Asian Journal of Plant Biology

Effect of Silicon Application Methods on Drought Tolerance, Growth and Yield of Some Varieties of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp in Gombe State

Z.A. Abubakar, M.A. Garba, F.M. Hassan — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

One of the things that limits crop yield is drought. It has been demonstrated that silicon (Si) plays a significant part in reducing environmental stress in cowpea. To investigate the impact of silicon (Si) on plant development, drought tolerance, physiology, and anatomy, the cowpea white variety and cowpea brown variety were chosen. Two cowpea types were sown in each pot during the trial, which was carried out in August 2021 at Gombe State university. Four treatments—a zero treatment, silicon (Na2SiO3) in soil, silicon (Na2SiO3) in seed, and silicon (Na2SiO3) in water—were used in the experiment, which was set up in a completely randomized block design. Vegetative, physiological, and reproductive factors are among those measured. The cowpea white treatment's findings for the vegetative parameters include the greatest averages for plant height (17.2), leaf count (14), stem diameter (1.9), and trifolium count. The greatest chlorophyll concentration of any treated silicon variety found in seed is 0.68, while the highest chlorophyll stability index of any variety found in soil is 50% for the cowpea white variation. Cowpea white of the treatment silicon in seed has the lowest transpiration rate of 0.1 mL, whereas cowpea white and brown of the treatment silicon in soil have the highest relative water contents (91.4% and 89.7%, respectively). The cowpea brown treatment silicon seed's reproductive properties had the highest mean flower count (3.7), compared to the white type, there were 1.7 pods, 17.1 pods, 5.7 pods, 12.0 seeds per pod, and 49g of total biomass. The cowpea white variety benefits from the Na2SiO3's effects on physiology and vegetative parameters, whereas the brown variations benefit from it in terms of reproduction.

A Review on Endophytic Fungi: A Natural Source of Industrial Enzymes

Mohammed Maikudi Usman, Ahmad Idi, Abuabakar Aisami, Fatima Umar Maigari — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Endophytic fungi are microscopic organisms that live inside plant tissue. They can create a vast array of enzymes and metabolites that present a variety of biological activities without causing any visible indications of their existence. Due to their extensive use in many industries and their simplicity in production, stability, and optimization, fungal enzymes have attracted attention. This paper describes potential applications for the enzymes made by endophytic fungus and explores their use in diverse industries. Additionally, endophytic fungi may develop into fresh sources of industrially valuable enzymes like lipases, amylases, and proteases. Endophytes have rarely been used as sources of industrially relevant enzymes due to the diversity of plants that are readily available. In view of that, search for endophytes from plants with the potential of industrial enzymes is of paramount importance.

Assessment of Morphological Variations and Crop Performance among Commonly Cultivated Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.) Landraces in Gombe, Nigeria

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Bambara groundnut is cultivated by low-income earning farmers at the subsistence level without knowledge of genetic diversity on major morphological and yield traits. This study aimed to assess morphological variations and crop performance among commonly cultivated Bambara groundnut landraces. The five most commonly cultivated Bambara groundnut landraces were collected from farmers and were planted randomly in a complete block design (RCBD) with three replications in the Botanical Garden of Gombe State University. The results of the analysis of variance from this study revealed significant variation among some of the traits. The results on germination percentage showed that the landraces germinated between seven to ten (7-10) days after planting with 73% and 100% as the lowest and highest mean percentages. The highest mean number of leaves observed was in Stripped Black 122 whereas the lowest mean was 52. The highest mean observed at ten weeks after planting was 31.20 and the lowest mean was 23.00 in stripped brown and stripped black landraces. The highest mean plant canopy spread observed was 70cm in the white landrace, whereas the lowest mean plant canopy observed was 35cm in the black landrace. The highest mean biomass fresh weight observed was 214.95 among the white landrace while the lowest mean observed was 80.30 among the red landrace. A similar trend was recorded on biomass dry weight where the white landrace recorded 101.23 while the red landrace recorded the lowest mean biomass dry weight at 30.62 these traits have highlighted the significance chosen various parameters in selection for breeding and improvement of Bambara groundnut.

Growth Performance of Clarias gariepinus in Paddy Rice Field in Kwadon, Gombe, Nigeria

A.Z. Abubakar, I. Ibrahim, Z. Isah, M.A. Umar — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this scenario, a rice and fish farming system is merged, where the fish are farmed alongside or interchangeably with the rice. Integrated fish farming is a sequential linkage between two or more farming operations. However, occasionally the advancement of rice-fish farming has been ham-pered by changes in rice growing methods as well as the widespread use of insecticides and artifi-cial fertilizers. A cutting-edge agricultural technique where the primary crop is rice and fish fin-gerlings are used as a secondary source of income. By generating employment opportunities and ensuring food security, rice cum fish culture not only helps farmers who are living in poverty to earn more money but also increases the output of their paddy crops. This study aims to assess the performance of the fish as a result of the rice-fish culture. Kwadom, in the Yamaltu-Deba local government area of Gombe State, Nigeria, practiced rice-fish culture. The study used six (6) rice paddy fields with the labels "pond X and X1 received artificial feed, pond Y and Y1 received poultry dropping, and pond Z and Z1 serve as control." at twenty-one (21) days following plant-ing, local rice seedlings Jamila and improved rice seedlings Faro 44 were transferred into the paddies. Each pond received 5 g of Clarias gariepinus per fingerling. But only one treatment (X and X1) produced positive results for the rice variety faro 44, which managed to live. When compared to the other 2 treatments (poultry dropping and control), the fish output in treatment one (artificial feed) had an overall weight (g) of 54000 g, which is considerably greater. The study's high mean in faro 44 reading of 96264.73 g was observed. An analysis of resource use efficiency found that, with the exception of labour, irrigation, and insecticide, most resources in the rice-fish industry were underutilized by farmers. In order to improve food security and maintain sustained rural development, it is crucial that the government actively supports the integration of rice and fish farming.

Comparative Analysis of Amylase Enzyme Produced by Aspergillus niger Using Rice and Maize Bran as Substrates

A. Bukar, U. Musa, A.B. Yusuf, H.U. Puma, I.U. Tawfiq, I. Mansur, M.M. Ahmad — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Amylase is used in the degradation of starch-containing materials into its simpler constituents. This study was aimed at comparing amylase production by Aspergillus niger isolated from different sources on different varieties of rice and maize bran. Different strains of A. niger were isolated from different sources and were identified using cultural, morphological and molecular characteristics. A. niger USGB:1024 isolated from soil obtained from a maize mill and A. niger BGSU:17-00030 isolated from spoiled tomato were used for amylase enzyme production as both gave positive results during screening. Amylase enzyme was produced using 15g of substrates, temperature 30 C, pH 6 and inoculum density of 1 ×106. A. niger USGB:1024 was found to produce an amylase enzyme with the highest activity (3.15±0.1 IU) on Chinese rice bran at fermentation day 5. A. niger BGSU:17-00030 also produced amylase enzyme with the highest activity (1.46±0.01 IU) on Chinese rice bran at 5 days of fermentation. The result has shown that A. niger USGB:1024 produced amylase enzyme with the highest activity than A. niger BGSU:17-00030.

Effect of Water Stress on the Morphology of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum M.) at Different Growth Stages

R.U. Muhammad, A.A. Abubakar, A. Muhammad — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Large sections of tomato farming rely heavily on surface irrigation because rainfall is insufficient to supply crop water needs. This technique may result in water waste. Throughout and directly afterwards transplanting, at flowering, and during the development of fruit, tomatoes are extremely susceptible to water deficiencies. Therefore, preserving agricultural water supplies and boosting water productivity, coupled with increased tomato production, necessitate satisfying the water needs of tomatoes. This is why we set out to investigate how water stress affects tomato's (Tandilo and Rukuta varieties) agro-morphological traits in this study. The research was conducted at the Botanical Garden, Gombe State University. The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Block Design with six (6) replications and three (3) treatments. Three different water levels were termed as severe deficit at 14-day intervals, mild deficit at 7 d and control treatments were applied to each group. The impact of water stress on various tomato cultivars was calculated by measuring their height, stem diameter, leaf area, stem diameter, and number of branches. Water stress was found to significantly (P<0.05) reduce stem diameter, plant height, leaf area, and the number of branches. In conclusion, the agro morphological efficiency of tomato cultivars improved after modest water stress mitigation. Tandilo and Rukuta varieties can be adopted in semi-arid regions to optimize yield and ensure food security.

Isolation, Identification and Leavening Ability of Yeast from Local Fruits

Usman Musa, Abubakar Fatima Jurara, Ahmad Muhammad Mubarak — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Yeast is the organism used in the leavening of dough in a bakery. The study was carried out to determine the leavening ability of yeast isolated from different fruits. Three different yeast species were isolated from different fruits and were identified using cultural and microscopic methods. The yeast species isolated were tested for their temperature tolerance, ethanol tolerance, carbohydrate fermentation and leavening ability. The isolates were able to tolerate different temperature ranges (25 °C, 30 °C and 37 °C), and different concentrations of alcohols (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%). They were also able to grow and ferment glucose, sucrose, and fructose. The ability of the identified yeast species to increase the volume of the dough was examined by fermenting flour dough. The fermentation was conducted at 30 °C for 72 h. Yeast isolates from date, pineapple, mango and commercial beakers yeast were found to have a leavening ability of 66, 60, 40 and 58, respectively, and the control having 20 cm³/g. This indicates that the fruits could be a potential source of indigenous yeast species which can serve as good leavening agents.

Isolation and Characterization of Biosurfactant-producing Bacteria from Ternary Effluent within Maiduguri Metropolitan Council

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Almost all surfactants currently in use are chemically derived from petroleum. However, the diversity of biosurfactants, environment friendly characteristics, the possibility of their production through fermentation and their potential applications in areas such as environmental protection, surface crude oil recovery, health care and food processing industries, has made its interest steadily increasing in recent years. This research is targeted towards the isolation of indigenous biosurfactant producing bacteria from the local tanneries in Maiduguri. Physico – chemical parameters such as temperature and pH of all samples were tested at the site of collection, while others such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Desolved Oxygen (DO) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) were tested ex – situ. Simple and selective microbiological media were used for the isolation. A total of ten (10) different bacterial isolates were obtained from the eighteen (18) samples tested. Identification of the isolates was achieved through morphological and Biochemical analysis. The isolates obtained included Providencia rettgeri, Salmonella enterica, Enterobacter cancerogenus, Leminorella richardii, Bacillus licheniformis, B. niacini, Paenibacillus residui, Proteus mirabilis, Lysinibacillus massiliensis and L. fusiformis. Of the ten (10) isolates obtained, only seven (7) were found positive for biosurfactant production. They incuded P. rettgeri, E. cancerogenus, L. richardii, B. niacini, P. residui, L. massiliensis and L. fusiformis, of which L. fusiformis showed the highest emulsification activity of 25% at 4cm emulsion height. The results suggest that the Majema tannery effluents harbour biosurfactant - producing bacteria. Thus, tannery effluents can be possibly remediated using the biosurfactants and bacteria producing the biosurfactants.

Determining the Median Lethal Concentration (LC50) and Seedling Growth Effects of MARDI Nano-fertilizer on Rock melon (Cucumis melo)

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

New fertilizer formulations and nitrogen delivery systems are needed to address deteriorating nutrient-use-efficiency and environmental hazards due to farmers' dependency on chemical fertilizers. Nanofertilizers (NF) made from tailored smart nano materials are a viable alternative to inefficient and harmful traditional fertilizers. Nanotechnology and NFs may help solve chemical fertilizers formulation difficulties. To boost rock melon yields, MARDI has created a nano-fertilizer made from nano-emulsions. The relations between seed germination inhibition (%) of rock melon seed and different concentrations of MARDI nano-fertilizer showed that when nano-fertilizer concentrations increased from 10 to 45% with inhibition 3.3% to 100%, seed germination decreased. The LC50 value was calculated at 32.2% equal to 322,000 ppm, with upper and lower limits at 25.346% and 40.953%, 96 hrs after treatments, indicating the formulation is not toxic with a high LC50 value. In order to further study the effects of the created nano-fertilizer on the growth of rock melon plants across the adult, reproductive, and developmental stages, it is suggested that future field trials work use a concentration of 0.5% of the developed MARDI nano-fertilizer.