This study investigated the effect of charcoal(biochar) and crop veil on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentus Mill) in Jos, North central Nigeria. Four Super Vegetable Garden growingbeds and four traditional vegetable beds each measuring 15 m2 (12.5 m by 1.2 m) and 1 m gap between beds were laid out.The soil on both SVG and traditional beds were mixed with the same quantity of inorganic and organic fertilizer for plant development. After preparing the subsoil, 30 kg of biochar was spread on the four SVG beds as evenly as possible.Tomato seedlings were raised in the nursery for the period of 4 weeks after which they were transplanted on the SVG and traditional beds at 30 cmspacing. Data werecollected using systematic random sampling technique by creating small plots of 2.5 by 1.2 cm on the beds at 2.5 cm intervals between plots. The stem growth was recorded twice at 4 and 6 weeks after transplanting using a 100 cm rule. Fruits were counted on each plant within plots and recorded. Results obtained from this research showed that stem growth was very significantly higher in tomatoes grown on SVG beds treated with charcoal and covered with veil than traditional beds without charcoal and veil covering. Fruit yield in tomato plant was also significantly higher on beds with charcoal than beds without charcoal. This finding is important in improving food security through increase in soil fertility and crop yield in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa at large.

West African birds have been declining due to intensive deforestation, yet how bird communities respond to such habitat modification remains understudied in this region. We used point transects to survey bird species in the undisturbed and disturbed edges of Tula Mountains Woodland (TMW), in order to examine responses of bird feeding guilds to disturbance. We found significantly more species in the disturbed

This study presents data on woody plant species richness and diversity of an inaccessible dry forest of Tula Mountains Woodland (TMW) located in the northeast of Nigeria. TMW supports a minimally disturbed mosaic of dry forest‐woodland. We sampled woody species in 190 plots of size 0.01‐ha, spaced 50 m apart on series of line transects. We found a total of 133 woody species belonging to 88 genera and 39 families in 1.9 ha area sampled in total. Out of 133 species, 120 were identified to species level, and 113 were recorded as trees, shrubs and lianas with diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 5 cm. Species accumulation curve was non‐asymptotic. Fisher's logseries model suggests that the plots sampled in the dry forest communities of TMW are represented by a high number of rare species. Of 120 identified species, 46 (38%) lacked evaluation on conservation status by IUCN. Out of 74 (62%) evaluated species, 2 were listed as critically endangered, 3 were vulnerable, and 69 were of least concern. In the TMW, 27% of woody species were restricted to Sudanian savannah biome, 61% occurred in Sudanian and Zambezian savannah biome. TMW serves as refugia for native plant species and plant communities in northeastern Nigeria.