The use of wood in mobility applications is attracting growing interest due to its environmental benefits, light weight, and good specific strength. This review presents the current state of research on wood and its derivatives—natural wood, treated wood, technical plywood, sandwich composites, and 3D-printed wood-based materials—examining their mechanical behavior, durability, and potential for integration into mobile structures. The work reviewed shows significant advances for plywood and wood-composite sandwiches, but studies on solid wood, dynamics, cracking, and fatigue remain limited and scattered. The main obstacles concern the natural variability of the material, industrial reproducibility, hygro-mechanical modeling, and the lack of test protocols adapted to real-world mobility conditions. The analysis also emphasizes that the favorable mechanical properties of densified or treated wood should not overshadow environmental sustainability requirements. Future research should focus on conducting more tests under variable environments, in vacuum conditions, and at high strain rates, as well as on characterizing interfaces and mixed-mode cracking behavior. Particular attention should be paid to wood-based sandwich structures, which have been identified as particularly promising solutions. Finally, the development of a reference guide listing the mechanical and environmental properties of different wood species and forms would be a key step toward the design and standardization of wood materials for sustainable mobility.
Drought and salinity are critical abiotic factors influencing plant emergence, growth, and reproduction, with important implications for domestication and conservation. Although the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) is widely recognized for its tolerance to dry conditions, the relative importance of drought and salinity during seed germination remains insufficiently documented. This study assessed the effects of drought and salinity stress on the germination of baobab seeds from three provenances in Senegal, with particular attention to provenance-specific responses. Under laboratory conditions and using a randomized complete block design, seeds were exposed to three levels of drought stress (0, − 4, and − 8 bars) and three salinity levels (0, 20, and 40 mMol NaCl). Germinated seeds were recorded daily for 28 days. Germination traits, including germination rate, time spread, and mean germination time, were analyzed using log-logistic distributions and generalized linear models. Results showed that drought stress significantly reduced germination rates across all provenances, whereas salinity exerted a comparatively moderate effect, mainly delaying germination without reducing final germination success. No statistically significant interaction between drought and salinity was detected, indicating that these stressors act independently during germination. Provenance-related differences further highlighted the role of local adaptation in shaping germination responses under water-limited conditions. Overall, these findings demonstrated that drought is the primary ecological filter affecting baobab seed germination, while salinity may play a secondary role at early developmental stages. This information is essential for conservation, restoration, and regeneration strategies in dryland ecosystems increasingly affected by climate change.
Sorghum is one of the minor cereals, rich in genetic diversity and important nutritional values. Unfortunately, this crop lacks a formal seed production system due to insufficient knowledge of available cultivars in Benin. The aim of this study is to characterise the local sorghum cultivars from the collection of the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin (INRAB). Field trials took place at the Research-Development site in Kouya (Boukoumbé) during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. A randomised complete block design with three replications was employed, comprising 120 plots, each measuring 16 m². Eleven morphological and agronomic traits, selected based on UPOV guidelines, were assessed. Descriptive analysis showed moderate genetic variation among the sorghum accessions for the evaluated morpho-agronomic traits. The average grain yield was 2946.5 kg/ha, ranging from 2000 to 5000 kg/ha. Grain colour varied considerably, with orange-red being the most common (25
Unmet need for contraception remains a major public health concern across Sub-Saharan Africa, with Benin reporting persistently high rates despite national efforts to expand access. This study investigates the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to identify women of reproductive age most vulnerable to unmet need for family planning, using nationally representative data from the 2017–2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Among 6,669 eligible women aged 15–49, the prevalence of unmet need for contraception was 37.2
Rice brown spot (RBS), mainly caused by Bipolaris oryzae, is an emerging threat to rice production across Africa, particularly within lowland rice ecosystems that dominate the region. Despite its growing impact, knowledge of the environmental factors influencing RBS occurrence remains limited. This study aimed to elucidate the influence of meteorological variables on RBS prevalence in C & ocirc;te d'Ivoire, spanning three major agro-ecological zones. Field surveys were conducted in 99 farmer-managed fields during both the rainy and dry seasons from 2021 to 2022, and average RBS severity was calculated across different stands within each field. Parameters assessed included air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, soil moisture, solar radiation, and rainfall. Linear regression analyses were used to identify main drivers, and regression models were developed to project future risk maps under SSP2-4.5 (moderate) and SSP5-8.5 (high) climate scenarios. Key drivers were identified: air temperatures above 27 degrees C and wind speeds exceeding 1 m/s were associated with decreased disease prevalence, whereas relative humidity above 80%, wet bulb and dew point temperatures between 23 degrees C and 27 degrees C, and soil moisture and wetness in the range of 0.4-0.7 significantly promoted RBS development. Results revealed a yearly increase in RBS severity, ranging from 2.47 to 3.46 (on a 0-5 scale), with consistently higher prevalence during the rainy seasons. Predictive modelling based on these variables suggests a likely expansion and intensification of RBS risk for the future. Under a high-emission scenario, RBS severity could reach 4.9 by the late 21st century, while the moderate scenario projects a peak severity of 4.33 between 2060 and 2080. These findings underscore the pivotal role of climate in shaping RBS risk and highlight the urgent need for climate-adaptive disease management strategies to sustain rice production in Africa.
