Value of <em>Amaranthus</em> [L.] Species in Nigeria

This chapter addresses the value of different Amaranthus [L.] species that have been recorded in Nigeria. These are Amaranthus blitum, A. dubius, A. caudatus, A. cruentus, A. deflexus, A. graecizans, A. hybridus, A. hypochondriacus, A. retroflexus, A. spinosus, A. thunbergii, A. tricolor and A. viridis. Although they are mostly cultivated, some are present as weeds and others are valued for their ornamental roles. Amaranthus species are the most important vegetables in some parts of Nigeria because of their leaves, succulent stem and cereal-like grains. The chapter describes their socio-cultural (ethnobotanical), ecological, economic, food and income security values as well as their production requirements. Although amaranths are stress tolerant, mesic condition and soil enrichment can increase output and nutrient composition, respectively. This work revealed that a gap exists in annual production amounts and foreign exchange earning from amaranths. It also compared the 13 species based on their proximate and phytochemical composition. Amaranths are already contributing to sustainable development and livelihood in Nigeria without established institutional support. There is a need for Nigeria to establish a vegetable centre (with the proposed name: Nigerian Vegetable Center) to maximise the potential and actual values of amaranths and other vegetable species in Nigeria

Plants and Plant Products in Local Markets Within Benin City and Environs

AbstractThe vulnerability of agriculture systems in Africa to climate change is directly and indirectly affecting the availability and diversity of plants and plant products available in local markets. In this chapter, markets in Benin City and environs were assessed to document the availability of plants and plant products. Markets were grouped into urban, suburban, and rural with each group having four markets. Majority of the plant and plant product vendors were women and 88 plant species belonging to 42 families were found. Their scientific and common names were documented as well as the parts of the plant and associated products available in the markets. Most of the plant and plant products found in local markets belong to major plant families. Urban markets had the highest diversity of plants and plant products. Three categories of plants and plant products were documented. Around 67% of the plants and plant products were categorized as whole plant/plant parts, 28% as processed plant parts, while 5% as reprocessed plant/plant parts. It was revealed that 86% of these plants are used as foods, 11% are for medicinal purposes, while 3% is used for other purposes. About 35% of plants and plant products across the markets were fruits, which is an indication that city and environs are a rich source of fruits. The local knowledge and practices associated with the plants and plant products can contribute towards formulating a strategic response for climate change impacts on agriculture, gender, poverty, food security, and plant diversity

Growth and yield performances of rice ( Oryza sativa var. nerica) after exposure to biosynthesized nanoparticles

Abstract Background Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a common staple food in Nigeria. However, cultivation is impaired by heavy metal contamination, particularly iron (Fe). This study aimed to investigate the impacts of biosynthesized nanoparticles (NPs) in enhancing the growth and yield components of rice sown in ferruginous soil. Viable seeds of O. sativa var. nerica were sown in ferruginous and non-ferruginous soils. After four weeks, the plants were exposed to foliar sprays of biosynthesized NPs from silver nitrate, using extracts of leaves of Carica papaya, Vernonia amygdalina, Moringa oleifera, and Azadirachta indica; and the flowers of Hibiscus sabderiffa, following standard procedure. The originally prepared stock solution was diluted to give 5, 15, and 30% concentrations of each synthesized NP. Results Results showed that soil ferrugenicity impeded the growth and yield of rice. Azadirachta-synthesized NPs was better enhanced in the ferruginous soils, which might be due to Fe interaction and activities. Moreover, there was increased antioxidant activity in the ferruginous rice compared to the non-ferruginous rice, thus it is evidence that ferrugenicity is a major source of physiological stress for the rice plant. Conclusion The study provided evidence that Ag-NPs can enhance plant yield by huge proportions in ferruginous soil, a condition (ferrugenicity) that was hitherto inimical to yield disposition of rice

Hazard quotient, microbial diversity, and plant composition of spent crude oil-polluted soil

Abstract Background The present work assesses the concentration of some heavy metal, plant species composition, and microbial diversity of spent crude oil-polluted soil from electric generator plant house, auto mechanic workshop, bakery, and auto spare part shops in four local governments areas (Egor, Ikpoba-Okha, Oredo, and Ovia North) in Edo State, Southern Nigeria. Results Hazard quotient (HQ) of heavy metals varied in all the spent crude oil-polluted soil evaluated in the study. The HQ of heavy metals from auto mechanic workshop had the highest values for Cr (2.19), Mn (0.0965), Zn (4.1108), Fe (9.32015), and Cd (0.0155). The most frequent bacterial and fungal species found in all 16 sites were Bacillus subtilis (93.75%) and Aspergillus niger (100.0%) respectively. Auto spare part shops in Oredo had a bacterial count of 1.0 × 105 CFU/g while the bacteria count around power generator plants in Egor had a bacteria count of 1.71 × 105 CFU/g. Some of the plant species identified around all the sites include Acanthospermum hispidum, Alternanthera repens, Axonopus compressus, Cyperus esculentus, Eleusine indica, Paspalum scrobiculatum, and Tridax procumbens. Conclusion Spent crude oil pollution of the soil led to high amounts of heavy metal in the soil. However, the presence of higher plants and variable diversity and richness of microorganisms found in the soil are likely contributing to the remediation of the polluted soil

Shelf Life, Fruit Quality and Safety of Banana (Musa Species) Ripened through Traditional Ripening Techniques in Nigeria

Many fruit vendors in Nigeria adopt unhealthy practices to induce fruit ripening and increase the availability of ripe fruits in the markets. We investigated the safety of traditional induced ripen..

Single-tree influence of Tectona grandis Linn. f. on plant distribution and soil characteristics in a planted forest

Abstract Background Little is known about the single-tree influence of Tectona grandis Linn. f. on plant distribution and soil characteristics in Benin City, Nigeria. We investigated the possible single-tree effect of T. grandis on understory plants in an 8-year-old teak plantation at the Moist Forest Research Station. An area of 36.57 m by 60.96 m was marked out and divided into 15 equal-sized subplots containing 10 trees per subplot. Marked distances from the base of a randomly selected tree per subplot were made (0–0.5 m, 0.5–1.0 m and 1.0–1.5 m). Results Single-tree influence of T. grandis was observed in the soil total organic carbon, total nitrogen and soluble phosphorus, where concentrations were higher with 1.5-m radius from the tree than beyond. Moreover, the pH of the topsoil within 1.5 m from the base of the tree was lower (pH 4.4) than beyond 1.5 m from the base of the tree (pH 5.4). Species-specific single-tree effect was also observed on the understory plant distribution likely due to diverse ecophysiological interactions. Within 1.5 m from the tree, plant species abundance, especially of Sida garckeana, Reisantia indica, Momordica charantia and Tridax procumbens were negatively affected. However, the distribution of Eleusine indica around the tree was not negatively influenced. Plant abundance was generally suppressed in Cynodon dactylon, Axonopus compressus, Andropogon gayanus, Commelina diffusa and Euphorbia hirta. Generally, there were more plant species beyond the canopy fringes than within the canopy, indicating inhibitory single-tree effects. Conclusion Not all plant species in close proximity to T. grandis are affected. This is important considering that plant-plant associations affect the quality of forest soils. Generally, more plant species were recorded outside the 1.5-m demarcation than within, an increase in soil organic matter may further enhance such plant species abundance. The impact of T. grandis in forest soil quality is possibly a factor of the outcome of its association with neighbouring plant species. Diverse mechanisms at play may be responsible for the observed effects on soil chemistry. However, a reduction in the soil organic matter and variations in other environmental factors also contributed to observed single-tree effect

Progress and prospects of glucosinolate pathogen resistance in some brassica plants

Plants are constantly defending themselves against an array of assaults by pathogenic organisms. This has led to the evolution of precise and elaborate chemical defense systems involving glucosinolates (GSLs) in cruciferous plants. These GSLs and their hydrolysis products are biologically active and are implicated as enabling formidable plant defense processes in certain economically important members of Brassicaceae like broccoli, cabbage and mustard seed. This review provides a comprehensive report of how indole and aliphatic GSLs mitigate incidents of plant pathogenesis. By evaluating the roles of GSLs in plant-pathogen interaction of some brassica plants, this review highlights the associated mechanism that culminates in disease suppression. Moreover, seven economically important brassica pathogens were reviewed in terms of their ability to disrupt proper plant functioning as well as the mechanisms by which GSLs and their hydrolysis products in Brassica lower the susceptibility to them. Future perspectives of the application of GSLs in plant pathogen resistance using advanced molecular techniques are also discussed

Re-evaluation of Senecio apenninus (Asteraceae, Senecioneae)

A morphometric study on Senecio apenninus and S. doronicum subsp. orientalis belonging to S. sect. Crociseris was carried out with univariate and multivariate analyses. In order to correctly classify these taxa and clarify the taxonomic value of S. apenninus, we studied 38 qualitative and quantitative morphometric characters from 85 herbarium specimens. The results of our analyses allow the recognition of two clearly distinct and separate taxa, distinguished by number and diameter of their capitula, the ratio of involucral bracts and supplementary bracts and length of supplementary bracts. Furthermore, a neotype for the name S. apenninus is selected

Morphological Evaluation of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Linn.) Cultivars

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Linn.) is widely cultivated and is economically beneficial. Tomato cultivars were obtained from traditional agriculture systems, and their morphological characters were evaluated. The cultivars included Pepper tomato [ED/CH/01], Edo local [ED/CH/02], Golden tomato [ED/CH/03] and Derica tomato [ED/CH/04]. Results of the principal component analyses of 27 morphological characters indicated that two characters accounted for 94.65 % of the observed variations. Scatter plots suggested good tendency of grouping for the four accessions. In the dendrogram, two clusters were formed with ED/CH/01, ED/CH/02 and ED/CH/03 grouped together whereas ED/CH/04 clustered separately. The clustering pattern implicated a common origin and/or gene pool for the cultivars. Cultivars ED/CH/01, ED/CH/03 and ED/CH/04 showed determinate growth type, while ED/CH/02 showed a semi-determinate growth pattern. Further, in terms of plant size, ED/CH/01 and ED/CH/02 were intermediate, while ED/CH/03 and ED/CH/04 were large. The characteristics of the flower and fruits exhibited diversity in terms of the corolla color, style, shape, fruit size at maturity, exterior color of the mature fruit, fruit shoulder, fruit cross-sectional shape, and fruit blossom end shape. These cultivars collectively possess characteristics that can be used by plant breeders. We recommend that further characterization using molecular techniques as well as conservation attention for these local germplasms should be conducte