Variation in maize tolerance to Striga Lutea (Lour) and influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

This study was conducted to assess the variation in maize tolerance to Striga lutea and influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Screen house experiment was conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Ibadan while, Farm settlement and Temidire were striga endemic experimental fields in Eruwa. Complete randomized design was used in screen house while, randomized complete block design was adopted on the field with three replications. AMF (Glomus mosseae, G. clarum, G. deserticola and Gigaspora gigantea) in mixtures of soil and root fragments were inoculated at the rate of 25g per plant while, 10.4g of extracted striga seeds were artificially  infested. Uninoculated and uninfested in pots and plots served as control. Four maize genotypes; ILE1- OB, ART-98-SW4-OB, ART-98-SW5-OB and ART-98-SW6-OB were screened for tolerance or susceptibility to S. lutea infestation on disease rating scale of 1 to 9. ART-98-SW5-OB and ART-98-SW6-OB were significantly tolerant (P<0.05) with striga damage rating (SDR) ranging from 1.18-2.48, ART-98-SW4-OB was moderately tolerant with SDR ranging from 3.59-4.57, while ILE-OB was highly susceptible with SDR ranging from 8.61-8.72. Influence of AMF was significant (P<0.05) for growth, yield and striga-related traits with SDR ranging from 1.28- 2.70 and 1.21-2.64 at 8 and 10 weeks after planting respectively.Key words: Maize, mycorrhiza, Striga lutea, tolerance, yiel

Awareness and knowledge of female genital mutilation among women in a sub-urban community in Edo State, Nigeria

Background: An estimated 130 million reported cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) occur globally, and every year at least 3 million girls and young women are at risk of undergoing this practice. This study was carried out to assess awareness and knowledge of FGM in a sub-urban community, Edo State, to help raise awareness on FGC and help develop programs against the practice.Materials and Method: A community based descriptive cross sectional study design was utilized for this study, involving researcher administration of semi-structured questionnaires to 325 consenting women of reproductive age in Okada Community, Edo State. Data collected weresorted for completeness coded, entered and analysed using SPSS version 21.0 statistical software with statistical significance set at p˂0.05 and 95% confidence interval.Results: The mean age of respondents studied was 22.78 ± 9.30 years.Three hundred and fourteen (96.6%) women studied were aware of FGM while 11(3.4%) were not, with school 155(49.4%) and family 124 (39.4%) being their predominant sources of information. One hundred and eighty six (56.2%) of the respondents had good knowledge of FGM while 128(40.8%) had poor knowledge. Employment status (OR=0.453; 95%CI=0.225-0.911; p=0.001) was the significant predictor identified that influenced knowledge of FGM among women studied.Conclusion: This study identified disparity between level of awareness and knowledge of FGM with employment status identified as a significant predictor for knowledge of FGM. There is need for a well-coordinated approach involving all relevant stakeholders to raise needed awareness with adequate knowledge to make informed decision against the practice of FGM.Keywords: Awareness, Female Genital Mutilation, Knowledge, Reproductive age, Sub-urban community, Wome

Factors associated with the knowledge and attitude towards Female Genital Mutilation among antenatal clinic attendees in Southern Nigeria

Background: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a common cultural practice in Benin City, Edo State and by extension, Nigeria. The knowledge and attitude towards FGM may play significant roles in influencing this harmful socio-cultural practice. Objective: To identify factors associated with knowledge and attitude towards female genital mutilation (FGM) among Antenatal Clinic (ANC) attendees in selected health facilities in Benin City, Edo State. Methods: A facility-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted involving 400 pregnant women recruited by systematic sampling technique from selected health facilities in Benin City, Edo State. A pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized for data collection from consenting pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in selected public tertiary and secondary health facilities in the study area. Information related to socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude towards FGM were collected. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 30.3±4.8 years. All the respondents were aware of the term Female Genital Mutilation. Two hundred and forty-eight (62%) and 302 (75.5%) had good knowledge and negative attitude towards FGM respectively. Age group (p = 0.005), religion (p = 0.007) and educational status (p &lt;0.001) were identified as significant factors influencing knowledge of FGM while in relation to attitude towards FGM, knowledge of FGM (p&lt;0.001) had significant influence. Conclusion: This study identified a gap between knowledge and attitude towards FGM among the respondents. Good knowledge of FGM significantly influenced attitude towards FGM. There is a need to scale up health sensitization during ANC sessions to bridge the gap identified.</jats:p