Preliminary Assessment on Effects of Organic Manure on Early Growth Performance of African Mahogany (Afzelia africana Sm. ex Pers.) Seedlings in Tertiary Institutional Forestry Nursery, Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

Afzelia Africana (African mahogany), commonly known as African oak, is a tropical African tree. It is valued for its high-grade timber but has good potential to provide fodder for livestock and food. The objective of this work there is to conduct a preliminary assessment on the effects of organic manure on early growth performance of African mahogany (Afzelia africana Sm. ex Pers.) Seedlings in Tertiary Institutional Forestry Nursery, Makurdi, Nigeria using standard methods. Data collection on seedling height, collar diameter, number of leaves and leaf length were measured at biweekly for eleven (11) weeks. The findings showed that the growth response and production of Afzelia africana seedlings were improved by both sources of organic manure. At eleven (11) weeks following manure application, the  results showed that plants that got 6g CD were superior, with a mean height of 34.53 cm, a mean collar diameter of 4.40 mm, and a mean number of leaves of 15.73 (count). The mean leaf length (7.13m) was gained from CD (6g) and PD (9g) respectively. The results also revealed that seedlings of Afzelia africana yielded better growth at every two weeks of assessment except for collar diameter where control show a considerable result and leaf length where there was a decrease in their performance. According to the results, when compared to control and poultry droppings, cow dung at a rate of 6g recorded significantly higher growth performance. Consequently, farmers could use cow dung in their fields, which has more advantages in terms of improved growth characteristics than poultry manures and control.