In vitro investigation on Pennisetum purpureum leaf extracts grown in Indonesia of phytochemical components, optical characteristics, and antioxidant-antibacterial activities.

Medicinal plants hold significant cultural significance and play a crucial role in the advancement of potentially safe drugs for the therapy of disease worldwide. Pennisetum purpureum or elephant grass has been used for traditional medications in Indonesia without understanding the phytochemicals of those plants. Herein, our report revolves around the qualitative and quantitative examination of phytochemical components, optical properties, antioxidants, and antibacterial assessments of solvent fractions derived from Pennisetum purpureum leaf. The Pennisetum purpureum leaf was successfully soaked with ethanol, n-hexane, and chloroform. The study aimed to assess the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total alkaloid content (TAC) within different of extracts. The optical properties of extract were analyzed by absorption light and photoluminescent. Moreover, evaluation of antioxidant activities of extracts through DPPH free radical scavenging and FRAP assays, followed by an evaluation of their effectiveness in antibacterial therapy against different bacterial strains. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical of Pennisetum purpureum presented as highest in ethanol TPC (85.5 mg GAE/g extracts), TFC (87.9 mg QE/g extracts), and TAC (86.2 mg ATE/g extracts) as compared to other solvents extract. Pennisetum purpureum extract had antioxidant capacity against DPPH radical and FRAP assay. Furthermore, each of the samples displayed antibacterial effectiveness that was dependent on the dosage towards different strains of bacteria. Our findings clearly demonstrated that Pennisetum purpureum leaf extracts grown in Indonesia containing alkaloid, flavonoid, glycoside, saponin, steroids, tannin, and terpenoids that support its capability as antioxidant and antibacterial.

Purple Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) Hot Water Extracts Ameliorate High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Metabolic Disorders in Mice.

Purple Pennisetum (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach), a hybrid between Taihucao No. 2 and the local wild species of purple Pennisetum, has dark red stems and leaves due to its anthocyanin content. This study explores the potential of purple napiergrass extracts (PNE) in alleviating obesity and metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet in mice, where 50% of the caloric content is derived from fat. Mice were orally administered low-dose or high-dose PNE alongside a high-fat diet. Experimental findings indicate that PNE attenuated weight gain, reduced liver, and adipose tissue weight, and lowered blood cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and blood sugar levels. Stained sections showed that PNE inhibited lipid accumulation and fat hypertrophy in the liver. Immunoblotting analysis suggested that PNE improved the inflammatory response associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia induced by a high-fat diet. Furthermore, PNE potentially functions as a PPAR-γ agonist, increasing the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) concentration and suppressing inflammatory factors, while elevating the anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the liver. PNE-treated mice showed enhanced activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways and increased fatty acid oxidation and liver lipolysis. In conclusion, this study elucidated the mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory, PI3K/Akt, and AMPK pathways in a high-fat diet-induced obesity model. These findings highlight the potential of PNE in reducing weight, inhibiting inflammation, and improving blood sugar and lipid levels, showing the potential for addressing obesity-related metabolic disorders in humans.

Application potential of biofertilizer-assisted Pennisetum giganteum in safe utilization of mercury-contaminated paddy fields.

High mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in crops such as rice in Hg-contaminated areas presents a potential health hazard to humans and wildlife. To develop a safe alternative technique, bacillus-inoculated biofertilizer, citric acid, earthworms, and selenium-modified activated clay were compared for their ability to regulate Hg bioaccumulation in Pennisetum giganteum (P. giganteum). This biofertilizer significantly increased Bacillus sp. abundance in the soil by 157.12%, resulting in the removal of 27.52% of water-soluble Hg fractions through volatilization and adsorption mechanisms. The variation in bioavailable Hg in the soil significantly reduced the total Hg concentration in P. giganteum young leaves, old leaves, stems, and roots of P. giganteum by 74.14%, 48.08%, 93.72%, and 50.91%, respectively (p < 0.05), which is lower than the Chinese feed safety standard (100 ng g-1). The biofertilizer inhibitory potential was highly consistent with that of the selenium-modified activated clay. Biofertilizers significantly reduced the methylmercury concentration in various P. giganteum tissues (p < 0.05), whereas selenium-modified activated clay failed to achieve a comparable effect. This biofertilizer-assisted planting pattern can achieve an economic income quadruple that of the rice planting pattern in the Hg-contaminated paddy fields. Because of its significant environmental and financial applications, the biofertilizer-assisted planting pattern is expected to replace Hg-contaminated paddy fields.

Anti-Hyperlipidemia, Hypoglycemic, and Hepatoprotective Impacts of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) Grains and Their Ethanol Extract on Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet.

This study tested the anti-hyperlipidemic, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects of whole pearl millet grain powder (MPG) and its ethanol extract (MPGethaolE) in obese rats fed a high-fat diet. The rats were divided into eight groups based on the treatments they received: control, high fat diet (HFD), HFD + MGE (25 mg/Kg), HFD + MPGethaolE (50 mg/Kg), HFD + MPGethaolE (100 mg/Kg), HFD + MPG (10%), HFD + MPG (20%), and HFD + MPG (30%). The final body weight, visceral, epididymal fat pads, and the liver weight were significantly decreased, in a dose-dependent manner, in HFD fed rats that were co-administered either the MPG powder or MPGethaolE. In the same line, serum levels of triglycerides (TGs), cholesterol (CHOL), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), as well as fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and serum levels of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), interleukine-6 (IL-6), interleukine-10 (IL-10), C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and adiponectin were progressively decreased while serum levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL-c) were significantly increased when increasing the doses of both treatments. In conclusion, both the raw powder and ethanolic extract of MP have a comparative dose-dependent anti-obesity, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-steatotic in HFD-fed rats.

Transcriptomic analysis of methyl jasmonate treatment reveals gene networks involved in drought tolerance in pearl millet.

Water deficit stress at the early stage of development is one of the main factors limiting pearl millet production. One practice to counteract this limitation would be to resort to the application of hormones to stimulate plant growth and development at critical stages. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can improve drought tolerance by modulating signaling, metabolism, and photosynthesis pathways, therefore, we assumed that can occur in pearl millet during the early stage of development. To decipher the molecular mechanisms controlling these pathways, RNAseq was conducted in two pearl millet genotypes, drought-sensitive SosatC88 and drought-tolerant Souna3, in response to 200 µM of MeJA. Pairwise comparison between the MeJA-treated and non-treated plants revealed 3270 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among 20,783 transcripts in SosatC88 and 127 DEGs out of 20,496 transcripts in Souna3. Gene ontology (GO) classification assigned most regulated DEGs in SosatC88 to heme binding, oxidation-reduction process, response to oxidative stress and membrane, and in Souna3 to terpene synthase activity, lyase activity, magnesium ion binding, and thylakoid. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis reveals that DEGs in SosatC88 are related to the oxidation-reduction process, the biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, the signal transduction, and the metabolism of terpenoids, while in Souna3, DEGs are related to the metabolism of terpenoids and the energy metabolism. Two genes encoding a diterpenoid biosynthesis-related (Pgl_GLEAN_10009413) and a Glutathione S transferase T3 (Pgl_GLEAN_10034098) were contra-regulated between SosatC88 and Souna3. Additionally, five random genes differentially expressed by RNAseq were validated using qPCR, therefore, they are potential targets for the development of novel strategies breeding schemes for plant growth under water deficit stress. These insights into the molecular mechanisms of pearl millet genotype tolerance at the early stage of development contribute to the understanding of the role of hormones in adaptation to drought-prone environments.

A randomized trial of iron- and zinc-biofortified pearl millet-based complementary feeding in children aged 12 to 18 months living in urban slums.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Biofortification of staple crops with higher levels of micronutrients via traditional breeding methods is a sustainable strategy and can possibly complement fortification and other interventions to target micronutrient deficiencies in low resource settings, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children. We aimed to determine if iron- and zinc-biofortified pearl millet (FeZnPM, Dhanashakti, ICTP-8203Fe)-based complementary feeding improves nutritional status, including iron biomarkers and growth, in children living in urban slums of Mumbai. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of FeZnPM among 223 children aged 12-18 months who were not severely anemic at baseline (hemoglobin ≥9.0 g/dL). Children were randomized to receive either FeZnPM or conventional non-biofortified pearl millet (CPM) daily for 9 months. Iron status (hemoglobin, serum ferritin), plasma zinc, and anthropometric indicators (length, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, triceps and subscapular skinfolds) were evaluated at enrollment and throughout the trial. World Health Organization (WHO) anthropometric z-scores were calculated using WHO growth standards. Primary outcomes were hemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations, and growth, defined as WHO z-scores. An intent to treat approach was used for analyses. We used the Hodges-Lehmann-Sen test to assess the change in primary outcomes between baseline and the last visit and report corresponding 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: At baseline, 67.7% of children were anemic (hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL) and 59.6% were iron deficient (serum ferritin <12.0 µg/L). FeZnPM did not significantly increase iron biomarkers or improve growth, compared to CPM. In subgroup analyses, FeZnPM improved hemoglobin concentrations in male children, and in children with iron deficiency or iron depletion (serum ferritin <25.0 µg/L) at baseline, relative to CPM. CONCLUSIONS: Daily consumption of FeZnPM-based complementary foods did not significantly impact iron and zinc status or growth in children living in Mumbai's urban slums. However, the intervention significantly improved hemoglobin concentrations among male children and among individuals who were iron-deficient or iron-depleted at baseline. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT02233764), and Clinical Trials Registry of India (ID: REF/2014/10/007731).

Cultivated and wild pearl millet display contrasting patterns of abundance and co-occurrence in their root mycobiome.

Fungal communities associated with roots play a key role in nutrient uptake and in mitigating the abiotic and biotic stress of their host. In this study, we characterized the roots mycobiome of wild and cultivated pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br., synonym: Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone] in three agro-ecological areas of Senegal following a rainfall gradient. We hypothesized that wild pearl millet could serve as a reservoir of endophytes for cultivated pearl millet. We therefore analyzed the soil factors influencing fungal community structure and whether cultivated and wild millet shared the same fungal communities. The fungal communities associated with pearl millet were significantly structured according to sites and plant type (wild vs cultivated). Besides, soil pH and phosphorus were the main factors influencing the fungal community structure. We observed a higher fungal diversity in cultivated compared to wild pearl millet. Interestingly, we detected higher relative abundance of putative pathotrophs, especially plant pathogen, in cultivated than in wild millet in semi-arid and semi-humid zones, and higher relative abundance of saprotrophs in wild millet in arid and semi-humid zones. A network analysis based on taxa co-occurrence patterns in the core mycobiome revealed that cultivated millet and wild relatives had dissimilar groups of hub taxa. The identification of the core mycobiome and hub taxa of cultivated and wild pearl millet could be an important step in developing microbiome engineering approaches for more sustainable management practices in pearl millet agroecosystems.

Iron-biofortified pearl millet consumption increases physical activity in Indian adolescent schoolchildren after a 6-month randomised feeding trial.

Fe deficiency has negative effects on voluntary physical activity (PA); however, the impact of consuming Fe-biofortified staple foods on voluntary PA remains unclear. This study compared the effects of consuming Fe-biofortified pearl millet or a conventional pearl millet on measures of voluntary PA in Indian schoolchildren (ages 12-16 years) during a 6-month randomised controlled feeding trial. PA data were collected from 130 children using Actigraph GT3X accelerometers for 6 d at baseline and endline. Minutes spent in light and in moderate-to-vigorous PA were calculated from accelerometer counts using Crouter's refined two-regression model for children. Mixed regression models adjusting for covariates were used to assess relationships between intervention treatment or change in Fe status and PA. Children who consumed Fe-biofortified pearl millet performed 22·3 (95 % CI 1·8, 42·8, P = 0·034) more minutes of light PA each day compared with conventional pearl millet. There was no effect of treatment on moderate-to-vigorous PA. The amount of Fe consumed from pearl millet was related to minutes spent in light PA (estimate 3·4 min/mg Fe (95 % CI 0·3, 6·5, P = 0·031)) and inversely related to daily sedentary minutes (estimate -5·4 min/mg Fe (95 % CI -9·9, -0·9, P = 0·020)). Consuming Fe-biofortified pearl millet increased light PA and decreased sedentary time in Indian schoolchildren in a dose-dependent manner.

IoT and Interpretable Machine Learning Based Framework for Disease Prediction in Pearl Millet.

Decrease in crop yield and degradation in product quality due to plant diseases such as rust and blast in pearl millet is the cause of concern for farmers and the agriculture industry. The stipulation of expert advice for disease identification is also a challenge for the farmers. The traditional techniques adopted for plant disease detection require more human intervention, are unhandy for farmers, and have a high cost of deployment, operation, and maintenance. Therefore, there is a requirement for automating plant disease detection and classification. Deep learning and IoT-based solutions are proposed in the literature for plant disease detection and classification. However, there is a huge scope to develop low-cost systems by integrating these techniques for data collection, feature visualization, and disease detection. This research aims to develop the 'Automatic and Intelligent Data Collector and Classifier' framework by integrating IoT and deep learning. The framework automatically collects the imagery and parametric data from the pearl millet farmland at ICAR, Mysore, India. It automatically sends the collected data to the cloud server and the Raspberry Pi. The 'Custom-Net' model designed as a part of this research is deployed on the cloud server. It collaborates with the Raspberry Pi to precisely predict the blast and rust diseases in pearl millet. Moreover, the Grad-CAM is employed to visualize the features extracted by the 'Custom-Net'. Furthermore, the impact of transfer learning on the 'Custom-Net' and state-of-the-art models viz. Inception ResNet-V2, Inception-V3, ResNet-50, VGG-16, and VGG-19 is shown in this manuscript. Based on the experimental results, and features visualization by Grad-CAM, it is observed that the 'Custom-Net' extracts the relevant features and the transfer learning improves the extraction of relevant features. Additionally, the 'Custom-Net' model reports a classification accuracy of 98.78% that is equivalent to state-of-the-art models viz. Inception ResNet-V2, Inception-V3, ResNet-50, VGG-16, and VGG-19. Although the classification of 'Custom-Net' is comparable to state-of-the-art models, it is effective in reducing the training time by 86.67%. It makes the model more suitable for automating disease detection. This proves that the proposed model is effective in providing a low-cost and handy tool for farmers to improve crop yield and product quality.

Effects of environmental conditions, low-level potassium, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or combination treatment on radiocesium-137 decontamination in Napier grass.

Phytoextraction is widely used to remove environmental pollutants such as heavy metals or radionuclides from soil. It is important to understand how to enhance the accumulation of contaminants by plants. Previously, we found that Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) has the potential to effectively remove Cs (133Cs and 137Cs). In order to enhance the remediation efficiency of Napier grass, we evaluated the effects of low-level K (K), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or the combination of low-level K and EDTA (K+EDTA). We also examined the differences in 137Cs decontamination between two cropping years (2018 and 2019). Overall, there were no prominent effects from the K, EDTA, or K+EDTA treatments on plant growth (plant height, tiller number), aboveground biomass, 137Cs concentration, and 137Cs removal ratio (CR) in 2 years. However, the aboveground biomass (P < 0.001), 137Cs concentration (P < 0.001 in 2019 only), and CR (P < 0.001) in plants grown in the first growing period were significantly higher than in plants grown in the second growing period in both years. The mean 137Cs concentration (P < 0.001) and total CR (P < 0.001) per year was significantly greater in 2019 than in 2018. The precipitation amount during the cultivation period in 2019 (1197 mm) was 1.8-fold higher than in 2018 (655 mm). In this study, the K, EDTA, and K+EDTA treatments had less effect plant growth than the natural environmental conditions. To enhance remediation efficiency, soil moisture is one important factor to produce more aboveground biomass to achieve high CR in Napier grass.

Effects of supplementing sow diets during late gestation with Pennisetum purpureum on antioxidant indices, immune parameters and faecal microbiota.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding Pennisetum purpureum (P. purpureum, also known as Napier grass or elephant grass) to the diets of late gestation on the antioxidant indexes, immune indexes and faecal microbiota of sows. At the 90 days of gestation, 300 healthy sows were randomly divided into three groups, and they received the basic commercial diet or added 5% P. purpureum and 10% P. purpureum, respectively. The experiment started from 90 days of gestation to parturition. The results showed that the total antioxidant capacity, immunoglobulins and serum equol concentrations of sows on 100 days of gestation and at parturition increased linearly (p < .05) with the increase of the content of P. purpureum in the gestation diet. The 5% P. purpureum increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (p = .027) and Actinobacteria (p < .001) at phylum level, Coriobacteriaceae (p < .001) at family level and Prevotellaceae_UCG_001 (p = .004) at genus level, and decreased the relative abundance of Escherichia_Shigella (p < .001) at genus level. In summary, this study shows that the additive of P. purpureum can increase the concentration of serum equol, improve the antioxidant capacity and immune function of sow in late gestation. In addition, the additive of 5% P. purpureum in the diet might change the composition of intestinal microbiota of sows, particularly the relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae (p < .001) increased.

Milk production and composition efficiency as influenced by feeding Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mahasarakham with Tiliacora triandra, Diels pellet supplementation.

Ruminal fermentation efficiency has been shown to be closely related with milk production in dairy cows. This investigation aimed at the utilization of sweet grass and bamboo grass pellet supplementation on ruminal fermentation, feed utilization efficiency, milk quantity, and quality in lactating dairy cows. Four lactating Holstein Friesian crossbreds were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to determine the effect of roughage sources and bamboo grass (Tiliacora triandra, Diels) pellet (BP) supplementation on voluntary feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, fermentation characteristics of the rumen, and milk quantity and quality. Sweet grass (SG) (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mahasarakham) and rice straw (RS) were fed as roughage sources as the first factor, while the second factor was supplementation levels of BP (0 and 150 g/cow/day). The results revealed that SG (P < 0.01) and BP supplementation (P < 0.05) improved feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, especially roughage intake and digestibility of DM and NDF. Ruminal pH (P < 0.05), bacterial (P < 0.01), and fungal population (P < 0.01) were increased with SG feeding, enhancing the concentration of total VFAs (P < 0.01) and propionic acid (P < 0.01), while both SG and BP decreased methane production (P < 0.01). While milk yield (P < 0.01) and milk composition (P < 0.01), especially unsaturated fatty acids including those of conjugated linoleic acid (P < 0.001), were enhanced. Supplementation of BP containing bioactive compounds such as condensed tannins (CT) enhanced rumen bacterial population with increased total VFAs (P < 0.05) and propionic acid (P < 0.05) concentrations, while decreased methane production (P < 0.05). The findings of this study indicate that SG would be beneficial to improved rumen fermentation, feed utilization, and milk production of dairy cows, while bamboo grass pellet supplementation tended to additionally improve rumen fermentation and feed intake without negative effects on milk production.

Effects of digestate on biomass of a selected energy crop and soil properties.

BACKGROUND: A large number of digestates have not been fully utilized due to a lack of scientific, reasonable guidance, as well as imperfect technology. Hybrid giant Napier has great potential for use as a type of energy plant. As such, this study investigated the effects of digestate on the growth of a candidate energy crop and examined whether digestate was an ecologically viable means for soil restoration. RESULTS: The results showed that the total yields of all treatment groups receiving irrigation of digestate were higher (5.19-26.00%) than those of the control. The total phosphorus, total potassium, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium content of the soil had also increased after digestate application, compared with the control. Urease activities for all treatments increased 15.28 to 69.44% more than that of the corresponding control. Soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) mainly contained humic-like and fulvic-like components through the application of digestate. More fluorescent components were also identified by two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS). These fluorescent components can improve the aromaticity and molecular weight of soil DOM so as to improve soil quality. CONCLUSIONS: Digestate improved not only the aboveground biomass accumulation, but also the chemical properties of the soil, which was an appropriate strategy for restoring soil quality and contributing to the sustainable development of marginal. The long-term impact of digestate application on soil quality will require additional long-term experiments. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pearl millet populations characterized by Fusarium prevalence, morphological traits, phenolic content, and antioxidant potential.

BACKGROUND: Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) has become increasingly attractive due to its health benefits. It is grown as food for human consumption and fodder for livestock in Africa and Asia. This study focused on five pearl millet populations from different agro-ecological zones from Tunisia, and on characterization by morphological traits, total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and occurrence of Fusarium. RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences between populations for the quantitative traits. The highest grain weights occurred in the pearl millet cultivated in Zaafrana and Gergis of Tunisia. Early flowering and early maturing populations cultivated in the center (Zaafrana, Rejiche) and south (Gergis) of Tunisia tended to have a higher grain yield. The Zaafrana population showed the highest value of green fodder potentiel (number and weight of leaves/cultivar and the weight of tillers and total plant/cultivar) followed by Gergis and Rejiche. The Kelibia population showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content. Rejiche exhibited the greatest antioxidant activity. Trans-cinnamic, protocatechuic, and hydroxybenzoic acids were the major phenolic compounds in all the extracts. Three Fusarium species were identified in Tunisian pearl millet populations based on morphologic and molecular characterization. Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum occurred most frequently. The average incidence of the three Fusarium species was relatively low (<5%) in all populations. The lowest infection rate (0.1%) was recorded in the samples from Zaafrana. CONCLUSION: Chemometric analysis confirmed the usefulness of the above traits for discrimination of pearl millet populations, where a considerable variation according to geographical origin and bioclimatic conditions was observed. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Two Phytotoxins Isolated from the Pathogenic Fungus of the Invasive Weed Xanthium italicum.

Alternariol and altenuisol were isolated as the major phytotoxins produced by an Alternaria sp. pathogenic fungus of the invasive weed Xanthium italicum. Altenuisol exhibited stronger phytotoxic effect compared with alternariol. At 10 µg/mL, alternariol and altenuisol promoted root growth of the monocot plant Pennisetum alopecuroides by 11.1 % and 75.2 %, respectively, however, inhibitory activity was triggered by the increase of concentration, with root elongation being suppressed by 35.5 % and 52.0 % with alternariol and altenuisol at 1000 µg/mL, respectively. Alternariol slightly inhibited root length of the dicot plant Medicago sativa at 10-1000 µg/mL, whereas altenuisol stimulated root growth by 51.0 % at 10 µg/mL and inhibited root length by 43.4 % at 200 µg/mL. Alternariol and altenuisol did not exert strong regulatory activity on another dicot plant, Amaranthus retroflexus, when tested concentration was low, however, when the concentration reached 1000 µg/mL, they reduced root length by 68.1 % and 51.0 %, respectively. Alternariol and altenuisol exerted similar effect on shoot growth of three tested plants but to a lesser extent. It is noteworthy to mention that this is the first report on the phytotoxicity of altenuisol.

Dietary intake of pearl millet based weaning food supplemented with iron and vitamin A enhances bioavailability of vitamin A in anemic rats.

The study was aimed to assess vitamin A bioavailability and allergenicity of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) based weaning food (PMWF) fortified with iron and retinyl acetate in male Wistar albino rats. Animals (n = 64) were divided into Normal (NG) and Anemic (AG) groups; further sub-divided into 4 sub-groups having 8 animals each receiving synthetic diet, commercial diet, iron fortified PMWF diet and iron (150.00 ± 0.73 ppm) plus retinyl acetate (393.00 ± 3.07 µg/100 g) fortified PMWF diet (Final diet). Results revealed that anemic sub-groups showed apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) in the range of 69.5 ± 0.40-93.2 ± 0.79%, which was significantly (P < 0.01) higher than normal sub-groups (65.5 ± 0.62-84.6 ± 0.33%). In both groups, rats fed final diet presented significantly (P < 0.01) higher ADC (84.6 ± 0.33-93.2 ± 0.79%) than that of animals received iron fortified diet (69.0 ± 0.59-76.1 ± 1.02%), indicating higher bioavailability of vitamin A in final diet. Moreover, hepatic vitamin A replenished rapidly in anemic groups (1.79-27.8) when compared to normal rats (1.11-19.4 µg/g liver). Immunoglobulins IgG, IgE in blood serum and IgA in intestinal fluid ranged from 574 ± 6.48 to 603 ± 9.76 µg/ml, 287 ± 4.46 to 309 ± 5.70 ng/ml and 204 ± 10.33 to 255 ± 13.22 µg/ml, respectively. However, no significant (P > 0.05) difference was observed between the groups and/or subgroups, suggesting no allergic response of final diet. Stimulation index triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ranged from 1.22 ± 0.06 to 1.45 ± 0.09 µg ml-1 in normal sub-groups and 1.16 ± 0.02 to 1.33 ± 0.03 µg ml-1 in anemic sub-groups with no significant (P > 0.05) difference among them. Overall, it can be concluded that retinyl acetate could be an effective fortificant to improve the status of vitamin A in anemic models.

Inter and intra cultural variations of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses in Niger (West Africa).

BACKGROUND: An ethnobotanical study was conducted in the eight regions of Niger to identify local knowledge variation of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses. In fact, the level of individual knowledge can be affected by many factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, religious and cultural beliefs, etc. This study documented indigenous knowledge of millet uses in Niger and aimed specifically to (i) identify the different types of millet organ uses and (ii) assess the variation of local knowledge of millet uses along with ethnicity, occupation, and age. METHODS: The data were collected in 32 major millet-producing villages in Niger through individual semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. About 508 individuals from 5 ethnic groups were interviewed. The assessment of the knowledge was performed by calculating five ethnobotanical indices such as the number of reported uses by parts of the plant (RU), the use-value of the parts of the plant (PPV), the specific use-value (SU), the intraspecific use-value (IUV), and the relative frequency of citations (FRC). Data were analyzed using descriptive, univariate, and multivariate statistical analyses. RESULTS: The results indicated a significant variation in uses across ethnic groups (H = 38.14, P = 0.000) and socio-occupational categories (H = 6.80, P = 0.033). The Hausa, Kanuri, and Zarma-Sonhrai ethnic groups, farmers were the largest users of the species. Dietary (51.40%) and forage (40.35%) were the most reported uses. The most commonly used parts of the plant were the stubble (74.92%) and grains (73.68%). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed the importance of P. glaucum in the daily life of local people. It also confirmed the uneven distribution of indigenous knowledge of millet uses in Niger due to social factors. Now, the challenge is how to incorporate these social differences in knowledge of millet uses in view to sustainable management and conservation of local genetic resources of millet. Finally, this work could be an important decision-making tool for future millet valuing.

Use of bean meal (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in goat rations for meat production.

Bean meal (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) may be a viable alternative in ruminant feeding, mainly as a source of protein due to its high crude protein content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of substitution of cottonseed cake (Gossypium hirsutum) with different levels of bean meal in goat feedlot rations on dry matter intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, performance, carcass characteristics, and hematological parameters. Twenty castrated male Repartida goats with an average initial weight of 14.7 ± 2.0 kg were allocated in a randomized block design with four treatments. The initial body weight was used to define the blocks. The treatments were different substitution levels of cottonseed cake by bean meal (0, 27.75, 64.63, and 100%) in the concentrate on a dry matter basis. The diets had a roughage:concentrate ratio of 50:50. Chopped elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) was used as roughage, while the concentrate was composed of ground corn, mineral mix, and different levels of bean meal and cottonseed cake. There were no treatment effects on dry matter intake, feed conversion, slaughter weight, carcass weight and yield, non-carcass component yield, and hematological parameters (P > 0.05). However, for both dry matter digestibility (P = 0.001) and daily weight gain (P < 0.001), there was a negative quadratic relationship between cottonseed cake and bean meal content in the diet. Bean meal can be used in goat diets to replace cottonseed cake as the only source of protein concentrate, since it did not affect the main performance characteristics.

Bioavailability and Bioactivity of Selenium from Wheat ( Triticum aestivum), Maize ( Zea mays), and Pearl Millet ( Pennisetum glaucum), in Selenium-Deficient Rats.

This study examined the bioavailability and bioactivity of selenium (Se) from staple cereals, wheat, pearl millet, and maize, in Se-deficient rats (Wistar strain (OUT-Wister, IND-cft (2c)). The bioavailability and bioactivity of Se were determined by measuring the Se contents of the tissue and organs and activities of Se-dependent enzymes. Se-deficient rats were repleted with Se through wheat, pearl millet, and maize. The wheat diet exhibited the highest bioavailability of Se, followed by pearl millet and maize. The bioactivity of Se, as indicated by the activity of the Se-dependent enzymes, was found to be significantly ( p < 0.001) higher in the organs of rats fed the wheat diet, followed by pearl millet and maize diets. The deficiency of Se resulted in a significant decrease ( p < 0.001) in the activity of antioxidant enzymes in circulation and organs. The staples wheat, pearl millet, and maize have a high bioavailability of Se.

Characterization of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) waste.

Environmental considerations in recent times have led to increasing interest in naturally occurring lignocellulosic materials as they are abundant and biodegradable. Pearl Millet (PM) stalks are currently discarded in North India and add to agrowaste generation. In this study, raw stalk of PM was characterized for physicochemical properties such as composition, moisture content, water absorbency and thermal behaviour. Morphology and crystallinity were studied using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction respectively. Pure cellulose, extracted from the stalk using an optimised process, was characterised similarly. XRD patterns indicate the presence of cellulose type I structure with crystallinity index of 32% for raw stalk and 55% for the purified material. Water absorbency was 10 g/g for raw and 13 g/g for extracted cellulose. Material was thermally stable up to 200 °C. These findings indicate that PM stalks may be used as an indigenous source of cellulose for the absorbent layer in hygiene products.