Abstract
This study assessed the effect of vermicast on the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis A.Chev. (Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae. Seedlings were raised on Vermicast (100%), Vermicast + Topsoil (1:1,) and topsoil media. There were three (3) treatments, replicated four (4) times and laid in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment was monitored for 12 weeks and the following variables were assessed, plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), leaf production and the leaf area (cm2 ). Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results revealed that the seedling growth parameters measured were not significantly affected by the vermicast treatments at 5% probability level, except plant height. The best performance was observed in the seedlings raised with T2 (Vermicast + Topsoil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 28.55cm, 0.55mm, 18.25 and 38.87cm2 respectively while the least performance was recorded in T3 (100% top soil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 22.06cm, 0.49mm, 15.25 and 49.72cm2 respectively. It is therefore recommended that 50% vermicast should be used to improve the growth media in order to enhance the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis seedlings at the nursery stage.Keywords: Vermicast, Terminalia ivorensis, Early Growth, Seedlings
Highlights
(Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae
Effects of Vermicast Treatments on Early Growth of T. ivorensis Seedlings: Seedling height: The analysis of variance revealed that vermicast treatments had significant effect on the seedling height of T. ivorensis (Table 2)
Leaf Area: The analysis of variance showed that leaf area of seedlings treated with vermicast was not significantly affected at p≤0.05 (Table 2) but highest mean value was observed in T2 (38.87cm2) while least was recorded in T3 with 30.16 cm2 (Table 3)
Summary
(Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae. Seedlings were raised on Vermicast (100%), Vermicast + Topsoil (1:1,) and topsoil media. Soil nutrient decline is almost universal in Africa and this has led to the introduction and addition of both organic manure and inorganic fertilizers to enhance plant growth and productivity (Alabi et al, 2005). This led to the use of varieties of organic materials from both plants and animals for fertilizing the soil.
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