Effect of Azolla green manure application on the growth performance and photosynthetic efficiency of Lycopersicon esculentum

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of Azolla green manure application on the growth performance and photosynthetic efficiency of Lycopersicon esculentum. The increasing high population growth rate in Uganda (WHO, 2017) demands an increased agricultural food supply, since productivity is limited by poor soils intensified by low chemical fertilizer usage (Nkonya et al., 2008). In addition, a report by FAO (2015) emphasizes that the agricultural sector needs to adapt climate smart strategies which highly recommend the use of organic fertilizers to maintain soil fertility. Furthermore, the global market for agricultural output has developed segregation between organically produced food products from those raised by inorganic fertilizers to maintain soil fertility. This study was therefore carried out to test if Azollacan can be used to replace inorganic fertilizers. It was carried out at the Makerere University botanical garden. Infertile soils were collected from locations with weeds of low vigor and clear symptoms of nutrient deficiency. Growth performance was determined by measuring stem height of tomato plants every after two weeks from the planting date for a period of 8 weeks. Number of tomatoes and tillers were determined by direct counting. Photosynthetic efficiency was determined using a photosynQ. The results were analyzed using R statistical package version 3.4.3(R Development Core Team,2019) by ANOVA.The results indicate the Stem height, number of leaves and tillers increased with increasing treatment levels. Azolla green manure application had no significant effect on photosynthetic efficiencyof Lycopersicon esculentum. The study recommends that If farmers are to adopt the use of Azolla green manure, they should use very high (350g) and high (250g) treatment levels to yield the best results.