Effects of Pontederia crassipes (Water Hyacinth) Aqueous Leaf Extract on the Germination and Growth of Corchorus olitorius L.
Opeyemi Shakirat Oke
*
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Nosirat Oluwabukola Dada
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Abdulrazak Olamilekan Adebayo
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Anthony Wale Ojewumi
Department of Plant and Environmental Biology at the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho (FUNATO), Oyo State, Nigeria.
Janet Opeyemi Ajayi
Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Mautin Lawrence Ogun
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Kehinde Theophilus Omolokun
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Abosede Ayotunde Adu
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Anthony Babajide Ojekale
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is an invasive aquatic plant whose biomass has potential agricultural applications, although the effects of its aqueous leaf extract on crop development may vary with concentration. This study examined the responses of Corchorus olitorius L. to different concentrations of Pontederia crassipes leaf extract (PCLE) during seed germination and vegetative growth. Leaves collected from Ojo Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria, were dried, processed and mixed with distilled water to prepare 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% treatments, alongside a distilled-water control. Germination was monitored in Petri dishes, while plant height, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf breadth and leaf area were recorded over seven weeks of growth. Analysis of variance was specified for comparison of treatments. Germination was highest at 25% PCLE (83%), followed by control (81%), 75% (79%), 50% (78%) and 100% (76%). At Week 7, the 75% treatment produced the greatest mean plant height (16.47 cm), compared with 12.88 cm in the control. However, the control had the greatest final leaf length (7.73 cm), leaf breadth (4.45 cm), leaf area (25.83 cm²) and number of leaves (12.50). Responses therefore differed among developmental measures, and no single extract concentration was optimal across all assessed parameters. The findings indicate that further evaluation of PCLE as a crop input should consider concentration-specific benefits and possible inhibitory effects.
Keywords: Biofertilizer, invasive species, phytotoxicity, plant growth, seed germination, sustainable agriculture