YIELD ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER IN LADOKE AKINTOLA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS OGBOMOSO, NIGERIA.

The problem of shortage of water supply is athreat to inhabitants that do not have access to potable water supply. The research is aimed at determining the quality and quantity of groundwater in LAUTECH community, Ogbomoso with the mind of ascertaining the hydraulic properties of boreholes and the suitability of the water resources for domestic and agricultural purposes. Pump testing was conducted in LAUTECH to determine the actual discharge. Water samples were collected and analysed for physicochemical parameters and bacteria using Standard method.Quality Indexes such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) were used to assess the suitability of water for agricultural purposes.The range of hydraulic properties of aquifers (Transmissivity (0.095 m2/day to 7.591 m2/day), Hydraulic conductivity (0.003 m/day  to 0.278m/day), Specific capacity (0.250 m3/ day/m to 16.506 m3/day/m) and Yield (0.341l/s -1.66l/s), shows that four (4) out of the seven (7) borehole have moderate yield which are quiet prolific. All  the water samples within the study area falls below the WHO,2004 indicating that there is no contamination and that LAUTECH groundwaters are suitable but the biochemical result showed  that LAUTECH stream  are highly polluted .The prolific boreholes which include  engineering workshop, work’s workshop, new ICT, and health center  have moderate yield and rapid recharge rate and this  contribute to minimum quantity of water supply on campus while the  less prolific ones which are those at FAG (Faculty of Agriculture), mathematics department, and senate building  have  low yield  and with very slow recharge rate .Hence it is recommended Recconnaissance survey through the use of Very Low Electromagnetic (VLF-EM) Method should be duly incorporated alongside Geophysical survey to avoid the problem of dry boreholes or seasonal well in Borehole drilling

Endophytes vs tree pathogens and pests: can they be used as biological control agents to improve tree health?

Like all other plants, trees are vulnerable to attack by a multitude of pests and pathogens. Current control measures for many of these diseases are limited and relatively ineffective. Several methods, including the use of conventional synthetic agro-chemicals, are employed to reduce the impact of pests and diseases. However, because of mounting concerns about adverse effects on the environment and a variety of economic reasons, this limited management of tree diseases by chemical methods is losing ground. The use of biological control, as a more environmentally friendly alternative, is becoming increasingly popular in plant protection. This can include the deployment of soil inoculants and foliar sprays, but the increased knowledge of microbial ecology in the phytosphere, in particular phylloplane microbes and endophytes, has stimulated new thinking for biocontrol approaches. Endophytes are microbes that live within plant tissues. As such, they hold potential as biocontrol agents against plant diseases because they are able to colonize the same ecological niche favoured by many invading pathogens. However, the development and exploitation of endophytes as biocontrol agents will have to overcome numerous challenges. The optimization and improvement of strategies employed in endophyte research can contribute towards discovering effective and competent biocontrol agents. The impact of environment and plant genotype on selecting potentially beneficial and exploitable endophytes for biocontrol is poorly understood. How endophytes synergise or antagonise one another is also an important factor. This review focusses on recent research addressing the biocontrol of plant diseases and pests using endophytic fungi and bacteria, alongside the challenges and limitations encountered and how these can be overcome. We frame this review in the context of tree pests and diseases, since trees are arguably the most difficult plant species to study, work on and manage, yet they represent one of the most important organisms on Earth

Endophytes vs tree pathogens and pests: can they be used as biological control agents to improve tree health?

Like all other plants, trees are vulnerable to attack by a multitude of pests and pathogens. Current control measures for many of these diseases are limited and relatively ineffective. Several methods, including the use of conventional synthetic agro-chemicals, are employed to reduce the impact of pests and diseases. However, because of mounting concerns about adverse effects on the environment and a variety of economic reasons, this limited management of tree diseases by chemical methods is losing ground. The use of biological control, as a more environmentally friendly alternative, is becoming increasingly popular in plant protection. This can include the deployment of soil inoculants and foliar sprays, but the increased knowledge of microbial ecology in the phytosphere, in particular phylloplane microbes and endophytes, has stimulated new thinking for biocontrol approaches. Endophytes are microbes that live within plant tissues. As such, they hold potential as biocontrol agents against plant diseases because they are able to colonize the same ecological niche favoured by many invading pathogens. However, the development and exploitation of endophytes as biocontrol agents will have to overcome numerous challenges. The optimization and improvement of strategies employed in endophyte research can contribute towards discovering effective and competent biocontrol agents. The impact of environment and plant genotype on selecting potentially beneficial and exploitable endophytes for biocontrol is poorly understood. How endophytes synergise or antagonise one another is also an important factor. This review focusses on recent research addressing the biocontrol of plant diseases and pests using endophytic fungi and bacteria, alongside the challenges and limitations encountered and how these can be overcome. We frame this review in the context of tree pests and diseases, since trees are arguably the most difficult plant species to study, work on and manage, yet they represent one of the most important organisms on Earth