur. Mistletoes negatively reduce the growth of the host plants and increase the chance of tree mortality. Apart from tree mortality, infected trees suffer from reduced growth and loss of vigor hence contributing to overall low productivity of hosts and resulting in changes in the structure and function of savanna communities. This study’s aim was to determine and to compare mistletoe - host interactions between the Bot...
Abstract Various studies have shown that the use of tracer techniques such as the chloride mass balance (CMB) and stable isotopes’ methods are suitable and good practical approaches to estimate groundwater recharge. Estimating groundwater recharge improves the understanding of groundwater availability in making informed strategies for groundwater resources management. Using secondary data, this study estimated groundwater recharge within the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin (CEB) via the CMB and stable...
ABSTRACT There is a general lack of information on how cattle utilise the lower Kuiseb River rangelands, their feeding behaviour and how they deal with intense heat. This study aimed at understanding cattle habitat selection (considering that they are free ranging in the absence of a herder), and their foraging behaviour in relation to air temperature along the lower Kuiseb River area in the Walvis Bay Rural Constituency, Erongo Region. The study was carried out at three farmer settlements al...
Abstract Trees and shrubs can serve as fodder to supplement shortages of feed for livestock, particularly in arid and semiarid environments where palatable grasses or browse plants could be limited due to low rainfall pattern and constant droughts. However, in Namibia moringa tree species (spp.) have the potential to curb shortage of feeds for livestock. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this study to compare the performance of M. ovalifolia and M. oleifera with respect to seed...
ABSTRACT Smallholder farming communities of northern Namibia are generally cash-constrained and theyare situated in marginal areas where poor soil fertility and land degradation are predominant. They find it difficult to purchase mineral fertilizers and herbicides. There is therefore a need to identify cropping systems that are affordable and can improve their productivity. The integration of green manure cover crops (GMCCs) as rotational crops has been investigated to great lengths in Latin ...
Abstract The Size-density relationship may be a valuable tool to reveal the extent of competition and mechanisms for distribution patterns, structure and functioning of woody species in savanna vegetation types. A study on the relationship between size and density of Acacia mellifera in the highland savanna of Namibia was carried out to try to facilitate an understanding of the development of stand density in relation to size (height) of A. mellifera. Data was collected at Neudamm farm in thr...
ABSTRACT The open concrete-lined Calueque-Oshakati canal has been operational since the 1970s, carrying raw water from the Calueque Dam on the Kunene River in the Southern region of Angola to the Central Northern region of Namibia. This raw water is conveyed to the purification plants along the canal, where it is purified before distribution to towns and villages through pipelines. This thesis presents the findings on the estimation of evaporation losses using the stable isotopic composition ...
Abstract This study focused on the results from the 2016/17 and 2017/18 cropping seasons from two trials, one in Liselo and the other in Mashare in the Kavango East and Zambezi regions of Namibia, respectively, on the effects of Conventional and Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices and principles on soil moisture content and infiltration. Conventional mouldboard ploughing (CTa), Sub-soiling with a Magoye ripper (SS-M) and Manual direct seeding with a Dibble stick (MDS-M) were the primary t...
ABSTRACT Shallow water Cape hake (Merluccius capensis) and Cape horse mackerel (Trachurus capensis) are ecologically and commercially important species in the northern Benguela ecosystem (Namibia). The understanding of their trophic relationships is however still limited. In this study stable isotope measurements [carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N)] of their muscles and stomach contents were used to investigate their feeding interactions. Understanding the feeding interactions of these two s...
Abstract The silver kob (Argyrosomus inodorus) has been identified as a candidate species for finfish culture due to its outstanding qualities. There is little information available on the health of this species, especially parasite infestation that can pose a threat to fish cultivation and therefore to the success of mariculture. This study was thus designed to provide information on parasites that are affecting this species. Silver kob were collected monthly (2017–2018 for 11 months) usin...
Abstract Namibia holds the largest free-ranging population of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) in the world, a population estimated to be about 3,000 adult individuals. The cheetah is an elusive species living at low densities, making it hard to assess their abundance and density. Traditional detection methods such as direct observation, physical mark recapture, and invasive collection of tissue samples (e.g. blood) requires the physical handling of individuals. Non-invasive techniques such...
ABSTRACT The role of flies in the spread of anthrax, an animal disease caused by the spore-forming pathogen Bacillus anthracis, have been reported as far back as the early 1900s. Studies have implicated flies from families of Tabanidae, Muscidae, Calliphoridae and other dipteran species. This study was undertaken in the Okaukuejo area of ENP to establish the role of biting and non-biting flies that may act as vectors for B. anthracis; and at what concentrations of Bacillus anthracis do they c...