FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

Fungal infections are major hazards to crop health and yield in agricultural settings. This study investigates into how well salicylic acid and methyljasmonate work to lessen the negative effects of fungal pathogen exposure on oil palm seedlings.The effects of these phytohormones on the production of important plant biomolecules and antioxidants, such as carotenoids, lycopene, ascorbic acid, total sugar, proline, and vitamins A and E, was accessed by thorough investigation. The results show that when oil palm seedlings are exposed to fungal infections, their levels of significant plant compounds and antioxidants significantly decrease. Nevertheless, the utilization of salicylic acid and methyljasmonate exhibits an impressive ability to mitigate these deleterious
consequences.

Afforestation is habitually used as a resolution to prevent the detrimental effects of deforestation. As a result majority of plants, particularly trees must be subjected to germination and cultivation in nurseries before being transplanted in deforested areas. Scarification is a process that involves weakening or altering the seed coat to break dormancy and enhance germination of seedling growth and development. A study was carried out to investigate the effects of different scarification treatments on the germination of “Pseudospondias microcarpa and Funtumia africana seeds”. Different scarification methods, encompassing hot water, chemical, and dry heat treatment were administered to the seed, with untreated seeds serving as the control reference group. Key germination parameters, namely germination percentage, germination time, and seedling vigor, were documented and subsequently subjected to comparative analysis. Surprisingly, the outcome did not exhibit a significant effect of scarification on the germination of either species. The germination percentage, germination time, and seedling vigor demonstrated similarities between the scarified seeds and the control group. Though the hot water treated for 30 seconds of Funtumia africana grew but it took a long time to germinate and the control group grew but died. The absence of response to scarification treatment implies that the induction of seed dormancy breakage or the enhancement of germination might not require scarification within these plant species. Possible interpretations for these inconclusive findings include the natural permeability of the seed coats of Pseudospondias microcarpa and Funtumia africana which may facilitate the entry of water and gases, without the need of scarification. Moreover, alternative physiological or environmental factors on the seed germination process within these species could overshadow the effects of scarification. This research produced uncertain outcomes concerning the impact of scarification on the germination process of Pseudospondias microcarpa and Funtumia africana seeds. It is possible that scarification might not be essential for stimulating germination in these particular species

In this study, the differential effect of one and two weeks exposure to carbendazim on renal toxicity in rat was carried out. Twenty male rats were grouped into control and test group. The rats were labelled using picric acid and weight of individual rats were taken using a weighing balance and recorded as initial weight. The control group was orally administered 1% tween 80 using a gavage, while the test group was orally administered 200mg/kg body weight of Carbendazim dissolved in 1% tween 80 (acts as vehicle) using a gavage. oral administrations were done once and the rats were monitored for a period of 1-2 weeks and observations were recorded. After one week of Carbendazim exposure, five (5) rats from each group were anaesthesized in chamber containing Chloroform and blood was collected by cardiac puncture. The kidneys were excised, trimmed free of connective tissues and weighed. One kidney from each group was immersed in formalin and used for histopatholigical study while the remaining kidneys were stored at -4 0c until needed for biochemical studies. The parameters measured were; Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase ,Malondialdehyde ,Urea and Creatinine. There was no significant change (p>0.05) in kidney weight of rats when compared with the normal control but the weight of kidney decreased significantly (p<0.05). Increase in MDA levels were not significant (p>0.05)in carbendazim treated groups compared with normal control after 7days and 14 days respectively. The elevation in Catalse activity after 7 days was not significant(P>0.05) in Carbendazim treated group when compared to the control but Catalase activity increased significantly (P<0.05)after 14 days which may be an indicator of the body trying to alleviate oxidative stress. increased Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is beneficial in event of increased free radical production. SOD levels increased significantly (p<0.05)in carbendazim treated rats compared with the control after 7days of Carbendazim exposure. The significant increase in Urea and Creatinine levels in the blood may be attributed to Carbendazim toxicity. Creatinine levels increased significantly (p<0.05) after 7 days in carbendazim treated group compared with the normal control. After 14 days, the increase in Creatinine levels was not significant (p>0.05) in Carbendazim treated group compared with control. In histopathological examination, Ultra-structural changes were observed in the kidney of rats treated with carbendazim compared to those of control. Inflammatory infiltrates and tubular necrosis which indicates damage to kidney tubules were observed in the kidney of carbendazim treated rats (plate 2 and plate 4) after 7 days and 14days respectively

The effects of leaf extract-based biosynthesized manganese nanoparticles on growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa var. Nerica) was assessed. The study was carried out in the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, utilized leaves from four plant species: Carica papaya (Pawpaw), Azadiracta indica (Neem), and the flowers of
Hibiscus sabdarifa (red sorrel, commonly known as ‘zobo leaves’). The rice variety employed was Nerica rice, sourced from a farm in Delta state, Nigeria. Both ferruginous and nonferruginous soils were employed in the study. Nanoparticles were synthesized in the laboratory and applied within 3-4 hours post-synthesis to the rice plants, four weeks after planting. Application involved foliar spraying of each leaf species at room temperature, under sterile conditions. The nanoparticle treatments encompassed the control, ZM1 (5%), ZM2, and so forth (25%), ZM3 (50%), PM1 (5%), PM2 (25%), PM3 (50%), NM1 (5%), NM2 (25%), and NM3
(50%).

Psidium guajava L. is a tropical shrub tree and food plant that belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is an economically important food plant with diverse medicinal properties. In traditional medicine it is used to treat and manage cough, diarrhoea, brain dysfunction, heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and so on. Ocimum gratissimum L. of the family Lamiaceae is popularly known as basil and is a shrub found in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of biherbal aqueous extract of Psidium guajava and ocimum gratissimum leaves on haematological parameters in rats. The haematological parameters include; white blood cells (WBC) and its differentials, red blood cells (RBC), Haemoglobin (HGB), Hematocrit (HCT), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Red cell distribution width (RCDW), White blood cells (WBC), Lymphocyte Count (LYM) Platelets (PLT), Platelet crit (PCT), Platelet density width (PDW), and Mean platelet volume (MPV) in Wistar rats. Graded doses (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) of the biherbal aqueous extract were orally administered to explore the heamatopathological effect of the plant extract. The result from this present study showed a significant increase across graded doses, precisely at 50 and 100 mg/kg in white blood cell count and its differentials (WBC= 6.10, 6.20 10 3 /µL; MID = 8.45, 6.50, 9.00 %; LYM = 6.75, 5.45, 5.30 10 3 /µL). The result obtained from the red blood cells and its component had a slight significant increase in RBC at (7.66, 7.75, 7.44 10 6 /µL; MCV = 54.70, 57.60, 58.10 µM3 ; RDWS = 36.30, 39.55, 37.37 µM3). Also, the platelet and its factors displayed a significant increase across graded doses of the extract onf the PLT (178418.00, 222510.00, 8645.00 10 3 µ/L; PDW (13.80, 12.80, 12.65 %); and PCT (1.59, 2.35, 0.98 %) compared with the control. Conclusively, the biherbal aqueous extract across the graded doses probably has a hematoprotective effect with corresponding ethnomedicinal value.

Modern agriculture and industries are dependent on a variety of synthetic chemical compounds, including pesticides. Their extensive exploitation has resulted in the contamination of natural environment. This study investigates the effects of the combination these two chemicals, Haloxyfop-R-methyl ester + Dichlorvos, on nitrifying bacteria populations, specifically Nitrosomonas sp and Nitrobacter sp, within soil samples. Random collection of soil samples was collected from the University of Benin farmland sprayed with the appropriate dosage of the combined chemicals. The soil samples were obtained from four points. This research spanned a 28-day period, with sampling conducted at day 0, day 14, and day 28. Isolation of Nitrosomonas sp and Nitrobacter sp using Winogradsky medium 1 and 2 involved culturing diluted soil samples in Winogradsky 1 and 2 media. The study results showed a Nitrosomonas count of 3×103 ± 424.26 and Nitrobacter count of 8.6×103 ±
2262.74.

Recycling fruit peel trash has not only helped to reduce solid waste concerns, but it has also assisted in the discovery of key compounds that have been found to have significant uses. Fruit peel wastes may contain useful components similar to those found in fruit. These beneficial compounds can be employed to create pharmaceutical/medicinal, nutritional, and energy-rich formulations. The study seek to evaluate of Avocado peel extract as a potential agent for ameliorating cardiotoxicity induced by lead and cadmium. The fresh avocado fruits were obtained from a local market (Oba market Oredo) Local Government of Edo state. The seed was extracted, cleaned and prepared. The following test was carried out lipid profile and antioxidant and lipid peroxidation. The level of heavy metal present in the heart showed least in lead and cadmium concentration in group four and five compared the other groups. In the administration of the extract showed increase in uric acid, HDL, LDL, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin in the heart on male albino rat when compared to control. From the result, the administration of the extract showed decrease in triglyceride level in all doses when compared to control except for the avocado peel extract with a 100 mg/ml showed increase when compared to control. From the result, the administration of the extract showed increase at significant (p < 0.05) in Creatinine and Albumin level on male albino rat when compared to control. The administration of the extract showed increase at significant (p < 0.05) in MDA, SOD and CAT level in the heart on male albino rat when compared to control. The administration of the avocado peel extract with doses of 75 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml showed significant decrease in MDA, SOD levels in the blood on male albino rat when compared to control and also, the avocado extract at dosage of 75 mg/ml showed significant increase in CAT levels in the blood on male albino rat when compared to control. While at dosage of 100 mg/ml showed decrease at significant (p < 0.05) in CAT levels in the blood on male albino rat when compared to control. The avocado peel extract showed significant decrease in MDA in the testes on male albino rat when compared to control. The ethanol avocado peel extract showed significant increase in, SOD, and CAT levels in the testes on male albino rat. The protective effect of avocado peel against cadmium and lead toxicity, owing to its polyphenol and flavonoid content represents a potential avenue for treating heavy metal-related health conditions.

Andrographis paniculata can be found in different environment ranging from plains, hill, slopes or even road sides and it is grown annually mostly in western asia. It is widely used in the treatment of disease such as sore throat, liver disease, gastrointestinal infection etc. It is characterized by it's bitter taste which is known to contribute to its name " The king of bitters". The aim of this research was to observed and determine the effect of aqueous extract of Adrographic paniculata on the activity of lipase, GGT and GPx on streptozotocin induced rat. The results of this study showed that Andrographis paniculata has potent therapeutic potential and could be used in the treatment of diabetes.

Digital Currency is a sort of money that can only be obtained digitally or electronically is known as a digital currency. Other names for it include cybercash, electronic currency, digital money, and digital money. Digital currencies are only available in digital form and lack any tangible characteristics. Digital currency transactions are carried out using computers or electronic wallets linked to the internet or specific networks, unlike physical currencies which have distinct physical qualities and traits, such as banknotes and coins that have been produced. While they do not require physical wallets, digital currencies have their own set of requirements for storage and processing. For example, an Internet connection is necessary as are smartphones and services related to their provisioning. Online wallets with robust security are also necessary to store digital currencies. Their digital provenance makes digital currencies susceptible to hacking. Digital currencies used for trading can have wild price swings

Since the beginning of time, people and animals have used plants as a source of medicine. Diarrhea is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by loose, watery stools occurring more frequently than usual. This work aimed at evaluating the anti-diarrhoeal property of the polyherbal aqueous extract on bacterial induced diarrhea in Wistar rat. Diarrhea was induced in twenty-five (25) male Wistar rats, orally administered with Shigella dysenteriae and Escherichia coli bacteria isolated at 1 ml. Graded doses (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) of the polyherbal plant extract reduced the effect of the bacteria induced diarrheoal. The results showed a slight reduction in the number of wet stools, weight of stools and total number of stools when compared with the control. The peripheral blood smear showed no deteriorative effect on the blood cells, with no significant difference across the treated groups when compared with the control. In conclusion, the antidiarrhoeal activities of the polyherbal aqueous extract effect could be implicated due to the presence of the phytoconstituents in the plants. Thus, this finding supports the claimed ethnomedicinal use of the polyherbal plant extract for the management of diarrhea.