Browsing by Author "Moshi, Heriel Naiman"

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    Assessment of structure and seed bank diversity of the south Uluguru mountains Flora
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2007) Moshi, Heriel Naiman
    This study was carried out with an objective of assessing structure and seed bank diversity of Uluguru Mountains Forest Reserve in Morogoro, Tanzania. The standing vegetation was very diverse floristically and structurally and rich in endemic plant species and few species in the IUCN red list. Tress had species Shannon Wiener diversity of 2.88, evenness of 0.79, species richness of 37 species and density 187 stemsha-1. Shrub layer diversity was 2.84, evenness of 0.692, richness of 76 species and density of 85 stemsha -1. Mthe grass and herb layer was more diverse with diversity of 3.34 evenness of 0.773 and a density of 278 individual.sha -1. Based on importance value index and compositional change values the forest is successionally stable. Phytogeographically several species such as Aphloia theiformis, Cussonia spicata, Ocotea usambarensis, Syzygium cordatum, prunus Africana, Rapanea melanophloeos, Garcinia volkensii and Schefflera lukwangulensis are linked to South Africa, Central Africa, west Africa and Madagascar. A total of 1436 seedlings dominated by annuals germinated from the soil seed bank samples. The dry season plots had higher species richness than west season samples (Kruskal-Wallis test x2=63.52, df=73, p,0.001). high seed densities were recorded in the surface layer and decreased with depth. Correspondence between species composition of the standing vegetation and seed bank was poor. Recommendation is made to monitor the orchids for conservation in disturbed sites. Further studies are recommended on endemic, threatened and vulnerable plant species seed production and their fate in the environment.
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    A study on the potential of indigenous oil producing non edible plant species for biodiesel production in Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2016) Moshi, Heriel Naiman
    Biodiesel is one of the most sustainable environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel use. Food crops and exotic species form the major feedstock’s sources for biodiesel production which magnifies the food insecurity and environmental threats respectively. This study was conducted to identify indigenous non food oil producing plant species in Tanzania, their oil quality for biodiesel production, genetic diversity and allelopathic potential with the intention of evaluating their intercropping potential with selected food crop. Jatropha cursas, Ricinus communis, Moringa oleifera and Pongamia pinnata which are non indigenous species as well as Telfairia pedala which is indigenous but has a low scale of usage as food crop were used in this study for comparison purpose. Preliminary surveys, desk research and consultations with experts led to delineating the study sites to Iringa, Manyara, Arusha, Morogoro, Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam regions from where seeds producing oil were collected. Species evaluation which led to the selection of the most potential species for biodiesel was based on: non edible species having oil bearing seeds with high yield components and oil content, having short growing season. Analyses of the oil quality parameters for biodiesel were conducted at TFDA, CPE-UDSM and Makerere University laboratories. Such oil quality was established based on ASTM and the DIN standards. AFLP markers were used to evaluate genetic diversity within and among the populations of Jatropha curcas, Croton megalocarpus and Croton macrostachyus species collected from Manyara, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Morogoro and Dar es Salaam regions. Allelopathic assessment was conducted on Zea mays (maize) and Phaseolus vulgaris (beans) growth and biomass using mature leaf and bark extracts of C. megalocarpus and E. bussei at varied concentrations. A total of 24 plant species with oil content between 17.65% and 60.73% were indentified. Selected species with high potential for biodiesel in terms of oil quantity were Excoecaria bussel, C. megalocarpus, C. macrostachyus, wild Cucurbita pepo var styriaca, Lagenaria siceraria, Calelodendrum capense, Telfairia pedata, J. curcas and Ricinus communis. Oil quality assessment established that E. bussel, C. megalocarpus, L. siceraria, T. pedata and J. curcas were the most promising species. Results on genetic diversity of C. megalocarpus, C. macrostachyus and J. cursas species showed that oil quantity was a characteristic of individual plants rather than species or population. Thus selection for high yielding gemplasm should target individual plants. C. megalocarpus had strong allelopathic effect on maize and beans, therefore not suitable under intercropping system with these crops. E. bussel had no allelopathic effect on maize, beans and lettuce therefore it is most potential for intercropping.