TITLE:
The Effect of Indigenous Growth Media on Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev in Ghana
AUTHORS:
Edward Yeboah, Daniel Aninagyei Ofori, Theresa Peprah, Ramni Harmanjeet Jamnadass, Alain Tsobeng
KEYWORDS:
Allanblackia, Bio-Accumulation, Growth Media, Mycorrhiza
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.6 No.5,
May
30,
2016
ABSTRACT: Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. also called vegetable
tallow tree provides a variety of non-timber forest products of great
importance to rural households including
shade, timber, medicine and seed oil but attempts have not been made to improve the tree species and increase
its production. Consequently, the species is being threatened due to
unsustainable exploitation and poor regeneration and cultivation appears as the
only viable option. In order to cultivate the species at meaningful scale, it
is necessary to establish the optimum range of environmental factors that
influence its propagation and growth. This study was therefore designed to
investigate Allanblackia growth parameters
and bio-accumulation under different growth media in a greenhouse study. The
media were: 1) TS = top soil alone, 2) AB soil = Allanblackia soil alone, 3) TS + H = Top soil alone + humus, 4) AB +
TS = Allanblackia soil alone + Top
soil alone and 5) SAB = Sterilized Allanblackia soil alone. Each treatment was replicated three times in a complete randomized design.
The experiment lasted for 18 months. Results showed that Fe was the
micronutrient that accumulated greatest in the plant tissue. Among the
treatments, Allanblackia soil showed
the highest accumulation of Zn in the plant tissue with the top soil showing
the least (7.67 mg·kg-l). Humus
contributed largely to the bio-accumulation of Cu in the plant tissue.
Bio-accumulation of manganese in the plant tissue ranged from 13.30 mg·kg-l to 207 mg·kg-l suggesting difference in manganese absorption by Allanblackia as influenced by the
treatments. The growth parameters of Allanblackia parviflory were impacted differently
by the growth media. The result was however controversial since no differences
were found between growth of seedlings in sterilized Allanblackia soil and Allanblackia soil.