Participant Detail

Research Title

Harnessing Water Hyacinth and Endophytes to Improve Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability in Nigeria

Research Abstract

Nigeria, one of the poorest regions in the world, faces an urgent agricultural crisis as desertification, overgrazing, and inefficient farming practices accelerate productivity declines, posing a severe food and environmental crisis. Compounding the crisis, the invasive water hyacinth pollutes scarce water sources and disrupts ecosystems. This study demonstrates how one problem can be leveraged to solve another by upcycling water hyacinth into biodegradable vegetation mats (Water Hyacinth Mats, WHMs), offering a climate-adaptive strategy to enhance crop resilience and reduce agricultural water use in Nigerian soils with low water-retention capacity. At the same time, cactus-derived endophytic bacteria were introduced into soil to assess their role in enhancing drought resistance. The performance of water hyacinth fertilizer (WHF) was also compared with the combined effects of mats and endophytes. One gram of dried water hyacinth petioles retained at least 10 g of water, and soil treated with WHMs lost moisture at a significantly slower rate. When tested with corn under limited irrigation, WHMs supported plant growth, while cactus-derived endophytes enhanced resistance to drought stress. Although WHF showed no effect on early growth, it promoted long-term development. By transforming an invasive species into a water-conserving agricultural input, this study highlights a sustainable approach for Nigeria that simultaneously mitigates environmental harm and strengthens food security.