Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 © Wilolud Journals, 2016 Printed in Nigeria ISSN: 2141 - 4122 http://www.wiloludjournal.com doi:10.5707/cjbiolsci.2016.9.1.36.43 RESEARCH PAPER EFFECTS OF SELECTED GRAIN RESIDUES ON THE GROWTH OF Entandrophragma angolense (WELW.) C. DC. SEEDLINGS Aghimien, E.V., Ekaun, A.A., Geply, O.A., Essien, N.E., Aghimien, O.G Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Nigeria ABSTRACT Entandropragma angolense is a large tropical forest tree that belongs to the family of Meliaceae and it is popularly called the Mahogany tree. This species is required so as to get rapid and healthy seedlings for plantation establishment in order to cope with the increased demand for its various economic, medicinal and environmental purposes. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of grain residues on the growth of Entandropgragma angolense seedlings. The residues of maize, guinea corn, and millet were weighed into the prepared growth media at levels of 5g and 10g respectively after grinding. The control contains only the topsoil. Each treatment was replicated five times, making a total of twentyfive (25) treatments. The parameter assessed was plant height, stem diameter, leaf production, leaf area and biomass production. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the mean were separated using least significant difference (LSD). This study lasted twelve weeks. Descriptive analysis of the result showed that T4 (containing 10g of millet, guinea corn and maize residues) gave the best performance in terms of height, stem diameter, leaf production, T0 (containing top soil only) gave the best performance in term of leaf area. In addition, analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there is no significant difference among the treatment at 5% level of probability with respect to stem, height, stem diameter and leaf production except leaf area which was significant at 5% level of probability. The result also shows that the use of millet, guinea corn, and maize residues as soil amendment favoured the growth of E. angolense seedlings. Therefore it can be concluded that the residues of millet, guinea corn and maize have a beneficial effect on seedlings performance especially on Entandropragma angolense seedlings at nursery stage. Hence millet, guinea corn and maize residues can be used as alternatives to inorganic fertilizers for seedling production. This will go a long way in reducing the cost of raising seedlings. Key words: Entandropgragma angolense, Seedlings, Growth, Residue Received for Publication: 24/03/16 Accepted for Publication: 10/05/16 Corresponding Author: aghimien4@yahoo.com All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 36 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 INTRODUCTION Entandropragma angolense is a large tropical forest tree that belongs to the family of Meliaceae popularly called the Mahogany tree. It is also known for its large tree of 50m high and 30m in girth (Asiamah, 2000). The wood is usually traded for exterior and interior joinery, furniture, cabinet work, veneer and plywood and is also used for flooring interior trim, paneling, stairs, ship building, vehicle bodies and coffins (Amos et al., 2002). The bark is used in traditional medicine, when it is prepared as concoction. It can be used to treat fever and the bark is also used, usually in external applications, as an anodyne against stomachache and peptic ulcer, ear-ache and kidney, rheumatic or arthritic pains. It is also planted occasionally as a shade tree in banana, coffee and tea plantations (Bickii et al., 2007). Millets are small-seeded grasses that are hardy and grow well in dry zones as rain-fed crops, under marginal conditions of soil fertility and moisture. Millets are also unique due to their short growing season; they can develop from planted seeds to mature. Millet is highly nutritious non-glutinous and not acid-forming foods. Hence they are soothing and when properly stored, the whole millet will keep for two or more years. They are considered to be the least allergic and most digestible grains available compare to paddy rice, especially polished paddy rice. Millet release lesser percentage of glucose and over a longer period of time. Millet is grown as a subsistence crop for local consumption; millet is also cultivated for grazing, green fodder or silage (FAO, 2004). Guinea corn (or sorghum) is a member of the grass family and can thrive in hot areas with rainfall, providing nutrients for millions of people. Sorghum is cultivated as food; by harvesting, the seeds are used in many foods and provide beneficial photochemical (chemical compound that occur naturally in plant) as well as other health promoting benefits (Iwena, 2008). Maize known in some English speaking countries as corn is a large grain plant domesticated by indigenous people in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The maize plant is often 2.5m in height, though some natural strains can grow 12m. The stem has the appearance of a bamboo cane and is commonly composed of 20 internodes of 18cm length; its leaf grows from each node, it is generally 9cm in width and 120cm in length. The leafy stalk produces ear which contain the grain, which are seeds called kerels. Maize kernels are often used in cooking starch (FAO, 2009). Having considered the benefits and advantages of E. angolense, in the areas of medicine and environmental amelioration and realizing the fact that E. angolense is a slow growing plant, it is therefore worth trying to find out what effect the residues of maize, guinea corn and millet will have on the growth of E. angolense seedlings, hence this study is being carried out. All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 37 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 METHODOLOGY Study Area: The experiment was carried out at Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan. The Institute is situated at Jericho quarters in Ibadan North West Local Government Area of Oyo State. The area lies between Latitude 7026’N and Longitude 3036’ E of the Greenwich meridian. The climate of the area is tropical, dominated with an annual rainfall ranging between 1400mm – 1500mm with the average temperature of 26 0C and relative humidity of about 65 – 85%. The area has two distinct seasons, which are dry season (usually November – March) and raining season (April – October) (FRIN, 2012). METHOD The seeds of Entandropragma angolense were collected at Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, while river sand were collected from the stream situated at the back of Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan. The river sand was then put inside germination box. The seeds of Entandropragma angolense were sown into the germination box and watered immediately and placed inside propagator, thereafter watering was done every morning. The seeds of millet, guinea corn and maize were purchased at Eleyele market, Ibadan. The seeds were soaked separately in water for 3days before they were taken to the grinding mill, and after grinding, they were sieved and their residues were collected and air dried in powdery form. The residues were weighed at the soil laboratory of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, with a beam analytical balance into desired values of 5grams and 10grams. Twenty five (25) polythene pots were filled with 2kg of top soil. The grinded residues of millet, guinea corn and maize were weighed and added to each of the replicates and watered immediately. Five (5) treatments were replicated five (5) times, making a total number of 25 seedlings. Seedlings of Entandropragma angolense were then transplanted into the arranged polythene pots containing top soil and residues of millet, guinea corn, and maize and watered immediately. Initial measurements of plant height and stem diameter were taken with measuring ruler and vernier caliper, while leaf number was counted. Subsequent readings were done fortnightly. The laboratory analyses of the top soil and the residues were done at Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation, Ibadan. Parameter to Be Assessment The following parameters were assessed on weekly basis; Plant Height: Measured from the soil surface to the terminal bud with the aid of a meter rule Stem Diameter: Measured with vernier caliper above the colar All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 38 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 Leaf area; Leaf length and leaf width were measure using graduating ruler and leaf area were calculated using formular. Area (cm2) =0.74 x length (cm) x width (cm). Leaf Production: Number of leaves per plant was counted Biomass Production: Assessment of biomass production was carried out at the end of the experiment, where the shoots and the stem of the plant were separated, and the wet weights of each sample were taken with the use of weighing machine. The samples were oven-dried and later recorded. Experimental Design The experiment design adopted for this study is Complete Randomized Design (CRD).The treatments are as follow: T0 = Control (2kg of Top soil only) T1 = 2kg of Top soil + 10g of dried millet residue T2 = 2kg of Top soil + 10g of dried guinea corn residue T3 = 2kg of Top soil + 10kg of dried maize residue T4 = kg of Top soil + 5g of dried millet + 5g of dried guinea corn + 5g of dried maize residue Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. Least significant difference was used to further separate means. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 1 shows that there was no significant difference at 5% probability level on the effect of the residues of maize, guinea corn and millet on the height of Entandropragma angolense seedlings. Table1: Analysis of Variance for Plant Height SV DF SS MS Fcal. Treatments 4 6.144 1.536 1.431 Error 20 21.473 1.074 Total 24 27.617 Not significant at 5% level of probability Ftab. 2.87ns The result also showed that the best height measurement was obtained from T4 (which contain the combination of maize, guinea corn and millet residues). All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 39 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 Table 2: Analysis of Variance for Stem Diameter SV DF SS MS Fcal. Treatments 4 1.407 0.352 2.564 Error 20 2.743 0.137 Total 24 4.150 Not significant at 5% level of probability Ftab. 2.87ns Table 2 shows that there was no significant difference at 5% probability level on the effect of the residues of maize, guinea corn and millet on the stem diameter of Entandropragma angolense seedlings. The best diameter measurement was obtained from T4 (which contains the combination of maize, guinea corn and millet residues). Table 3: Analysis of variance for leaf production SV DF SS MS Fcal. Treatments 4 3.012 0.753 1.853 Error 20 8.126 0.406 Total 24 11.138 Not significant at 5% level of probability Ftab. 2.87ns Table 3 shows that there was no significant difference at 5% probability level on the effect of the residues of maize, guinea corn and millet on the leaf production of Entandropragma angolense seedlings. The best leaf production was obtained from T4 (which contains the combination of maize, guinea corn and millet residues), followed by T0 (which contains top soil only). Table 4: Analysis of variance for leaf area SV DF SS MS Fcal. Treatments 4 92.186 23.046 7.388 Error 20 93.575 3.119 Total 24 185.761 Significant at 5% level of probability, LSD = 9.56 Ftab. 2.87* Table 4 shows that there was no significant difference at 5% probability level on the effect of the residues of maize, guinea corn and millet on the leaf area of Entandropragma angolense seedlings. The best leaf area was obtained from T0 (which contains the top soil only), followed by T4 (which contains the millet residue only) has the least value. Table 8-10 shows that all the nutrients require for plant growth are present in all the grain residues. Therefore the use of grain residues as soil amendment for raising seedlings of Entandropragma angolense is vital. Biomass Assessment Table 5 shows that treatment T1 (containing 10g millet residue) gave the best performance in term of the moisture content of the root biomass accumulation. All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 40 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 Table 5: Biomass Production on the Roots of Entandropragma angolense Seedlings Treatment Fresh weight (g) Dry weight (g) Moisture content (%) T0 (control) 14.10 3.74 13.35 T1 10.12 2.13 375 T2 12.70 2.76 360 14.85 3.89 281 T3 T4 15.34 4,54 237 Table 6 shows that treatment T1 (containing 10g millet residue) gave the best performance in term of the moisture content of the stem biomass accumulation. Table 6: Biomass Production on the Stem of Entandropragma angolense Seedlings Treatment Fresh weight (g) Dry weight (g) Moisture content (%) T0 (control) 15.29 3.08 396 T1 14.50 2.69 439 16.20 3.32 387 T2 T3 19.97 6.40 212 18.83 4.27 341 T4 Table 7 shows that treatment T4 (which contains the combination of maize, guinea corn and millet residue) gave the best performance in term of the moisture content of the leaf biomass accumulation. Table 7: Biomass Production on the Leafs of Entandropragma angolense Seedlings Treatment Fresh weight (g) Dry weight (g) Moisture content (%) T0 (control) 37.66 3.88 870 T1 30.11 3.71 711 37.93 4.51 741 T2 T3 40.04 5.00 701 T4 33.98 3.46 882 CONCLUSION The study revealed that the residues of millet, guinea corn and maize had positive effect on Entandropragma angolense seedlings in terms of stem diameter, height, leaf production, leaf area and biomass production. although the different in treatment is not significant at 5% level of probability, T4 (containing 10g of millet, guinea corn and maize residues) gave the best performance in terms of mean height, mean diameter, mean leaf production and moisture content of leaf biomass production, T0 (containing top soil only) gave the best performance in term of leaf area, while T1 (containing 10g of millet residues) gave the best performance in terms moisture content of root and stem biomass production. All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 41 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 Therefore it can be concluded that the residues of millet, guinea corn and maize have a beneficial effect on seedlings performance especially on Entandropragma angolense seedlings at nursery stage. Hence millet, guinea corn and maize residues can be used as alternatives to inorganic fertilizers for seedling production. This will go a long way in reducing the cost of seedling production. APPENDIX Laboratory Analysis of the Residues Table 8: Chemical Analysis of Millet Residue Parameters Samples Percentage %N 7.0 %Ca 0.85 %Mg 0.58 %K 0.41 Na (PPM) 0.095 P(PPM) 54.237 Fe (PPM) 89.246 Zn (PPM) 47.659 Cu (PPM) 8.663 Se (PPM) 0.003 Source: Laboratory Analysis (2014) Table 9: Chemical Analysis of Guinea Corn Residue Parameters Samples Percentage %N 7.99 %Ca 0.5 %Mg 0.34 %K 0.24 Na (PPM) 0.125 P(PPM) 42.156 Fe (PPM) 34.156 Zn (PPM) 25.146 Cu (PPM) 3.422 Se (PPM) 0.005 Source: Laboratory Analysis (2014) All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 42 Aghimien et al.: Continental J. Biological Sciences 9 (1): 36 - 43, 2016 Table 10: Chemical Analysis of Maize Residue Parameters Samples Percentage %N 8.01 %Ca 0.50 %Mg 0.29 %K 0.19 Na (PPM) 0.096 P(PPM) 39.45 Fe (PPM) 27.157 Zn (PPM) 19.155 Cu (PPM) 2.155 Se (PPM) 0.007 Source: Laboratory Analysis (2014) REFERENCES Amos, S. Orisadipe, A., Binda, L., Emeje, M., Adesomoju, A., Okogun, J., Akah, P., Wambebe, C., and Gamaniel, K., (2002): Behavioural effect in rodents of methyiangolensate; atirter period isolated from Entandropragma angolense. Pharmacology and toxicology 91 (2): 71 – 76 Asiamah, I., (2000): Chemical constituents of the seed of Entandropragma angolense. B.Sc. chemistry Degree Thesis Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Cape Coast Ghana 36pp Bickii, J., Tchouy, G.R.F., Techouankeu, I.C. and Tsamop, E., (2007): The anti-plasmodia agents of the stem back of Entandropragma angolense (Meliaceae). African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternatively Medicines 4(2): 135-139. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (FAO), Statistic Division, (2009): Maize, Rice and Wheat: Area of harvested production quantity yield. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), (2004): Amino acid content of food and biological data on protein, FAO, Rome 2004 pg.50 – 55 Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), (2012): Annual Meteorological Report Iwena O.A., (2008): Essential agriculture science, Tonad Publishes, Ibafo, Ogun State, Nigeria. Pp. 116 – 118 All rights reserved This work by Wilolud Journals is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 43