Pennisetum Purpureum Research Articles

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Extract from Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum), Evaluation of Its Bioactivity, Antimutagenicity and Cytotoxicity

The antioxidant characteristics of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) can vary significantly depending on the age of the plant, species, and environmental constraints. In this study, ultrasonic extraction was performed to obtain the bioactive extract from Napier grass. Napier grass at different growth periods (50, 70, and 90 days) was evaluated for phenolic and flavonoid quantity followed by antioxidant activity. The effect of extraction parameters was evaluated using response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design. The optimum condition for extraction of bioactive compounds from Napier grass was selected through RSM as 10 mL of ethanol (47.68% v/v) and 50 min of extraction time with ultrasound assisted process (100% amplitude and 20 kHz). The extract from 50 days old grass showed excellent antioxidant properties (68.4 μm Fe (II)/g, 5.1 mg AAE/g, 56.7% of DPPH activity), higher phenolic (8.5 mg GAE/g), flavonoid (3.9 mg QE/g) and protein content (14.9% w/w) which also good antimicrobial and antimutagenic activity. The bioactive extract from 50 days of grass demonstrated strong antimutagenicity (>60%) against sodium azide-induced mutation in S. typhimurium TA 100 strain and did not exhibit a cytotoxic effect on Vero and Caco-2 cells at the concentration of 250 µg/mL and 500 µg/mL, respectively. Keywords: Napier grass, Ultrasonic extraction, Antioxidant, Antimutagenicity, Cytotoxicity

Identification of potential elephant grass hybrids for forage production via mixed models

Elephant grass has been widely used as forage because it is easier to become silage and because it has good nutritional indices. This research aimed to estimate the combining ability and analyze the genetic components of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum. syn. Cenchrus purpureus) hybrids got from diallel crosses. Twenty-five elephant grass hybrids were obtained by a 5 x 5 partial diallel design, which were evaluated, at three harvests (January 2013, July 2013, and January 2014). Plants were grown in the field for three months before each harvest, taken for two harvests in the wet season (October to January) and one harvest in the dry season (May to July). The experiments were carried out in a randomized block design with 3 replications. Diallel analyzes were performed using a mixed model approach. There was high environment variance and low narrow-sense heritability for most traits. Narrow-sense heritability estimates were higher than 0.5 for leaf blade width. The combinations UENF38 x UENF3, UENF49 x UENF3, UENF49 x UENF37, UENF60 x UENF3 were selected for higher forage yield.

Assessing the cropland changes into agroforestry and its livelihood outcomes: Evidence from northern Bangladesh

This research was conducted to assess the scope and impact of the conversion of croplands into agroforestry orchards considering characterizing agroforestry growers, identify challenges they face during the transition process, and gather their recommended strategies to address these challenges.The investigation took place in Sadar and Biral upazila within Dinajpur district of northern part of Bangladesh. To establish a sample group, an updated roster of total 266 agroforestry growers was procured from the respective Upazila Agriculture Offices. Using a simple random sampling method, 80 growers were selected for participation in this study. Data was gathered through structured and pretested interview schedules administered to respondents between April 15th and May 15th, 2022. The study evaluated ten key attributes of agroforestry growers, encompassing factors like age, educational background, farm size, farming experience, family income, extension network engagement, agricultural knowledge, innovation inclination, marketing orientation, and technological attitude. The central focus of the study centered on the transition from croplands to agroforestry orchards. The study revealed that over the period spanning 1990 to 2022, agroforestry farmers in the study region converted cropland into orchards with varying extents, ranging from 13 % to 19.83 %. The substitution of predominant crops such as rice, maize, and wheat, along with minor crops like potatoes, vegetables, mustard, garlic, turmeric, and napier grass, marked the transition to agroforestry practices. Evaluating the consequences of this transition, approximately 60.00 % of growers perceived medium-level impacts on economic aspects, while 70.00 %, 61.25 %, and 58.75 % alleged the effects on environmental conditions, household food security, and social status, respectively as also moderately. Among the challenges faced during this shift, the most prominent was the difficulty in obtaining fair prices due to intermediary involvement. Conversely, elevated production costs were regarded as a lesser concern. Respondents put forth a variety of solutions, with the primary recommendation being the organization of enhanced training programs for farmers on scientific agroforestry systems management. In contrast, the concept of fostering appropriate coordination among agroforestry practitioners garnered less attention as a potential solution. Therefore, for farmer's enhanced benefit as well as for better environmental outputs and food security, agroforestry product marketing strategy should be strengthening using site specific policy and program.

Rhizosphere microbiome of plants used in phytoremediation of mine tailing dams

Rhizospheric microbial communities improve the effectiveness of hyperaccumulators in the phytoremediation of heavy metals. However, limited access to tailing dams and inadequate assessment of plants’ phytoremediation potential limit the characterization of native accumulators, hindering the effectiveness of local remediation efforts. This study evaluates the heavy metal sequestration potentials of Pennisetum purpureum, Leucaena leucocephala, and Pteris vittata and their associated rhizospheric microbial communities at the Marlu and Pompora tailing dams in Ghana. The results indicate shoot hyperaccumulation of Cd (334.5 ± 6.3 mg/kg) and Fe (10,647.0 ± 12.6 mg/kg) in P. purpureum and L. leucocephala, respectively. Analysis of rhizospheric bacterial communities revealed the impact of heavy metal contamination on bacterial community composition, associating Fe and Cd hyperaccumulation with Bacillus, Arthrobacter, and Sphingomonas species. This study reports the hyperaccumulation potentials of L. leucocephala and P. purpureum enhanced by associated rhizosphere bacterial communities, suggesting their potential application as an environmentally friendly remediation process of heavy metals contaminated lands.

Spodoptera frugiperda J.E SMITH Attack on Non-Maize Crops in Bantul Regency

Spodoptera frugiperda is a polyphagous insect that has a main host of corn plants and attacks corn plants in the vegetative to generative phase. Besides corn, S. frugiperda has been reported to have other alternative host plants. The purpose of this study was to analyze the type of S. frugiperda attack most often found on alternative host plants and analyze the types of plants other than corn that are most often used as alternative hosts by S. frugiperda in Bantul Regency. This research was conducted in Bantul Regency in January-April 2023. Samples were taken from two villages from each sub-district in Bantul Regency. The research was conducted using survey method to determine the village as the research location and purposive method for sampling the alternative host plants. Samples taken were plants around corn fields with symptoms of S. frugiperda attack in the form of perforated leaves or traces of feces from feeding activities or S. frugiperda egg packages. The results of this study showed that 29 plant species from 13 families were attacked by S. frugiperda in Bantul Regency. The most common type of S. frugiperda attack was bite marks (60%). The most commonly attacked plant species came from the Poaceae family, namely elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The conclusion of this study is that S. frugiperda has attacked plants other than corn in 17 sub-districts in Bantul Regency.

Co-digestion approach for enhancement of biogas production by mixture of untreated napier grass and industrial hydrolyzed food waste.

The co-digestion of untreated Napier grass (NG) and industrial hydrolyzed food waste (FW) was carried out in the batch reactor to investigate the effect of substrate ratios on biogas production performance. Two-stage anaerobic digestion was performed with an initial substrate concentration of 5g VSadded/L and a Food to Microorganism Ratio (F/M) of 0.84. The 1:1 ratio of the NG and FW showed the optimum performances on biogas production yield with a value of 1,161.33mL/g VSadded after 60 days of digestion. This was followed by the data on methane yield and concentration were 614.37mL/g VSadded and 67.29%, respectively. The results were similar to the simulation results using a modified Gompertz model, which had a higher potential methane production and maximum production rate, as well as a shorter lag phase and a coefficient of determination of 0.9945. These findings indicated that the co-digestion of Napier grass and hydrolyzed food waste can enhance biogas production in two-stage anaerobic digestion.

Using Plant Growth Regulators to Stimulate Growth of Napier Grass Under Atrazine Contamination

ABSTRACT Phytotoxic effects of herbicides have been reported on non-target plant species. This study was performed to investigate the growth of Napier grass cv. Pak Chong 1 in herbicide atrazine-contaminated soil; the effect of 1-naphthalene acetic acid, 6-benzyladenine and thidiazuron to stimulate the growth of grass grown in atrazine-contaminated soil; and to determine the remaining atrazine in the soil. The experiment was performed in a factorial completely randomized design with 2 × 10 factors. The first factor was atrazine concentration and the second factor was the application of plant growth regulator. The growth of the plants and atrazine remaining in the soil was analyzed at the end of the experiment (after 26 days). The results showed that Napier grass cv. Pak Chong 1 was tolerant to 6.8 mg/kg atrazine contamination in soil. The shoot growth and root growth of grass grown in atrazine-contaminated soil did not significantly differ from that grown in non-contaminated soil. Thidiazuron and 6-benzyladenine at 0.1 mg/l tended to increase the shoot dry weight of the grass grown in both atrazine-contaminated and non-contaminated soil. Additionally, 10 mg/l of thidiazuron and 1-naphthalene acetic acid tended to decrease the shoot growth of grass grown in both contaminated and non-contaminated soil. Moreover, decreases in atrazine were detected in soil planted with Napier grass cv. Pak Chong 1 by about 67.65% within 26 days.

Pretreatment greatly facilitates ethyl levulinate production from catalytic alcoholysis of Napier grass stem

The inhibition effect of impurities in the raw lignocellulosic biomass greatly impedes its direct acid-catalyzed alcoholysis process to produce downstream chemicals. Previous literatures widely investigated the inhibition problems of lignin content and cellulose crystallite in the raw biomass for the production of alkyl levulinate (AL), while the effect of inorganic matters on this process only received cursory attention. In this contribution, the vital importance of ash removal in raw material for efficient catalytic alcoholysis of cellulose fraction been highlighted. Moreover, it has been found that the facile pretreatment of Napier grass stem greatly facilitates the acid-catalyzed alcoholysis of its cellulose fraction towards ethyl levulinate (EL), a versatile commodity chemical. EL yield as high as 72.1 % can be accomplished from the NaOH-pretreated Napier grass stem in ethanol/γ-valerolactone co-solvent medium over Al(OTf)3 at 170 ℃ for 150 min, which is almost ten times that from the pristine one in ethanol medium. It is also interesting to note that a facile and green water prewashing treatment can efficiently remove the inorganic component of the raw biomass, which thus largely promotes the conversion of Napier grass stem to EL. The activation energies of cellulose degradation and glucopyranoside alcoholysis after pretreatment decreased to 62.4 kJ/mol and 68.6 kJ/mol, respectively. This work presents a highly-reliable strategy for valorizing grass lignocellulosic feedstock to produce bio-based ester compounds.

Prediction of Maize Yield and Assessment of the Material Circularity of Maize Residues Used in the Dairy Cattle Feed Production

The dairy cattle industry is expanding rapidly to accommodate the growing demand for human consumption. This results in high cattle feed production. This study aims to forecast the amount of maize residue and calculate the circularity level of using maize residue as a feedstock for total mixed ration feed production in dairy cattle feed production. The multiple linear regression analysis is performed to predict maize yields in Thailand so that maize residues can be calculated and used in feed production. The material circularity indicator is also used with biological cycles to assess the circularity level of dairy cattle feed production under the circular economy concept. The results show that the maize yield is expected to increase, resulting in more maize residues. The use of maize residues in daily cattle feed production gives the MCI value of 0.6038, representing a high degree of circularity and explaining the sustainable management of wastes in the cattle feed industry. Moreover, using maize residues as a part of feed ingredients instead of the Napier grass saves the cost by 14.2%. The study results provide a guideline for farmers and related authorities to plan for managing maize residue in daily cattle feed production to lower operation costs and minimize environmental problems. Keywords: Biological cycle, Circular economy, Dairy cattle feed production, Maize residues, Material circularity indicator, Multiple linear regression

A Modified Climate‐Smart Push‐Pull Technology for the Management of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in the Semiarid Lands of Kenya

Successful use of push‐pull technology in the control of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) in maize has been limited to areas that receive optimal rainfall as opposed to the semiarid areas. This study sought to determine the viability of a modified push‐pull technology designed for drier areas. The technology involved the use of the drought‐tolerant Brachiaria grass as a potential replacer of Napier grass as a pull crop, alongside drought‐tolerant green‐leaf Desmodium (Desmodium intortum) and edible legumes as push crops. The study was conducted in Mbeere South Subcounty in Embu County, Kenya. The experiments were laid out in split plots arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plots contained Napier and Brachiaria grasses as comparative pull crops while the subplots tested the performance of the drought‐tolerant green‐leaf Desmodium and edible legumes (cowpea, pigeon pea, and green gram) as push crops. A maize monocrop was used as the negative control. The pest dynamics were determined using the area under damage/pest curve (AUDPC). The highest pest incidence was observed in the maize monocrop treatments with AUDPC range of 64–65.5 as compared to the intercrop treatments with AUDPC range of 45–56. The AUDPC for damage severity ranged from 24 to 24.5 in the maize monocrop treatments and 15.5 to 18.7 in the intercrop treatments. These findings implied that the drought‐tolerant green‐leaf Desmodium and the edible legumes can be adopted as effective push crops in the modified push‐pull technology. Brachiaria and Napier grasses portrayed similar suitability as pull crops implying that the two can be used interchangeably as pull crops based on farmers’ preference. This study confirmed the viability of the modified climate‐smart push‐pull technology in the management of fall armyworm in dryland areas.

In vitro investigation on Pennisetum purpureum leaf extracts grown in Indonesia of phytochemical components, optical characteristics, and antioxidant-antibacterial activities.

Medicinal plants hold significant cultural significance and play a crucial role in the advancement of potentially safe drugs for the therapy of disease worldwide. Pennisetum purpureum or elephant grass has been used for traditional medications in Indonesia without understanding the phytochemicals of those plants. Herein, our report revolves around the qualitative and quantitative examination of phytochemical components, optical properties, antioxidants, and antibacterial assessments of solvent fractions derived from Pennisetum purpureum leaf. The Pennisetum purpureum leaf was successfully soaked with ethanol, n-hexane, and chloroform. The study aimed to assess the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total alkaloid content (TAC) within different of extracts. The optical properties of extract were analyzed by absorption light and photoluminescent. Moreover, evaluation of antioxidant activities of extracts through DPPH free radical scavenging and FRAP assays, followed by an evaluation of their effectiveness in antibacterial therapy against different bacterial strains. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical of Pennisetum purpureum presented as highest in ethanol TPC (85.5 mg GAE/g extracts), TFC (87.9 mg QE/g extracts), and TAC (86.2 mg ATE/g extracts) as compared to other solvents extract. Pennisetum purpureum extract had antioxidant capacity against DPPH radical and FRAP assay. Furthermore, each of the samples displayed antibacterial effectiveness that was dependent on the dosage towards different strains of bacteria. Our findings clearly demonstrated that Pennisetum purpureum leaf extracts grown in Indonesia containing alkaloid, flavonoid, glycoside, saponin, steroids, tannin, and terpenoids that support its capability as antioxidant and antibacterial.

DOMESTIC SEWAGE WASTEWATER IRRIGATION ON QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF NAPIER GRASS (PENNISETUM PURPUREUM) AND ITS IMPACT ON COW MILK PARAMETERS REFERENCE TO ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY

Domestic sewage wastewater irrigation for the agricultural fields is highly promoted for sustainable water resource management. The present case study investigated domestic sewage wastewater irrigation influences on the agro botanical parameters and biomass productivity of Napier grass. Further, the quality of milk (proximate and mineral composition) has also been checked from cows fed with wastewater-irrigated Napier grass. The study has been conducted in 5 different agricultural fields (4 wastewater irrigated fields and 1 well-water irrigated field as control (A-E)). The results of the study reveal that the physiochemical parameters of all the domestic wastewater samples were within the permissible limit of (FAO-1985)/(WHO-1993) and (BIS-1986) standards. However, all the parameters were found to be higher when compared with the control sample. Interestingly, the agro botanical characteristics of Napier grass grown in semiurban agro field (D) irrigated with wastewater were found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher. However, when compared to all experimental samples, significantly (P<0.05) higher values were observed for proximate compositions of both Napier grass and cow milk samples from agro field A (semi-urban). Moreover, macro-micronutrients and heavy metal profiles in the plant and milk samples were also found to be within acceptable/permissible limits. At this juncture, the results of the study reveal that, due to different mitigation measures, domestic sewage wastewater can be used as a potential organic liquid fertilizer, which will eventually reduce the extraction of freshwater and improve the wastewater reuse for the cultivation of such fodder crops and thereby ensure nature-based and sustainable water resource management.

Efficient phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils by Tagetes patula L.: Greenhouse experiment, field study and meta-analysis

Applying (hyper)accumulators to remediate Cd-contaminated agricultural soils is vital to safeguard food safety and human health. Tagetes patula L. (Marigold) − an omnipresent hyperaccumulator − has been extensively explored with artificially Cd-contaminated soils. Little is known about its feasibility and potential for remediating naturally Cd-contaminated soils and field applications. In this study, the Cd remediation potential of Marigold was assessed with greenhouse and field studies, with the control groups of Solanum nigrum L. (Black nightshade), Amaranthus Hypochondriacus L. (Amaranth) and Pennisetum purpureum K. Schumach. × P. thyphoideum Rich. (King grass). The results of greenhouse experiment showed that Marigold obtained the highest shoot Cd (4.69 mg·kg−1), Cd uptake amount (93.47 μg·pot−1), translocation factor (TF, 2.80) and bioconcentration factor (BCF, 2.67) while remediating naturally Cd-contaminated soils. Moreover, the field study validated its superior phytoremediation potential of Cd – Marigold achieved 150.80 g·ha−1 while treating a Cd-contaminated farmland (1.72 mg·kg−1). Further, the meta-analysis corroborated Marigold’s strength over other control plants in remediating Cd-contaminated soils, holding the mean effect size of BCF and TF of 1.54 and 0.61, respectively. Taken together, Marigold is promising for the remediation of Cd-contaminated fields. Knowledge gleaned from this study provides an effective approach for the practical phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.

Recent advances in the processing of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) as a potential bioenergy crop for bioethanol production

Pennisetum purpureum is an easily cultivated fast-growing perennial grass with great potential as a bioenergy crop due to its high biomass production. Recent advancements in the processing of P. purpureum for the generation of bioethanol are highlighted in this review paper. Various pretreatment methods, namely, enzymatic, acid, and alkaline pretreatment have been investigated to enhance the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis, which is a crucial step in bioethanol production. Moreover, genetic engineering approaches for enhancing the biomass yield and reducing the lignin are being discussed in this review. The production of bioethanol can be increased by several fermentation processes, including saccharification, separated hydrolysis, simultaneous saccharification, and fermentation. This comprehensive review explores recent advancements in bioethanol production, encompassing technological innovations, diversification of feedstock sources, genetic engineering methodologies, inventive pretreatment techniques, refinements in enzymatic hydrolysis, and enhancements in fermentation, ultimately highlighting the potential of P. purpureum as a sustainable bioethanol source while addressing the challenges and opportunities in its commercial-scale production.

Comprehensive assessment of elephant grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>) stalks at different growth stages as raw materials for nanocellulose production

Comprehensive assessment of elephant grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>) stalks at different growth stages as raw materials for nanocellulose production

Characterization of Bioethanol Extracted from Napier Grass Using the Fermentation Process

Characterization of Bioethanol Extracted from Napier Grass Using the Fermentation Process

Anaerobic digestion of distillery wastewater and napier grass: Characterization and process performance parameters

The BOD/COD ratio of napier grass (NG) + distillery wastewater (DWW) was found to be 0.4982, which reflected that the biodegradability of organic material is high and can be degraded and treated efficiently via biological processes. Moreover, further reductions in total solids (TS) and volatile solids (VS) were observed after thermal pretreatment at temperatures of 60°C and 100°C. VS/TS ratio also increased from 0.8767 to 0.9508 indicating a more significant proportion of organic matter are favorable for biogas production. This was evidenced by the resulting removal efficiencies ranging from 15% to 32% and 23% to 42%, for TS and VS, respectively. Overall, the study reported relevant effects of the application of thermochemical pretreatment in the process performance parameters in anaerobic digestion.

Biogas Production from Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and Distillery Wastewater: Kinetic Study

Biogas Production from Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i>) and Distillery Wastewater: Kinetic Study

Adaptation of Napier grass varieties in the highlands of East Gojjam

The experiment was conducted in the East Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Regional State to evaluate the varieties of released Napier grass in the study area. The four varieties of Napier grass considered for this research experiment were Maralfalafa, ILRI- 16743, ILRI-14984 and Zehone-03 (Acc. 16819). The varieties were planted in 4 m x 3 m plots using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the beginning of the main rainy season. Root splits at the Debremarkos onstation and Debere Eliyas sites were planted in four rows per plot. The analysis was conducted using R software. Least significance difference (LSD) at the 5% significance level was used for the comparison of means. The combined plant height, number of tillers per plant, total fresh biomass yield per hectare (t/ha), and total dry matter yield (t/ha) did not significantly differ between the varieties. The leaf-to-stem ratios of the Napier grass varieties were significantly different. In the present study, ILRI-14984 was found to be leafier than the other tested varieties. The combined analysis of the second- and third-year data revealed significant differences in plant height, number of tillers and leaf-to-stem ratio among the tested years. The greatest plant height (152.42 cm) at harvest was found in the second year after establishment, which was 2022, whereas the number of tillers per plant was greater in the 2023 harvest season. The testing location did not affect plant height, total fresh biomass yield per hectare, or total dry matter yield per hectare. The number of tillers per plant and the leaf-to-stem ratio significantly differed among the tested locations. A greater number of tillers per plant was recorded at the Debre Eliyas testing site. Similarly, the leaf-to-stem ratio was significantly greater at the same testing site.

Response of Goat Fed with Indigofera sp. and Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott

This study evaluated the response of goat fed with Indigofera Sp. and Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott. We randomly assigned fifteen goats with an initial body weight of ±20 kg into three treatments and five replications using Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The treatments were T0= 0% Indigofera sp. + 100% Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott T1 = 20% Indigofera sp. + 80% Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott, T2= 40% Indigofera sp. + 60% Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott. Data analysis was done with analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and Duncan multiple range test. We assessed daily weight gain, dry matter intake, digestibility of dry matter, and feed efficiency as study outcomes. Feeding of Indigofera sp. and Pennisetum purpureum cv Mott in different doses significantly affected (p&lt;0.05) dry matter digestibility, dry matter intake, daily weight gain and feed efficiency. In all variables, T2 significantly affected (p&lt;0.05) all study outcomes compared to T1 and T0. Mean dry matter digestibility ranged from 41.5 to 65.0%. Mean dry matter intake ranged from 260.2 to 466.6 g/head/day. Mean daily weight gain ranged from 22.30 to 72.4 g/head/day. Mean feed efficiency in this study ranged from 22.30 to 72.4 g/head/day. We found an optimal response of goat after feeding with 60% Pennisteum purpureum cv. Mott + 40% Indigofera sp.