Influence of Traditional Taboo Practices on Natural Resource Conservation in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria; Sustainable Community Development.

Environmental sustainability is the conservation and maintenance of the ecological integrity of a given area. The present study investigated the effective use of traditional laws and taboo practices in the preservation of the natural resources of Uli, a town in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State Nigeria. The study examined strategies employed in environmental sustainability in this area at the period leading upto Nigeria’s independence in 1960, impact of the civil war (1967-1970) and its aftermath till date. The instruments used for the data collection included literature review, field survey using the questionnaire, one on one oral interviews and photographic documentations of the selected areas. The results showed that fifteen (15) species of plants were preserved using traditional laws. These include: Newbouldia laevis, Treculia africana, Elaeis guineensis, Anthocleista vogelii, Milicia excelsa, Irvingia gabonensis, Cola nitida, Khaya grandifoliola, Ceiba pentandra, Chrysophyllum albidium, Dialium guineense, Canarium schweinfurthii, Baphia nitida, Brachystegia eurycoma, Pterygota spp. Of the three forests in Uli, the “Attammiri” forest is the only one that has remained intact over the years, using traditional laws. The study statistically inferred that the Nigerian Civil war had no significant adverse effect on the use of traditional laws in the protection of the forests in Uli (PBrachystegia eurycoma and Milicia excelsa species. For development to be sustainable, respect for culture and traditional laws at the village-community level should be encouraged and stiffer sanctions accompany offenders

Growth and development of salinity-exposed rice (Oryza sativa) rhizo-inoculated with Bacillus subtilis under different pH levels

The study investigated the effects of varying pH levels on the growth and development of salt-exposed rice (Oryza sativa L.) after inoculation with Bacillus subtilis. Germinated rice seedlings (var. FARO 44) were sown in garden soils amended to 100 mM NaCl, and were thereafter inoculated with Bacillus subtilis. The transplants were subsequently exposed to periodic wetting with 5 mL of pH-buffered water (pH 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11) every day, and with 5 mL of 100 mM NaCl every 4 days. The set up was monitored during a 30-day period. Results showed significant reduction in chlorophyll a and b as well as lycopene and tocopherol contents of leaves due to changes in the lipid-to-protein ratio of pigment-protein complex or increased chlorophyllase activity and drought stress. There were improved morphological characteristics such as plant height, sheath and foliar dimensions due to inoculation of B. subtilis. Increase in salinity resulted in a decrease in plant height, leaf length and sheath. Inoculation not only promoted rice growth, but also enhanced rice tolerance towards salinity owing to the fact that FARO 44 is a salinity-tolerant rice variety. A better understanding of the interaction between microbial inoculants and soil conditions is required to harness the desired benefits towards improving crop development. Igiebor et al (PDF

Growth and phytoremediative capacity of Eleusine indica in a typical farmland soil under previous exposure to organochlorine pesticide

This study investigated the growth and phytoremediative response of Eleusine indica in a typical farmland soil that had been exposed to organochlorine pesticides. Different soil treatments were obtained by mixing pesticide polluted soil (P) with control soil (C) in ratios, 1P:99C, 5P:95C, 50P:50C, 25P:75C, 75P:25C, 100P and 100C. Three-leaf tillers of the test plant were sown in all the treatments for 3 months. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in all plant morphological parameters measured between plants in P impacted soils and C-soil. All the pH values were acidic, although an increase in pH and decrease in conductivity was observed with the introduction of the test plant. There was reduction in total pesticide residual (TPR) contents in the soil as a result of the plant activities. Significant reduction in q – BHC, α – chlordane and ϒ – chlordane was observed in the P1:C99 soil mix; a 90% remediation efficiency (1.663 mg kg-1 ) was registered in the all treatments. This study thus presents E. indica as a potential concentrationdependent phytoremediator of pesticide, with no significant morphological changes

The influence of osmo-priming on germination parameters of Telfairia occidentalis Hook f. (fluted pumpkin)

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) seed germination proceeds once adequate temperature and moisture content have been reached and dormancy is broken. Seed priming is a technique in which seeds are hydrated (control hydration) and dried to their original moisture content while preventing radicle emergence. The study aims to investigate the consequence of osmo-priming on the germination parameters of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis). Laboratory studies were carried out using 36 seeds of fluted pumpkin which was osmoprimed with NaCl (0.05, 0.1 and 1 millimolar), MgCl2 (0.05, 0.1 and 1 millimolar) and KCl (0.05, 0.1 and 1 millimolar). Data on germination percentage, growth parameters, and chlorophyll content showed a significant difference in germination percentages between osmoprimed seeds and control seeds. The time of germination in osmoprimed seeds was significantly reduced when compared with control. The germination rate index (64%) was different between controls and osmoprimed seeds with 0.05 millimolar KCl and 0.10 millimolar MgCl2 (). The growth parameters of seedlings 15 days after sowing showed significant increase in the number of leaves, number of root branches and chlorophyll content. Seed osmopriming may be a sustainable method to increase crop production in T.ccidentalis. Ikhajiagbe et al (PDF) Article history: Received: 19 November 2021; Revised: 19 April 2022; Accepted: 3 June 2022; Available online: 30 June 2022

Plant growth response and nitrate reductase activities of roots of Chromolaena odorata in a model spent lubricating oil-polluted soil

The ability of Chromolaena odorata propagated by stem cuttings and grown for 50 days in the soil containing five (5) different concentrations of spent lubricating oil (SLO) in soil (0, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 % SLO), was investigated. The experiments were watered daily at 70% moisture field capacity. Parameters such as number leaves per plant, shoot length, plant height as well as nitrate reductase activities were measured. Shoot length as well as leaf number were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, compared to the control treatment. Results also showed that nitrate reductase activities increased slightly with time. However, beyond 40 days, nitrate reductase activity was not detected in 3% - 12% w/w oil-in-soil treatments, respectively. Pollution indices such as Contamination factor and Hazard Quotient, used in the present study indicated significant reduction in contamination values upon sowing of C. Odorata. Values obtained from Bioaccumulation Quotients also indicated that the plant was able to significantly bioaccumulate elements such as Fe, Cu and Ni present in the SLO-polluted soil. Anoliefo et al (PDF

Development of a bidirectional PCR tool for Tenera oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) identity

Three forms of fruit are distinguished in the Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.): Dura, Pisifera and Tenera. The most cultivated high yielding oil palm variety, the thin shell Tenera is produced from the cross between the thick shelled Dura and the shell-less Pisifera. Due to the perennial nature of the oil palm, it is impossible to determine the fruit phenotype until it is reproductively mature. Oil palm farmers are therefore faced with the challenge of uncertainty of the kind of fruits and yield output expected until production time. The recent sequencing of the shell gene in the oil palm made it possible to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) mutations that are now useful in developing molecular markers for fruit form predictions. In this study, Allele Specific PCR (AS-PCR) was used to assess regions of the shell gene containing SNPs for oil palm fruit form discrimination. Three primer pairs (S1, S2 and S3) were designed as common primers while four AS-PCR primers (S20, S22, S32 and S33) were adopted as inner primers. Possible combinations of common and AS primers were investigated in Dura, Pisifera and Tenera genomes. A 300bp fragment was observed to be unique in the Tenera shell gene when S3 was combined with S20 and S32. Other inner primer combinations investigated with S3 generated similar assays in Dura, Pisifera and Tenera. The result from this study detects a marker for the Tenera fruit form of the oil palm. Odenore et al (PDF

Development of a method for DNA extraction from oil palm leaves and the effects of pH and ionic strength on nucleic acid quantification

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has benefited little from molecular marker technologies although the long generation time and the unpredictable variations due to allogamy make it a high priority for improving breeding efficiency. Progress would require an efficient, low cost and high-throughput deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction method adapted for oil palm. A method for genomic DNA extraction from oil palm leaves that is simple and cost-effective was developed without the use of liquid nitrogen. A260/280 ratios between 1.987 and 2.078 were obtained. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that nucleic acid concentration and yield were inversely proportional to the pH and ionic strength of the solvent. The measured values varied significantly between 572 ng/µl and 496 ng/µl. DNA extracted with this method is stable and can be reproducibly amplified by PCR