Growth Performance of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Seedlings as Affected by Organic Fertilizer Under Nursery Condition

Moringa is a plant of great importance because of its industrial, medicinal and food uses. The leaves, pods, flowers, fruits, roots, bark, and seeds of Moringa oleifera can be used to treat water, as a nutritional supplement and as an extract to treat bacterial or fungal skin problems. The plant is not very demanding in terms of fertilizer, but a minimal intake improves its yield. During the nursery stage, the nutrient content of the soil should be high enough to sustain the plant's life cycle. This study was conducted to assess the growth response of Moringa oleifera to different rates of organic fertilizer, with the objective of determining the rate that supports optimum plant growth under nursery condition. Varying rates of poultry manure compost (0 g, 100 g, 200 g and 300 g) were added in a treatment pot at 14 and 30 days after transplant. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Growth parameters measured include plant height, stem girth, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem and root. The results revealed that seedling height at 8th weeks after transplant showed a significant difference between the organic treatment and the control. The highest plant height was obtained from the treatment applied with 200 g organic fertilizer (123.25 cm), followed by 300 g (122.10 cm) and 100 g (115.35 cm). The fertilizer treatments also significantly affected the stem girth with the highest value for 200 g organic fertilizer (1.44 cm) and the control having the lowest value of 0.94 cm. The leaf area was significantly affected by organic fertilizer; however, there was no significant difference (P< 0.05) between 200 g and 300 g of organic fertilizer. Other than that, 300 g of organic fertilizer recorded the highest value of fresh and dry weight of leaves and stem but no significant difference with the 200 g. The result revealed that organic fertilizer appeared as an effective amendment to enhance the growth and vigour of Moringa oleifera in the nursery. This study concluded that the growth of Moringa oleifera was maximized using 300 g of organic fertilizer which is statistically significant (P<0.05) as compared to other treatments, but as increases from 200 to 300 g were small, 200 g may be optimal.