Abstract: The invasive plant known as bugweed (Solanum mauritianum) is a notorious invader of forestry plantations in the eastern parts of South Africa. Not only is bugweed considered to be one of five most widespread invasive alien plant (IAP) species in the summer rainfall regions of South Africa but it is also one of the worst invasive alien plants in Africa. It forms dense infestations that not only impacts upon commercial forestry activities but also causes significant ecological and en...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
Abstract: The Limpopo Province is a major tomato growing region in South Africa, producing 66% of the total annual tonnage of tomatoes. The Limpopo Province is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, partly because it is exposed to extreme weather events. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Africa will be hit hardest by climate change as larger areas could be stricken by yield decreases of over 50% by the year 2020 because of an increasingly hot...
Abstract: Avermectins and milbemycins are commonly used in agro-ecosystems for the control of parasites in domestic livestock. As integral members of agro-ecosystems with importance in maintaining pasture health through dung burial behaviour, dung beetles are an excellent, non-target, bio-indicator taxon for examining potential detrimental effects of pesticide application. The current study uses the dung beetle species, Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche), as a bio-indicator to test the relat...
Abstract: Four grids, each 3,42 ha (4 morgen) in size, were live trapped from April 1967 through May 1969 in two soil and vegetation types (black turf~ Acacia nigrescens community, and brown reddish soil: Acacia tortilis community) at Pongola, northern Zululand, to determine the effect of dieldrin coverspraying, at a dosage of 87,4 g/hectare (2,64 oz/morgen), on rodents. Low population numbers before and especially at the time of spraying made clear-cut conclusions impossible to reach. Roden...
Abstract: Protected areas (PAs) cover 12.9% of Earth’s land, while just 5.8% has strict protection for biodiversity (Earth’s variety of ecosystems, species, and genetic variation). Constraints of size and configuration, mismanagement, anthropogenic pressure, and climate change hamstring the capacity of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Increasingly, studies of biodiversity in human-modified landscapes provide an evidence base to support policies to make land outside of PAs as amenable as pos...
Abstract: Coal mining in South Africa is renowned for large scale removal of topsoil and subsoil through opencast mining. Such processes lead to an enormous amount of land degradation and thus, limit the land capability after mine closure. The removal and stockpiling of topsoil leads to adverse effects not only on the fertility of the soil but also the physical properties of the soil which greatly limit the ability of the soil to sustain plant development. Resultant mined soils have a varied...
Abstract: Surface water concentrations of inorganic nutrients and suspended particulate matter (SPM) components were examined and compared between Mtwapa and Shirazi creeks in Kenya. This was aimed at assesing the ecological situation of the two creeks and determine the influence of sewage discharge. The results obtained were further compared with those from Ramisi, an estuarine system. Mtwapa recorded higher nutrient, chlorophyll a and phytoplankton carbon concentrations than Shirazi. The t...
Abstract: Gonipterus scutellatus species complex is a cryptic species that feeds on Eucalyptus leaves. Both the adult and larval stages cause high levels of defoliation. Gonipterus sp. n. 2 is the species present in South Africa and Anaphes nitens was released as a biological control agent. However, Gonipterus spp. populations have continued to cause economic damage and various countries continue to seek additional biological control agents. This dissertation focused on understanding how nat...
This project work titled "Analysis of soil physical properties of gully erosion in Mgboko-umuoria, Obingwa L.G.A, Abia state, Nigeria. Studies the physical effects and causes of gully erosion in Mgboko-umuoria. So many physical properties were determined as causative agents of gully erosion in the study area.
Abstract: This study was conducted to assessing of selected heavy metals (Cr., Cd, Zn, Hg and Pb) accumulation in the edible portions of cabbage, tomato and onion cultivated around Wonji in eastern part of Ethiopia. The concentrations of the same heavy metals were determined in water samples collected directly from industry discharge and also three irrigation sites Varied between sampling points. Vegetable Samples were first optimized through wet digestion procedure and contents of heavy met...
Abstract: Understanding the importance of home gardens in the production of food, generating income, traditional medicine and other useful products for human beings is indispensable. In Ethiopia, research and documentation on home gardens are very few. The present study was intended to investigating the role of home gardens for improved livelihoods, plant species composition and their diversity. This study was conducted in Midakegn Woreda, West Showa zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia from Septem...
Abstract: Freshwater ecosystems harbour a considerable proportion of Earth’s biodiversity, even though they cover < 2 % of the land surface. Lakes are one of humanity’s most important resources,where they are viewed as highly productive biological systems.The availability of good quality water is the major factor for preventing diseases and improving quality of life. In the present study the physicochemical parameters and the occurrence of three heavy metals in the tissues of fish specim...
Abstract: Nowadays declined natural resources alongside rapid population growth necessitate optimum use of scarce land resources based on their potentials. In this regard, land suitability evaluation which identifies the fitness of land for a defined use has no substitute. It is with this understanding that a study was proposed to evaluate the suitability of land at Edo Gojola watershed for major rainfed cereal crops wheat, maize, teff and sorghum. This study was aimed to identify suitabilit...