Anatomical Variations Caused by the Exposure of Sodium Azide and Potassium Chromate to the Accessions of Colocasia esculenta (L.) and Xanthosoma maffafa (L.) in Nigeria.

The anatomical variations of the mid ribs and petioles of five accessions of Colocasia esculenta L. and three accessions ofXanthosoma maffafa L. exposed to different concentrations of sodium azide and potassium chromate were carried out. Graded quantities of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mg/kg of sodium azide and potassium chromate were applied to each accession while the control experiment lacked the oil-field chemical additives. Results showed some variations in the shape of epidermal cells, thickness of cuticle and number of vascular tissues among others. The petioles were observed to have more vascular tissues than the mid ribs for both the control and treated accessions. Statistical evidence showed that differences in the number of vascular tissues between various accessions and treatments were highly significant at 5 % probability. Between these two oilfield chemicals, it was observed that sodium azide treatments induced formation of more vascular tissues in both the mid ribs and petioles than potassium chromate treatments. These observations add to the literature and the understanding of this species’ mechanism in withstanding environmental stress