Phyto-remediation Potentials of Adunnu Accession of Velvet bean Plants on Heavy-Metals Polluted Soils of Zazzaga, Munya/Shiroro, L.G.A.s, Niger State, Nigeria

Velvet beans are underutilized legume of the Fabaceae family with vast suspected potentials. Zazzaga, in Munya/Shiroro, Local Government Areas of Niger State. It used to be majorly an agrarian community till illegal mining activities of gold, lateritic clay e.t.c. led to contamination of some of its agricultural lands rendering it useless for crop production. This research assessed the impacts Adunnu accession of Velvet bean plants (experimental) and wild Cajanus plant (control) grown by irrigation during dry season had on remediating its soils by up-picking (phyto-remediating) the heavy metals. Statistical comparism of the laboratory test results (data) of the pre-treatment and post-treatment of experimental and control groups revealed that the experimental group was able to significantly reduce the concentration levels of the heavy-metals in the sampled soils more than the control group. This finding points to the phytoremediating potentials of velvet beans. The researchers recommended the cultivation of velvet beans by farmers and communities whose farmlands have been polluted by heavy-metals as well as by ministries/departments/agencies of government who seek to restore environmental lands polluted due to anthropological activities as is the case with parts of Niger State.