Original Research Article
Influence of Different Levels of Organic Manure on the Early Growth of Adansonia digitata L .(Baobab)
*Agboola, F. O. |
Roberts, A. E. |
Aduloju, A. R. |
Fadimu, B. O. |
Article Number: DRJAFS95675930208
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26765/DRJAFS95675930208
ISSN: 2354-4147
Vol. 7 (12), Pp. 403-405, December 2019
Copyright © 2019
Author(s) retain the copyright of this article
Abstract
This study examined the influence of organic (poultry) manure on the early growth performance of Adansonia digitata seedlings. The experiment was carried out within the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Five different levels of poultry manure at 0g, 6g, 12g, 18g, and 24g were separately and thoroughly mixed with 2kg of topsoil. It was allowed to stand for two weeks before seeds sown into germination basket were transplanted into polythene pots. The seedlings were watered once daily. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments and each was replicated four times. The following variables were assessed weekly for 12 weeks: Plant height, collar diameter, and leaf production. The result obtained shows that T3 (12g of poultry manure + 2kg topsoil) had the best performance in height, leaf production, and collar diameter with mean values of 12.62cm, 8.34, and 0.41mm respectively while the least performance was recorded in T0 (2kg of topsoil) in height and leaf production with mean values of 9.03cm and 5.13 mm respectively. However, T3 (12g of poultry manure + 2kg topsoil) gave the best performance in collar diameter with a mean value of 0.41 mm, followed by T2 (6g of poultry manure + 2kg topsoil) with a mean value of 0.37 mm while T5 (24g of poultry manure + 2kg topsoil) had the least performance with a mean value 0.31 mm. The study recommended that poultry manure should be utilized to make nutrients be available for optimal growth of Adansonia digitata seedling, as higher concentration can have an adverse effect on the growth of the seedlings.
Keywords: Adansonia digitata, variables, treatments, organic manure, growth rateReceived: November 5, 2019 Accepted: December 20, 2019 Published: December 30, 2019