%0 Journal Article
%T Influence of Legume Cropping Patterns and Organic/inorganic Soil Amendments on Striga Seedbank and Subsequent Sorghum Performance
%A Felix O. Ikie
%J Advances in Environmental Biology
%D 2007
%I 
%X This study involved the combined use of trapcrop (cowpea), organic (poultry manure) and inorganic (urea) soilamendments and ethylene injection with various cropping patterns (Cps) to provide an integrated managementstrategy for Striga hermonthica control. Medium maturing cowpea variety identified from preliminary screeningto stimulate high Striga seed germination in IITA Ibadan, Striga laboratory, and medium maturing cowpea varietywere evaluated in 1999 in different cropping patterns alongside medium maturing soybean cultivar, ethyleneinjection, fallow, continuous sorghum (CS) cultivation in a randomized complete block design at Mokwa and Abujaon fields infested with 26,667 germinable Striga hermonthica seeds per m-2. In 2000, organic and inorganic soilamendments were super-imposed on the 1999 plots giving a split- plot design and a susceptible sorghum (Mokwalocal cultivar) was used as a bioassay to evaluate the effect of the 1999 cropping patterns and subsequent soilamendments on the Striga seedbank and performance of the sorghum variety. In Mokwa, CS cultivation hadsignificantly higher emerged Striga (3.86) than all other Cps (1.46 - 2.38) (P< 0.01). Yield on CS plot (0.05t/ha)was significantly lower than the yield in all other Cps (0.69 - 1.15t/ha) (P< 0.001). In Abuja, all Cps hadsignificantly higher emerged Striga (4.24 - 4.99) than plots under CS cultivation (0.70) (P< 0.01). The low Strigaemergence in CS plots was due to death of the host plant following severe infestation. Plots under continuoussorghum suffered 100% yield loss. Across locations, plots treated with poultry manure (PM) had significantlyhigher (P< 0.01) Striga emergence compared to plots treated with urea, and the control but urea amended plotswere not different from the control. Plots under urea amendment had significantly higher (P< 0.01) grain yield(1.04t/ha) than plots under PM amendment (0.81 t/ha) and the control plots (0.52 t/ha) in Mokwa but the controlwas not significantly different from the poultry amendment in Abuja. This study showed that the most effectivelegume trap crops such as soybean and medium maturing cowpea produced results similar to those obtained withthe ethylene treatment which indicates that the expensive ethylene treatment should not be promoted in the WestAfrican context. Results also showed that urea amendment reduced Striga seedbank of soil and improved sorghumyield whereas poultry manure amendment gave stimulatory effect on Striga seed germination.
%K Striga hermonthica
%K Seedbank
%K Legume
%K Soil amendments
%K Sorghum
%U http://www.aensionline.com/aeb/2007/11-19.pdf