Effects of Organic Manure and Botanical Seed Treatment on Striga hermonthica Control in Sorghum Bicolor

Abstract

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a staple food source in sub-Saharan Africa. It also constitutes a basic feed component in the livestock industry. Despite its socio-economic importance, sorghum yield is seriously threatened by Striga hermonthica infestation. The objective of this study was to determine the impacts of organic manure and Parkia biglobosa pulp powder powder on Striga hermonthica control in sorghum. The experiment was conducted in a screen house at the Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria. The research was a 2×4 factorial experiment in a completely randomised design with sixteen treatments in three replications. Treatments consisted of combinations of four levels of organic manure and Parkia biglobosa pulp powder powder each at 0, 40, 80, and 120g/bag. Data were collected on Striga emergence, Striga height, Sorghum plant height, and the number of leaves per plant. The data were subjected to analysis of variance at p=0.05. The results showed that Striga emergence did not vary significantly throughout the sampling periods. However, the treatment used inhibited the growth of Striga. Organic manure at the rate of 120 g /bag resulted in the highest number of Sorghum plant height, leaves and dry weight.The interaction effect of Parkia pulp powder powder and botanical seed treatment was significant (p<0.05) on Striga emergence, plant height and sorghum dry weight. The combination of the treatments suppressed more than 75 % of Striga hermonthica emergence. These findings revealed that organic farming can effectively be used to combat Striga hermonthica in sorghum