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Influence of Vermicast on Early Growth of Black Afara ( Terminaliaivorensis A. Chev.) Seedlings
ADEROUNMU, AF & OGUNWANDE, OA
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 (cm2). 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 38.87cm2 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 49.72cm2 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.
Keywords
Vermicast; Terminalia ivorensis; Early Growth; Seedlings
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