Abstract
A screenhouse experiment assessed the effect of seed size on emergence and seedling growth of eight contrasting plant species; cowpea, maize, rice, Mucuna, Calliandra, Dactyladenia, Gliricidia, and Leucaena. Large size seeds promoted faster seedling emergence. Except for cowpea, seed size had no significant effect on seedling dry weight for fast-growing species (maize, Mucuna). Seed size had a significant effect on seedling dry weight of slow-growing species (Calliandra, Gliricidia, Leucaena, Dactyladenia and rice) with or without fertilizer application. Seedling growth was correlated with seed P and Mg contents. Increased seed size and fertilizer application increased N, P and K uptake. For slow-growing woody species the use of large seed size for fast establishment is highly recommended.
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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Kang, B.T., Ofeimu, M.O. (1993). Seed size and fertilizer effects on seedling growth of contrasting plant species. In: Barrow, N.J. (eds) Plant Nutrition — from Genetic Engineering to Field Practice. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 54. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1880-4_70
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1880-4_70
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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