C.B. Aké, G.G. Zanh, K.J.M. Kouman and Y.S.S. Barima
Abstract
This study was carried out in Daloa for the preservation of Ziziphus mauritiana, a drought resilient wild plant species and multipurpose shrub which is affected by human actions like bush-fire and deforestation. For this purpose, dried seeds were sown in four-duplicate sub-blocks of polyethylene bags to assess the influence of four (4) substrates on the germination and seedlings growth. The tested substrates were: S1 (cocoa pod + topsoil: ¼; ¾), S2 (sawdust + topsoil: ¼; ¾), S3 (poultry dung + topsoil: ¼; ¾), and S4 (topsoil) as control. Results showed that germination rates were 50%, 63%, 62% and 68% respectively in S1, S2, S3 and S4. However, the duration for germination was the shortest and the best in substrate S2 (14 days), about 17 days with the control and over 30 days with S1 and S3. The seedlings height was significantly better (P<0.05) during the month 3 in substrate S2 (34.4±4.18 cm) compared to the control (26.8±3.94 cm). And, over the months 5 and 6, the seedlings heights in substrate S3 were respectively 62.5±7.86 cm and 110.8±32.30 cm, and significantly different to the control (35.1±4.01 cm: 44.0±10.55 cm). The other parameters evaluated were not impacted by the addition of agricultural inputs to topsoil. Conversely, substrate S1 has given the lowest values. Therefore, mixture of sawdust + topsoil or poultry dung + topsoil (¼;3/4 proportion) has improved seedlings height, which would be beneficial to promote domestication of Z. mauritiana.