Conservation of a Rare Medicinal Plant: A Case Study of Griffonia simplicifolia (Vahl ex DC) Baill
Musibau Muyiwa Balogun *
Lagos State Centre for Rural Development (CERUD), Itoikin-Epe Road, Igbodu, Epe Division, Lagos State, Nigeria and Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Muhali Olaide Jimoh
Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa and Department of Botany, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe
Lagos State Centre for Rural Development (CERUD), Itoikin-Epe Road, Igbodu, Epe Division, Lagos State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study aimed at carrying out the vegetative propagation of Griffonia simplicifolia. This was achieved by growing nodal and stem cuttings of G. simplicifolia using two types of soils under varying environmental conditions including open area and humidity propagator. This revealed that terminal nodal stem cuttings showed the best growth forms in terms of shoot development as well as root development when subjected to open area and topsoil. However, when subjected to the humid propagator and river sand, the distal stem cuttings gave the best growth forms thereby promoting shoot and root development. Hence, it is concluded that the terminal nodes are the best parts to be used for the propagation of G. simplicifolia and the best growth medium is river sand. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that G. simplicifolia can be reproduced through macro propagation using stem cuttings and it can be seen as a basis for conservation and other breeding research on G. simplicifolia.
Keywords: Conservation, Griffonia simplicifolia, macro propagation, stem cutting, terminal nodes.