Plants have shown a lots of importance in the field of phytomedicine, phamacognosy andherbal sciences, the seed of chia seed (Salvia hispanica) was collected from local farmers atDawanau grain market Kano State with the aim of determination of phytochemicals, proximate and elemental Analysis and were identified at the herbarium of plant science department of Bayero University Kano with assertion number (BUKHAN 0539), 250g of the processed seed were macerated in 500 ml of methanol, water, ethyl acetate and hexane for 72hrs. Standard method was followed for qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis, proximate and elemental analysis, furthermore thin layer chromatography and Fourier transform infrared microscopic analysis was conducted. The result of the analysis shows that flavonoid and carbohydrate was present throughout the solvents used, while all the proximate and heavy metal analysis were found to be within the limit of EP/WHO 2011 and WHO 1984 with the exception of Manganese. The result of the thin layer Chromatography result has the retention factor and number of spot. The FTIR analysis of the extract reveal that the I.R spectra indicated the present of different functional group such as amine, ketones, carboxylic acid and phenol. Conclusively the plant sample has shown the present of phytochemical substances that are remarkably useful in the field of ethonomedicine.

The need to improve quality of aquafeed that would bring about higher aquaculture yield hasattracted attention for the inclusion of Plant materials into fish feed. This study investigatedthe inclusion of Moringa oleifera and Eucalyptus globulus leaf extracts into the diets of Clarias gariepinus fingerings. A feeding trials of 56 -days duration was involved in this study. The feeding trial was made of eight isonitrogenous 40%CP diets comprising sixexp erimental diets, a control diet (ZSD) and a reference commercial diet (CRD). Three of the six diets had each with 2% inclusion level of any two out of the aqueous, ethanol and hexane extracts of Moringa leaf at 1:1 ratio. The remaining three diets had similar combination of Eucalyptus leaf extracts. The experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomise design (CRD) made of eight treatments. The experimental set-up was conductedin flow-through system made of 50 litres plastic basins and each treatment made in triplicates. Results of the feeding trials indicated significant differences (P<0.05) among each of the growth and feed utilization parameters evaluated from the treatments. The control diets and the reference diets gave better growth of the fingerlings and feed utilization efficiency than the experimental diets. The control diet had 42.68% higher specific growth rate (SGR) than the top performing Eucalyptus-extract base diet (EHEA) and 43.81% than the top performing Moringa-extract base diet (MAME). Possible reason for the poor performance might be attributed to the inclusion level of the Eucalyptus extracts been higher than 1% established optimum level in an earlier study. Equally, poor performance of the Moringa extracts inclusion might be due to the relatively low level of its inclusion in the present study compared with better results recorded from some earlier studies with higher inclusion levels. Further study is hereby recommended into the possible impact of the extraction solvents used in this study on the poor growth recorded.

Parasitic infection causes a decrease in wild fish population and financial losses in culture fish.Fundamental biological variables like fish parasite composition baseline data and fish hosts parasites interactions on fish parasites are needed in establishing a monitoring andmanagement system of these freshwater fishes to mitigate the possible adverse effect of theseparasitic diseases. There is no information about protozoa and myxozoa parasitic fauna of thefishes in River Perak reservoirs. The prevalence of freshwater fish parasites in Temengor, Bersia and Chenderoh Reservoirs, Perak was investigated for 23 months for fish parasites using standard parasitological techniques. A total of 32 species of parasites detected belonging to 8 major taxa: 2 species of protozoans, 2 species of myxozoa, 12 species of monogeneans, 3 species of digeneans, 4 species of nematodes, 3 species of acanthocephalans and 5 species of copepods. Balantidium sp., Henneguya sp., and Myxobulus sp. were newly recorded parasites species in the reservoirs. The prevalence of parasitic infection in the reservoirs were 51 % in Temengor, Bersia 61% and Chenderoh 65 %. The parasite diversity of the fish parasites per reservoir were moderate. The parasite with the highest prevalence rate was recorded in Paradiplozoon barbi (17.39 %). Eighteen fish species were infected with parasites out of the twenty-five species sampled from the reservoirs. The fish family Cyprinidae was the dominant and most parasitized fish family in the reservoirs.

It is known that a number of parasite groups from various taxa, including helminths, protozoans, and other groups, can infect fish and harm their hosts. Finding out how commongastrointestinal parasites are in Oreochromis niloticus was the study's main goal. On the landing site a total of 200 species of O. niloticus were randomly sampled, sort and identifiedusing keys twice in a month for a period of six months from May to October, 2017. The totallength and standard length to the nearest 0.1 cm. was taken using a measuring ruler. The totalbody weight was determined to the nearest 0.01 g using a top loading Mettler balance. Specimen was dissected and emptied in to a Petri dish. The distribution of parasite speciesshowed that male had 26 (48.15 %) Posthodiplostomum minimum and 16 (47.06%) Myxobolus species, while the females had 28 (51.85 %) Posthodiplostomum minimum and 18 (52.94%) Myxobolus species. Chi square was used to show the prevalence of parasites in relation to sex, length and weight. The prevalence of parasites in relation to the Standard Length showed that the size range of 15.0 to 7.9 cm had the highest parasitic infection with 24 (61.54%) infected, the size range 21.0 to 3.9 cm had the least rate with 11 (31.43%). There was statistically significant difference between parasite infection and length (cm) at p < 0.05. Therefore, there is occurrence of helminth parasites in Nile Tilapia (O. niloticus) found in Kiri reservoir, and thus good culinary practices should be adopted.

Drought is a major constraint that affects cowpea production in Zaria, Nigeria. It is unpredictable, and occurs at any growth stage of cowpea. Changes in global climatic trendsare consistently narrowing the cowpea growing season in Northern Nigeria by graduallypushing its cultivation towards drought-prone, colder temperatures. The study aimed to elucidate foresight data on the tolerance of cowpea landraces to drought at cold and hottemperatures in a bid to harness available germplasm towards mitigating climatic changes.Seedling drought tolerance of four hundred and twenty-two (422) cowpea genotypes obtainedfrom farmers’ collection (308) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (114) was evaluated by adopting the wooden box method. The parameters evaluated were number of plants, plant height, number of trifoliate, leaf senescence, stem greenness, and recovery. The mean square values for all evaluated traits were significant (p ≤ 0.05). Leaf senescence progressed rapidly in cooler temperatures (6 oC - 18 oC). Interestingly, the recovery rate upon reintroduction of water after drought stress was higher in cold temperatures. The percentage recovery and stem greenness of drought-tolerant plants were positively associated with hot temperatures (22 oC - 36 oC). As cowpea production is pushed into colder planting season, the resilience shown by cowpea landraces in northern Nigeria are positive.

The application of herbal medicinal products for diverse therapeutic purposes is on the rise inSouthwestern, Nigeria due to its relative effectiveness, accessibility, and affordability. This study aimed to assess the perception and application of herbal medicinal products for the treatment of haemorrhoid and sexual dysfunction (SD) among adult males in Ibadan metropolis, Southwest Nigeria. The study involved 283 randomly selected adult male residents of the Ibadan metropolis, between 20 to 69 years old, and covering different marital statuses, levels of education and professional careers. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to evaluate the perception and experience of the subjects about the application of herbal-based therapy for haemorrhoid and SD. Based on the results, the most dominant groups include 20 to 29 years old (51.6%), single (59.4%), first-degree holders (55.8%), and public servants (52.7%). Furthermore, 61.5% of the respondents reported prior experience of haemorrhoid; 73.8% opined that the condition could lead to SD; 87% and 60.2% believed that herbal medicine can be used to treat haemorrhoid and SD respectively. There was correlation between the age and level of education of respondents with methods of treating SD and experience of side effects due to herbal therapy. The study population holds an affirmative opinion that herbal medicinal products are effective for the treatment of haemorrhoids and SD. The application of herbal therapy will continue to increase among the study population hence, there is a need to regulate and standardize its production and therapeutic applications.

The risk of contracting mosquito-borne diseases upon being bitten by an infected mosquitoraises serious health concerns for both staff and students in educational settings. Consequentlya survey was conducted to identify various mosquito species and breeding sites within the oldcampus hostels of Bayero University, Kano, during January and February 2023. The surveyencompassed breeding sites such as stagnant pools of water, drainages, gutters, and discardedcontainers. Mosquito larvae were sampled using dippers and scoops, and their enumerationwas performed with a Pasteur pipette. Three genera were identified: Anopheles, Aedes, andCulex spp. A total of 1,115 larvae were sampled from six locations, per volume of water comprising three each from female hostels and three from male hostels respectively. Theprevalence of mosquitoes was higher in female hostels (785 larvae, 69.4%) compared to malehostels (370 larvae, 32.7%). In female hostels, Aedes sp. exhibited greater abundance (400, 50.9%) than Culex sp. (337, 42.9%), with Anopheles sp. being the least abundant (48, 6.11%).Conversely, in male hostels, Culex sp. dominated with 186 (50.2%), followed by Aedes sp. with 179 (48.3%), while Anopheles sp. was the least abundant with 5 (1.35%). Consequently, the mean abundance of mosquitoes between male and female hostels demonstrated a significantdifference. This study contributes valuable insights into the larval habitats of mosquitoes in thestudents’ hostels of Bayero University, Kano, specifically during the dry season. Factors suchas student activities, inadequate sensitization, and poor sanitation were identified as majorcontributors to the creation of breeding sites for mosquitoes in the hostels.

Sweet potatoes are an exceptionally essential crop in several parts of the world, being produced in more than 100 countries and positioned as sixth most major crop in the world. The world production of sweet potato has steadily declined with the exception of America and Sub-saharan Africa in the last decade. The study was intended to provide the latest information on sweet potato leaves and its nutritional and medicinal potential. It was first introduced into Nigeria in late 1694 through the early activities of Portuguese and Spanish explorers. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of sweet potato in sub-Saharan Africa with annual production estimated at 3.46 million tons per year. The sweet potato can, however, be harvested many times during the year considerably more than many other greens vegetables. It is one of the few vegetables that can be cultivated in both rainy and dry seasons. Sweet potato leaves are considered to be rich in protein, fibers, vitamin B, Vitamin C and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, dietary bioactive compounds, and contain more phenols than any other commercial vegetables. The pharmaceutical importance includes anti-inflammatory,anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-diabetes and anti-mutagenic among others. Sweet potato leaves could serve as an additional leafy green vegetable and promote food security forsustainable growth.

Cassava mill effluent generated from cassava processing when discharged to the soil, altersthe nature of soil properties and also becomes a major cause of environmental degradation.This research characterized bacteria and fungi distributed in cassava effluent polluted soils inAbakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected over a period of three monthsusing a sterile soil auger into a sterile sample zip bag for analysis. The bacterial count from thedifferent sites varied significantly (p<0.01). The total colony count of bacteria from the effluent obtained from rice mill cassava processing sites ranged from 4.0±0.2x106 CFU/g to 8.6±0.8x106 CFU/g. During August, the bacterial loads also differed very significantly (p<0.01) ranging from 3.3±0.3x106 CFU/g to 6.5±0.6x106 CFU/g across the locations. Similarly, the fungal count varied significantly (p<0.01) ranging from 1.7±0.1x106 CFU/g to 3.4±0.3x106 CFU/g across the locations in June. The bacteria species isolated from the polluted soil sample include E.coli, Staphylococcus spp, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus spp, while the fungal species identified include Articulospora inflata, Trichoderma spp, Aspergillus spp and Penicillium spp. These organisms were also present in the unpolluted soil samples except for Articulospora inflata which was solely isolated from polluted soil sample in some of the sampled sites. This study has shown that bacterial population was higher in cassava mill polluted soil compared to the unpolluted sites. Whereas, the fungal population indicated only a mild increase in the polluted compared to the unpolluted sites.

Since the beginning of time, traditional medicines, including both plant and animal products,have been utilized to treat a variety of illnesses, especially in rural areas around the world. The purpose of this study, which was carried out in the Mokwa Local Government Area, was to acquire information on the types of wild animals hunted and used in traditional medicine, determine the types of illnesses cured and the perception of the people towards traditional medicine in the area. Structured questionnaires and oral interviews were used to gather data on the local use of traditional medicine from a representative sample of the communities. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables, charts and percentages. The results obtained revealed that the majority of respondents in the research area used animal products as medicine. Among the communities studied, Bokani was observed to record the least usage (6.67 %), while Kudu and Kpaki both had higher (10.67 %) usage respectively. The most frequently used wild animals include Duiker, Bush buck and Monitor Lizard. In Kpaki community, 11 animals were identified, while in Bokani community, only 4 animals were identified. The ways through which wild animals are acquired for the medicinal purpose include farmland, market and the state forest reserves around. A total of 20 animal products were identified to be effective in treating diseases and ailment. Therefore, sustainable use of wild animal species needs to be enhanced for improved conservation of threatened species and prevent their extinction in the near future.