Effect of poultry manure and cow dung on the growth of <I>Entandrophragma Angolense</I> (WELW) C.DC

Abstract

This study examined the effect of poultry manure and cow dung on the growth of Entandrophragma angolense. The experiment was carried out at Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan. The experiment lasted for 12 weeks. Three weeks old seedlings at two-leaf stage were transplanted into  polythene pots thoroughly mixed with varying levels of poultry manure and cow dung manure with 2 kg of top soil in each pot. Plants in control experiment had no treatment of organic fertilizer. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with seven treatments  which were replicated three times. Plant height, number of leaves, stem girth, and leaf area were assessed weekly. The result obtained from the study shows that the seedlings treated with 10 g of cow dung performed best in all the parameters assessed with 11.73 cm for stem height, 30.58 cm2 for leaf area, 0.29 mm for stem girth and 6 for number of leaves produced and this is followed by seedlings treated with 10 g of poultry  dropping which had 11.52 cm for stem height, 26.48 cm2 for leaf area, 0.27 mm as stem girth and 5 leaves produced during the course of the study. It is thus concluded that cow dung is best used as organic manure for raising seedlings of Entandrophragma angolense during its early growth stage in the nursery.

Keywords: Entandrophragma angolense, poultry manure, cow-dung, growth rate, mahogany