Soil, inputs, and environmental factors such as weather control plant nutrient availability and nutrient content in food. Drought periods affect nutrient bioavailability. Nutrient transport within the plant and allocation of nutrients within organs of the plant is water dependent and therefore drought susceptible. This study compared Kapchorwa, Uganda and Teso South, Kenya that experienced drought during the second season in 2016. The main research questions were: (i) do droughts have an impact on the nutrient composition of food; (ii) is there a difference in nutrient concentrations in food based on their xylem or phloem mobility? Maize (Zea mays) grain (n = 62) and matooke (Musa acuminata) fruit samples (n = 90) in Kapchorwa, and maize grain (n = 61) and cassava (Manihot esculenta) tuber (n = 64) in Teso South were collected during a normal season (March-July) and drought season (October-December) in 2016. Crop samples were analysed using a pXRF for P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was calculated using TAMSAT database to compare drought intensities. The drought in Kapchorwa (SPI: -1.14 to -0.32) was severer and began 2 months prior to Teso South (SPI: 0.09 to 0.55). Nutrient concentration in Kapchorwa decreased significantly from normal to drought in both crops. In contrast, during the moderate drought in Teso South, nutrient concentrations increased significantly. Lacking nutrient phloem mobility is suggested to play a vital role in mobilisation of micronutrients (Fe, Mn, and Cu) as shown by their decreased concentration under severe drought in the yield. Total nutrients assimilated in crop samples were significantly higher in the normal than the drought for almost all samples. Micronutrients and yields during drought were strongly affected, leading to a double-burden for consumers through affected quantity and quality. Future research considerations should particularly include the focus on potential nutrient increases during mild drought.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.181 | DOI Listing |
J Appl Physiol (1985)
January 2025
Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, Heat and Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The aim of the present study was to quantify the time course of changes in maximum skin wettedness (ω)-that is, the proportion of skin surface area covered in sweat at the point of uncompensable heat stress, throughout seven consecutive days of heat acclimation. Nine adults (6 M, 3 F) completed a humidity-ramp protocol (RAMP) on , , , and of seven consecutive days of heat acclimation. In each RAMP trial, participants cycled continuously at 275 W·m for 120 min at 37°C: 60 min at a vapor pressure of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
November 2022
Center for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Gießen, Germany.
Responsive infant and young child feeding as a reciprocal relationship between the child and his or her caregiver is recommended by the WHO but has received less attention than dietary diversity or meal frequency up to now. The current study assessed common (non)responsive child feeding practices and factors that facilitate or hinder caregivers to improve feeding practices in rural Teso South Sub-County, Western Kenya. The qualitative study used focus group discussion ( = 93) and Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) ( = 48) to identify challenges and opportunities in household food distribution and feeding practices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
July 2021
Department of Human Nutrition, Egerton University, Egerton P.O. Box 536-20115, Kenya.
Fruits are micronutrient-rich sources which are often underrepresented in children's diets. More insights into the determinants of children's fruit consumption are needed to improve nutrition education in Teso South Sub-County, Kenya. A multiphase mixed method study was applied among 48 farm households with children 0-8 years of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Parasitol Res
January 2020
Eastern and Southern Africa Centre for International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC) KEMRI, P.O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Introduction: Knockdown resistance () is strongly linked to pyrethroid insecticide resistance in in Africa, which may have vital significance to the current increased use of pyrethroid-treated bed net programmes. The study is aimed at determining species composition, levels of insecticide resistance, and knockdown patterns in sensu lato in areas with and areas without insecticide resistance in Teso North and Teso South subcounties, Western Kenya.
Materials And Methods: For WHO vulnerability tests, mosquito larvae were sampled using a dipper, reared into 3-5-day-old female mosquitoes (4944 at 100 mosquitoes per insecticide) which were exposed to 0.
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