OUMA GEORGE
Abstract
Studies were carried out at Maseno University, Kenya to find out the effect of different container volumes (1.7litres, 2.7litres and 4.5litres and N fertilizer levels at 0.06kgN/ha, 0.12kgN/ha, 0.18kgN/ha and 0.24kgN/ha; 0.3kgN/ha, 0.6kgN/ha, 0.9kgN/ha, 1.2kgN/ha and 0.5kgN/ha, 1kgN/ha, 1.5kgN/ha and 2.0kgN/ha respectively for the pot sizes of 1.7, 2.7 and 4.5litres on growth of young 'rough lemon' (C. limon L.) seedlings. The fertilizer applied was C. A. N. (Calcium Ammonium Nitrate). The soil used had a dry weight of 4.2kg. The experimental design used was a 3 X 3 factorial laid out in a completely randomized arrangement with three replications. The media placed in the pots was sand and soil at a ratio of 1.1 by volume. Increasing container volumes significantly (P< 0.05) increased the dry weights of whole plants, number of leaves, heights of plants, heights of canopy, stem diameter, dry weights of roots and shoots and vice versa for small volumes. However, increasing nitrogen fertilizer levels did not affect the number of leaves, stem diameter but linearly and quadratically increased heights of plants, weight of roots and shoots. The interaction between container volume and nitrogen fertilizer levels was significant for weight of roots and shoots and whole plants, height of canopy and height of plants but not the number of leaves and stem diameter. Therefore, increasing nitrogen fertilizer levels increased the growth parameters as the container volumes increased.
Key words:
Nursery production, rootstocks, nitrogen, fertilizer.