Assessments of Lipids Contents, Carbohydrates Contents, Protein Contents and Mineral Elements Compositions of the Seeds and Seedlings of Germinating Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea. L)

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Assessments of Lipids Contents, Carbohydrates Contents, Protein Contents and Mineral Elements Compositions of the Seeds and Seedlings of Germinating Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea. L)

Olusola , Johnson. Adedeji^1., Olusola, Agnes Onyema²

¹Department of Geography and Planning Science, (Environmental Management Option), Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria.
²Department of Geography and Planning, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria.

Abstract: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is an annual herb whose chief and remarkable characteristic is the production of fruits underground. Groundnut seeds provide a wide range of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and mineral elements which can supplement human diet. This study analyzed the carbohydrates contents, lipids contents, nitrogen contents, protein contents and mineral elemental compositions of germinating groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) seeds and seedlings. Arachis hypogea L. (Groundnut seeds) were bought in a local market in Benin City. They were sown in soil inside open plastic for seedling germination and growth at the botanical garden of the University of Benin, Nigeria. The growing seedlings were monitored and harvested at 2 –day intervals after first germination for 14 days and taken for analysis at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin- City, Nigeria. The result showed that there was a progressive decrease in the lipids contents from the time of germination to the seedling age of 14 days. There was also decrease in the protein contents of the seedlings from the day of germination till the fourteenth day of the seedling development. The assessment also shows an increase in the carbohydrate’s contents of the seedlings during germination and development. The Magnesium contents of the seeds and seedlings decreases with the age of the plant until the twelfth day, it increased in the fourteenth day .There was a trends in the increase and decrease in the calcium, potassium and sodium contents of the seed and seedling as the groundnut germinates.

Keywords: Groundnut, germination, Seeds and seedlings, decrease, increase, contents.

I INTRODUCTION

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is an annual herb whose chief and remarkable characteristic is the production of fruits underground. The many cultivars fall naturally into two distinct botanical groups depending upon differences between them in their branching habit. The groups are regarded as distinct sub-species, the Virginia and the Spanish or Valencia.

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