Browsing by Author "Nevhulaudzi, Thalukanyo"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Growth and Nutritional Responses of Cowpea (cv. Soronko) to Short-term Elevated Temperature
    (American Society for Horticultural Science, 2020-08-06) Nevhulaudzi, Thalukanyo
    Short-term variations in temperature associated with climate change have been noted to affect the physiological processes and metabolite profile of plants, including the nutritional status, ultimately affecting their growth and development. An evaluation of the effects of elevated temperatures on the growth and nutritional quality of cowpea was performed during this experiment. The main objective was to evaluate the effects of short-term elevated temperatures on the nutritional quality of cowpea at different growth stages. Surface-sterilized seeds of cowpea (cv. Soronko) were germinated in pots in the glasshouse. At different growth stages (preflowering, flowering, and postflowering), plants were incubated in growth chambers set at three different temperature regimes (25, 30, and 35 °C) for a period of 7 days. Compared with control (25 °C), exposure to both elevated temperatures (30 and 35 °C) reduced the whole plant fresh weight and dry weight by 30% and 52% and 42% and 29%, respectively, at the preflowering stage, and by 31 and 60% and 47 and 63%, respectively, at the flowering/anthesis stage. However, no significant difference in whole plant biomass was noted between elevated temperatures (35%) and the control temperature at the postflowering stage. Short-term exposure to an elevated temperature (35 °C) increased the shoot crude protein content (5.59 N%) of cowpea compared with control (3.77 N%) and preflowering stage. In contrast, at the flowering stage, an elevated temperature (35 °C) reduced the crude protein content (1.77%) of the shoot compared with control (5.59%). At an elevated temperature (35 °C), the preflowering and flowering stages of cowpea were most affected compared with control. These results suggest that the preflowering and flowering stages of cowpea compared with the postflowering stage are more susceptible to elevated temperatures (30 to 35 °C).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Interaction effect of Bacillus subtilis co-inoculation and mine water irrigation on cowpea's growth, physiology and nutritional quality
    (Elsevier BV, 2020-09-01) Nevhulaudzi, Thalukanyo
    This study evaluated the interaction of Bacillus subtilis (BD233) co-inoculation and mine water (75% MW) irrigation on the growth, nodulation, physiology and nutritional quality of cowpea. Three cowpea genotypes were exposed to four treatments namely i) Co-inoculation with B. subtilis (B+) and irrigation with 75% MW, ii) Co-inoculation with B. subtilis (B+) and tap water irrigation (0% MW), iii) No B. subtilis co-inoculation (B-) and irrigation with 75% MW and iv) No co-inoculation with B. subtilis (B-) and irrigation with tap water (0% MW) (control). A factorial experiment was repeated once in a glasshouse using a randomized complete block design with five replications. The results showed that at 125 DAP, Nyira and Asetanapa, not co-inoculated with B. subtilis (B-) and irrigated with 0% MW showed significantly higher number of branches per plant whilst Soronko irrigated with 0% MW but co-inoculated with B. subtilis (B+) had the tallest plants with a corresponding higher biomass compared to the other treatments. With 0% MW irrigation, Soronko and Nyira co-inoculated with B. subtilis (B+) had the highest nodule counts, plant pod counts, pod fresh weight, pod dry weight, number of seeds and seeds fresh weight per plant compared to Asetenapa and control. Co-inoculation with B. subtilis affected heavy metals (Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn & Al) accumulation in shoot and grain of the tested cowpea genotypes. These findings clearly suggest that B. subtilis has ability to sequester heavy metals in soils polluted with mine water and also enhance the growth, nodulation and yield of an important economic crop.