Abstract
The establishment of cocoa farms has been popular with the use of nursed seedlings in polybags. Availability of fertile topsoil for nursing cocoa seedlings is becoming limited and poor seedling growth of cocoa in the nurseries has been ascribed to the use of unsuitable potting media. A search for an alternative means of raising healthy seedlings at the nursery that will accelerate seedling growth is what this trial investigates. The experiment was laid out in 2 x 5 factorial arranged in Completely Randomized Design with four replications. Two soils, ‘Black soil’ obtained from a refuse dump and topsoil of Wacri series, collected from an old cocoa farm were used. Five fertilizer sources, control, inorganic, organic and two foliar fertilizers were used. Seedlings were raised from mixed hybrid cocoa and assessed at bi-weekly intervals for 14 weeks for growth. Initial soil analyses showed that the Black soil was relatively fertile compared to the Wacri series. Percent seedling emergence was initially higher with the unfertilized soil than the fertilized. Dry matter yields of roots and leaves were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the fertilizer. Application of fertilizers had no significant (p>0.05) effect on stem dry matter yield. Finally, seedlings from the Black soil which had higher initial fertility status performed better than those of Wacri series. With the different fertilizers on the growth performance and dry matter production, foliar fertilizer treatments performed better compared with the organic and inorganic fertilizers. From the experiment, it is concluded that the well decomposed Black soil from the refuse dump remains the best medium for the nursery work, but in the absence of this medium, less fertile topsoil could be used for raising cocoa seedlings and the growth boosted with foliar fertilizers.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Seedling emergence of cocoa was higher with unfertilized soil than with fertilized soil.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- fertilizede1
- Outcome
- Percent seedling emergencee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- unfertilized soile1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“Percent seedling emergence was initially higher with the unfertilized soil than the fertilized”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer significantly affected dry matter yield of cocoa roots and leaves.
- Taxon
- cocoaTheobroma cacaot0
- Treatment
- the fertilizere1
- Outcome
- Dry matter yields of roots and leavese1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“Dry matter yields of roots and leaves were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the fertilizer”
Claim · model-written summary
Fertilizer application had no significant effect on cocoa stem dry matter yield.
- Taxon
- cocoaTheobroma cacaot0
- Treatment
- Application of fertilizerse1
- Outcome
- stem dry matter yielde1
- Direction
- no significante1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“Application of fertilizers had no significant (p>0.05) effect on stem dry matter yield”
Claim · model-written summary
Cocoa seedlings grown in Black soil performed better than those grown in Wacri series soil.
- Taxon
- cocoaTheobroma cacaot0
- Treatment
- Black soile1
- Outcome
- performed bettere1
- Direction
- bettere1
- Qualifier
- higher initial fertility statuse1
- Comparator
- Wacri seriese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“seedlings from the Black soil which had higher initial fertility status performed better than those of Wacri series”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar fertilizer treatments performed better than organic and inorganic fertilizers for cocoa growth performance and dry matter production.
- Taxon
- cocoaTheobroma cacaot0
- Treatment
- foliar fertilizer treatmentse1
- Outcome
- growth performance and dry matter productione1
- Direction
- performed bettere1
- Comparator
- the organic and inorganic fertilizerse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“With the different fertilizers on the growth performance and dry matter production, foliar fertilizer treatments performed better compared with the organic and inorganic fertilizers”
Claim · model-written summary
The well decomposed Black soil from the refuse dump is the best medium for cocoa nursery work.
- Taxon
- cocoaTheobroma cacaot0
- Outcome
- best medium for the nursery worke1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“growth of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) seedlings”
e1“the well decomposed Black soil from the refuse dump remains the best medium for the nursery work”
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