Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Journal Articles
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- ItemOpen AccessTissue Culture Derived Plantlet Variation in Caladium humboldtii Schott(2007) Sakpere, A. M. A.; Adebona, A. C.Callus cultures were initiated from corm and petiole explants of C. humboldtii on Murashige and Skoog's basal medium (MS) supplemented with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) (0.4mg/l - 1.6mg/l) in combination with Kinetin (1mg/l) in the dark. Callus was induced on media supplemented with 0.8mg/l 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) in combination with kinetin (1mg/l) and callus induced on this media showed the best growth. Direct regeneration potential was higher in corm than in leaf explants. Regeneration was not achieved in petiole explants. De novo plant regeneration from callus cultures was not achieved and somatic embryogenesis did not yield any plantlets. Morphological differences were observed among the regenerated plantlets of C. humboldtii on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 2, 4-D (0.4mg/l) in combination with 1mg/l Kinetin. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed only 1 band each in the control and in the regenerants, however, the position of the bands were different. The result indicates that variation has occurred during in vitro culture. In conclusion, it has not been possible to generate plantlets from callus and it has also not been possible to advance the callus beyond the early stage of embryo development. The findings however include production of a new cultivar of C. humboldtii, initiation/growth of callus and direct regeneration of plantlets in the dark.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Role of Plant Resources in Nigeria's Economic Recovery Agenda(2005) Isichei, A. O.Basically, it is the performance of plants and chemical composition that we exploit for economic and cultural purposes. Our human world has been so closely tied to plants that it is difficult to imagine human existence without them. In all life on earth, plants are the only producers and all consumers are dependent upon plants for food, fibre, wood, energy and oxygen. Knowledge of plants, their habitats. structure, metabolism and inheritance is thus the basic foundation for human survival. Plants form the bedrock of life, being the first generator of oxygen in a reducing atmosphere that characterized the early earth. Plants are thus the roots of life and human material culture depends on them. The way a people incorporate plants into their cultural traditions, religions and even cosmologies reveals much about the people themselves. People rely on plants for much more than food and shelter and people use plants in so many ways that there are a few areas of human endeavour in which they do not play an important role. Plants have determined the course of human civilization - America was discovered during the course of the search of spices. Few societies can ignore the pivotal role of agriculture and forestry, both based essentially on plants. Several environmental crises such as global warming and biodiversity loss at their core, involve plants. It could indeed be that we are so closely linked that humans often take plants for granted, something to be left to the background and not worthy of serious economic consideration. But we met plants on our planet and they have defined our 'life zones'. The late appearance of humans on the evolutionary scene laid open to us a large variety of natural resources to exploit for food and plants were the natural choice, being the only organisms that had the capability to convert solar energy to chemical energy. From them we have learnt about life and it now looks as if we still have to depend on them to sort out our environmental crisis.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Role of Algae and Cyanobacteria in Arid Lands: a Review(1990) Isichei, Augustine O.Algae, cyanobacteria, and lichens occur in surface cryptogamic crusts, as free-living organisms in water bodies and within or on rocks in arid lands. The possible roles algae, cyanobacteria, and lichens could play in arid environments include physical improvement and protection of the soil, contribution of nitrogen to the arid ecosystem by nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and lichens, and primary biomass production for use as food and other secondary production. Physical improvement and protection of arid soils has potential in controlling desertification and rehabilitating arid lands. Culturing algae and cyanobacteria for biomass production, already being utilized in nonarid environments in agriculture, acquaculture, and now in the biochemical industry, has bright prospects in arid areas with their abundant sunshine. Primary production by the organisms can also be used for direct human and livestock consumption and in urban waste treatment. Biomass production can thus act as a means of resource diversification and therefore relieve pressure on fragile arid lands.