Browsing by Author "Umba Tolo, Casim"

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    Dioscorea bulbifera, a highly threatened African medicinal plant, a review
    (a review, Cogent Biology, 2019) Ikiriza, Hilda; Engeu Ogwang, Patrick; Peter, Emanuel L.; Okella, Hedmon; Umba Tolo, Casim; Muwonge, Abubaker; Mai Abdalla, Ali Abdalla
    Dioscorea bulbifera bulbils are used in the treatment of Piles, dysentery, syphilis, ulcers, cough, leprosy, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. It is a raw material for contraceptives, and it is one of the most consumed yam species especially in West Africa. Unfortunately, this plant is at the verge of extinction because of increased harvest for medicinal purpose. This review aims at providing up-to-date information about its photochemistry, clinical benefits, conservation status and best possible way on how this plant can be conserved for future use. Literature database search was employed, and the findings indicate that much as Dioscorea bulbifera is of diverse clinical and ethnomedicinal benefits, it’s vulnerable to extinction. In order to conserve Dioscorea bulbifera, there is a need to enlighten the local inhabitants on its clinical and commercial importance and uses. Also for the sustainable growth of the plant, the government and Non-governmental agencies have to distribute Dioscorea bulbils to the farmers for planting and also encourage its planting back into the wild. In addition, micropropagation of the D. bulbifera will be the perfect tool for reestablishing the plant in the natural habitat with more advantages of improving growth conditions of the plants.
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    Gis-Based Land Suitability Analysis for Ex-Situ Production of Threatened Citropsis articulata in Uganda
    (Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES), 2021) Wangalwa, Rapheal; Apio Oleta, Eunice; Kagoro-Rugunda, Grace; Umba Tolo, Casim; Ogwang, Patrick. E.; Barasa, Bernard
    Citropsis articulata (Spreng.) is a potent medicinal plant that is increasingly threatened by unsustainable harvesting and habitat destruction due to deforestation. This calls for enhancement of ex-situ conservation of C. articulata through offsite production. However, the success of offsite production of this species heavily rests on precisely assessing the suitability of the land for its production. In this study, an integrated GIS based multi-criteria evaluation approach was used to depict suitable areas for production of C. articulata based on key factors of; climate, soil and topography. Results revealed that only 13.04% (31495.77 km2) of Uganda’s land is very suitable to support natural production of C. articulata and is mainly situated in the western and central regions. Findings further revealed that 76.4% (24062.77 km2) of very suitable land area is situated outside protected areas, thus implying availability of potential sites for ex-situ and commercial production of C. articulata in the country. Findings also indicated that C. articulata has potential of thriving in well drained, moderately acidic soils and pleasantly warm regions endowed with moderately high precipitation and humidity. Since current stocks of C. articulata are mainly restricted to protected areas, cultivating this species will provide alternative sources of the plant harvest. This will help to relieve current pressures on the wild populations of C. articulata, thus providing a safety backup to the current in-situ conservation efforts.
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    Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Subsistence Agriculture, Climate Risk Management, and Mitigation of Community Vulnerability in Changing Climate, Lake Victoria Basin: A Case Study of Rakai and Isingiro Districts, Uganda
    (Springer International, 2014) Umba Tolo, Casim; Majule, Enock Amos; Lejju, Julius Bunny
    Developing countries are vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change due to over reliance on climate-sensitive sectors, mainly agriculture. Limited adaptive capacity makes them vulnerable to climate-induced hazards. However, over the years, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) have proven effective in promoting sustainable development particularly for those in subsistence agriculture. For example, in LakeVictoria basin, local communities have coped and adapted to climate-induced hazards using traditional systems and IKS. This chapter presents findings of a crosssectional survey on the use of IKS in subsistence agriculture to enhance climate risk management and mitigation of community vulnerability in a changing climate. Data were collected by household questionnaires, key informants’ interviews, and focus group discussions. Results showed overall, significantly high community awareness levels prevail in study area, implicating climate change as the main challenge facing agricultural sector. Nevertheless, as climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, local communities use myriad of IKS to improve resilience and productivity. They use IKS in soil conservation, weather/climate forecasting, selection of planting seeds, and preservation of seeds/crops. This study, therefore, recommends incorporating IKS into scientific knowledge systems to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation among vulnerable communities dependent on climate-sensitive resources.
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    Occurrence of Citropsis articulata in Tropical Forests in Uganda: Implication for Ex Situ Conservation
    (International Journal of Forestry Research, 2021) Wangalwa, Rapheal; Apio Olet, Eunice; Kagoro-Rugunda, Grace; Umba Tolo, Casim; Ogwang, Patrick E.; Barasa, Bernard
    Citropsis articulata is a medicinal plant that is increasingly threatened by unsustainable methods of harvesting and habitat degradation. Owing to the fact that this plant species is highly utilized for herbal medicine and is currently restricted to a few forest reserves in Uganda, this has significant implications for ex situ conservation. ,erefore, the aim of this study was to assess how physiographical factors influence the occurrence and distribution of C. articulata in the three forest reserves in Uganda, namely, Budongo, Mabira, and Kibale National Park. ,e study was carried out in 15 compartmental sites in each of the three forests. In each compartmental site, 4 plots of 60m× 60m were systematically established, and within each plot, 4 subplots each of size 20m× 20m were randomly setup. A total of 240 subplots were assessed for occurrence of Citropsis articulata in each forest. ,eresults indicated a significant (p < 0.05) variation in the density of C. articulata with the highest recorded in Kibale National Park. Citropsis articulata generally occurred at moderate altitudinal landscapes (overall elevation = 1200.0 ± 20.73 m) with soils that are moderately acidic (overall pH= 5.7 ± 0.10), low in salinity (overall salinity = 84.0 ± 3.84 mg/l), and moderate levels of macro- and micronutrients. Citropsis articulata was generally associated with plant communities dominated by canopy tree species of genera such as Chryosphyllum, Celtis, Markhamia, Cynometra, Lasiodiscus, Trilepisium, Funtumia, and Diospyros, thus suggesting that C. articulata is a shade-tolerant species. Establishing the ecological requirements of this plant species among other things informs the potential for ex situ production of this plant. ,is will not only provide alternative sources of plant harvest but also go a long way in relieving the current harvest pressures exerted on the conserved wild populations of this plant species.
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    Quality Control for the Safety of Natural Products
    (Poisonous Plants and Phytochemicals in Drug Discovery, 2020) Mekuriya Yadesa, Tadele; Engeu Ogwang, Patrick; Umba Tolo, Casim
    The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined a medicinal plant as any plant in which one or more of its parts consists of substances that are used for the synthesis of beneficial drugs [1]. These plants need to be studied to better comprehend their characteristics, safety, and efficacy [2]. They comprise biologically active chemicals, including saponins, tannins, essential oil flavonoids, and alkaloids, among others [3], which all serve remedial purposes. It is estimated that 30 000–70 000 medicinal plants exist worldwide, most of which have not been systematically investigated [4]. Generally, herbal products are safer than conventional medications. While monitoring thousands of people who used ginkgo, St. John’s wort, and kava in Europe, a study revealed that mild adverse effects were encountered in fewer than 3% of users [5].