GROWTH RESPONSE OF Hibiscus cannabinus TO THE EFFECT OF CEMENT

Abstract

The impact of cement dust pollution on the growth performance of Hibiscus cannabinus was
investigated. The seeds of Hibiscus cannabinus were obtained from reliable source, and grown
on soil contaminated with different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10% 15%, 20% and 25%) of cement.
All methods followed the approaches of previous authors of related subjects. Findings revealed
that the cement dust affected the time of germination, although the extent varied with
concentration. There were significant variations in the plant height, leaf length, stem girth, leaf
width, leaf area and the chlorophyll content among the level of treatment at 0.05 level of
probability. Inhibition of H. cannabinus growth attributes (plant height, stem girth, leaf length,
leaf area) was more pronounced in 25% concentration followed by 20%, 15%, 10% and 5%
cement concentration as compared with the control (0%). Similarly, the number of leaves
decreases as the concentration increases; hence, the effect of cement dust pollution is
concentration dependent. The morphological parameters of the species studied showed that the
cement dust pollution affected the structure of the plant, and significant reductions were
observed as concentration increases. This study revealed that cement dust pollution had
significant effect on the growth and chlorophyll content of H. cannabinus especially at higher
concentration (25%).