Background Rice forms a significant portion of food consumed in most household worldwide. Rice production has been hampered by soil factors such as ferruginousity which has limited phosphorus availability; an important mineral component for the growth and yield of rice. The presence of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) in soils has been reported to enhance phosphate availability. In view of this, the present study employed three bacteria species (BCAC2, EMBF2 and BCAF1) that were previously isolated and proved P solubilization capacities as inocula to investigate the growth response of rice germinants in an in vitro setup. The bacteria isolates were first identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and then applied as inoculum. The inolula were prepared in three concentrations (10, 7.5 and 5.0 ml) following McFarland standard. Viable rice (var. FARO 44) seeds were sown in petri dishes and then inoculated with the three inocula at the different concentrations. The setup was studied for 28 days. Results 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified the isolates as: isolate BCAC2= Bacillus cereus strain GGBSU-1, isolate BCAF1= Proteus mirabilis strain TL14-1 and isolate EMBF2= Klebsiella variicola strain AUH-KAM-9. Significant improvement in rice germination, morphology, physiology and biomass parameters in the bacteria-inoculated setups was observed compared to the control. Germination percentage after 4 days was 100 % in the inoculated rice germinants compared to 65% in the control (NiS). Similarly, inoculation with the test isolates enhanced water-use efficiency by over 40%. The rice seedlings inoculated with Bacillus cereus strain GGBSU-1 (BiS) showed no signs of chlorosis and necrosis throughout the study period as against those inoculated with Proteus mirabilis strain TL14-1 (PiS) and Klebsiella variicola strain AUH-KAM-9 (KiS). Significant increase in chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and alpha amylase was observed in the rice seedlings inoculated with BiS as against the NiS. Conclusion Inoculating rice seeds with Bacillus cereus strain GGBSU-1, Proteus mirabilis strain TL14-1 and Klebsiella variicola strain AUH-KAM-9 in an in vitro media significantly improved growth parameters of the test plant. Bacillus cereus strain GGBSU-1 showed higher efficiency due to a more improved growth properties observed.
This study investigated the effects of salicylic acid (SA) on the germination and early seedling growth of Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L., Fabaceae). Pigeon pea were sown in soils containing 5 mg/l, 10 mg/l, 20 mg/l, 30 mg/l and 50 mg/l SA and a control (0 mg/l). The treatment was applied to the plant for 6 weeks from the day of planting. It was observed that the leaflet area increased more in plants that received SA treatment in low concentration (0 mg/l, 5 mg/l, 10 mg/l and 20 mg/l) than in those with higher concentration (30 mg/l and 50 mg/l). The same result was obtained in the total chlorophyll content of the leaves and in average height of the plant (p<0.05). It was also observed that the number of leaves formed were more in plant that had little SA concentration. However, it was also discovered that at concentration below 10 mg/l, the growth promoting effect of SA declined. The study presents supporting evidence that optimum SA concentration required for maximum seed germination and early seedling growth in C. cajan is 20 mg/l. This finding will act as guide in the application of SA treatment in growing C. cajan.
DOI: 10.15835/nsb13110890 Intake of vegetables grown in heavy metals contaminated soils is one of the most common food chain routes for exposure of human. For this purpose, this research aimed at evaluating the concentration of heavy metals (cadmium-Cd, lead-Pb and zinc-Zn) in vegetables such as spinach (S), lettuce (L), and onion (O), irrigated with two different wastewater sources in Kano State Nigeria. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric analysis (AAS) was used in this research to determine the metal levels. Zn (0.17-0.12 mg/l) was detected in the wastewater, as well as in the irrigated soil (8.36-33.64 mg/kg), while Cd and Pb were not detected in both the wastewater and irrigated soils. Furthermore, between (1.50-27.05 mg/kg) of Zn was detected in the assayed vegetables (S, L and O). However, there was no significant difference (p<0.05) between the Zn content of the two wastewater sites. Lactuca sativa was observed to have the highest Zn concentration (27.5 mg/kg) in site A, while Spinacia oleracea had the lowest Zn concentration (1.5 mg/kg). Zn levels in all the samples analysed in this study were below the permissible limit of 100 mg/kg in vegetables, 50 mg/kg in soil and 5mg/l in wastewater set by FAO/WHO. However, Pb and Cd were not detected in all the samples. Bioaccumulation factor was found ranging from 0.32-41.17 mg/kg and the pollution index ranged from (0.46-1.80 µg g-1). This indicated potential health risk from Zn in people who are consuming these vegetables for long period of time due to biomagnification. This research suggested that frequent test should be carried out to monitor the accumulation and, farmers should be sensitized on the importance of treating irrigation water before agricultural usage.
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