GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF Musa paradisiaca L. IN SAWDUST AS POTTING MIXTURE.

ABSTRACT

The production of plantain has declined over the years due to unavailability of healthy plantain plantlets. Sterilized sawdust and river sand were used to raise healthty plantain plantlets from corms collected from suckers and to determine if sawdust was capable of yielding high performing planting materials. The growth response of plantain plantlets to five levels of sawdust potting mixtures were investigated. The potting mixtures were 100 % sawdust (SD) substrate medium, 75 % SD substrate medium, 50 % SD substrate medium, 25 % SD substrate medium and 0 % SD substrate medium. The number of buds produced was highest in corms raised in 100 % SD substrate medium (3.83±1.68). The height of plantlets obtained in corms grown in 0 % SD substrate medium was the highest (34.04±1.52 cm). The highest number of leaves was observed in 25 % SD substrate medium (6.53±1.01). In terms of leaf area the plantlets in corms raised in 25 % SD substrate medium had the highest leaf area (124.33±45.49 cm²). The plantlets in corms of 75 % SD substrate medium had the highest chlorophyll concentration index (CCI) of 20.68±1.59, and plantlets in corms of 100 % SD substrate medium had the least CCI (16.13±7.49). The results of chemical analysis showed that all the five substrate media had slightly alkaline pH values. The pH of 0 % SD, 25 % SD, 50 % SD, 75 % SD, and 100 % SD substrate media were 8.70, 7.73±0.45, 7.2±0, 7.2±0.70 and 7.90 respectively. Some of these pH values fell within the optimal pH range (5.5-7.5) for substrates used in growing plantains (e.g. pH of 50 % SD and 75 % substrate media) and others were outside the optimal range of substrate pH for plantains. The alkalinity of the substrates probably affected the percentage composition of macro-elements in samples of the plantlets collected randomly from three corms in each treatment.