ABSTRACT

The experiment was conducted using Brachiara murandu (paliside grass) to determine the Emergence potential of Brachiara murandu as influence by different fertilizer rates in northern guinea savanna of Nigeria. The experiment consisted of six treatments NPK 0-0-0 Kg ha-1 (control),  NPK 20 Kg ha-1, NPK 40 Kg ha-1, NPK 60 Kg ha-1, NPK 80 Kg ha-1, and NPK 100 Kg ha-1. The treatments was replicated three time making up 18 plots, and assign using Complete Randomise Block Design (CRBD). the parameters measured were plants height, number of leaf, leaf lenght, leaf width,  Germination percentage ,stand counts, and seed vigour. The results observed  at the end of fifth week of the experiment shows that the application of NPK 80 kg ha-1 and NPK 100 kg ha-1 significantly led to the  production of the taller plant, wider leaf, better plant populations per m2 ,more number of leaves, and better germination percentage. Therefore it can be concluded that, application of NPK fertilizer at the rate of 80 Kg ha-1 and 100 Kg ha-1 led to better germination percentage, higher plant population per m2, more number of leaves and taller plant height. further study is required for forage yield and dry matter determination of paliside grass (Brachiara murandu) at NAPRI Shika.

ABLE OF CONTENTS6

DECLARATION.............................................................................................................................ii

CERTIFICATION..........................................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..............................................................................................................iv

DEDICATION.................................................................................................................................v

ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................vi

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS......................................................................................xii

CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................1

1.0 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1

1.1  Problems Statement and Justification  Of  The study...............................................................3

1.2 Objectives of the Study..............................................................................................................4

1.3 the Specific Objectives were to:................................................................................................4

1.4 Hypothesis.................................................................................................................................5

CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................................6

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW..........................................................................................................6

2.1 Origin, adaptation and Distribution...........................................................................................6

2.2 Botanical description.................................................................................................................7

2.3 B. ruziziensis as a forage crop...................................................................................................7

2.4 Environmental requirements......................................................................................................8

2.4.1 Soil requirements....................................................................................................................8

2.4.2 Moisture requirement..............................................................................................................9

2.4.3 Temperature requirement........................................................................................................9

2.4.4 Light requirement.................................................................................................................10

2.5 Role of grasses in Livestock Production.................................................................................10

2.4 Effect of Inorganic Fertilizer on Brachiaria Production......................................................137

2.5 Brachiaria murandu (paliside grass)....................................................................................15

2.6 The Biology and Agronomy of Brachiaria..........................................................................16

2.7 Poisonous aspects of Brachiaria...........................................................................................17

2.8 Brachiaria in Intergrated crop livestock production systems...............................................18

CHATER THREE.........................................................................................................................22

3.0 Materials and Methods.........................................................................................................22

3.1 Description of the experimental site....................................................................................22

3.2 Experimental Design............................................................................................................22

3.3 Seedbed preparation.............................................................................................................22

3.4 Planting and fertilizer application........................................................................................22

3.1.0 Data collection..................................................................................................................23

3.1.1Plant counts:...................................................................................................................23

3.1.2 Plant height:...................................................................................................................23

3.1.3 Number of leaves:.........................................................................................................23

3.1.4 Leaf width......................................................................................................................23

3.1.5 Number of tillers:..........................................................................................................23

3.1.6 Stand Counts..................................................................................................................24

3.1.7 Germination Percentage................................................................................................24

The formula use was...............................................................................................................24

3.1.8 Seed Vigor.....................................................................................................................24

3.1.9 Statistical Analyses........................................................................................................24

CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................................26

4.0 Results..................................................................................................................................26

4.1 Soil Analysis........................................................................................................................26

4.3 Plant Height..........................................................................................................................288

4.4 Numbers of Leaves..............................................................................................................29

4.5 Leaf Lenght..........................................................................................................................30

4.6 Leaf width............................................................................................................................31

4.7 Number of Tillers.................................................................................................................32

4.8 Germination percentage.......................................................................................................33

4.9 stand Counts.........................................................................................................................34

4.8 Seed vigour..........................................................................................................................35

CHAPTER FIVE...........................................................................................................................36

5.0 DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................36

5.1 Effect of NPK fertilizer on germination percentage and stand count of paliside grass (Brachiaria murandu)...........................

5.2 Effect of NPK fertiliser on number of tillers of peliside grass (Brachiara murandu).........36

5.3 Effect of NPK fertiliser on number of leaves of peliside grass (Brachiara murandu)........37

5.4 Effect of NPK fertiliser on leaf width of peliside grass (Brachiara murandu)...................37

CHAPTER SIX..............................................................................................................................38

6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................38

6.1 Limitation of thestudy.........................................................................................................38

References..................................................................................................................................39

Appendix....................................................................................................................................459