
Emmanuel Izaka AigbokhanUniversity of Benin · Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology
Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan
Doctor of Philosophy
Botanist, Ecologist, Consultant Plant taxonomist with expertise in vegetation audit, EIA, & plant identification
About
51
Publications
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Introduction
Dr. Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan is a Professor of Botany at the Department of Plant Biology & Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City Nigeria, where he mentors and teaches courses in plant ecology, plant taxonomy, biometry, etc. at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A plant ecologist and a specialist Strigologist (i.e. experts on the parasitic weed – Striga). He is currently exploring the Flora of Nigeria and indigenous knowledge, practices & ethnoecology of Benin Kingdom, Nigeria.
Additional affiliations
July 2004 - June 2015
Education
September 1992 - May 1998
Publications
Publications (51)
For centuries, indigenous communities across Nigeria have developed a deep understanding of their local ecosystems. These communities have developed sustainable lifestyles that harmoniously coexist with the environment. Drawing from their traditions, they have acquired a profound understanding of the different aspects of local ecosystems, weather p...
Forest reserve in colonial Nigeria was essentially an area permanently set aside to produce timber because such areas were created for the explicit purpose of economic exploitation. In modern times, forest reserves constitute part of protected areas (PA) which represent natural places rich in biodiversity that are protected from tampering due to th...
Background and Objective: The spiritual and cultural inclination of sacred groves has endowed them with the potential to protect biodiversity and sustain the ecological processes within. Hence, sacred groves could be highly valuable in preventing various threats that put plant communities at risk of being phased out. To assess the protective influe...
Biological invasions remain one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and livelihoods, and are predicted to increase due to climate change and globalization. In this study, we produced a comprehensive checklist of alien plants in Nigeria from online flora databases, herbarium records, published field surveys, and questionnaires administered to bo...
Biological invasions remain one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and livelihoods, and this is predicted to increase due to climate change and globalization. In this study, we produced a comprehensive checklist of alien plants in Nigeria from online flora databases, herbarium records, published field surveys, and questionnaires administered t...
Tinnea gombea, endemic to the Sudan savanna grasslands in northern Nigeria, is described and illustrated. We used integrative evidence from morphological characters, ecology and molecular phylogenetic data. The new species is morphologically and ecologically similar to T. barteri and T. aethiopica, but can be readily delimited from these taxa by un...
Globally, biodiversity is in jeopardy because many of our biological resources are threatened by intense pressure from various human-related activities. Pristine areas containing rich biodiversity, often termed biodiversity hotspots are rare and in need of protection, thus, officially designated as Protected Areas (PA), or "ungoverned areas" in oth...
Up-to-date information on biodiversity is critical for the proper management and conservation of any area. A major attribute of a National Flora is the generation of a database or checklist of species from which other parameters including conservation status could easily be computed. Presently, except for a couple of floras of restricted plant fami...
There are few regional or sub-regional plant checklists in Nigeria and no statewide plant checklist of Gombe State, Nigeria exists. To bridge this knowledge gap, random vegetation surveys were conducted in 2019 and 2020 in eight (8) of the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State: Gombe (Gombe metropolis), Dukku (Wawa Zenge forest reserve), Kwame (...
The present study investigated the phenology, sex-ratio, and potential pollinators of Thonningia sanguinea in Okomu National Park, southern Nigeria. Data were collected through regular visits to sites habouring the plant. Results show that T. sanguinea flowers all-year-round, with varying frequencies across different months of the year. A significa...
Hemiparasitic Striga (Orobanchaceae) commonly called witchweed is native to tropical Africa. Striga aspera parasitizes wild grasses and its distribution range in Nigeria extends from the Sudan savanna to Guinea Savanna to the southern limit of the Derived savanna just before the forest belt is reached. This study aims to identify and delineate the...
Thonningia sanguinea Vahl. Balanophoraceae, a cryptic parasitic plant, is among the poorly understood, yet understudied afro-tropical endemic taxa. This study assessed the conservation status and identified possible threats to the survival of T. sanguinea in southern Nigeria. Data on the distribution, population and possible threats were collected...
Studies on the host-parasite relationship are intrinsically linked with the nature of parasitic plants. No such records have been recorded for Thonningia sanguinea (Balanophoraceae), a rare, cryptic, obligate holoparasitic plant endemic to tropical Africa. This study reports on its host range and preference in Southern Nigeria. Its presence and cur...
Apart from the recognition of Thonningia sanguinea as a root parasite of forest trees, information on other aspects such as the nature of its population, habitat preference and distribution range in Nigeria has not been reported. Hence to delineate its presence and current distribution ranges, reconnaissance surveys were carried out across selected...
The recognition of Thonningia sanguinea as a monotypic or polytypic species has been a subject of debate among plant taxonomists. Hence, to devise useful diagnostic and key distinguishing features, 18 morphological characters from 37 populations from various forested areas harbouring the parasite in Southern Nigeria were evaluated and subjected to...
Hemiparasitic Striga (Orobanchaceae) commonly called witchweed is native to tropical Africa. Striga aspera parasitizes wild grasses and its distribution range in Nigeria extends from the Sudan savanna to Guinea Savanna to the southern limit of the Derived savanna just before the forest belt is reached. This study aims to identify and delineate the...
A preponderance of weedy species that colonize abandoned Striga infested plots in Nigeria has been observed to belong to the family Asteraceae. Such weeds may assist in ridding plots of its Striga inoculum load if they can trigger the suicidal germination of Striga seed. Two procedures (cut root and root exudates) were used to obtain stimulants fro...
Studies have yet to assess the genetic variability in Thonningia sanguinea populations in Southern Nigeria. Hence, this
study was conducted to elucidate the pattern of genetic variability and population structure among T. sanguinea populations in Southern Nigeria. Genomic DNA was extracted from 31 individuals in 15 populations and tested using rand...
Lichens are widely used as biomonitors of environmental pollution, few lichen studies have been used to assess environmental quality in Nigeria. Managed and natural areas within Benin City metropolis and adjourning areas were investigated using lichen diversity to determine the ecosystem health status in four sites: Urban, Peri-urban, Rural and the...
From the standpoint of a basic scientist, the term “weed” is difficult to define because of its subjective nature. The same dilemma on weeds may be ascribed to the perspectives of the African farmer who spends so much time weeding, but oftentimes, always closely on the lookout for useful weedy plants which, when sighted, are often, deliberately lef...
No comprehensive appraisal of the precolonial nature of plant use by the Binis (Edos) of the famed Benin Kingdom is available. Using the recent catalogue of botanical and ethnobotanical narratives and commentaries, extracts from the 1937 Melzian’s Bini Dictionary, this study aims to define the structure of Bini ethnobotany in relation to the Africa...
This paper presents the first comprehensive classical ethnobotanical study of the forest kingdom of Benin, southern Nigeria, an area famed for its rich plant diversity. The inhabitants, the Bini (or Edo) are renowned for their vast and intimate folk knowledge of plants. This study, the second in a series of extracts from Hans Melzian"s 1937 book "A...
Since its establishment circa 1914, no comprehensive vegetation study exists of Ogba Zoo and Nature Park (OZNP), Benin City, Nigeria aside from few herbarium collections reported in the Flora of West Tropical Africa, This study, provides a comparative overview of the vegetation structure at the fenced-in (Undisturbed, Zoo section) and areas outside...
Hydnora species (Hydnoraceae) are parasitic angiosperms, endemic to Africa and restricted to the Sudano-Zambezian region. We report here the occurrence of several stands of Hydnora abyssinica A. Braun in Nekong, Wusali ward, a lowland area in the Sudan-savanna zone in Kanke Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Hydnora abyssinica was found...
Hydnora species (Hydnoraceae) are parasitic angiosperms endemic to Africa and restricted to the Sudano-Zambezian region. We report here the occurrence of several stands of Hydnora abyssinica A. Braun in Nekong, Wusali ward, a lowland area in the Sudan-Savanna zone in Kanke Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Hydnora abyssinica was found...
Lichens are widely used as biomonitors of environmental pollution and few lichen studies have been used to assess environmental quality in Nigeria. Managed and natural areas within Benin City metropolis and adjourning areas were investigated to test the efficacy of the European Guideline procedure in determining ecosystem health status in four site...
Artificial structures in urban environments such as wire-mesh fences when left undisturbed, often support spontaneous vegetation which escape regular weeding interventions. This study describes the vegetation composition, structure and conservation potential of the perimeter wire-mesh fence surrounding the University of Benin Farm Project site in B...
Crude root exudates obtained from six selected invasive plants in Nigeria: Alternanthera sessilis, Alternanthera brasiliensis, Chromolaena odorata, Dieffenbachia seguine, Euphorbia graminea and Mimosa diplotricha were screened for evidence of allelopathy on common weeds in Benin City. These invasive plants were grown in pots and watered periodicall...
Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae) is an invasive perennial weedy scrambling shrub of neotropical origin, widely acknowledged as a major economic and ecological burden to many tropical and subtropical regions of the world including Nigeria. Here, we examine the invasion and management of C. odorata in Nigeria over...
Edo [Bini] language is spoken in Oredo, Orhionmwon, and Ovia Local Government Areas of Edo State, Nigeria. Few reports have been dedicated solely to the vocabulary of plant names in Edo language and the available records are scattered in different checklists with varying levels of comprehensiveness. The 233-page “Bini-English Dictionary” by Hans Me...
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ABSTRACT
Common field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) is a cosmopolitan parasitic angiosperm with a broad host range. However its host range and preference among plant species in Nigeria are currently unknown. One hundred and four (104) common plants in Benin City, Nigeria, artificially inoculated with C. campestris in replicated pot trials we...
The use of plants by indigenous peoples all over the world has been underreported and this prevents the scientific community from benefiting from traditional knowledge which has taken centuries to develop in the form we know them today. This paper reports on the knowledge and useful application of various plant species by the people of Oka Akoko, i...
Differential responses of cereals to Striga attack in Africa have often been attributed to strains whose origins have remained unexplained. In nature, S. hermonthica infects crops while S. aspera commonly infects wild grasses and both species have been reported to hybridise, successfully producing viable seeds that could parasitize maize plants. To...
Striga aspera (Willd.) Benth. (Orobanchaceae) has received little research attention compared with its close relative, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. The primary focus of this study was to provide information the biology and habitat characteristics of S. aspera in Nigeria in relation to S. hermonthica. The phenologies of both species were studied...
An overview of the biology, history of introduction and range of spread of the grassleaf spurge (Euphorbia graminea Jacq.) (Euphorbiaceae) in Nigeria was investigated using pot experiments, herbarium studies and road reconnaissance surveys. Results suggest that the weed was first collected in Nigeria in the 1990s but has remained furtive until late...
The dumb cane plant Dieffenbachia seguine, is a common and popular, exotic indoor ornamental plant in Nigeria. It is reported to be invasive in Asia and the Pacific Islands. We report a naturalized population of this shade loving plant in a forest understorey at Okhuodede village, 20 km south-west of Sapele in Niger-Delta area of Delta State, Niger...
The suitability of two common and ubiquitously distributed and exotic ornamental plant species in Nigeria-Delonix regia and Casuarina equisetifolia as biomonitors and as effective bioaccumulators of atmospheric trace metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu) has been evaluated. Bark and leaf samples from these plant species were collected in June and July 2006 at...
Several road reconnaissance surveys across Nigeria’s agroecological regions were conducted in 2008 to delineate areas currently under infestation of the invasive weed Mimosa diplotricha C. Wright ex Sauvalle, (Syn. Mimosa invisa Mart.) (Fabaceae). Laboratory germination tests were conducted to study the effects of burning and light conditions on ge...
Striga aspera and Striga hermonthica are recognized as separate species, but their close morphological similarity causes difficulty in distinguishing between them in areas where they coexist in Africa. In this study, crosses between the species were made using randomly selected morphologically typical parental plants collected from different locati...
ABSTRACT Striga aspera and S. hermonthica are sympatric in Africa. Each may serve as virulent gene reservoirs for the other if they hybridize and their hybrids are virulent and fertile. Intraspecific and interspecific crosses were made within and between the species, and reproductive success was determined. Freshly harvested seeds from the parental...
Taxonomic studies of the taxa clustered about Striga asiatica, S. hermonthica, and S. gesnerioides are presented based on a cladistic study of African plants. The S. asiatica cluster includes S. elegans, S. hirsuta, and S. lutea. Striga asiatica is considered to be derived from a native species near S. elegans. Artificial hybridization indicates a...
Taxonomic studies of the taxa clustered about Striga asiatica, S. hermonthica, and S. gesnerioides are presented based on a cladistic study of African plants. The S. asiatica cluster includes S. elegans, S. hirsuta, and S. lutea. Striga asiatica is considered to be derived from a native species near S. elegans. Artificial hybridization indicates a...
Field screening of maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] can be an efficient means of selecting for resistance to the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Spatial variability in natural S. hermonthica seed infestations necessitates supplemental infestation for effective field screening. For uniformly heavy levels...
Recent research at UTA has shown that there is a critical period for infection by Striga hermonthica on both maize and sorghum, after which successful parasitism and host damage decreases. For both crops, this period ranges from 4-6 weeks after planting. By delaying exposure of roots to germinable S. hermonthica seeds we were able to demonstrate ov...
The herbicide imazaquin was tested for efficacy in Striga gesnerioides and Alectra vogelii control when applied as a cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seed treatment. Four sets of experiments were conducted in the laboratory and screenhouse. Two cowpea cultivars, three geographical isolates of S. gesnerioides from two hosts, and two geographical isolates...
Questions
Question (1)
It probably belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae and occurs in a disturbed transition forest in Kogi State Nigeria