Performance and Dry Matter Accumulation of Groundnut in an Ultisol Amended with Phosphorus and Lime.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Adequate yield improvement in groundnut may not be achieved in acid sand Ultisol through the application of mineral phosphorus alone, however, a combined application of lime and phosphorus fertilizer may be a better management option in such soils. Hence, this study evaluated the effects of four levels of lime (0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 t ha¹) and four phosphorus (P) levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg ha¹) on the performance of groundnut (<i>Arachis hypogaea </i>L.) in the humid rainforest of South Eastern Nigeria. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The study was a factorial experiment laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and consisted of sixteen treatment combinations replicated three times each. <b>Results:</b> The result obtained showed that the application of phosphorus fertilizer and lime had a significant (p<0.05) effect on plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, 75 kg ha¹ P and 8.0 t ha¹ lime resulted in the highest growth parameter. Similarly, 75 kg ha¹ P and 8.0 t ha¹ lime significantly improved the number of pods per plant 30.67, pod yield 3.58 t ha¹, biomass yield of 4.68 t ha¹, seed yield of 2.1 t ha¹ and 100 seed weight of 44.58 g, seed yield of groundnut while curtailing the number of unfilled pods 2.33. <b>Conclusion:</b> Application of phosphorus and lime at 75 kg ha¹ P and 8.0 t ha¹ lime is a beneficial agronomic practice that could enhance the productivity of groundnut in the Calabar rainforest zone of Cross River State.

Yield Performance and Leaf Nutrient Composition of Bambara Groundnut Under Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculation in a Poultry Manure Amended Ultisol.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Researchers are now targeting the possibility of sustainably producing crops without polluting the soil and groundwater through the integrated use of Poultry Manure (PM) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). The present study was undertaken to investigate the yield response and leaf nutrient composition of Bambara groundnut under arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation in poultry manure amended ultisol during the 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a 4×5 factorial experiment consisting of four levels of poultry manure and four inoculums of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi plus the un-inoculated control and was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block design (RCBD) with three replications to give 20 treatment combinations. RESULTS: Sole applications of poultry manure and AMF inoculums significantly increased P, K, Ca and Mg contents in the leaves of Bambara groundnut over control plants in both years of study. Soil amended with 8 t ha-1 of poultry manure and at the same time inoculated with Gigaspora gigantea gave the highest pod yield in both years, while soil amended with 12 t ha-1 of PM and inoculated with Glomus clarum as well as soil amended with 8 t ha-1 of PM and inoculated with Gigaspora gigantea gave the highest seed yield. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that soil inoculated with Glomus clarum and Gigaspora gigantea and amended with 8 and 12 tons ha-1 of poultry manure in single or combination were more efficient and consistent in the enhancement of growth on marginal soils.