Influence of Vermicast on Early Growth of Black Afara (<i>Terminaliaivorensis</i> A. Chev.) Seedlings

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of vermicast on the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis A.Chev. (Black Afara) seedlings which belongs to the family Combretaceae. Seedlings were raised on Vermicast (100%), Vermicast + Topsoil (1:1,) and topsoil media. There were three (3) treatments, replicated four (4) times and laid in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The experiment was monitored for 12 weeks and the following variables were assessed, plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), leaf production and the leaf area (cm 2). Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results revealed that the seedling growth parameters measured were not significantly affected by the vermicast treatments at 5% probability level, except plant height. The best performance was observed in the seedlings raised with T2 (Vermicast + Topsoil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 28.55cm, 0.55mm, 18.25 and 38.87cm 2 respectively while the least performance was recorded in T3 (100% top soil) in plant height, stem diameter, leaf production and leaf area with mean values of 22.06cm, 0.49mm, 15.25 and 49.72cm 2 respectively. It is therefore recommended that 50% vermicast should be used to improve the growth media in order to enhance the early growth of Terminalia ivorensis seedlings at the nursery stage.

Influence of organic manures, inorganic fertilizers and harvesting schedules on growth and yield of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

“…Zaman (2015) [31] reported that the application of vermicompost increased the plant height, number of branches and dry weight of leaves in Stevia with the advancement of growth period (60 DAP). Aderourmu and Gunwande (2019) [1] also reported similar results in black afara (Terminalia ivorensis). Oyedegi et al (2014) [20] observed that, with the NPK treatment having the significantly highest number of branches, fresh and dry weight than organic manures in Amaranthus deflexus and three species.…”