FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

ABSTRACT
Pesticides are chemicals widely used in agriculture to control diseases and to help increase crop
yield. Pesticides in particular insecticides can be very beneficial but have also been found to have
harmful side effects on non-target insects. The effects of pesticides are not simply linear but
complex through their interactions with a large variety of biotic and abiotic factors. Pesticides is
a general word that describes numerous groups of insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, garden
chemicals, household disinfectant sand rodents that are operated to both destroy and protect from
pests. Rhizobacteria are root associated bacteria that can have detrimental, neutral or beneficial
effect on plant grow. Nitrogen fixation is one of the beneficial processes performed by
rhizobacteria. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria were first identified by Kloepper and
Schroth et al., (1978) to be soil bacteria that colonize the roots of plants following inoculation
onto seed and that enhance plant growth. Pesticides that persist in soil may have a long-lasting
impact on Rhizobial survival and function. The soil was sprayed with the combination of the
chemicals (Haloxyfop R Methyl Ester and Dichlovos) after they were diluted. Soil samples were
obtained from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), life science land and were wrapped in a clean
sterile polythene bag and labelled control and mixture of both chemicals. The materials for the
experiment were sterilized, the differential agars were prepared and the soil samples were diluted.
Distinct colonies were identified after growth were observed on the nutrient agar, these were
restreaked on a freshly prepared agar to obtain the pure culture and incubated at 37°C for 24
hours. Growth on Bacillus cereus agar and Eosin methylene blue agar were observed by colony
forms, colours and spore morphology. Using the nitrogen free medium, pure cultures were
inoculated and incubated at 28°C for 1-7 days and growth on these plates confirms the ability to
fix nitrogen. The results showed a gradual increase in the microbial count across 28 days (from
3.8×104 ± 707.11 to 4.9×104 ± 4949.75). Also there was little or no effect on plant growth
promoting rhizobacterial activities of isolated microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Chemicals that have little or no effects on the plant
growth promoting rhizobacterial abilities of microorganisms should be used on farmlands.

A compact disc, sometimes referred to as a CD, is an optical digital mediumthat canholdvarious types of data, including documents, audio, photos, and video. Understandingthebacterial load in stored CD plates is crucial to ensuring the longevity and integrity of CDs. Thisstudy determined the impact of temperature and relative humidity on bacteria load of storedCDplates at different locations (laboratory, lecture theatre and office). Thirty-six (36) CDplateswere purchased and positioned at these different locations (as opened, closed with perforationsand burnt with short video clips and opened). Temperature and relative humidity were monitoredwith thermometer and hygrometer, while bacterial count and identification were basedonstandard procedures for four weeks. Results obtained showed a fluctuation in temperature everyweek, but generally within the range of room temperature (30°C - 37°C) conversely, relativehumidity increased weekly in the studied locations. Bacteria counts of all CDplates studiedincreased with increase in humidity with time. Bacteria isolated from studied CDplates wereBacillus mycoides, Pseudomonads aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilus, Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescans. Conclusively, relative humidity had a positivecorrelation with bacteria load of the studies CD plate, while temperature had little effect onbacterial counts.

Presence of oil in the soil – plant microenvironment influences normal chemistry of soil wherein the release of nutrient and uptake and also the quantity of water is reduced. The present study assessed the effect of oil contaminated soil on the growth and development of maize (Zea mays) over a period of 38 days. Result of the study revealed that oil contaminated soil affect the growth of maize in varying degree. The growth in height, root length and leaf area was evaluated using soil contaminated with oil at 25%, 50%, 75% 100% concentration and a control sample. Result showed that there was gradual decrease in height of maize with increasing concentration and the control sample recorded the greatest height. At 10 to 38 days after planting (DAP) lowest growth in height was observed in 100% sample. Also, there was a steady decrease in length of root as the concentration increases while the control sample had the greatest length throughout the experiment. The leaf area of maize gradually decreases as the concentration increases. The control sample also had the greatest leaf area. Lowest growth in leaf area at 10 to 38 days after planting (DAP) was observed in the 100% concentration. This shows that soil contamination with oil affects plants growth and development. It is recommended that care should be taken during oil exploration, exploitation, processing, storage and distribution to avoid contamination of soil by oil which will affect crops leading food shortage. Furthermore, remediation should be carried out on soils that have been previously contaminated.

Major contributions to the pollution in the atmosphere are Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur dioxide (SO2) from cement factories as well as other industrial activities in Urban and Rural areas. The study area covers Ibese, Paplanto, Abeokuta, Ewekoro and other rural areas as they play host to either cement factories or congested urban. This research compared the amount of NO2 and SO2 released into the atmosphere at Ibese, Papalanto and Abeokuta. Sentinel 5P data for the study area was used to monitor these pollutants. Google earth engine editor was used to extract the pollutants over the study area. The duration considered was a 4-month interval within year 2019 to 2021 which was used to present 3 spatial maps per year resulting in a total of 9 maps for both pollutants. SO2 concentration ranged between -0.000161 to 0.0000782; -0.000206 to 0.000162; 0.000194 to 0.000228, for 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. NO2 concentration ranged between 0.0000459 to 0.0000846, 0.0000491 to 0.0000947, 0.0000565 to 0.000122 mol/m2 for 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. The spatial distribution for both pollutants were regrouped into 4 classes namely low, moderate, high and very high. Ibese fell once within the low class, seven times within the moderate class, five times each within the high and very high class respectively considering both the NO2 and SO2 maps. Papalanto fell twice within the low class, once within the moderate class, six times within the high class and eight times within the very high class. Abeokuta fell six times within the moderate class and twelve times within the high class. The most dominant zone is the moderate zone followed by the high zone for SO2 and NO2 between 2019 and 2021. The frequency of occurrence of Papalanto and Ibese within the peak zone of SO2 and NO2 was very high when compared to the frequency of occurrence of Abeokuta which never fell beyond the high zone of either pollutant. This was attributed to the cement factory working nonstop
located within Papalanto and Ibese.

Many individuals have lactose intolerance which means that they are unable to digest significant amounts of lactose due to the low amount of the enzyme lactase in their system. Some other individuals are vegans, hence, avoid dairy products. In this study, melon seeds flour was used to produce powdered milk and stored for 0-2 months. Proximate and mineral analysis was carried out. Results shows it contains (10.85 – 13.45%) Carbohydrate, (12.89 – 13.36%) Protein, (60.82 – 62.65%) Crude fat, (0.91 – 1.11%) Crude fibre, (2.50 – 3.18%) Ash content, and (8.88 – 9.69%) Moisture content. Mineral analysis shows it is rich in Na, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, and N. It can be consumed by individuals with or without health issues. Statistically P>0.05, which means there was no significant change in the quality of powdered milk over the time of storage.

Cyanide poisoning poses a significant threat to cardiovascular health, leading to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. Ocimum gratissimum (OG), commonly known as scent leaf, is a medicinal plant with potential cardioprotective properties. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the ethanol extract of OG on CVD risk factors in cyanide-induced rabbits. Fifteen rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: group one(drug), group two(ethanol extract), group three(ethanol extract), group four(cyanide), group five(control). Cyanide-induced rabbits were orally administered OG extract and drug(Sylimarin) for 21 days. Blood samples and organs(heart) were collected for biochemical analysis of CVD risk factors, including total protein profile, cholesterol levels, arterogenic coefficient, cardiac risk ratio, vitamin, and nitric oxides concentration. Certain experimental groups displayed promising changes, such as elevated HDL- C levels, improved endothelial function, and enhanced cardiac muscle function, others exhibited
adverse alterations in lipid profile and endothelial function. These findings underscore the complex nature of herbal remedies and emphasize the importance of empirical validation to ensure their safety and efficacy in treating cardiovascular diseases.

This study examined the length weight relationship (LWR), condition factor and sex ratioof twofish species, Mormyrus rume and Chrysichthys aluuensis. The study was carried out betweenAugust 2021 and January 2022 in Ovia River (Ighoraki), Nigeria A total of eighty-two (82) fishspecimens were collected during the study. Parameters of EWR were estimated. On an average, growth pattern, bin Mormyrus rume was 2.21 and 2.06 in Chrysithchys almensis indicatingnegative allometric growth pattern. The results indicated that the value of correlation coefficient
(1) for Mormyrus rume and Chrysichthys alauensis were 0.973 and 0.967, which were closer to1indicating that the length-weight relationship was highly correlated. The mean condition factor
(k) in Mormyrus rume was 1.03 and 1.01 in Chrysichthys aliensis. This indicated that fishspecies were in good condition during the study as mean k values were 1 in both species. Themean sex ratio across the study duration for Mormyrus rume and Chrysichthys aluuensis were1.13 and 1:3 respectively. The result indicated that males of Chrysichthys aluwensis were higher
than the females during the sampling period.

Melon is a popular soup or stew condiment in Nigeria. Melon soup is usually prepared with or without vegetables. Seeds obtained from melon (Citrullus vulgaris) were analysed for their proximate composition.The seeds contained a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, which totalled $159.57\%$. Gas chromatographic analysis of the oil revealed the presence of 8 fatty acids varying from C-16 to C-32 with the exception of C-18, C-20, C-21, C-22, C-23, C-24, C-26, C-27, C- and C-31.The concentrations of individual fatty acids varied from trace (less than $0.06\%$) quantities to about $52.74\%$. Linoleic, oleic, Iso-Oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids were the principal fatty acids contributing to $132.76\%$, $1.36\%$, $8.85\%$, $10.06\%$ and $14.52\%$, respectively, of the total fatty acids which had a relatively high percentage ($159.57\%$) of unsaturated fatty acids. The P/S index of the mechanically extracted seed oil was found to be $2.30$, $3.37$, $12.15$ respectively. The P/S value greater than 1 indicates that the melon seed oil has good nutritional value; hence Citrullus vulgaris is edible for consumption .Mechanically extracted melon seed oil has a potential role in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations, synthesis of steroid hormones. It can also be use as anti-inflammatory agent and antiallergic agent. Would you like a simplified list of the key health benefits m

The study was aimed at comparing the academic behaviour in myopic and hyperopic school children. One hundred and sixteen (116) school children were examined which comprised of seventy-seven (77) myopes and thirty-nine (39) hyperopes, drawn from two (2) secondary schools in Ugbowo, Benin city. The academic behaviour was categorised into reading duration, ability to see the board from the back of the classroom, ability to focus while studying, ability to study without experiencing headache, ability to study without experiencing blurry vision, ability to study without experiencing strain and academic performance in percentage (%). The result of the comparison of the academic behviour using the independent t-test showed no significant difference in the academic behaviour of myopic and hyperopic school children, except in their ability to see the board from the back. Thus, we conclude by saying that myopic and hyperopic school children exhibit similar behaviour except in their ability to see the board from the back

Hydropriming has proved to be the most potent form of seed germination enhancement in not just final germination but also in speed of germination and time taken to reach 50% of total germinated seeds of Napoloenaea vogelii Hook. and Planch. Priming seeds in solutions significantly affected seed germination (P<0.05), with smoke water treatments, hydro and halopriming having significantly higher germination means Maximum germination percentage was observed in hydropriming with 90% germination while Halopriming (NaCl 2, and 4g/l) had total germination percentages of 85% each. Napoleonaea vogelii seeds also responded positively to smoke water treatment for 10 and 20 minutes with 80% and 77.50% respectively. Effect of bush fire proved to be deleterious, showing the lowest germination percentage of 32.50%. Seeds collected from decaying fruits on trees has low mean germination percentage of 34.17%. The effect of various treatments was significant on the speed of germination. All forms of priming showed improved speed of germination with hydropriming being superior with a mean speed of 2.99 day-1. Control showed the least speed with 0.39 day-1. Plants in complete darkness showed the highest mean growth in height (32.42cm) while those in 24hrs light showed lowest growth in height (18.88cm). Hydropriming and Halopriming (2g/l) also showed significant growth in heights (24.12cm and 24.08cm respectively). The seeds of Diospyros barteri Hiern. did not show any germination under all treatments given to seeds.