RP-Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology

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Browsing RP-Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology by Author "Agili, Sammy"

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    Morphological Characterisation of Selected Ugandan Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) Varieties for Food and Feed
    (OMICS International, 2016) Muinde, Mbithe J.; Runo, Steven; Agili, Sammy; Musembi, Kivuva B.; Wambua, Kioko F.; Kuria, Eric
    Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.) is a symbol in the fight for a global nutrition plan that can save millions of children and help build a healthier and more productive future. However, characterisation of sweet potato varieties with optimal morphological features suitable for both food and feed has not been done. A population of 10,000 first filial generations (F1) sweet potato lines derived from seeds was generated through polycross crossing design in Uganda using 11 parents. Preliminary evaluation for the suitability of dual use of the F1’s led to selection of 11 varieties which were the basis of this study. This study therefore sought to morphologically characterise selected Ugandan sweet potato varieties to identify those with superior characteristics suitable for food and feed purposes. Sweet potato plants were raised from seeds after scarification. A selection of seedlings possessing single leaf lobes was done, after which they entered observation yield trials (OT). This was done in order to discard those that clearly did not meet the lowest acceptable gross morphological descriptors. The data were subjected to analysis of variance in order to find out if significant differences exist between the varieties based on morphological characterization. Cluster analysis was done using Minitab version 17 software. This study enables the selection of sweet potato varieties with optimal characteristics for both food and feed use. The data generated from this study could help recommend to farmers on how dual-purpose sweet potato could be produced, in order to provide enough healthier food to millions of children in Uganda and in the world, and better feed for live-stock farmers
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    Proximate Characterization of Selected Ugandan Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batata L.) Varieties for Food and Feed
    (OMICS International, 2016) Mbithe, Muinde J.; Runo, Steven; Agili, Sammy; Musembi, Kivuva B.; Wambua, Kioko F.; Kuria, Eric
    Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.) is a symbol in the fight for a global nutrition plan that can save millions of children and help build a healthier and more productive future. Sweet potato is relied on as a source of calories since its vines and/or storage roots can be used for direct human consumption, as well as providing inexpensive, proteinrich fodder for animals. However, characterisation of sweet potato varieties with optimal proximate characteristics suitable for both food and feed has not been done. This study sought to characterise selected Ugandan sweet potato varieties to identify those that are more suitable for food and feed purposes. The characterization was based on proximate analysis of vines and root tubers. The data obtained was analysed using Minitab version 17 and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 20 software packages. Proximate analysis showed that there were highly significant differences (p≤0.001) among the 11 varieties in all the root parameters evaluated. On the other hand, vine characteristics, including ash content, dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen, in vitro organic matter digestibility, crude protein, and metabolisable energy significantly varied (p≤0.001) among the varieties. However, there were no significant differences in neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin (p≥0.05) among the varieties. This study enables selection of sweet potato varieties with optimal characteristics for both food and feed use. It also contributes to the advancement of on-going research on sweet potato, specifically towards sustainable food production.