Agriculture

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Browsing Agriculture by Author "Jobe, Martha Cebile"

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    Effect of the methanolic extract of Cassia abbreviata in the oxidative stress caused by overcrowding in indigenous chickens
    (University of Zululand, 2017) Jobe, Martha Cebile; Kunene, N.W; Opoku, A.R
    Indigenous chickens are the largest livestock species that are widely domesticated by rural farmers with poor management practices. Poor management affects the growth performance and health of chickens in various ways. Due to high demand and poor management of chickens, overcrowding has become one of the influencing factors that retard growth. Overcrowding results in metabolic disturbances, causing excessive free radicals production that leads to oxidative stress. The oxidative stress can be managed by introducing radical scavengers, the antioxidants. Interestingly, natural antioxidants from medicinal plants are being adopted for use mainly because the synthetic antioxidants have been observed to have side effects. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of the stocking density on the growth performance of indigenous chickens and to evaluate the effect of Cassia abbreviata extract on the oxidative stress in chickens caused by overcrowding. Phytochemical screening of Cassia abbreviata revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins and saponins. Methanolic stem extract showed strong scavenging of 2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethlybenzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrozly, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical; however poor scavenging of nitric oxide was observed. Reduction potential of the plant extract was dose dependent; the iron chelating activity was poor. The stocking density measures the number of chickens kept in a particular area and in this study, the number of chickens kept in a house had a great effect on the growth rate and body weight of chickens. In the 8th week the mean body weight at low stocking density was 2.743 ± 0.216 kg and for high stocking density it was 1.637 ± 0.004 kg. The serum levels of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in chickens receiving the extract of Cassia abbreviata compared to the control group. The concentration for extract had an effect on the serum levels. The growth rate of the chickens was also higher in the Cassia abbreviata treated groups than that of the control chickens (p<0.05). Cassia abbreviata was able to inhibit lipid peroxidation as the malondiadehyde (MDA) content was significantly lower in the treated groups. Apparently, the plant’s extract stimulated growth in chickens. It is contingent that the plant extract exhibited antioxidant activity that inhibits the oxidative damages in overcrowded chickens. Histological results revealed that high dosages cause damages in the liver, thus concentration should be considered.