Experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of some sugarcane varieties against natural weed infestation. The trials were laid out in a randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement and three replications. The sugarcane varieties were the main plots while the sub-plots consisted of weeding regimes. Recommended cultural and agronomic practices were followed to raise the crops. Data were collected on weed density, weed biomass, sugarcane tiller count and cane yield. Our results revealed that Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) W.D.Clayton, Panicum maximum Jacq, Imperata cylindrica L., Panicum repens L., Cynodon dactylon L. and Cyperus rotundus L. were the major weed problems of sugarcane in Ilorin. The monthly hoe weeded treatment had significantly higher tiller count which translated to higher cane yield (22.61 to 72.54 t/ha) than other weed control treatments. The reduction in cane yield was between 80.51 and 97.55% depending on duration of weed infestation. Association of weed parameters with cane yield was negative and significant showed that a decrease in weed infestations will result in simultaneous increase in sugarcane yield. Therefore, in selecting sugarcane variety(s) for breeding programmes, emphasis should be placed on sugarcane growth parameters that negatively and significantly correlated with weed infestation.

Studies were carried out on the antimicrobial effect of aqueous, ethanolic, methanolic and hexane extracts of mycorrhizal fungi; Glomus clarum and Gigaspora gigantea against selected pathogenic microorganisms using well-plate and disc-diffusion methods. The highest antibacterial inhibitory activities (10 mm) were recorded for methanolic extract of Glomus clarum against Proteus vulgaris and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Hexane extract of G. clarum produced the highest antifungal activities (20 mm) against Aspergillus flavus. Generally, the antimicrobial activity of Glomus clarum extracts was significantly higher than that of Gigaspora gigantea. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.1-0.4 mL for the extracts. Shigella sonnei was resistant to all extracts. The phytochemical screening carried out for the extracts showed that all extracts contained alkaloids and anthraquinone.

Red flower rag leaf (Crassocephalum crepidioides) is one of the underutilized vegetables consumed globally. Pot trials were conducted to characterize 15 morphologically distinct accessions of C. crepidioides and assess the effects of treatment combinations of eggshell, NPK 15:15:15, poultry manure and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus(Glomus mosseae) as soil amendments on growth and yield-related characters of C. crepidioides. Thereafter, 48 seedlings of the best performing accession were transplanted into perforated polythene bags filled with 7 kg of heat-sterilized soil. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with three replicates. Treatment combinations were incorporated into in the polythene bags 1 week after transplanting, while control plants received no amendments. The results showed that accession NH/GKB-15 had the highest plant height (29.83 cm), stem length (27.67 cm), number of leaves (15) and length of internode at node 3 (1.13 cm) and node 4 (1.17 cm). The growth and yield characters of this best performing accession (NH/GKB-15) in response to soil amendments showed that poultry manure produced the tallest plants (55.17 cm), longest and widest stems (48.35 and 0.66 cm), longest and widest leaves (16.39 and 6.26 cm, respectively), and higher number of inflorescence (2.13). With NPK 15:15:15 the seedlings did not survive. Poultry manure should therefore be utilized for better plant nutrition and faster growth of C. crepidioides seedlings as well as for safer consumption of the leafy vegetable.