Vol. 3 No. 1 (2023): Renewable

This is the third volume (Volume 3 (1), 2023)) in the series of articles published by the Renewable, Journal of The Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This scientific journal publishes research articles from disciplines, such as biotechnology, ecotourism, environment, fisheries, forestry, wildlife management, biotechnology, socio-economics, extension, health, physiology, nutrition, feeds and feedstuff, breeding and genetics, reproduction, farming systems; and man-flora-fauna interactions. The journal continues to strive to provide an outlet for scientists, to share their research findings with the global community. Accepted articles are first published online, at: https://journals.ui.edu.ng/index.php/ren/index. We encourage interested readers and authors to subscribe, submit manuscripts and download published articles from the website, hosted by the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

In this edition, we have selected ten articles for publication. The first article titled: ‘Determinants of fuel wood consumption in rural and urban farming households of Kano State, Nigeria’ assesses factors that influence the use of fuel wood in rural and urban farming households in Kano State, Nigeria. It highlights the differences that exist between rural and urban dwellers on the level of education, income and expenses on non-food expenditures. Rural households had a higher dependence on fuel wood as a source of domestic energy. Factors affecting consumption of fuel wood were: education, price of kerosene, household size, nature of cooking, accessibility, age and gender of household head. The second article titled: ‘Patho-clinical evaluation of Cavia porcellus exposed to wastewater from Olorunda Mining Site, Sepeteri, Nigeria’; describes heavy metal concentrations in mining wastewater discharged from Olorunda Mining Site. It also determined the haemato-biochemical and histopathological effects of the wastewater on Guinea pigs. All heavy metals were above the recommended permissible limits. Haematological and biochemical alterations were observed in the kidneys and livers of Guinea pigs, due to contaminant toxicity. The article recommended treatment and possible re-channelization of the mining wastewater from the polluted river. The third article titled: ‘Response of Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) seedlings to plant hormones’ discusses the early growth response of Khaya senegalensis to Indole-3-Acetic acid, Kinetin, and a mixture of Kinetin and Indole-3-Acetic acid. Hormone types and doses enhanced seedling height, collar diameter and leaf area. The study revealed that 50:50 combination of Indole-3-Acetic acid and Kinetin at 1 mg/ml was most suitable for nursery production of Khaya senegalensis seedlings.  ‘The fourth article:‘Acceptability of briquette products: A panacea to sustainable energy generation in Nigeria’ is a review article highlighting the need for a transition from fossil fuels to biomass energy to lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria. This article describes briquette, a solid biofuel, as a viable and sustainable option for meeting the domestic energy needs of households. It calls for the promotion of briquette utilization among government, private sector and civil society organizations. The fifth article titled: ‘Climate change implications on floods and food security in Nigeria: The way forward’, discusses various incidences linked to climate change, such as flooding, loss of agricultural produce, and food scarcity challenges. It examines the implications of climate change on flooding and food insecurity in Nigeria. It also proposed measures for curtailing and mitigating the effect of climate change in Nigeria. The sixth article: ‘Germination and early growth of Terminalia ivorensis A. Chev. and Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss’ describes nursery experiments set up to assess the germination and growth of Terminalia ivorensis and Khaya senegalensis. Mean germination time of 2 days and 3 days was recorded for K. senegalensis and T. ivorensis, respectively. The study recorded no significant differences in the height and number of leaves of the two species. It highlights the potential for mass production of the two species for afforestation or reforestation purposes in dryland ecosystems. The seventh article titled: ‘Influence of human-animal interactions and climate change on the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria’, describes the knowledge and perceptions of Nigerians on the impacts of human-animal interactions and climate change on the Coronavirus pandemic. The nationwide cross-sectional survey revealed that 45.1% of respondents took precautions when interacting with animals, while 44.19% opined that climate change was a cause of the increase in the spread of disease-carrying pests. Also, a high level of awareness on COVID-19 existed but aggressive sensitization of people in the rural areas was required. The eighth paper titled: ‘Heavy metals concentrations in Rivers Chanchaga and Lapai Gwari, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria’ chronicles the physicochemical properties and heavy metal characteristics of two rivers in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. The data collection, which lasted for three months, identified industrial, urban, domestic, and agricultural sources as major contributors to water contamination in the upstream (River Chanchaga) and downstream (River Lapai Gwari) segments. The ninth article: ‘Response of Annona muricata Linn. seeds to different pre-germination treatments’; documents the effect of pre-germination treatments on seeds and early growth of Annona muricata. Six pre-germination treatments: seeds soaked in water (at room temperature) for 24 hours and 48 hours, mechanical scarification, seeds soaked in concentrated H₂SO₄ for 5 minutes and 10 minutes, and untreated seeds (control), were used. The study revealed that soaking of seeds in water for 48 hours (at room temperature) was most suitable for germination of Annona muricata, while soaking in concentrated H₂SO₄ for 10 minutes was also effective. Seed pre-treatment increased the early growth performance of the species. The tenth article: ‘Phytochemical evaluation of Terminalia catappa Linn. for biomedicinal and nutritive purposes’ describes the nine metabolites (alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, phenols and steroids) identified in the leaves and bark of Terminalia catappa.  It provided quantitative amounts for these metabolites and discussed their potentials in fighting oxidative stress. The tree species was identified as a potential source of natural phytochemicals and could be potentially explored in drug discovery.

These articles further contribute to the production of empirical evidence in renewable natural resources research themes. The journal continues to solicit quality manuscripts, which will be processed with due diligence. I acknowledge the contributions of the editorial committee members, for their zeal and commitment. I also want to thank the leaderships of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources and the University of Ibadan, for their continuous support and encouragement. The financial support of the Faculty during the production of this volume is appreciated.  Special thanks to all contributing authors for choosing the Renewable. Please be assured of prompt quality consideration of all manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Thank you.

Saka Oladunni Jimoh, Ph.D.

Editor-In- Chief