Browsing by Author "Adamu, Santuraki Ibrahim"

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    Study of the impact of acidulated rainwater on leaf tissues of tomato(Solanum lycopersicum Linn.) and pepper(Capsicum annum Linn.)
    (Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 2024-08) Adamu, Santuraki Ibrahim
    The acidulation of rainwater is connected intimately with industrial development. The leaves of Tomato and Pepper were examined for the impact of acidulated rainfall on their morphology, anatomy, and physiology. Rainwater samples collected from industrial and automobile traffic congested Cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Gombe (control) were used in a screen-house experiment. The effect of atmospheric gases NO2, SO2, and CO2 was determined on morphology, anatomy of phylloplane, photosynthetic chlorophylls, and agro-morphology of the plants. Statistical package R version 4.2.1 was used to analyze data. Duncan’s multiple-range test was used to determine the significance of the mean difference. The findings showed that from April through July, the concentrations of atmospheric acid derivatives were significantly (p<0.05) decreased. Morphological changes such as physical damage to the leaf, formation of white Scars, and necrosis were observed. Anatomical changes such as alterations on the cuticle and collapsed epidermal cells and the formation of lobules of scarred tissue were observed. Plants heights were significantly reducedat(p<0.05) (FTomato=7.8894; FPepper=63.835), leaf area was also significantly decreased (FTomato=16.341; FPepper=60.965;p<0.05), stem girth were also significantly (p<0.05) reduced (FTomato=8.8174;FPepper=39.3), number of leaf (FTomato=22.482; FPepper=34.265), Relative growth rate (FTomato=38.522;FPepper=40.646) and chlorophyll content (FTomato=8.4128, 2.5368, 11.411; FPepper=4.6029, 7.8154, 36.746) were also significantly(p<0.05) decreased. The findings showed that both car emissions and heavy industrial activities contributed significantly to the acidity in rainwater. It also demonstrated that acidified rainwater significantly affects the morphology, anatomy, and physiology of plants studied. It is, therefore, important to plant acidophilic trees in the study areas to reduce the effect of acid rain on other vegetable crops.