In order to contribute of introducing indigenous plant species in soil fertility management, trials were conducted in pot and field at the University of Ngaoundéré to study the effect of leaf powders of Tithonia diversifolia, Terminalia glaucescens and Annona senegalensis on seed germination and plant growth of maize (Zea mays L.). Leaf powder samples were mixed with 0.5 kg of soil in pots at three doses (10, 20 and 30 g), then watered with distilled water every two days after sowing. For the plant growth, field experiments were carried out in 4 m x 1 m plots each, separated by 25 cm wide. Data were collected on germination rate in the pot and plant growth in the field. The results showed that the powders of the three plant species and their mixtures did not show toxic effects on seed germination at all three doses because the germination rate was higher than 50%. For all treatments and at all doses, the germination rate reached 100% at 12 DAS, with the exception of the control (80% of germination) and the three mixtures (AS+TD, AS+TG et AS+TD+TG) at the high dose (30g). Growth parameters such as plant height, leaf number and neck diameter, and plant biomass for all treatments were significantly (p˂ 0,001) higher than those of control, and the best amendment was the powder mixture of A. senegalensis and T. glaucescens, with height value of 103.07 cm, leaf number of 14.33, neck diameter of 14.49 mm, and plant biomass of 98.57g. Compared to the control, all treatments improved the soil C, N and P contents, and the best improvement provided by the mixture of leaf powders of A. senegalensis and T. glaucescens, with soil C, N and P contents of 2.40, 2.14 and 0.09% respectively. The three plant species leaf and their mixture under the conditions of these trials have been of great potential for improving the availability of soil nutrients by providing the quantity necessary for cultivation of maize without the addition of chemical fertilizers. These results would contribute to the agroforestry plant species choice to domesticate for management of soil fertility of the Ngaoundere savannahs of Cameroon in particular and those of Sudano-guinea savannahs in general.

Leaf powders, seed germination, plant growth, phytotoxicity, maize, sudano-guinea savannah

agronomy

Presentation: poster