Wiley Enzyklopädie Der Holzgewächse –70. Erg. Lfg. 01/18, 15pp.

 Monograph

 Kigelia Africana (Lam.) Benth., 1849. In: Schütt, P.; Weisgerber, H.; Lang, U.; Roloff, A.; Stimm, B. (eds.).

 Böhlmann, D., Onyekwelu, J.C. And Stimm, B.

 2018

Kigelia africana is the only monotypic species in the genus. It is a small? to medium?sized tree with a height between 10 and 12 m, occasionally growing up to 25 m tall, with a low?branching trunk up to 80 cm in diameter. Its wide crown provides shade for people and animals. K. africana is a multipurpose tree species with social, cultural, economic, and medicinal values. Medicinal purpose is by far the most important use of the K. africana tree. Pharmacological investigations confirm the anti?inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the extract of different parts of the species. Bioactive constituents have been found to be present in all parts of the plant. So far, approximately 150 compounds have been characterized from different parts. The pharmaceutical potential of K. africana has been recognized and has witnessed a surge in research interest. However, until date many of its traditional medicinal uses have not been investigated scientifically. 

 Applied Tropical Agriculture, 22 (2): 118-125

 Journal

 Biodiversity, Socio-Economic And Cultural Importance Of Trees In Emerging Nigerian Urban Centres: Case Study Of Akure City, Nigeria

 Onyekwelu, J.C.

 2017

Recent awareness of the importance of trees have led to their increasing integration in cities. The biodiversity, socioeconomic and cultural importance of trees in Akure city, Nigeria was investigated. Akure was stratified into modern (urban) and ancient (peri-urban); secondary and higher institution sections. The population of Akure is 387,087 inhabitants. A total of 66 tree species were identified in Akure; with 45 and 21 species occurring in modern and ancient sections, respectively. Within the modern section, species with high relative dominance were Caryota spp (28.7) and Polyathia longifolia (23.2) while Carica papaya (14.2) and Mangifera indica (12.9) dominated the ancient section of the city. Secondary schools were dominated by Gmelina arborea (21.4) and Elaeis guinensis (15.2). The dominant species in higher institutions were Terminalia catapa (19.2) and Cocos nucifera (18.1). The socio-economic importance of trees, which depended on the social and educational status of inhabitants, were: ornamental (38%), food/cash crop (36%), timber (11%), shade (9%), life-fence (3%), medicine (3%), cultural purposes (1%). In higher institutions, ornamental (52%) and shade (17%) were the most important uses of trees while in secondary schools, edible fruits (35%) and shade (19%) were important. In the ancient section, food/cash crop was the overwhelming (77%) use of trees while ornamental (90%) was the dominant use in modern section. Most inhabitants in the ancient section sold some of their tree products for income. Some trees served dual purposes depending on the social status of their owners. While T. catapa and M. indica were mostly used for food/cash crop by inhabitants of ancient section, they were used for shade in the modern section. Although medicinal purpose is not currently among the dominant uses of trees in Akure, there are indications that number of people using tree parts for this purpose is increasing. While the poor use trees for food and income in Nigerian emerging cities, the rich use them for ornamental purpose. 

 International Journal Of Forestry Research, Volume 2017, 12pp

 Journal

 Tree Species Richness, Diversity, And Vegetation Index For Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.

 Agbelade, A.D., Onyekwelu, J.C. And Oyun, M.B.

 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the tree species richness and diversity of urban and periurban areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Abuja,Nigeria, and produceNormalized DifferenceVegetation Index (NDVI) for the territory.Datawere collected from urban (Abuja city) and periurban (Lugbe) areas of the FCT using both semistructured questionnaire and inventory of tree species within green areas. In the study location, all trees with diameter at breast height (dbh) ? 10 cm were identified; their dbh was measured and frequency was taken.The NDVI was calculated in ArcGIS 10.3 environment using standard formula. A cumulative total of twenty-nine (29) families were encountered within the FCT, with 27 occurring in Abuja city (urban centre) and 12 in Lugbe (periurban centre) of the FCT. The results of Shannon-Wiener diversity index (????????) for the two centres are 3.56 and 2.24 while Shannon’s maximum diversity index (???? max ) is 6.54 (Abuja city) and 5.36 (Lugbe) for the urban (Abuja city) and periurban (Lugbe) areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The result of tree species evenness (Shannon’s equitability (???? ???? ) index) in urban and periurban centres was 0.54 and 0.42, respectively.The study provided baseline information on urban and periurban forests in the FCT of Nigeria, which can be used for the development of tree species database of the territory. 

 ANAFE, Nairobi, Kenya, Pp 48 - 65

 Others

 Control And Management Of Pest And Diseases In Agricultural Nursery. Chapter Three Of The “Agricultural Risk Management.

 Onyekwelu, J.C., Agbidye, F.S. And Okunlola, I.A.

 2017

Nursery management is very important in obtaining the right kind of seedlings, in the right quantity and at the right time, which are fundamental for successful agricultural production. Raising seedlings in the nursery is essential for the survival and early establishment of some agricultural and forest plant species. However, numerous pest and diseases attack seedlings in the nursery, thus posing great risks to their survival and obtaining healthy and high quality planting materials. Sometimes, the threat to seedlings by pests and diseases can be enormous, consequently it is imperative to prevent, control or manage them, depending on their severity and economic importance. Prevention and therapy are the simplest strategies for control and management of pest and diseases, with prevention being the most preferred method. Prevention strategies are applied before infection while therapy or curative methods are applied after the plants have been infected This chapter discusses principles for producing healthy seedlings, measures for maintaining good hygiene in the nursery as well as measures for control and management of pests and diseases with the aim of avoiding/minimising the risks/damage associated with them. The control measures discussed includes: cultural, biological chemical, mechanical methods, resistant crop varieties and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The effectiveness of these measures varies depending on the nature of pest and disease, stage and severity of attack, duration of attack and environmental conditions. In addition, the chapter presented some African case studies of pest and disease attacks and their control measures; learning objectives; suggested reading materials and some questions for study and discussion. 

 FUTA Business Development Company, 79 Pp.

 Others

 Sustainable Forest Management: The Pathway Back To The Garden Of Eden. 87th Inaugural Lecture Series Of The Federal University Of Technology, Akure

 Onyekwelu, J.C.

 2017

Nil 

 Graceland Prints, Akure, Nigeria, Pp 351 – 383

 Others

 Plant And Animal Species Diversity As Sources Of Functional Food Products In Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Functional Foods: Unlocking The Medicine In Foods (Oboh, G. (ed)).

 Onyekwelu, J.C.

 2017

Nil 

 Https://www.ffps.org.ng/journal/2017/vol_10/tree_species_richness_diversity_and_structure_of_a_strict_conservation_natural_tropical_rainforest_ecosystem_in_nigeria.pdf

 Journal

 Tree Species Richness, Diversity And Structure Of A Strict Conservation Natural Tropical Rainforest Ecosystem In Nigeria

 Oke, O.S., Akindele S.O. And Onyekwelu J.C.

 2017

Okomu National Park, though small in size (202.24km2), is one of the remaining strict natural conservation forests in Nigeria. Due to its particularly unique three distinct vegetation types (rainforest, savannah and swampy fringe), Okomu houses a lot of biodiversity. We investigated the tree species richness, diversity and abundance of the National park, with the aim of determining its contribution to biodiversity conservation. Trees with dbh ? 10cm were inventoried in 50m X 50m main plot. There were 507 stems ha-1, consisting of 97 species distributed among 75genera and 36 families. The diameter distribution curve revealed a J-inverse shape with trees within the diameter distribution of 10-20cm having the highest frequency (355 stems ha-1). The height distribution curve also showed that trees within height range of 10-15cm had the highest frequency of 312 stems ha-1. Total basal area and volume per hectare estimated were 25.26m2 and 267.07m3 respectively. Pielou’s Evenness Index (0.86), Shannon-Weiner Index (3.94), Simpson Diversity Index (96.97) and other diversity indices were high showing that the park is a potential biodiversity hotspot. The Park is a mature forest from its vertical and horizontal structure and can be a major biodiversity hotspot with proper and adequate management. 

 International Journal Of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 12 (1–2): 108–115.

 Journal

 Can Forest Plantations Harbour Biodiversity Similar To Natural Forest Ecosystems Over Time?

 Onyekwelu. J.C. And Olabiwonnu, A.A.

 2016

This study assessed and compared tree species diversity in a 26-year-old Gmelina arborea plantation with tree diversities in primary and degraded natural forests in southwestern Nigeria. In each forest type, a one-hectare block was divided into 400 m2 sample plots from which 4 were randomly selected, which was repeated on another one-hectare block, yielding eight 400 m2 plots per forest type. A 25 m2 quadrat was laid at the centre of each 400 m2 plot while a 4m2 sub-quadrat was laid at the centre of each quadrat. Overstory, sapling and seedling species were inventoried in all 400 m2 plots, 25 m2 quadrats, and 4 m2 sub-quadrats, respectively. Family and species richness were significantly lower in G. arborea plantation overstory (7 families, 8 species) than in primary (8, 28) and degraded (18, 30) forest overstories. Diversity indices were also significantly lower for G. arborea plantation overstory than for primary and degraded forests. However, in the sapling layer, family and species richness in the G. arborea plantation (10, 13) were similar to those of primary (9, 15) and degraded (9, 16) forests. The species richness of G. arborea plantation seedling layer (24) was similar with that of degraded forest (25) but significantly higher than that of primary forest (18). primary (18 species), and degraded forests (25 species). Species diversity of the G. arborea sapling layerwct 2 (2.07) was significantly higher than that of its overstory (0.26) but significantly lower than those of primary (2.26) and degraded (2.44) forests. Of the species found in the G. arborea plantation seedling layer, 25% were absent in natural forests. Thus, this plantation understory harbours high biodiversity and can conserve biodiversity over time. Understory species diversity should be considered in biodiversity comparisons between plantations and natural forest. 

 Environment And Ecology Research 4(4): 185-192,

 Journal

 Assessment Of Urban Forest Tree Species Population And Diversity In Ibadan, Nigeria.

 Agbelade, A.D., Onyekwelu, J.C. And Apogbona, O.

 2016

This research focuses on the urban tree species population and diversity within Ibadan metropolis as a means of creating biodiversity database for the urban centre in South west, Nigeria. This was determined by assessing urban forest tree abundance, species diversity and growth yield. All trees with diameter at breast height (dbh) ? 10 cm were identified, dbh measured and their frequencies taken in all the area enumerated within Ibadan. There are 155 tree stems belonging to 26 families and 54 tree species within Ibadan built-up areas and 101 tree stems belonging to 16 families and 19 tree species in peri-urban centre of Ibadan. The two most abundant species and families were Delonix regia of Fabaceae family and Terminalia ivorensis of Combretaceae family (18 and 17 stems) respectively while Fabaceae family has (7 species). The value of the Shannon’s max diversity index (Hmax) of (3.99 and 2.94), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (3.35 and 2.48) and species evenness 0.84 were the same for peri-urban centre, while the growth variable were basal area and volume of (22.8m2 and 18.5m2) and (284.8m3 and 275.3m3) respectively. This study provide information on the level of tree species biodiversity due to infrastructure development that has reduced forest cover within the built-up areas of Ibadan which can expose the city to lot of environmental hazard. 

 Journal Of Research In Forestry, Wildlife & Environment Vol. 8(4): 1 – 9

 Journal

 Predictive Models Of Forest Logging Residues Of Triplochiton Scleroxylon In Ondo Tropical Rainforest, Nigeria.

 Aigbe H. I., Adeyemo T.O., Onyekwelu J.C. And Amadi I.

 2016

In this study, biomass yield residue was quantified and equations developed for Triplochiton scleroxylon, in secondary forests, Ondo State, Nigeria. Plotless sampling technique was used for the study. A total of 31 Triplochiton scleroxylon were randomly selected. Tree identification and detailed growing stock of outside bark diameters at breast height (dbh), base, middle, top and total height were measured for selected trees. Each tree was felled as close to the ground as possible. The logging residues were categorized into stump, stem, branch and foliage. Fresh weights of representative samples from the various logging residues components were obtained and dry-weights to freshweights ratio of the various biomass components were calculated. The results showed that the mean biomass of the residues for Triplochiton scleroxylon was 66.40 kg, 312.98 kg, and 19.56 kg for stem, branches and foliage respectively which indicated that the branch components generated more logging residue than other components. The proportion of residues generated for Triplochiton scleroxylon ranged from 12.00% to 49.02%. The biomass models for logging residue were fitted using dbh predictor. The model developed indicated that logarithmic functions performed better than other form of equation. The findings of this study revealed that there is significant logging residues left to waste in the forest after timber harvest and quantifying this logging residue in terms of biomass model can serve as management tools in ensuring useful planning for economic utilization of the residues.