Effects of Watering Interval, Planting Depth and Soil Crusting On Emergence and Seedling Establishment of Sorghum [Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench]

Ntlou, Napo Khotso Emmanuel (2000) Effects of Watering Interval, Planting Depth and Soil Crusting On Emergence and Seedling Establishment of Sorghum [Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench]. Masters thesis, University of Zambia.

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Abstract

A study was conducted in the glasshouse to investigate the effects of soil type, watering interval, planting depth, and crust formation on emergence and seedling establishment of sorghum. Three separate pot experiments were conducted using three soil types and sorghum as a test crop. Various treatment combinations of soil type/watering interval, soil type/planting depth and soil type/water drop size delivered from a rainfall simulator were evaluated. Following the addition of water through the rainfall simulator, soil samples were prepared into thin sections that were examined under a microscope to determine the impact of water drops on the soil. Sorghum emergence, shoot height and shoot dry matter, and crust strengths of the soils were measured. Sorghum emergence was measured for 15 days while shoot height and shoot dry weight were measured at 28 days after planting. Watering intervals had no Significant effect on seedling emergence. Increasing watering interval from 2 days to 8 days reduced shoot height and shoot dry weight on all three soils. Shoot height and shoot dry weight from clay loam soil was significantly (P:::;O.01) higher than from both the sand soil and the sandy loam soil. The effect of planting depth on seedling emergence was highly significant (P:::;O.01). The seedling emergence percentage at 15 days after planting (DAP) was Significantly higher at the shallower planting depth of 3 cm (98%) than at the depths of 6 cm (64%) and 9 cm (13%).

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Geoffrey Obatsa
Date Deposited:	13 Feb 2019 13:14
Last Modified:	13 Feb 2019 13:14
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/8991

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