Effect of Soil Type on the Growth of Terminalia ivorensis (A. Chev.)

Terminalia ivorensis is a tree species found in lowland rainforest zone in Nigeria but is predominantly a tree of seasonal forest zones. Nursery experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of soil type on the growth of Terminalia ivorensis. Different soil types were collected namely: sandy, clay and loamy soils. Seeds of Terminalia ivorensis were broadcasted on a germination bed at the college nursery and later, were transplanted into polythene pots containing the different soil types. The parameters assessed include total height, stem diameter and leaf production. Terminalia ivorensis seeds grown on loamy soil gave the best result in both total height and stem diameter (10.22 cm and 0.20 cm respectively) while Terminalia ivorensis seeds raised on sandy soil gave the best result for leaf count (8.17). Seeds of Terminalia ivorensis performed better on sandy soil, best on loamy soil and less on clay soil. Seeds of Terminalia ivorensis performed well in total height on loamy soil (9.48 cm), in stem diameter on sandy soil (0.17 cm) and in number of leaves both in sandy and clay soil (7.25). The seeds of Terminalia ivorensis performed well in total height and stem diameter on loamy soil (9.97 cm and 0.19 cm respectively) and had the same value for number of leaves in the three soil samples (7.08). Based on the findings of this work, it is hereby recommended that Terminalia ivorensis seedlings should be raised using loamy soil