COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF CHROMOLAENA ODORATA AND GLIRICIDIA SEPIUM LEAF POWDERS ON THE GROWTH OF MANSONIA ALTISSIMA SEEDLINGS (A. CHEV.)
Abstract
The study investigated the comparative effects of chromolaema adorata and Gliricidia sepium leaf powder (green manure) on the growth of Mansonia altissima. Three different types of powder were used comprising T2 (1000 mg of Chromolaena adorata leaf powder). T3 (150 mg of Chromolaena aodrata leaf powder) and T4 (200 mg of chromolaena adorate leaf powder), T5 (1000 mg of gliricidia sepium leaf powder), T6 (150 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder) and T7 (200 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder), T9 and T8 (50 mg of Chromolaena adorata + 50 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder) T9 (75 mg of Chromolaena adorata+ 75 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder) and (100 mg of Chromolaena adorata + 100 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder). The experiment was laid out in a completely Randomized Design (CRD) with the inclusion of a control treatment T1 (1.5 kg of top soil). The leaf powders were mixed with 1.5 kg of topsoil each and used to raise Mansonia alatissima plants. Parameters such as plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter were measured for weeks. The data collected were subjected to means, bar chart representation and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The bar chart representation revealed that treatment T6 (150 mg of Gliricidia sepium leaf powder) had the highest value of 9.07 cm. For stem diameter, it was revealed that T1 (control) had the highest value of 0.65 mm and also T1 (control) had the highest value of 4.52 for number of leaves, while T4 (200 mg of Chromolaena adorata leaf powder) had the least growth performance in all the parameters assessed. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter shows that there is significant difference among the treatments at 0.05 level of significance. Therefore, T6 (150 mg of Gliricidia sepiumI leafe powder) is considered the best to raise Mansonia altissima in 1.5kg top soil being the treatment with highest plant height, number of leaves and stem diameter.
