TITLE:
Use of Oyster Shell Ash of Crassostrea spp. in Mass Production of Sanitized Seedlings of Colocasia esculenta L. Schott by the PIF Method and Influence of Some Fertilizers during Their Growth in Acclimation
AUTHORS:
Astride C. Djeuani, H. D. Mbouobda, O. Nzie, J. K. Ngoï, N. Niemenak
KEYWORDS:
Colocasia esculenta L. Schott, Oyster Shell Ash, PIF Methods, Seed Plants, Acclimation, Fertilization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.8 No.11,
November
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: The scarcity of Colocasia esculenta L. Schott seeds available to cover the needs of farmers is attributed to the attacks of Phytophthora colocasiae Racib., a causal agent of taro blight. The direct impact of this pathogen is the lack of tubers for consumption and the near disappearance of monoculture taro plantations. To solve this problem, the objective of this work was to realize the mass production of sanitized seedlings of two cultivars of C. esculenta using the PIF method and to evaluate the influence of some fertilizers on the growth of these PIF plants during acclimatization. For this purpose, two cultivars (Makoumba and Ehkwan’frè) of C. esculenta were used. For each cultivar, 60 corm fragments with a mass of 500g were grown in propagators (absence and presence of oyster shell ash of Crassostrea spp.). Analysis of agronomic parameters was done during two months of culture in the propagators. Weaning of PIF plants was performed at the end of each month. During acclimation, five treatments were applied (control, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Tithonia diversifolia leaf powder, Oyster shell ash and, dried cow dung) and their influence was evaluated on plant growth parameters during three months, then significant differences were identified by ANOVA via the Student Newman and Keuls test at 5%. The results obtained showed that the average number of buds emitted/corm was more significant in the presence of oyster shell ash. From the 120 corm fragments used, a total of 599 PIF plants were produced (246 and 353 PIF plants for the cultivars Makoumba Ehkwan’frè respectively). The maximum number of weaned PIF plants was recorded in the presence of Oyster shell ash. The average size of these plants varied significantly in the propagators depending on the growth substrates. In acclimation, principal component analyses performed showed a positive correlation between average leaf number and average leaf area in plants inoculated with AMFs at the third month of culture. Oyster shell ash propagator amendment stimulated the production of PIF Plants. The PIF technique used boosted seed production 4.99 times from the 120 corm fragments used.