Comparative Effect of Poultry and Cowdung  on the Early Growth  of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq) Benth, Seedings

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of different organic manure on the early germination of parkia biglobosa, and to determine the different organic manure on the yield and growth of parkia biglobosa. The experiment was carried out at a screen house located inside the Federal College of Forestry Ibadan. Seven treatments were used and they are (Control: 2kg of topsoil), 5g, 10g and 15g (T1, T2, and T3 respectively) of poultry in 2kg of topsoil and 5g, 10g and 15g (T4, T5, and T6 respectively) of cow dung in 2kg of topsoil. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 6 replicates. Data generated from growth parameters measurement were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The parameters measured are the height of the seedling, stem diameter, and the number of leaves. The results od study showed that T1 mean had the best performance in terms of plant height 32.93cm stem diameter and leaf production with a mean value of 32.93cm, 2.31mm, and 29.83 respectively while that of T6 had the least performance with a mean value of height (17.07cm) and the number of leaves (16.83) in plant height and number of leaves respectively. There was a significant difference in the application of manure to the growing media thus; Parkia biglobosa seedlings can be raised successfully at an early stage with 5g of poultry manure. It is therefore recommended that 5g of poultry manure can be used for raising seedlings of Parkia biglobosa to enhance maximum production considering the cost and the environmental implication of using inorganic fertilizers, poultry manure should be adopted generally, for raising seedlings and farmers should be encouraged in the planting of Parkia biglobosa on their farms as this serves various purposes such as the production of food, shade, and environmental protection.