Evaluation of Pterocarpus mildbraedii. Harm Performance under Different Growth Conditions
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Date
2018-07-15
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Association of Women in Forestry (AWIFE)
Abstract
Growth response of Pterocarpus mildbraedii under different sowing media and fertilizer
applications was evaluated. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design
(CRD). Forty-eight trays were filled with each of the sowing media (garden topsoil, river-sand
and sawdust). Each of the trays was sown with ten seeds making 480 seeds per medium. Five
weeks after germination, seedlings were pricked-out and potted using 16 cm-poly pots. The
seedlings were allowed to grow for another six weeks. Thereafter, they were transplanted to the
field, at 5 m espacement. After the seedlings were established in the field, manures were applied
on all the seedlings under each of the sowing media using two manures (i.e. Poultry droppings
and cow dung) as well as NPK (15: 15: 15) with zero-fertilizer application as the control. Data
were collected on germination and early seedling growth parameters eight weeks after. Data
analysis involved descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test and
regression analysis for establishing relationship among growth parameters. Follow-up test was
carried out on significant result. Pterocarpus mildbraedii germinated in 3 to 17 days. The
germinations peaked on the 4th day in river-sand and topsoil, and on the 11th day in sawdust.
Germination was highest in sawdust (43.3%) and least in topsoil (37.1%). The results showed
that leaf number were not significantly different among the sowing media (P > 0.05) with an
average of 4 leaves per plant. However, there were significant differences in collar diameters,
seedling heights and leaf areas among the treatments (P < 0.05) with highest mean values in
sawdust. Poultry droppings improved seedling height growth by 2.50 cm, 1.75 cm and 1.2 cm in
river-sand, sawdust and topsoil, respectively after eight weeks of planting. The best height
prediction equation for P. mildbraedii seedling was Ht = 7.77 + 6.25CD – 0.0517LA + 0.373LN
R2 = 0.59; RMSE = 1.679). Height was the best predictor of collar diameter as in CD = 0.258 +
0.0765Ht (R2 = 0.51; RMSE = 0.192). There were no suitable predictors for leaf area and leaf
number.
Description
Keywords
Early growth, Increment, Sowing media, Manure, Parameter prediction
Citation
Adeyemi, A.A. & Dike, I.M. (2018). Evaluation of Pterocarpus mildbraedii. Harm Performance under Different Growth Conditions. Journal of Sustainable Environmental Management, 10, 46-62.