Comparative Analysis of Impact of Soil Mixture and Fertilization on Growth and Seedling Quality of Selected Agroforestry Tree Species

Alemu, Belete; Toru, Tessemma; Estifanos, Solomon

doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6459215

International Journal of Forestry Research

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Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Results and Discussion Conclusions Data Availability Conflicts of Interest Acknowledgments Supplementary Materials References Copyright Related Articles

Research Article | Open Access

Volume 2024 | Article ID 6459215 | https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6459215

Comparative Analysis of Impact of Soil Mixture and Fertilization on Growth and Seedling Quality of Selected Agroforestry Tree Species

Belete Alemu,¹Tessemma Toru,¹and Solomon Estifanos¹

Academic Editor: Anna Źróbek-Sokolnik

Received26 Mar 2023

Revised17 Apr 2024

Accepted20 Apr 2024

Published10 May 2024

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the most suitable soil amendment for germination and early seedling growth of selected indigenous multipurpose agroforestry tree species, viz., Cordia africana, Fiadherbia albida, Millettia ferruginea, and Moringa stenopetala at Haramaya University, Ethiopia. Seedlings were raised in polythene tubes having 10 cm diameter and 15 cm height and the experimental plots were laid out with eight treatments (i.e., potting soil mixture of, A = agricultural soil, M = manure, S = sand, D = DAP, and U = Urea) and three replications. The morphological attributes of seedlings such as shoot and root height, root collar diameter, leaf area were measured to assess tree seedlings vigor and robustness. Analysis of variance indicated that the shoot height of C. africana, F. albida, and M. ferruginea were significantly different () whereas shoot height of M. stenopetala was highly significant (). Actual leaf area (cm²) of F. albida and M. stenopetala were significantly different () and estimated leaf area (cm²) of the four species were highly significant at (). Treatment 8 (3A: 2M: 1S) for C. africana, treatment 5 (3A: 2M: 1S: 23U) for F. albida and treatment 2 (2A: 2M: 2S: 25D) for both M. stenopetala and M. ferruginea exhibited the lowest sturdiness quotient, which indicates that they are good-quality seedling for plantation. The shoot-to-height ratio indicated positive correlation with most seedling growth parameters whereas root collar diameter and sturdiness quotient showed negative correlation for all species. Treatment 3 (3A: 2M: 1S: 75D) is recommended as the best pot soil mix and fertilization compared to all other treatments, though it needs further study.

1. Introduction

There is increasing pressure on forest resources from competing sectors for food and energy production, settlement, and other purposes. The green growth approach is proposed to harmonize competing paradigms [1, 2]. Nowadays, forest conservation and development dominates the global sustainability discourses on the management of the world’s forests [3]. However, such discourses also pay less attention to the different situations in developed and developing countries [4].

As in many countries in the tropics forest destruction, land degradation, and loss of biodiversity are significant environmental problems in Ethiopia [5, 6]. In the highlands of Ethiopia, the indigenous tree species have been mainly replaced by a few exotic species, notably Eucalyptus. Certainly, those exotics are essential for the livelihood of the rural populations today, but they cannot provide such a wide variety of products and services as do indigenous trees [7]. Even if the forest sector in Ethiopia plays a vital role in mitigating and adapting climate change, it is constrained by inferior quality of planting material and species-site matching and a lack of access to quality seedlings [8–10].

Nursery-related problems are manyfold but not limited to low genetic quality of available germplasm, lack of support facilities such as seed orchards and an efficient seed supply pathway, lack of skills in the nursery sector, lack of markets, and lack of profitability. Smallholders also lack knowledge about the importance of using high-quality seedlings, a major factor limiting the market demand for higher-priced high-quality seedlings [11, 12]. Growth medium has been reported to be the most critical factor determining seedling quality in the nursery [13]. The quality of seedlings is significantly influenced by the growth medium [14]. To raise quality seedlings, nursery techniques should begin with knowing the appropriate soil composition for each tree species. Poor seedling propagation rates can be attributed to inadequate knowledge of their requirements including appropriate growth media that can enhance their growth at the nursery [15]. Soil amendment has been reported [16, 17] as a factor for improving soil structure. In the study area, tree seedling production is constrained by poor-quality nursery soil mix emanating from lack of forest soil and competing interest for manure from different vegetables, coffee (Coffee arabica), and Khat (Catha edulis) producers [18]. The current study area, Haramaya University’s tree nursery uses a soil mixture of three-ratio-to-two-ratio-to-one (agricultural soil, manure, and sand, respectively) as a medium of tree seedling growth. The study hypothesized that the seedling growth rate is influenced by the tree nursery soil amendments. Therefore, this study strived to experiment the better tree nursery soil amendment for four selected indigenous agroforestry tree species of Ethiopia.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Description of the Study Area

The study was conducted at the Haramaya University (Figure 1) forest nursery site, eastern Hararghe zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The Haramaya University is located 510 km east of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Its altitude ranges from 1890 to 2043 m a.s.l. and geographically; it is located at 9°24′15″_9°25′45″N and 42°1′45″_42°2′30″E. The mean annual precipitation is 801 mm and is characterized by bimodal structure. The dry period extends from October to January inclusive. The wet season starts in February. The monthly rainfall is more than 100 mm from April to September, except in June (65 mm). The wettest month is August with 144 mm. The daily temperature ranges from about 10°C to 25°C.

2.2. Experimental Design and Procedure

Seedlings were raised in polythene tubes having 10 cm diameter and 15 cm height. The experimental plots were laid with eight (8) treatments and three (3) replications in complete randomized design (CRD). Polythene tubes were filled with different soil mixes (agricultural soil (A), sand soil (S) and manure (M), and two types of inorganic fertilizer (DAP or di-ammonium phosphate and urea) were used at varying rates. The use of organic manure to meet the nutrient requirement of crop would be an inevitable practice since organic manures generally improve the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties along with conserving capacity of the moisture holding capacity of soil and this, resulting in enhanced crop productivity along with maintain the quality of crop produce [19]. Di-ammonium Phosphate comes as a granule contains 18-46-0 (18% N, 46% phosphorus pent oxide (P₂O₅), and no potassium oxide (K₂O). Its Molecular formula is (NH₄)2HPO₄, and the molecular weight is 132.056 g·mol⁻¹. DAP fertilizer is an excellent source of P and nitrogen (N) for plant nutrition. It is highly soluble and thus dissolves quickly in soil to release plant-available phosphate and ammonium [20]. The combination of soil mixes were as follows: T1 = 3 part of agriculture soil; 1 part of manure; 2 part of sand, and 50 kg·ha⁻¹ DAP (3A: 1M: 2S:50D) T2 = 2 part of agriculture soil; 2 part of manure; 2 part of sand, and 25 kg·ha⁻¹ DAP (2A: 2M: 2S: 25D) T3 = 3 part of agriculture soil; 2 part of manure; 1 part of sand, and 75 kg·ha⁻¹ DAP (3A: 2M: 1S: 75D) T4 = 1 part of agriculture soil; 2 part of manure; 3 part of sand, and 46 kg·ha⁻¹ urea (1A: 2M: 3S: 46U) T5 = 3 part of agriculture soil; 2 part of manure; 1 part of sand, and 23 kg·ha⁻¹ urea (3A: 2M: 1S: 23U) T6 = 2 part of agriculture soil; 2 part of manure; 2 part of sand; and 23 kg·ha⁻¹ urea (2A:2M: 2S: 23U) T7 = 3 part of agriculture soil; 1 part of manure; 2 part of sand, and 46 kg·ha⁻¹ urea (3A: 1M: 2S: 46U) T8 = 3 part of agriculture soil, 2 part of manure and 1 part of sand (control) (3A: 2M: 1S)

2.3. Soil Sample Preparation, Laboratory Analysis and Pot Filling

2.3.1. Soil Sample Preparation and Laboratory Analysis

Agricultural soil was taken from the Haramaya University (HU) farm site and Cattles’ manure was taken from Haramaya University nursery site and sand soil from nearest area. The physicochemical properties of soil were tested at HU soil chemistry laboratory following the standard procedures. The soil samples were first air dried, crushed and sieved with 2-mm mesh for chemical properties assessment except for soil organic carbon, which was subjected to pass through 0.5 mesh. Soil texture was determined by the Bouyoucos hydrometer method [21] Soil : 2.5 (soil: water ratio) by pH meter [22]. Total nitrogen (TN) was determined using the micro-Kjeldahl digestion, distillation, and titration process as described by [23]. The available soil phosphorus was determined using the Olsen method [24] and exchangeable potassium by flame photometry [25]. The potassium dichromate method was used for the analysis of soil organic matter content and EC in soil was analyzed using conductivity meter [23] Percent of organic matter was calculated by the following formula: [26, 27].

2.3.2. Pot Filling and Seed Sowing

Soil and inorganic fertilizer were mixed with different ratios (agricultural soil, manure, sand, and inorganic fertilizers) and wetted by water. Polythene tubes were filled by hand, and in the middle of the polythene tube, a hole was first pressed into the soil by a picking stick to bury the seed and facilitate germination. Certified seeds were obtained from the Ethiopian Forest Research Institute. After sowing seeds in each polythene tube, watering was undertaken twice a day for the first two weeks. Then after, watering was done at the field capacity level as necessary.

2.4. Seedlings Data Collection

A total of 480 seedlings were grown to increase the precision of the experiment. This means five pots were used for a single treatment and one species because there might be germination failure. As stated in the experimental design the data were taken from three (3) replication for each treatments and each species. In general, the data were taken from 24 seedlings for one species and 96 seedlings for the four (4) species. The morphological features used to determine seedling quality were: shoot height (cm), root length (cm), number of leaves per plant, estimated leaf area (cm²) and actual leaf area (cm²), root collar diameter (mm), and shoot and root dry weight (g). Estimated leaf area (cm²) was determined by multiplying the midrib length by leaf width. Easily measured leaf parameters such as length and width, and their combinations have been used for nondestructive leaf area estimation, though the accuracy of the predictions is dependent on the variation of the leaf shape due to differential genotypes [28]. The actual leaf area (cm²) was determined by using a CID Bio-Science portable laser leaf area meter. The leaf area index (LAI) was calculated by dividing the actual leaf area by the polythene tube area. The leaf area correction factor (CF) was calculated by the following equation:where ELA is the Estimated Leaf Area, CF is the Leaf Area Correction Factor and ALA is the Actual Leaf Area. Sturdiness quotient (SQ) was calculated as follows:

The lower the sturdiness quotient value; the higher the seedling quality. A sturdiness quotient of less than 6 has been suggested as a desired characteristic of high-quality seedlings in tropical systems [29] broadly suggesting that lower values are preferable. Studies have also found sturdiness quotient to correlate with seedling survival and initial growth following outplanting [30]. The total measurement was continued up to a maximum of 110 days for all species and measurement was done in 15-day intervals. The dried weight was determined after the samples were dried in an oven at 68°C for 48 h [12]. At the end of the experiment and after removing the soil, shoot height and root length (cm) were measured using a ruler, and root collar diameter (mm) was measured by Vernier caliper whereas shoot and root dry weights (g) were measured by sensitive electronic balance.

2.5. Data Analysis and Interpretation

The data were analyzed using R statistical software team core version 4.0.3 and mean comparison, which was done using LSD test (least significant difference) at a probability of 0.05%, and Pearson correlation test was also used to determine relation among different treatments. Finally, results interpreted and presented in graph and table formats.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Soil Physicochemical Properties

3.1.1. Soil Physicochemical Properties

Soil laboratory results indicated the presence of high soil nutrients in soil samples with a mixture of manure whereas lower soil nutrients were rerecorded for agricultural and sand soil. The lower percent of N and available P could be related to the lower concentration of soil OM, which could result from low plant residue and a lower rate of decomposition [31, 32]. As depicted in Table 1, exchangeable potassium is lower in the sand than other soil mixtures, resulting in the absence of organic matter. Treatments with organic matter or manure mixture witnessed slightly basic characteristics, whereas agricultural soil had slightly acidic characteristics. This indicates that adding organic matter to soil can minimize soil acidity besides improving soil fertility [33]. Except for sandy soil where it was lower, the soil organic matter for other soil mixtures was greater than 3%, indicating good soil aggregate stability [34]. According to [35], if the percentage of soil organic carbon percent falls below 1, the compaction and friability characteristics of soils become more limiting for plant growth and tillage operations. The soil textural classes (USDA, 2008) were sandy loam and loam sand which indicated the presence of manure in the soil mixture. The texture is important with more clayey soils but less influenced by soil organic matter [32].

3.2. Morphological Characteristics of Seedlings

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated significant difference of shoot height of Cordia africana among treatments at (). However, no significant difference was observed between T4, T5, and T7. As depicted in Table 2, T3 and T2 scored the highest shoot height at 110 days after sowing compared to the other treatments [36, 37]. Besides, treatments 3, 4, and 7 had higher collar diameters than the other treatments. As shown in (Table 2), the seedling height of Fiadherbia albida was significantly different () while the root length was not. However, no significant difference in shoot height () was encountered among T3, T5, T6, and T7. On the other hand, T1 had the least shoot height and root collar diameter [30, 38, 39]. The shoot height of Moringa stenopetala was highly significant at () but the root length was significant at (). Treatments 7 and T5 achieved the highest shoot height and root collar diameter at 110 days after sowing compared to the other treatments. Similarly, a significant difference was observed in the shoot height of Millettia ferruginea at . However, no significant difference was observed in the root length at (). Treatments 2 and T3 achieved the highest shoot (cm) and root collar diameter (mm) at 110 days of sowing compared to the other treatments. The sturdiness quotients of all treatments ranged from 3.92 to 5.30, which indicates the vigor of seedlings though there were slight differences within treatments [12].

The current study has shown R: S ratio ranging from 0.28 to 0.52, 0.31–0.48, and 0.21–0.61 with mean value of 0.4 for C. africana, F. albida, and M. ferruginea respectively. On the other hand, the R: S ratio M. stenopetala was 0.37–0.86 with a mean value of 0.62 [40].

3.3. Mean Shoot Height at Different Durations of Measurement

The shoot height of treatments with mixture of manure and inorganic fertilizers were significantly different at () (Table 3). Treatment 2 for C. africana and M. stenopetala, T4 for F. albida and T7 for M. ferruginea has shown highly significant differences compared to the other treatments indicating that species responded differently to different soil mixtures. The result is corroborated with the findings of where they reported a positive repose of plant height to the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers, which might be due to the presence of macro and micronutrients in the organic matter [41, 42]. Plant height increased with the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers due to increased absorption of available nutrients [43]. While inorganic fertilizers render nutrients, which are readily accessible in soil solution and thereby making them instantaneously available, organic fertilizers provide nutrients through microbial activities [41, 44]. Another study [45] demonstrated better growth parameter of seedlings on application of mixed organic and inorganic fertilizers.

3.4. Actual and Estimated Leaf Area

The result showed the actual leaf area of C. africana was significantly different at () with a mean leaf area correction factor (LACF) of 0.59. It was also noted that T5, T3, and T7 scored the highest actual leaf area (cm²) in descending order. The actual leaf area of F. albida was highly significant at (). T4 treatment scored the highest estimated and actual leaf area (cm²). On the other hand, T1 and T8 have showed the lowest actual leaf area (cm²). Mean Leaf Area Correction Factor (LACF) for F. albida was found 0.63 (Table 4). Similar to F. albida, the actual leaf area of M. stenopetala was highly significant at (). Of all the treatments, T5 and T2 scored the highest actual leaf area (cm²); whereas T3 and T6 scored the lowest actual leaf area (cm²). The leaf area correction factor (LACF) for M. stenopetala was 0.73. As depicted in Table 4, the actual leaf area of M. ferruginea was significantly different at (). As indicated in the same table, T3 and T4 had the highest actual leaf area (cm²) compared to the other treatments. On the contrary, T8 had the lowest leaf area, which indicates some nutrient deficiencies in the soil mix and the need for amendment with inorganic fertilizers [34]. The productivity potential of the plant is determined by the leaf area [17, 28, 34]. An increase in absorbed photosynthetically active radiation increases gross primary productivity (GPP), as GPP is proportional to absorbed photosynthetically active radiation. Accordingly, GPP increases with increasing LAI [46].

The following figures were taken at different durations of seedling growth and data collection. They indicates the seedlings of C. africana (Figure 2), C. africana seedlings ready for measurements of the intended parameters (Figure 3), seedlings of M. stenopetala (Figure 4), seedlings of M. ferruginea (Figure 5), root of M. stenopetala ready for collar diameter and root length measurement (Figure 6), A. albida seedlings ready for measurements of the intended parameters (Figure 7), sample seedlings of A. albida ready for the measurements of the dry matter (Figure 8), and pots arrangement and early seedlings growth (Figure 9).

3.5. Interrelation between Seedling Growth Characteristics

Table 5 depicts that, shoot height, number of leaves, and actual leaf area of C. africana has shown strong positive correlation whereas, sturdiness quotient, root collar diameter and estimated leaf were positively correlated. For M. stenopetala shoot height, number of leaves, actual leaf area, estimated leaf area and root collar diameter indicated strong positive correlation. In contrast, sturdiness quotient, root length, leaf area correction factor and shoot height were positively correlated. In case of F. albida, shoot height, number of leaves, actual leaf area, and leaf area correction factor and root collar diameter showed strong positive correlation while root length and leaf area index were positively correlated. On the other hand estimated leaf area, leaf area correction factor and sturdiness indicated negative correlation. For M. ferruginea, all the other parameters showed positive correlation with shoot height except sturdiness quotient and leaf area correction factor [47–50]. Root collar diameter and Sturdiness quotient showed negative correlation for all species considered.

4. Conclusions

Understanding seedling nutrient requirements and existing correlations between morphological parameters is critical in identifying the best production methods for the production of vigorous seedlings. The current study considered different soil mixes and fertilization and evaluated morphological parameters that insure seedlings’ vigor and robustness. Even if, some variations are observed among the plants considered, a soil mixture with both inorganic and organic fertilizers has shown better performance. Finally, treatment 3 (3A: 2M: 1S: 75D) is recommended as the best pot soil mix and fertilization compared to all other treatments, though it needs further study on other indigenous tree species to support plantation efforts.

Data Availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study is self-sponsored.

Supplementary Materials

(A) The following tables indicate the morphological characteristics of four species (C. africana, F. albida, M. stenopetala, and M. ferruginea) seedlings. (1) Shoot height (Ht) measurement for C. africana at different stages of seedling growth. (2) Shoot height (Ht) measurement for F. albida at different stages of seedling growth. (3) Shoot height (Ht) measurement for M. stenopetala at different stages of seedling growth. (4) Shoot height (Ht) measurement for M. ferruginea at different stages of seedling growth. (5) Measurement of morphological characteristics (mean Ht, leaf, root and dry matter and sturdiness quotient) for Cordia africana. (6) Measurement of morphological characteristics (mean Ht, leaf, root and dry matter and sturdiness quotient) for Fiadherbia albida. (7) Measurement of morphological characteristics (mean Ht, leaf, root and dry matter and sturdiness quotient) for Millettia ferrugenea. (8) Measurement of morphological characteristics (mean Ht, leaf, root and dry matter and sturdiness quotient) for Moringa stenopetala. (B) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results. (1) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Cordia africana parameter after 110 days of measurement. (2) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Fiadherbia albida parameter after 110 days of measurement. (3) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Moringa stenopetala parameter after 110 days of measurement. (4) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for Millettia ferruginea parameter after 110 days of measurement. (Supplementary Materials)

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Copyright © 2024 Belete Alemu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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