Abstract

This study investigated the effect of selected soil sources on the germination and growth of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. The seedlings of Albizia lebbeck were transplanted into a 2kg pot filled with different soil sources. Seven treatments were used and these are T₁ -Agric farm soil, T₂ -dumpsite soil, T₃ -plantation soil, T₄ -Agric farm + waste dumpsite soil, T₅ -Agric farm soil + plantation soil, T₆ -Waste dumpsite + plantation soil, and T₇ -Agric farm + waste dump site + plantation soil. Treatments were arranged in Completely Randomized (CRD) with six replicates. Data collection commenced two weeks after the seedling transplant. Parameters assessed were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The result shows that the treatments are significantly different from one another on the growth response of Albizia lebbeck. However T₃ (plantation soil) gave the best performance with the stem diameter, number of leaves, and leaf area with a value of (3.0mm, 28.8mm, 86.0) respectively while T₂ (dumpsite soil) produced the best performance in plant height with the mean value of 34.9. It is therefore concluded that T₃ (plantation soil) had the best performance on the growth response of Albizia lebbeck seedlings. The study recommends that Albizia lebbeck seedlings should be raised at the nursery stage with plantation soil in order to increase the growth of the plant and have more vigorous seedlings for plantation establishment.

Keywords: Albizia lebbeck, soil source, germination