Authors:
Rafiu, Basirat Olabisi, Obideyi, Rhoda Iyabode, Falana, Adepeju Rebecca |
Abstract:
Kigelia africana (Lam) Benth is generally considered to be a highly variable mono specific genus of the family Bignoniaceae and sacred to many African communities (e.g. Kenya). This study is aimed to investigate the seedling growth performance of Kigelia africana in different growing media so as to determine the best growing medium in raising Kigelia africana seedlings for the establishment of healthy vigorous plantation. The fresh seeds of K. africana were sown into sterilized river sand to avoid pre-emergence damping off and the germination percentage was calculated using standard formula. And then transplanted into the polythene pots filled with river sand, poultry manure, cow dung and top soil, respectively. The experiment was laid down in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD), each treatment was replicated 1o times making 40 polythene pots. The parameters assessed to monitor the growth performance of K. africana seedlings are; germination percentage, plant height, stem diameter and leaf production count.
The results of this study established that organic manure had an influence on the height, leaf count and stem girth of Kigelia africana. Also, the organic manure that best suit the growth of Kigelia africana is poultry manure. The results from ANOVA) indicated that there are significant differences in all the treatments at 5% level of probability. Conclusively, the best organic manure should be applied to soil few weeks before transplanting so as to enhance the growth of Kigelia africana seedlings in order to prevent the tree from going into extinction. |
