Salmonella typhimurium is a food-borne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis. Until now, antibiotics have been used to treat gastroenteritis. Nowadays, some antibiotics have become resistant to a variety of pathogens. Therefore, alternative treatments based on natural ingredients need to be explored. Lactic acid bacteria, or so-called probiotics, that are naturally found in human digestion have been studied for their antibacterial properties, such as bacteriocins. The purpose of this study is to see if bacteriocin from Bifidobacterium longum FNCC 0210 has any inhibitory activity against Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028 in vitro. Bacteriocin was extracted from B. longum as cell-free culture supernatant (CFCS) in MRS broth, which was neutralized at pH 6.5 with 1 N NaOH and heated at 100°C for 10 minutes. The antibacterial assay of B. longum bacteriocin against S. typhimurium was performed with the agar-well diffusion method with concentrations of 100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25% (v/v), and determined based on the diameter of the zone of inhibition (mm). The results of the tests revealed that B. longum CFCS 100% (v/v) had the highest antibacterial activity against S. typhimurium with intermediate category. This study provides information on the ability of B. longum bacteriocin that has antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogens.

Since ancient times, peasants have relied on the presence of some plants or animals to assess soi’s fertility. This study carried out in Dogo site in Niger and that aim is ti determine the main farmer indicators of soil fertility assessment. For this, an individual semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the farmers. Results showed that several types of biological indicators are used by farmers to assess soil’s fertility through the presence or absence of some plants and/or animals. Thus, Cenchrus biflorus, Cyperus alopeuroides, Alysicarpus ovalifolius, Brachiaria spp have been cited as non-woody fertility indicator species. As for Faidherbia albida, Acacia nilotica, Piliostigma reticulatum, they were cited as woody species indicative of fertile soils. Also, Striga hermonthica, Aristida stipoides, Ipomoea koschyana, Euphorbia forskalii, Ipomoea cosunosperma, Alysicarpus ovalifolius, Commelina benghalensis were considered as non-woody indicator species of poor soils and Prosopis juliflora, Lannasinarima indicuticosa in poor soils woody species.

In southwestern Central African Republic, natural stands of K. anthotheca are difficult to regenerate due to numerous pressures related to industrial exploitation and ethnobotanical uses. In order to identify the best approach for artificial regeneration of this species, two reproduction methods (seed sowing and cuttings) were evaluated. In particular, the effects of seed pre-treatment on germination and seedling growth as well as the effect of the type of cuttings on bud recovery and seedling growth of K. anthotheca were tested. Repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANNOVA) was performed using XLSAT 2008 software. From the results obtained, the control seeds of K. anthotheca were significantly more successful (64.44±7.33%) compared to the pre-treated seeds (F= 2.261 and p= 0.001). Seedlings from control seeds grew faster than from pre-treated seeds with a highly significant difference (F=10.690 and p=0.000). The wild type cuttings were more successful (55.33±7.39%) than the cuttings from the seeds (11.92±0.75%) with a highly significant difference (p=0.0001). All seedlings from basal cuttings died after budding. Overall, the control seeds of K. anthotheca had the highest success rate (64.44±7.33%) followed by the wild type cuttings (55.33±7.39%). Artificial regeneration of K. anthotheca could be done by sowing the seeds without pre-treatment and cutting the wildings. However, further investigations on the survival of seedlings in the field is needed to determine the most viable option for planting.