Academic literature on the topic 'Shea tree – Benin'

Shea butter: Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn (Sapotaceae) is a fruit tree in the Sudano-Sahelian region where it is a major economic source. Unfortunately, in Benin, the species has been revealed in recent decades, the target of parasitic vascular plants of Loranthaceae family that threaten its conservation. The present study, carried out in northern Benin, evaluated the impact of these parasitic plants on the shea of two phytogeographical zones. The botanical inventory identified three species of Loranthaceae in fields and protected areas. The rate of infestation and parasite density were assessed and their variation on shea was assessed. The results show that shea is parasitized by three species of Loranthaceae in varying proportions: Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC.) Polh. and Wiens (191.75 tufts / ha), Tapinanthus globiferus (A. Rich.) Van Tieghem (70.57 tufts / ha) and T. Ophiodes (Sprague) (2 tufts / ha). The impact of Loranthaceae on shea productivity varies significantly between fields and protected areas with infestation rates of 87% versus 42% and average densities per shea foot of 14.76 tufts versus 3.62 tufts. These results are data to be taken into account in the control programs against Loranthaceae which parasitize shea.

Objectifs : l’objectif de la présente étude était d’analyser les perceptions des gestionnaires des parcs à karité sur les effets du changement climatique sur la productivité des arbres de karité tout le long du gradient climatique au Bénin. Méthodologie et Résultats : 420 gestionnaires des parcs à karité dans les communes de Bohicon (au sud), Savè (au centre), Parakou, Bembèrèkè et Kandi (au nord) ont été soumis à un questionnaire semi-structuré relative aux caractéristiques sociodémographiques des personnes enquêtées, aux tendances des facteurs climatiques, aux indicateurs d’appréciation de l’effet des changements climatiques sur la productivité du karité et aux stratégies d'adaptation développées. Une analyse en composante principale suivi d’une analyse factorielle des correspondances ont été faites. Ensuite, une régression logistique polychotomique ordinale a été utilisée en vue d’étudier les déterminants de l’adoption des stratégies d’adaptation aux effets du changement climatique par les gestionnaires des parcs à karité. Les résultats ont montré que la température (38,65%), la pluviométrie (50,27%) et les vents violents (2,43%) sont les facteurs climatiques affectant négativement la productivité des arbres selon personnes enquêtées. L’association du karité avec les cultures annuelles et l’entretien périodique des peuplements ont été les principales stratégies d’adaptation au changement climatique développées respectivement par 98,33% et 48,55% des personnes enquêtées. La zone agroécologique, le sexe des gestionnaires des parcs à karité, l’appartenance à une organisation paysanne et la densité des arbres de karité ont influencé significativement (p < 0,05) le choix des stratégies d’adaptation développées. Conclusion et Application des Résultats : La variation des facteurs climatiques a provoqué selon les personnes enquêtées l’avortement des fleurs et par conséquent une diminution du rendement en noix des arbres. Le choix des stratégies d’adaptation par les gestionnaires des parcs à karité aux changements climatiques est fonction de la zone agroécologique, du sexe des gestionnaires des parcs à karité, de l’appartenance à une organisation paysanne et de la densité des arbres de karité. L’étude suggère une Avaligbé et al., J. Appl. Biosci. 2021 Tendances climatiques, perceptions des gestionnaires des parcs à karité sur la productivité du karité (Vitellaria paradoxa) au Bénin. 16238 analyse de l’efficacité de ces stratégies d’adaptation afin de mettre en place des paquets technologiques garantissant la durabilité de ce système agroforestier. Mots clés : Stratégie d’adaptation, facteurs climatiques, phénologie des arbres, systèmes agroforestier. Climate trends, perceptions of the shea park managers on the productivity of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) in Benin. ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to analyze the perceptions of shea park managers of the effects of climate change on the productivity of shea trees along the climatic gradient in Benin. Methodology and Results: 420 shea-park managers in the municipalities of Bohicon (located in the south), Savè (located in the centre), Parakou, Bembèrèkè and Kandi (located in the north) were subjected to a semistructured questionnaire. Socio-demographic characteristics of the people surveyed, trends in the climatic factors, criteria used to appreciate effect variability of climate parameters on shea trees’ productivity and the adaptation strategies developed were data collected. These data were analyzed using principal component analysis and correspondence factorial analysis. Then, an ordinal polychotomic logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of the adoption of the adaptation strategies to climate change by shea park managers. The results showed that temperature (38.65% of the respondent), rainfall (50.27% of the respondent) and wind (2.43% of the respondent) are climatic factors affecting negatively trees’ productivity. Intercropping of shea tree with annual crops and regular maintenance of the trees were the main adaptation strategies to climate change developed by 98.33% and 48.55% of the respondents respectively. The agroecological zone, gender of the shea park managers, membership of farmer organization and density of shea trees significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the choice of the adaptation strategies developed. Conclusion and Application of Results: The variation in climatic factors caused, according to the people surveyed, abortion of flowers and consequently a decrease in the trees’ nut yield. The choice of an adaptation strategies by shea trees park managers to climate change depends on the agroecological zone, gender of the managers, membership of farmers’ organization and density of shea trees. We suggested an analysis of the effectiveness of these adaptation strategies in order to develop crop management technology that guarantee the sustainability of this agroforestry system. Keywords: Adaptation strategy, climatic factors, tree phenology, agroforestry systems

Background: The fat extracted from the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is called Shea butter. It has multiple uses at the local level as it is used in cosmetic products and as a cocoa butter substitute in chocolate industries. It has a high nutritious value and is also a valuable product on the local, national, and international markets, making it the ideal candidate to research and invest in.Aim: This study is a comparative experimental study of the possible burn healing effects between imported South African raw Shea butter and samples in a Libyan market.Method: The control samples were brought from South Africa (Benin traditional markets). A total of 18 different samples were collected from different sale centers in Tripoli, including pharmacies, beauty shops, and spices shops, in addition to one sample brought from Poland. Animal experiment on burn healing effect was carried out on nine male Sprague Dawley (350–400 g) rats aged 6–8 weeks old. After shaving the animal’s dorsum hair, a metal cube was used to create a deep second degree burn wound, and the cube was heated to 100°C for 20 seconds. Medication with Shea butter (control, T1, and T2) was initiated daily for one for these groups by the application of a thin film of the Shea butter samples on the burned areas. On days 1, 3, and 7, the rats were anesthetised and a sample from the burned scar tissue and skin adjacent were evaluated using pathological parameters.Results: The histological study indicates that the use of Shea butter T1 as topical treatment induces an immune response, which enhances the form of the presence of a large number of inflammatory cells in the epidermis and dermis layers. The treatment of burned skin with T2 lasted for 72 hours and it showed slightly significant healing in the normal structure of proliferative granulation tissue with accumulation of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells surrounding the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Small areas of the epidermis which formed few layers were observed and some hair roots were grown. This was well seen in cases of T1 and T2. Shea butter bought as raw might have a bad effect on burned skin. Conclusion: Shea butter bought as raw might have bad effect on burned skin. On the other hand, the sample from Poland had a therapeutic effect, which was because of the additives such as avocado oil, grape seed oil, and others.

Spodoptera frugiperda has caused significant losses of farmer income in sub-Saharan countries since 2016. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge of S. frugiperda, their perceptions and management practices in Benin. Data were collected through a national survey of 1237 maize farmers. Ninety-one point eight percent of farmers recognized S. frugiperda damage, 78.9% of them were able to identify its larvae, and 93.9% of the maize fields were infested. According to farmers, the perceived yield losses amounted to 797.2 kg/ha of maize, representing 49% of the average maize yield commonly obtained by farmers. Chi-square tests revealed that the severity of the pest attacks was significantly associated with cropping practices and types of grown maize varieties. About 16% of farmers identified francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus), village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), and common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) as natural enemies and 5% of them identified yellow nutsedge, chan, shea tree, neem, tamarind, and soybean as repellent plants of S. frugiperda. Most farmers (91.4%) used synthetic pesticides and 1.9% of them used botanical pesticides, which they found more effective than synthetic pesticides. Significant relationships exist between farmers’ management practices, their knowledge, organization membership, and contact with research and extension services. More research is required to further understand the effectiveness of botanical pesticides made by farmers against S. frugiperda and to refine them for scaling-up.

Tree roots provide important soil reinforcement that improves the stability of hillslopes. After trees are cut and roots begin to decay, the frequency of slope failures can increase. To more fully understand the mechanics of how tree roots reinforce soil, fine sandy soil containing pine roots was placed in a large shear box in horizontal layers and sheared across a vertical plane. The shapes of the deformed roots in the sheared soil were explained satisfactorily by an equation that had been developed to model the deformed shape of artificial reinforcement elements, such as wood dowels, parachute cord, Bungy cord, and aluminum rods. Root deformation in sheared soil is influenced by the diameter and concentration of roots. A model is proposed that uses root strain to estimate the shear stress of soil reinforced by roots. The shear resistance measured from the shear tests compared quite well with the model simulation.

Pentadesma butyracea Sabine est l’une des quatre espèces du genre Pentadesma endémique de l’Afrique. Elle est distribuée de la Sierra Léone au Gabon dans deux grands types d’habitats :les forêts denses humides discontinues du domaine guinéo-congolais (Haute- et Basse-Guinée) et le domaine soudanien du couloir sec du Dahomey (assimilé à une barrière à l’échange de gènes et d’espèces entre les deux blocs guinéo-congolais). Dans ce dernier, l’espèce se retrouve dans des galeries forestières et occupe une place capitale dans le développement socio-économique des communautés locales en raison des multiples biens et services que procurent ses produits (alimentation, médecine et pharmacopée traditionnelle, etc.). Cependant, des pressions d’origines multiples, telles que le ramassage des graines pour fabriquer du beurre, la fragmentation de l’habitat et sa destruction en faveur du maraîchage, les pratiques culturales inadaptées, les incendies, font peser de lourdes menaces sur l’espèce.

Le but de ce travail est d’acquérir les connaissances requises pour la conservation et la gestion durable des ressources génétiques de l’espèce. Trois objectifs ont été définis :(i) étudier la phylogéographie de l’espèce, (ii) étudier sa variabilité morphologique et génétique au Bénin et (iii) caractériser sa biologie de reproduction. En amont de ces travaux, nous avons développé onze marqueurs microsatellites nucléaires chez P. butyracea (chapitre 2). Ils ont été utilisés pour l’étude de la phylogéographie et la diversité génétique de P. butyracea (chapitres 3 et 5), ainsi que pour étudier la dépression de consanguinité et les paramètres de son système de reproduction (chapitre 7).

La caractérisation de la répartition spatiale des lignées génétiques de régions intergéniques de l’ADN chloroplastique et de l’ADN ribosomal (ITS) a détecté deux lignées génétiques allopatriques entre le Haut et le Bas-Guinéen, indiquant une forte différenciation génétique et un signal phylogéographique. L’analyse des microsatellites détecte trois pools géniques correspondant aux trois régions étudiées (Haute Guinée, Dahomey Gap et Basse Guinée). La diversité génétique est faible dans le Dahomey Gap, modérée dans le Haut-Guinéen et élevée dans le Bas-Guinéen. Ces résultats indiquent une séparation très ancienne des populations d’Afrique centrale et d’Afrique de l’ouest, alors que celles du Dahomey Gap pourraient résulter des forêts denses humides de l’Afrique de l’ouest lors de la période Holocène humide africaine. Dans ce couloir sec, les populations ont subi une forte dérive génétique, potentiellement due à des évènements de fondation. Au Bénin, deux groupes éco-morphologiques ont été détectés suivant un gradient nord-sud, contrastant avec deux pools géniques présentant une distribution est-ouest.

P. butyracea est une espèce auto-compatible majoritairement allogame. La corrélation de paternité est plus élevée aux niveaux intra-fruit vs. inter-fruits, et au sein d’une population de petite taille vs. de grande taille. Les principaux pollinisateurs au Bénin sont deux oiseaux (Cyanomitra verticalis, Cinnyris coccinigastrus) et trois abeilles (Apis mellifera, Meliponula togoensis, Hypotrigona sp.). La productivité totale en fruits augmente en fonction de l’âge de l’arbre et varie en fonction de l’année, atteignant un pic pour les arbres ayant un diamètre de 60-80 cm. Les graines sont récalcitrantes et ont une teneur en eau de 42.5 ± 2.9 %.

L’analyse des paramètres de reproduction et de diversité génétique, associés aux facteurs écogéographiques, nous a permis de proposer un échantillon de neuf populations représentatives de la diversité à l’échelle du Bénin, dans la perspective d’une conservation in situ. Le succès de celle-ci dépendra des efforts conjugués des communautés locales, de la recherche forestière et de la définition d’un cadre législatif par le politique pour la protection des habitats. La conservation ex situ est envisagée sous forme d’un verger rassemblant diverses origines, présentant l’intérêt supplémentaire de permettre d’étudier les contributions de la diversité génétique et de la plasticité phénotypique à la variation phénotypique. / Pentadesma butyracea Sabine is one of the four species of the endemic genus Pentadesma in Africa. The species is distributed from Sierra Leone to Gabon in two major types of habitats: the discontinuous and dense Guineo-Congolian rainforests (Upper and Lower Guinea) and the Sudanian domain of the dry corridor of Dahomey (considered as a barrier to the exchange of genes and species between Upper and Lower Guinea). In the latter, the species is found in gallery forests and plays a vital role in the socio-economic livelihood of local communities due to the various resources and services that provide its products (food, medicine and traditional, etc.). However, pressure from many sources including the collection of seeds to make butter, habitat fragmentation and its destruction for market gardening, inadequate agricultural practices, fires, are serious threats to the species.

The aim of this work was to acquire appropriate knowledge for the conservation and sustainable management of genetic resources of the species. Three objectives were defined (i) study the phylogeography of the species; (ii) evaluate its morphological and genetic variability in Benin; and (iii) characterize its reproductive biology. In a preliminary work, eleven nuclear microsatellite markers of P. butyracea were developed (Chapter 2). They were used for the study of phylogeography and genetic diversity of P. butyracea (chapters 3 and 5), and to study the inbreeding depression and parameters of its breeding system (Chapter 7).

The characterization of the genetic lineages and their spatial distribution using intergenic regions from chloroplast DNA and ribosomal DNA (ITS) region detected two allopatric genetic lineages between Upper and Lower Guinea, indicating a high genetic differentiation and a phylogeographic signal. Microsatellite markers allowed us to detect three genepools matching with the three studied regions (Upper Guinea, Dahomey-Gap and Lower Guinea). Genetic diversity was low in the Dahomey Gap, moderate in Upper Guinea and high in Lower Guinea. These results indicate an ancient separation of populations from Central and West Africa, while those from Dahomey Gap could originate West African rainforests (Upper Guinea) during the African humid Holocene period. In this dry corridor, populations experienced high genetic drift, possibly due to founding events. In Benin, two eco-morphological groups were detected following a north-south gradient, contrasting with two gene pools presenting an east-west distribution.

Pentadesma butyracea is a self-compatible, mainly allogamous species. The correlation of paternity was higher within-fruit vs. among-fruits, and in population of small size vs. large size. The main pollinators in Benin are two birds (Cyanomitra verticalis, Cinnyris coccinigastrus) and three bees (Apis mellifera, Meliponula togoensis, Hypotrigona sp.). Total productivity in fruit increases with tree age and varies yearly, reaching a peak for trees of 60-80 cm of diameter class. Seeds are recalcitrant (i.e. they cannot be conserved at low temperature), having a water content of 42.5 ± 2.9% at maturity.

The analysis of reproduction and genetics parameters, associated with eco-geographic factors, enabled us to select nine populations representative of the diversity in Benin, from the perspective of in situ conservation. The success of the latter will depend on combined efforts of local communities, forest research and an adequate legislative framework for the protection of habitats. Ex situ conservation is envisaged as an orchard assembling various origins, and would have the additional advantage of allowing to study the contribution of genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity to phenotypic variation.
Doctorat en Sciences
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This chapter analyzes the coverage of Clinton's international excursions beginning in 1995 and ending with the media frenzy over the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal from 1998 through early 1999. As Clinton entered the international spaces of politics as a U.S. emissary, she was framed increasingly as the silent and more appropriately gendered first lady, visualized in the global spaces yet given minimal voice in primetime news coverage. At the first sign of discord, however, the surveillance and scrutiny would begin again, especially coinciding with her very public and outspoken actions during the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in China. The dissipation of controversy over most of Clinton's seventy-eight international trips as first lady suggested that the true spaces of contestation for vocal political women existed within the boundaries of the nation-state.

Lovie confronts her anxieties about aging and retirement and the knowledge that she can’t keep delivering babies forever. Her identity is so thoroughly bound up with midwifery that she fears losing herself if she gives up her work. Lovie and the narrator grapple with a host of issues: What does it mean to be of service? What makes work meaningful? What does it mean to give up work that one believes one was put on earth to do? Folded into this is Lovie’s sense of her calling, her view of midwifery as sacred work and of herself partnering with God to bring new life into the world. Lovie turns 75, an occasion that initially seems to grant her permission to begin letting go of some things, possibly even midwifery. The narrator reflects on her listening role in doing documentary fieldwork with Lovie and questions her desire to pin Lovie down.

She wondered, while she walked along, what she would say, where she would begin. As she drew nearer, she began to recognize bushes and trees, the furze growing on the hill, then the chateau, beyond. She found herself reliving the emotions of her first love...

Just weeks before Graham was to leave on her tour under Nixon, he resigned. “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” the new president, Gerald R. Ford, declared. For Graham, having Ford in the White House and Henry Kissinger at the State Department promised to be a dream come true. The new first lady, Betty Bloomer Ford, had been Graham’s student and performed with the company in her youth; Kissinger supported Graham’s upcoming tour. Graham became a political bond in a moment of triage. “A principal objective of the Graham visit is political,” declared a State Department official. “Or politico-cultural,” he then corrected himself. Graham would begin in South Korea and then travel to Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, and South Vietnam. She would also return to Japan, but since she was popular there, box office receipts would pay her way. The itinerary reflected Nixon and Kissinger’s desire to soothe any mayhem regarding their desire to open China to the West, a policy continued by Ford. With the publicity of Soviet ballet defections, Graham promised the first lady that she would deploy Nureyev for a new work of Americana for a gala in New York upon her return. Americana was back on board with Graham “center stage” as a matriarch of what came to be described as “historic” or even “old-fashioned” modernism.

The quality of the therapist-client working alliance predicts both a client’s persistence in treatment and the outcomes he or she achieves. More effective therapists are better able to establish strong alliances across a range of clients, and this is true regardless of the model from which they work. It is important, therefore, that training programs ensure that their graduates are able to develop and manage alliances with their clients. Supervisors are key to accomplishing this training goal. This chapter focuses on the supervisor–supervisee relationship and its effect on the supervisee–client working alliance. As detailed by the authors, the working relationship between a supervisor and a supervisee is paramount in the supervisee’s professional development. The supervisor–supervisee relationship provides the contextual framework from which supervisees begin to form working alliances with their own clients. The authors highlight areas of supervisory focus that can improve the supervisee–client working alliance by focusing on specific attitudinal and skill-related issues that affect working alliance-related competence.

As the head of Latvia’s minute military, Colonel Raimanos Graube, notes, the ascension of the Latvian state into NATO is part of a much larger process than military security alone: “This means we are moving to our goal, which is to be a firm and permanent part of the West.” Though such a viewpoint is common among the populaces of ascending member states, it helps raise numerous questions as to several inherent contradictions in the reasoning behind NATO expansion. To begin with, why are numerous states that just over ten years ago regained their sovereign independence from the Soviet empire so suddenly willing to join a new, hegemonic-backed Western empire? Furthermore, what are the true reasons that underlie NATO members’ interest in expanding their military alliance into nation-states with military forces comprised of only 5,500 members (e.g., Latvia)? There is more at play in NATO expansion than simple geopolitical security as defined by the international relations (IR) field. Indeed, it will be argued that above and beyond security for central Europe, contemporary NATO expansion is a moment in the cycle of the U.S. rise to world power. Moreover, it will be illustrated that ascension of central and Eastern European states into NATO may represent the final surrender of the socialist modernity as global competitor to the West. In this historical battlefield between Eastern and Western modernities, the socialist modernity that dominated during much of the region’s twentieth-century history is now reviled by these civil societies and viewed as the antithesis of modernity. In the meantime, the Western lifestyle of mass consumption and suburbanism, as well as other dominant core processes from Western Europe in general, raised the flag of market capitalism and democratic institutions in these states and filled the power vacuum just as quickly as the Soviet red stars came down. In this way, NATO is becoming increasingly synonymous with a “zone of peace” wherein all members ascribe to democracy, free trade, and interdependent relations. By joining NATO, new member states are making a political effort to shed the yoke of the failed Soviet modernity and join the hegemonic-led “Western” world (i.e., become “part of Europe”).

In this module, we focus on writing a research proposal, a document written to request financial support for an ongoing or newly conceived research project. Like the journal article (module 1), the proposal is one of the most important and most utilized writing genres in chemistry. Chemists employed in a wide range of disciplines including teaching (high school through university), research and technology, the health professions, and industry all face the challenge of writing proposals to support and sustain their scholarly activities. Before we begin, we remind you that there are many different ways to write a successful proposal—far too many to include in this textbook. Our goal is not to illustrate all the various approaches, but rather to focus on a few basic writing skills that are common to many successful proposals. These basics will get you started, and with practice, you can adapt them to suit your individual needs. After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following: ■ Describe different types of funding and funding agencies ■ Explain the purpose of a Request for Proposals (RFP) ■ Understand the importance of addressing need, intellectual merit, and broader impacts in a research proposal ■ Identify the major sections of a research proposal ■ Identify the main sections of the Project Description Toward the end of the chapter, as part of the Writing on Your Own task, you will identify a topic for the research proposal that you will write as you work through this module. Consistent with the read-analyze-write approach to writing used throughout this textbook, this chapter begins with an excerpt from a research proposal for you to read and analyze. Excerpt 11A is taken from a proposal that competed successfully for a graduate fellowship offered by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As is true for nearly all successful proposals, the principal investigator (PI) wrote this proposal in response to a set of instructions. We have included the instructions with the excerpt so that you can see for yourself how closely she followed the proposal guidelines.

As we continue our exploration of who rules the earth, we find that the economy, once you look inside it, relies on a vast system of rules and regulations, its cogs and wheels spinning day and night to enable the countless transactions that make up a modern economy. The relation between markets and rules is a fascinating one, far more complex than is suggested by the usual debates over government regulation versus free enterprise. Markets rely on rules. But increasingly, the reverse is also true: Some of our most innovative environmental policies and regulations have embedded within them market incentives designed to promote pro-environment behavior. To appreciate the stakes, let’s begin by considering what is arguably the greatest environmental tragedy—and biggest environmental success story—of all time. The removal of tetraethyl lead from gasoline has had a profound impact on human health and well-being worldwide. The change began in the United States in the late 1970s, soon spread to Europe, and over the next two decades diffused throughout the entire world. This shift was prompted by an innovative set of rules that actually assigned property rights to poison—and in the process created incentives for widespread changes in corporate behavior. Under the Clean Air Act of 1970, the US Environmental Protection Agency had the legal authority to regulate tetraethyl lead, which had been added to gasoline since the 1920s to boost engine performance. The original decision to add “ethyl” to the chemical mixture sloshing around in our gas tanks took place despite dire warnings from health experts. Foremost among these was Alice Hamilton, Harvard’s first female professor and the country’s leading expert on the health impacts of lead, which she knew intimately from her studies of worker exposure in the largely unregulated “dangerous trades” of the time. In 1925, the US Surgeon General convened a special meeting to decide whether ethyl production could proceed despite the known health risks. Hamilton argued that it would be reckless to deliberately disperse throughout the air a substance whose toxic effects (notably damage to the human nervous system) were well known for centuries.