EFFECT OF SALICYLATE AND FERTILIZER IN THE MITIGATION OF PATHOGEN INDUCED CHANGES IN YOUNG OIL PALM SEEDLINGS

ABSTRACT

   Salicylic acid is a plant hormone that plays a very important or crucial role as a plant hormone    such as helping in defending plants against biotic and abiotic stress through biochemical and physiological mechanism. Salicylic acid can also be used to control or improve the efficiency in controlling basal stem rot disease which is popular among oil palm. This basal stem disease is associated with lignin during vegetative growth. This increase in the content of lignin and salicylic acid accumulation could indicate the resistance level/ability of the oil palm seedlings to the basal stem disease.  The goal of the application of fertilizers to plant is met in two ways which can be by the application of the natural fertilizer or manure which is gotten from our environment like animal droppings or it can be achieved by application of the synthetic fertilizers like NPK which is made in industries to improve the growth, yield and resistance of plant to which they are applied.     The oil palm is a type of palm that originated from the gulf of guinea with the name Elaeisguineensis, the oil palm has been used as food from time immemorial for food in the tropical part. The oil palm is a tropical plant and it grows well in a warm climate with enough soil moisture that lasts all year round. To get a good yield we have to prepare the seed with extreme caution i.e the plant or seed needs to be treated, after germination it should be transplanted into plastic or nylon bags. Weed management/ control is another important thing to watch out for during the course of the germination of oil palm seedlings

It is made up of the following verities namely

1.       The Dura palm having a thick shell
2.       The pisifera palm having kernals with no shell
3.       The terena having the properties of both dura and pisifera

  Some of the weeds associated with oil palm include the following

1.       Mimosa Pudica
2.       Chromolaenaodoratata
3.       Clidemiahirta

Below are some of the economic importance of oil palm in our country Nigeria

1.       It serves as the means through which palm oil popularly called red oil in Nigeria is gotten from, it is also the source of some vegetable oil which can be sold to earn or generate revenue
2.       The oil palm farm can server as a source or means of giving employment to the unemployed youth in the nation and the world at large
3.       It has also helped in lifting millions of people out of poverty.
4.       The oil pal plantation has also helped a lot of small scale farmers own their own business