Carrot (Daucus carota L.) has historically been classified as a northern crop because it predominantly grows in the northern regions of Nigeria. Transportation of harvested roots to the south has consequently resulted to decay, shrinkage, loss of roots due to high temperature and long distant travels, high cost of produce etc. The objective was to find out the variety and tillage method that will enhance the production of carrots in Southeast Nigeria and the appropriate poultry manure rates for production. Two Carrot varieties (Touchon mega and Kurado) were evaluated under field experiment and were grown under three poultry manure (PM) rates (0,5,10 t ha -1 ) and two tillage methods (Ridge and Bed) to assess their effects on the growth and yield of carrot roots. Roots were harvested at the 90th day after planting and data were collected on seedling emergence, root weight, leaf weight, whole plant biomass, percentage marketable yield, and total marketable yield. The result showed that poultry manure significantly (p<0.05) enhanced higher yields. The ridge tillage method gave a higher marketable yield than the Bed type. Kurado variety had the highest percent marketable yield though there were no significant (p>0.05) differences between the two varieties. The tillage method and poultry manure influenced the growth and yield of carrot roots suggesting that the appropriate tillage method and poultry manure rate will enhance production in the environment. From the results of the experiment, it could be concluded that for the production of carrots in the environment Kurado variety is recommended due to its high yielding capacity while Ridge tillage method is recommended for farmers in the area due to its efficient use and ability to support root penetration; 10 t ha -1 manure rate was found to be most economical manure rate.
Land suitability evaluation was carried out to evaluate the suitability of soils of Okoko Item, Abia State, South-eastern Nigeria, for upland rice production. Free method of soil survey was adopted. Qualitative land suitability of the area for rain-fed rice production was done using FAO Land Suitability Classification System. The study area was delineated into four mapping units designated as OK I, OK II, OK III and OK IV. Mapping units OK I and OK II were generally flat, deep and well drained. Mapping unit OK III was generally flat, shallow to moderately deep and poorly to imperfectly drained while mapping unit OK IV was undulating with deep, well drained and gravelly soils. Soils were classified as Typic Rhodudults for OK I, Rhodic Paleudults for OK II, Mollic Epiaquents for OK III and Typic Plinthaqualfs for OK IV. Mapping units OK I and OK II were moderately suitable (S2), mapping unit OK III was permanently not suitable (N2) while mapping unit OK IV was marginally suitable (S3) for upland rice production. Majority of the area (61 %) is permanently not suitable (N2) for sustainable upland rice cultivation due to poor drainage. However, 26 % of the area is moderately suitable (S2) while 13% of the area is marginally suitable (S3) for sustainable upland rice cultivation due to dominance of rock outcrop and boulders.
Background and Objective: Growth media are substrates or materials that provide anchors and nutrients for seeds to germinate and plants to grow. The amount of nutrients in these media and their influences on plant growth cannot be overemphasized. However, the experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of nursery growth media on the germination and growth performance of cacao seedlings from April to August, 2020. Materials and Methods: The experimental design used was a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five treatments, poultry manure plus river sand (PM+RS) at a ratio of 3:2, poultry manure plus river sand plus sawdust (PM+RS+SD) at a ratio of 3:1:2, poultry manure plus top soil plus river sand (PM+TS+RS) at a ratio of 3:2:1, poultry manure plus top soil plus sawdust (PM+TS+SD) at a ratio of 3:1:2 and Topsoil (TS). Each treatment was replicated three times. The parameters measured were the days of sprouting, germination rate, seedling height, girth, number of leaves and leaf area. The 15 kg of each treatment were placed in a 10 L plastic bucket perforated at the base. Results: The PM+RS+SD and PM+TS+SD were the highest values recorded. At 10 WAP (weeks after planting), 12 WAP and 14 WAP, PM+RS+SD and PM+TS+SD recorded the highest plant heights (cm) of 30.90, 32.40, 37.45 and 29.59, 32.30, 40.38, respectively which were significantly higher (p<0.05) in values than heights from other media. In respect of stem girth, PM+RS+SD was significantly highest and different from other media from 8 WAP to 12 WAP but was statistically the same with PM+TS+SD at 14 WAP. For the number of leaves produced, PM+TS+SD was significantly different, with 24.33 from others, except for PM+RS+SD, which had 22.33 at 14 WAP. For the leaf area, PM+TS+SD and PM+RS+SD performed better than others. Conclusion: In the context of this work, PM+RS+SD can be recommended for raising cocoa seedlings because of its ability to induce early germination, a very short period of achieving 100% fastest and the highest achievement of plant-assessed growth parameters.
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