Abstract +e emergence and persistence of antibiotic resistance remain formidable health challenges. +is study aimed at detecting and profiling antibiotic resistance of bacterial contaminants in vended food and the environment. Seventy antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates were isolated from fried fish, African sausages, roasted meat, smokies, samosa, chips (potato fries), vegetable salads, and soil samples collected from Embu Town and Kangaru Market in Embu County, Kenya. +e antibiotic sus...
Abstract Termites perform key ecological functions and they also cause crop damage. Land use change resulting from agricultural intensification can result in changes in termite species diversity and abundance. Termite species occurring in natural vegetation, maize monocrop and maize-beans intercrop macrohabitats were investigated in Embu and Machakos Counties, Kenya. Influence of soil properties and seasons was also evaluated. Across the two Counties, seven termite species were recorded wi...
Abstract/Overview Long-term Earth observation based vegetation index records have been used extensively by researchers to assess vegetation response to global climate variability and change. However, the records exhibit multiple temporal gaps due to spectral and radiometric inconsistencies that inhibit accurate assessment of land surface vegetation dynamics. Here, we propose a new reconstruction procedure that approximates Bayesian time series model by using integrated nested Laplace appr...
Abstract/Overview Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda is a devastating pest of over 350 plant species especially the cereal crops such as, maize, sorghum and rice. The pest is currently posing threats to food security in Africa. FAW could be potential animal feed that can supplement chicken feed. However, there is little information on its nutritional profile as poultry feed. The aim of the study was to compare the nutrient content of FAW larvae to other chicken feeds. Proximate ana...
Abstract/Overview Technical efficiency measures the effectiveness of an enterprise given the available resources at disposal and how well it transforms these resources to get maximum output. This study therefore investigated the technical efficiency of cricket, A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus, production at JOOUST cricket farm using parametric approach. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to analyze the data collected from the farm between 2015-2017. Maximum likelihood estimates result...
Abstract/Overview Agricultural production in Kenya has stagnated since 1980s resulting in malnutrition in over 89% of Kenya’s population. Food insecurity has been identified as the prime cause of malnutrition. Low agricultural productivity due to declining soil fertile from poor cropping systems and use of non adapted exotic crop species has worsened this situation. Intercropping offers advantages if well planned including improved soil fertility and yields. Bambara groundnuts have show...
Abstract/Overview The use of Motorcycles Public Transport (MPT) is partly the cause of heavy traffic congestion in Kenya’s urban centers. Sustainable urban transport implies systematic change in approaches to urban transport service provision, regulation and efficiency improvement. This study was conducted in Kisii town, Western Kenya, a medium-sized town characteristic of high Motorcycle-related Traffic Congestion (MTC). Several scenarios in Kisii town have promoted and sustained use o...
Abstract/Overview The concentrations of catechins in a Kenyan tea germplasm collection of 102 accessions were determined by HPLC. Total green leaf catechin concentrations and the ratio of dihydroxylated to trihydroxylated catechins were used to establish genetic differentiation in the germplasm. Upon multivariate analysis, accumulation of the various catechins separated the tea clones into 3 major and 5 minor groups according to their phylogenetic origins. The Cambod teas had the highest ...
Abstract/Overview The variation in three NADP-linked dehydrogenase enzymes; glucose-6-phosphate dehydro- genase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and shikimate dehydrogenase as well as alpha and beta esterases was determined in 24 cultivars of Camellia sinensis and 2 other species of Camellia; C. japonica and C. irrawadiensis, using specific activity staining. The isozyme pro- files partitioned the cultivars according to their phylogenetic origins; (China, Assam, Cambodia and Japan). At...
Abstract/Overview Background: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are large groups of hydrophilic proteins with major role in drought and other abiotic stresses tolerance in plants. In-depth study and characterization of LEA protein families have been carried out in other plants, but not in upland cotton. The main aim of this research work was to characterize the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein families and to carry out gene expression analysis to determine their potentia...
Abstract/Overview Cricket rearing is emerging as an important component of animal food. However, suitable housing for medium and large - scale production still presents a major challenge. This study sought to investigate the effect of housing on growth performance of two cricket species: Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bimaculatus. Both species were reared in the two housing systems used in the experiment; the tunnel unit and the prefabricated house. The crickets were fed on growers’ mash...
Abstract/Overview Solanum villosum is an important leafy vegetable in Kenya whose production faces low yields. Two potentially high leaf-yielding genotypes of S. villosum, T-5 and an octoploid have been developed. Field experiments were conducted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to evaluate the vegetative and reproductive growth characteristics and leaf nitrogen of the genotypes under varying N levels. The experiments were carried out as split plots in a randomize...
Abstract/Overview Background: Only a few studies to evaluate groundwater fluoride in Eastern Africa have been undertaken outsidethe volcanic belt of the Great Eastern Africa Rift Valley. The extent and impact of water fluoride outside theseregions therefore remain unclear. The current study evaluated fluoride levels in household water sources in Bondo-Rarieda Area in the Kenyan part of the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) and highlighted the risk posed by waterfluoride to the resident communitie...
Abstract/Overview Food security is a major global concern. Food insecurity has insidious effects on the health and development of young children and consequently, adults. The paper assesses the food security status and its key determinants for the rural households of the arid lands of Isiolo in Kenya. A three stage sampling technique was used for respondents (56) selection. Data collected were: demographics, livelihood strategies, food security and livelihood assets. Descriptive and infer...
Abstract/Overview Nitrogen is a key macronutrient needed by plants to boost their production, but the development of cotton genotypes through conventional approaches has hit a bottleneck due to the narrow genetic base of the elite cotton cultivars, due to intensive selection and inbreeding. Based on our previous research, in which the BC2F2 generations developed from two upland cotton genotypes, an abiotic stress-tolerant genotype, G. tomentosum (donor parent) and a highly-susceptible, an...