Influence of Vermicast on Early Growth of Black Afara (Terminaliaivorensis A. Chev.) Seedlings

This study assessed the effect of vermicast on the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis A.Chev. (Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae. Seedlings were raised on Vermicast (100%), Vermicast + Topsoil (1:1,) and topsoil media. There were three (3) treatments, replicated four (4) times and laid in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment was monitored for 12 weeks and the following variables were assessed, plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), leaf production and the leaf area (cm2 ). Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results revealed that the seedling growth parameters measured were not significantly affected by the vermicast treatments at 5% probability level, except plant height. The best performance was observed in the seedlings raised with T2 (Vermicast + Topsoil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 28.55cm, 0.55mm, 18.25 and 38.87cm2 respectively while the least performance was recorded in T3 (100% top soil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 22.06cm, 0.49mm, 15.25 and 49.72cm2 respectively. It is therefore recommended that 50% vermicast should be used to improve the growth media in order to enhance the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis seedlings at the nursery stage.Keywords: Vermicast, Terminalia ivorensis, Early Growth, Seedling

Contribution of locust bean seed processing to the household of Rural Women in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the contribution of locust bean seed processing to the household of rural women in Oyo State Nigeria. Means of livelihood, existing processing techniques, level of income, contribution of locust bean and constraints hindering locust bean processing by women in the study area were examined. Multi stage sampling technique was used to select 12l women processors as respondents. Questionnaires were administered to the sampled respondents of which 120 were retrieved. The data were subjected to descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean) and inferential statistics. The results revealed that 33.3%% of processors were between the ages of 51 years and above. Majority (76.7%) of the respondents relied on locust bean processing as means of livelihood. All the respondents used traditional method of processing. The result revealed that there is no significant (p>0.05) relationship between the selected socioeconomic characteristic variables and contributions of locust bean seed processing. The result also showed positive and significant (p<0.05) relationship between livelihood income, perceived constraints and contributions of locust bean seed processing to the household of rural women. Difficult in locust bean processing (35.8%), scarcity of water/flowing river (18.3%) and inadequate capital (11.7%) were reported as most important constraints to locust lean processing in the study area. It was concluded that locust bean processing has the potential to improve the processors’ household economy thus allowing agricultural development and sustainability provided the constraints are adequately addressed.Keywords: Locust bean, Processing, Rural Women, Oyo State, Livelihoo

Remediation potential of Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Seedlings grown in sewage sludge contaminated by Heavy Metals

Application of sewage sludge to agricultural land is widely practiced and presumed to be beneficial for plants’ growth. However, sewage sludge is often contaminated by heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens. This study assessed the capacity of Adansonia digitata seedlings to accumulate and distribute heavy metals from sewage sludge into their tissue parts. Respective heavy metals concentrations in soil before and after plantings were Cu (55.68; 26.45), Zn (76.22; 48.06), Pb (28.22; 19.58), Ni (22.76; 19.32), Cd (3.11; 1.49), Cr (41.78; 23.39) and As (5.92; 4.71) in mg/kg and these were higher than those from control soil. Heavy metals concentrations (mg/kg) in roots of plants from sewage sludge and control soils were Cu (3.08- 16.01), Zn (4.25-9.83), Pb (1.21-3.74), Ni (0.33-1.57), Cd (0.17-0.93) and Cr (2.23-6.65) while those of the shoots were Cu (4.61-30.11), Zn (5.88-16.22). Pb (1.41-4.86), Ni (0.27-1.56), Cd (0.09- 0.65) and Cr (3.24-10.01). For most of the studied metals, bioaccumulation factor (BCF) values were more than one and generally higher for Cr, Zn, Cu, and Pb. The significant reduction observed in concentrations of heavy metals in soils before and after planting indicated their enrichment in the plant tissues. Bioconcentration factors indicated that Adansonia digitata can be used as bioaccumulation plant. This study has shown the efficacy and ability of Adansonia digitata to accumulate and distribute heavy metals in its tissue parts.Keywords: Bioaccumulation, heavy metals, enrichment, sewage sludg

VARIATION IN SOIL PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES IN THREE LAND USE TYPES OF OGUN RIVER WATERSHED

Conversion of watershed to other Land Use Types (LUTs) has implications on soil nutrients. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of three LUTs on soil physico-chemical properties of Ogun River watershed. The Ogun River watershed was stratified into Guinea Savannah (GS), Rainforest (RF) and Swamp Forest (SF) Ecological Zones (EZs). Three LUTs: Natural Forest (NF), Disturbed Forest (DF) and Farmland (FL) were purposively selected in GS: GSNF, GSDF, GSFL; RF: RFNF, RFDF, RFFL and SF: SFNF, SFDF, SFFL, respectively. Five out of sixteen plots laid along the transects lines were randomly selected in each of LUTs in the three ecological zones for soil sampling. In each of the selected plots, 5 soil samples were collected at the four corners and centre of the plot at two depths: 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm. Physico-chemical properties of soil samples were determined following standard procedures. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences in Physico-chemical variables of Ogun River soil samples using 3 x 3 x 2 factorial experiments. There were significant differences in Physico-chemical properties among land use types, Ecological zones and between soil depths of Ogun River watershed (P < 0.05). Soil Cation Exchange Capacity ranged from 2.37±0.01 (GSFL) to 8.50±0.04 (GSNF); Total Nitrogen increased from 0.88±0.01 (RFFL) to 4.79±0.05 (GSNF) while Soil Organic Matter ranged from 1.48±0.01 (GSFL) to 13.12±0.21 (GSNF).  It was found that continuous changes in land vegetative cover Ogun River watershed through human activities negatively affected soil physico-chemical properties. Therefore, other anthropogenic activities that will intercept nutrient cycling in the watershed ecosystem must be discouraged