Assessment of Heavy Metals Contamination of Water and Cupscale Grass (Sacciolepisafricana) along the Epie Creek in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to investigate the concentration of three heavy metals; iron, chromium and lead in surface water and plant (Sacciolepisafricana) tissues along the Epie creek. This was aimed at determining the heavy metal loading of surface waters and the extent of bioaccumulation in the most prevalent grass species found growing within the river course. Metals were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Result of water analysis recorded the least and most significant iron concentrations of 3.42 ± 0.06 mg/L and 12.06 ± 0.06 mg/L for Agudama and Edepie axis respectively. Contrastingly, water samples showed chromium and lead levels which were below their instrument measurable limits. Consequently, lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) levels were within WHO permissible limits, while iron (Fe) exceeded regulatory standard for water samples collected from all field locations. Similarly, iron recorded elevated iron concentrations in plant (cupscale grass) with the least amount being revealed for Igbogene stem (196.63 ± 5.21 mg/kg), and the most concentration been reflected for Edepie root sample (9,423.17 ± 48.55 mg/kg). Even though iron levels prevalently exceeded recommended threshold in plants, the stem were mostly within limit for iron. The only grass sample depicting significant lead amount (0.34 mg/kg) was the stem section collected at Akenfa location. Evidently, metals were least stored in plant stems and most bioaccumulated in plant roots. Furthermore, Cr and Fe are the only significantly correlating metals in plants (r = 0.700, p < 0.01). Overall, the increasing level of Fe in the water environment is further indication of the impact of unregulated dumping of scraps and domestic waste along the creeks embankment.

Use of a Seed Scarifier for Detection and Enumeration of Galls of Anguina and Rathayibacter Species in Orchard Grass Seed

Seed galls, caused by Anguina spp., are normally detected visually in cereals such as wheat and barley. However, in grasses such as orchard grass, the presence of galls induced by Anguina or Rathayibacter spp. are difficult to detect visually due to their infrequent occurrence and masking by lemmas and paleas. To develop improved seed assays for the presence of the nematode and bacterial galls, a small scarifier was used to remove lemmas and paleas without causing major damage to seeds or galls. Following scarification, the galls were visually identified and manually counted under a dissecting microscope. Using the scarifier, several orchard grass seed lots were screened for Anguina and Rathayibacter spp. The percentage of samples of orchard grass seed harvested in the Willamette Valley of Oregon during 1996, 1997, and 2000 containing galls of Anguina sp. were 37, 46, and 48, respectively. The percentage of samples containing bacterial galls with Rathayibacter sp. was 27, 31, and 40, respectively. Total galls with Anguina sp. per 25 g of orchard grass sample ranged from 1 to 24. The mean of Anguina sp. galls per sample in 1996, 1997, and 2000 were 4, 5, and 5, respectively. Total galls with bacteria per 25 g of sample ranged from 27 to 40; mean number of galls per sample in 1996, 1997, and 2000 were, 6, 5, and 11, respectively. This is the first report confirming the presence of Rathayibacter sp. galls in orchard grass in Oregon.