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MAB Young Scientists Awards 1995

Mr Alpha Y. KAMARA Institute of Agricultural Research, PMB 540, Freetown Sierra Leone Award research title The Role of Mulches from Some Selected Nitrogen Fixing Trees: Effects on Weeds, Crop Growth and Yield, in a MaizeBased Cropping System in Sierra Leone, 42pp, 4 tables, 14 figures. Original text English Country & region Sierra Leone, Southern Province. Research site: Njala, Latitude 8o 06'; Longitude 12o 06'. Objectives To evaluate the effects of mulches and leaf and root extracts of two commonly used multipurpose trees (Gliricidia sepium and Senna siamea) and one dominantly planted forest species (Gmelina arborea) on maize and cowpea performance and weed growth. Research and methods Because of the constraints of the existing farming systems in the tropics (low soil fertility, pest and disease problems, unaffordable cost of agrochemicals) efforts have been made by various institutions to develop alternative food and feed production technologies that are more productive and sustainable and require low inputs. One of these technologies is the integration of legumes in the farming systems. Legumes play an important role in the farming systems of the humid and sub humid tropics as a source of human food and animal feed, and for soil conservation and fertility maintenance. The practical importance of legumes lies in their symbiotic file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

UNESCO-MAB Young Scientists Awards nitrogen fixation. They are widely used as sources of green manure, mulch and nutrient cycling. Tree legumes are integrated into agroforestry systems like alley cropping to improve soil fertility by the application of biomass to the soil through the inputs of nutrients and organic matter. With the help of leguminous trees, a considerable amount of nitrogen can be added to the soil, thus partly replacing mineral fertilizer. In addition to improving soil fertility, trees play a significant role in controlling weeds depending on the management practice, timing and the quality of the cut material. The ability of the mulch of these tree prunings to suppress weed growth depends on tree biomass and their rate of decomposition. The addition of prunings from hedgerow species which has a slow decomposition rate is very effective in suppressing weed growth. In addition to the physical suppression of the weeds, decomposing plant residues from trees release phytotoxins into the soil which adversely affect the germination and growth of weeds. This phytotoxic effect often referred to as allelopathy has also been proved to be quite relevant in weed management of crop lands. Agricultural soils usually contain large amount of weed seeds which can remain viable for several decades pending the appropriate stimuli from crop plants. Their post harvest residues have also gained some recognition as potential regulators of weed seed germination and growth, particularly in the role they play as smoother crops. The allelopathic effects of decomposing plant residues can beside controlling weeds, pose serious problems to crop production. In the agroforestry systems, besides tree/crop competition for space, water, nutrients and light, phytotoxic compounds released during decomposition of tree residues can inhibit crop growth. The allelopathic effects of many tree species on crops have been shown by many authors. However plant species differ in their response to phytotoxic plant residues. Gliricidia mulch was shown to have no allelopathic effect on maize and beans but significantly decreased the population of some weed species such as Bidens pilosa and Melampodium perfoliatum. Inspite of the allelopathic potential of some of these species, exotic trees are introduced into the ecologies of the tropics without consideration to their long term effect on the environment. Most research has concentrated on their biomass yield, coppicing ability, rooting habit, and nitrogen fixation and release. Because of the above reasons, the evaluation of multipurpose trees for their suitability in agroforestry systems must also include their non-competitive interference ( Allelopathy) with crop plants. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted at the Institute of Agricultural Research, Njala, Sierra Leone during June-November 1995. In the Laboratory, fresh roots and file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm

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leaves from the three multipurpose trees were dried at 65o C for 72 hours and then ground. Extract solutions of varying concentrations (0, 25, 75 and 100%) were prepared by mixing the ground root and leaf materials with distilled water and striring for 15 minutes before filtration. Sterilized maize and cowpea seeds were placed in separate 9 cm glass petri dishes and 4 ml of either root or leaf extracts of various concentrations. Distilled water was used as a control. The dishes were incubated in the dark at 250 C for 96 and 72 hours for Maize and Cowpea respectively. Data were collected on percent germination and root and shoot length at 24, 48 and 72 hours and 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation of cowpea and maize respectively. In the screen house, soil from between the hedgerows of four year old Senna siamea, Gliricidia sepium and Gmelina arborea tree species were collected and put in 20 cm diameter polyethene bags. Tree-free soils from outside the hedgerow were used as control. Eight seeds each of maize and cowpea were planted 10 mm below the soil surface in the pots and later thinned to four plants after emergence. Percent germination, and plant dry matter were determined 72 and 96 hours after planting cowpea and maize respectively. In another screen house experiments soil from outside the hedgerows were collected in 20 cm diameter polythene bags. Twenty grams of fresh prunings from Senna siamea, Gliricidia sepium and Gmelina arborea were applied in the polythene bags either on the surface or incorporated. The control treatment had no prunings. Maize and cowpea seeds were planted seperately 5 days after mulching. Data were collected on percent emergence and dry matter of the whole plants. Field Experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three factors. Nitrogen fertilization was in the main plot while mulch species and management were in the sub-plots. There were three nitrogen levels (0, 50, and 100 kg/ha) and two mulch species (Gliricidia sepium, and Senna siamea) with a no mulch control. The mulches were either applied on the surface or incorporated into the soil (Mulch management). Mulch was cut and carried to the experimental plots. Maize (Variety, Western Yellow) was planted in June with a planting distance of 0.75 by 0.25 m to give a plant population of 53,333.33 plants/ha. Two seeds were planted per stand. Germination counts were done at one week after planting (WAP) before thinning to one plant per stand. Phosphorous and potassium were applied basal in the form of single super phosphate and muriate of potash respectively at the rates 30 kg/ha each of P and K. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at 4 WAP. Weed abundance and biomass were determined at 4 WAP. Maize plant height was determined at 5, 9, and 13 weeks after planting (WAP) while maize dry matter was determined at 5 and 9 WAP. At 13 WAP, maize grain yield was determined at 15% moisture content. With the help of the MSTAT package data from the laboratory, pot, and field experiments were analyzed using ANOVA. Means were compared by the LSD method. file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

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Major results Germination of cowpea was inhibited at all extract concentrations of Senna as compared to the Control after 24 hours of incubation. However there were no significant differences between the various concentrations. This trend continued up to the termination of germination count after 72 hours of incubation. There was an increasing inhibition of germination with increasing concentrations of Gliricidia extracts. At 24 hours of incubation, Gliricidia significantly affected germination at concentration above 50%. This trend was the same up to the termination of incubation. Up to 50% concentration, Gliricidia had the same effect as Senna, beyond this, it showed a stronger inhibitory effect than Senna. Gmelina significantly inhibited cowpea germination at all stages of incubation at concentrations above 25%. Above 25% extract concentrations, Gmelina root extracts exibited higher inhibition effect than the other two species. Root extracts of all the species inhibited cowpea root length strongly with increasing concentrations of the extracts. Senna did not significantly affect root development at lower concentrations. But above 25% concentration, it behaved like Gliricidia and Gmelina which significantly inhibited cowpea root growth at extractions as low as 25%. Above 50% extract concentrations, Gliricidia inhibited cowpea root length the most followed by Senna. The response of cowpea shoot length to root extracts of the trees varied considerably. With Gliricidia root extracts, cowpea shoot length was maximum at 25% extract concentration, above which shoot length gradually decreased with increasing root extract concentrations. However, cowpea shoot length in Gliricidia root extracts was higher than the control even at the highest concentration. This indicates a stimulation of shoot growth in Gliricidia root extracts. With increasing concentrations of root extracts, Senna also increased cowpea shoot length, with maximum length at 75% concentration before dropping to slightly above the control. As compared to the other two species, Gliricidia gave the highest shoot length at 25% concentration. Although shoot length in Gmelina root extracts was lower than the other species, shoot length increased gradually with increasing concentrations of root extracts up to 50% concentrations before dropping dramatically. There were significant variations in the effects of leaf extracts of the tree species on germination of cowpea. In 24 hours of incubation, Senna and Gliricidia extracts stimulated germination at 25% concentration. Above this concentration, germination decreased with increasing concentrations of the leaf extracts. Gmelina inhibited cowpea germination at all concentrations except at 72 hours of incubation when germination was stimulated at 25% concentration before rapidly declining with increasing concentration. With increasing hours of incubation, Gliricidia did not inhibit germination. So the inhibition effect at the time of incubation was temporal. At all times of incubation, Senna inhibited germination with increasing extract concentrations. Gliricidia did not adversely affect root length except at full strength concentrations. Root length was stimulated at lower concentrations up to 50% concentrations. Leaf extracts of Senna and Gmelina significantly inhibited root growth with increasing concentration. Gmelina inhibited file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

UNESCO-MAB Young Scientists Awards cowpea root growth by 30, 54 58 and 68% at 25, 50, 75 and 100% concentrations respectively. Generally leaf extracts of all the tree species inhibited cowpea shoot length with increasing concentration. However this inhibition was more significant with Gmelina leaf extracts. While Gliricidia and Senna leaf extracts slightly inhibited shoot length with insignificant differences between the various rates, Gmelina significantly inhibited shoot growth at all concentrations. My result showed that all the trees used in this experiment have a strong allelopathic potential on cowpea crop irrespective of plant parts. Generally root growth was more affected than shoot growth. Moreover the allelopathic effects varied significantly with the tree species. While Gmelina exhibited stronger allelopathic effects on all cowpea growth parameters, Gliricidia leaf extracts did not adversely affect cowpea performance. However it's root extracts inhibited cowpea germination and root growth more than Senna. Senna root and leaf extracts effects on cowpea were intermediate. Senna and Gliricidia root extracts did not inhibit maize germination for all times of incubation except in 48 hours of incubation when Senna root extracts slightly inhibited germination at full strength concentration. In 48 hours of incubation, Gliricidia stimulated germination at concentrations below 75% while Gmelina significantly inhibited germination of maize at concentrations above 25%. However final germination at 96 hours of incubation was more than 90% even at the highest concentrations which was not significantly different from the control. This indicated that overall germination was just delayed but not permanently inhibited. Leaf extracts of all the trees reduced maize germination with increasing concentrations at all periods of incubation. However with increasing time of incubation, Senna became less inhibitive with germination above 90% even at the highest concentration. Gliricidia and Gmelina significantly affected germination with increasing concentration at all stages of incubation. Final germination for both Gliricidia and Gmelina was below 90% at concentrations above 25%. Maize root growth was also significantly inhibited by leaf extracts of all the trees even at the lowest extract concentration. Senna and Gmelina gave a similar reduction pattern which was less than Gliricidia. While Senna extracts reduced maize root length by 52, 54, 59 and 70% at 25, 50, 75 and 100% respectively, Gmelina extract concentrations of 25, 50, 75, and 100% inhibited maize root length by 38.7, 50.5, 51.4 and 59% respectively. Shoot length response to leaf extracts of the trees varied with the tree specie. Maize shoot length in Senna and Gmelina extracts was reduced at 25% but increased to maximum at 50% concentration before dropping with increasing concentration. With Gliricidia extracts, maximum shoot length was obtained at 75% concentrations before dropping significantly at full concentration. As compared with cowpea, maize was not affected by root extracts of all the prunings. This could be due to the fact that, file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm

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UNESCO-MAB Young Scientists Awards maize is not as sensitive as cowpea to allelochemicals and the root extracts may not contain sufficient allelochemicals to adversely affect maize growth. Relative to germination, maize root was more affected by the leaf extracts of all the three tree species. Both cowpea and maize germination were not significantly affected by soil collected from between the hedgerows the nitrogen fixing trees. This indicates that the accumulation of leaf or root exudates over a long period of time could have no inhibitory effects on the germination of subsequent crops. The accumulation of dry matter in cowpea was significantly reduced in soils collected from between the hedgerows of Gmelina. Values from Senna and Gliricidia were not significantly different from each other and the control. There was a reduction in dry matter of maize in Gmelina debris but not in the debis of the other tree species. In the screen house Senna and Gmelina didn't adversely affect the germination of cowpea whether incorporated into the soil or surface-applied. However Senna slightly stimulated germination when it was applied on the surface and slightly inhibited germination when incorporated into the soil. Gmelina prunings gave similar germination as that of the control whether surface-applied or incorporated into the soil. There was a complete inhibition of the germination of cowpea by the incorporation of Gliricidia prunings. Applying Gliricidia prunings on the surface inhibited cowpea germination by 25%. Cowpea dry matter was the highest when Gliricidia was surface mulched but this figure was not significantly different from the other treatments at P = 0.05. The other tree prunings also slightly lowered cowpea dry matter as compared to the control. There was a significant reduction in dry matter when Senna and Gmelina were incorporated. In general, surface mulching gave higher dry matter than incorporation with all the pruning materials. Maize germination was not significantly different at all the treatment levels. When the prunings were applied on the surface, maize dry matter accumulation was inhibited by all the tree prunings. The strongest inhibition of over 100% was given by Gmelina prunings. Highest values for maize dry matter were obtained from the incorporation of Gliricidia. This value was not significantly different from values for Senna and the control plots. But there was a significant reduction in maize dry matter by Gmelina whether surface mulched or incorporated. Generally the incorporation of mulch material gave higher dry matter than surface mulching. Inspite of the fact that Gliricidia inhibited cowpea germination, when it was incorporated, it promoted dry matter accumulation in both maize and cowpea. This may be due to the relatively higher amount of nitrogen released by Gliricidia which could be effective when the allelochemicals possibly degraded. The inhibitory effects of Gmelina debris and prunings to maize may not be unconnected with nitrogen immobilization during its decomposition. Biochemical analysis showed that, Gmelina has lower initial nitrogen content and higher carbon-nitrogen ratio. The addition of low quality materials like Gmelina to the soil could cause file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm

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UNESCO-MAB Young Scientists Awards immobilization of nitrogen. This could affect the growth of maize which demands a lot of nitrogen in the soil. For cowpea, the incorporation of Senna prunings gave the least dry matter. The possible increase in decomposition of Senna leaves when they are incorporated could release high amounts of phenolic compounds which may significantly affect cowpea growth. Allelopathic substances in the soil are mostly phenolic compounds derived from plant materials. On the contrary, maize produced better dry matter when the mulch materials were incorporated into the soil. The response of maize and cowpea to mulch management was quite different. Inspite of the fact that both Gliricidia and Senna extracts significantly affected maize root, this effect did not continue in the pot experiments. The incorporation of prunings could have released more nitrogen to the maize crop thereby aiding growth. In the field weed growth was significantly affected by mulch management, type of mulch and nitrogen fertilization. Weed biomass was generally higher when the prunings were applied on the surface than when they were incorporated into the soil. When the mulch was applied on the surface, weed density in the Gliricidia mulch plot was similar to that of the control while Senna mulch plot gave lower weed density. When the mulches were incorporated, both Gliricidia and Senna mulch reduced weed density significantly and there were no significant differences between the mulch treatments. Weed dry biomass was affected in the same way as the weed density. Gliricidia is of higher quality containing high amount of nitrogen. As a result, it decomposes very fast. Because Gliricidia decomposes very fast, it cannot smoother weeds. The release of nitrogen from its leaves during decomposition encourages weed growth. Senna is of poor quality with higher polyphenol, lignin, and cellulose content. Because of its slow decomposition, it was able to smoother weeds when it was applied on the surface. The incorporation of the prunings reduced weed density significantly. Two reasons might be responsible for this. Firstly decomposing plant materials in the soil probably generated heat which might have killed some of the weed seeds as well as the seedlings. Moreover decomposing plant materials release allelochemicals like phenolic compounds into the soil environment which are readily taken up by the weeds leading to subsequent death. This can also inhibit weed seed germination. The incorporation of these prunings likely exposed the weed seeds and seedlings to these chemicals. There were more weeds when the prunings were applied without nitrogen fertilizer . Weed abundance in plots with nitrogen fertilizer was higher in the control plots without mulch followed by Gliricidia. In treatments where 50 kg N/ha was added to the mulches, weed density and biomass were the lowest for all treatments. At this nitrogen rate, the control and Gliricidia plots had similar weed abundance while Senna was slightly lower. Weed density and biomass for all the mulch treatments at 100 kg N/ha were as high as in the control. Senna prunings at this nitrogen rate gave more weed growth than Senna prunings alone without nitrogen fertilizer application. The addition of 50 kg N/ha to the mulches in the plots improved in addition to the file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm

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UNESCO-MAB Young Scientists Awards smothering effects of the weeds, maize growth considerably which outcompeted the weeds. At 100 kg N/ha, crop growth was less vigorous and was comparable to the control. This allowed the weeds to compete better with the maize plants. Moreover, the addition of 100 kg N/ha accelerated the decomposition of Senna which could have enhanced the weed growth.

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Maize plant height was not significantly affected by mulch management. Generally maize height was better in the mulched than the no mulched plot. At 5 WAP, there was no significant difference between the mulch species. As the plant grew, significant differences occurred between the mulch species (Fig 10). These differences were visible at 9 and 13 WAP. When the mulch was incorporated, there was no significant differences between the mulched plots at all times of sampling. However plant height values for the mulched plot were significantly different from the control. Gliricidia mulch gave a lower plant height than the Senna mulch when they were surface-mulched. Rapid decomposition of Gliricidia during the rainy season (July/August) and the subsequent leaching of the nutrients might be responsible for the differences with Senna in plant height. High temperatures and heavy rainfall may have aided an intermediate decomposition of Senna thereby leading to an improved nutrition of the maize plant. There was no significant interaction between nitrogen fertilization and management of prunings. Increasing the rates of nitrogen did not significantly increase maize plant height for all pruning treatments and at all times of measurement. For the non-mulched plot, the best height was received at 50 kg N/ha. At 0 kg N/ha, plant height in Senna plot was better than in the Gliricidia and control plots. However with increasing nitrogen rates, there was no significant difference between the mulch species. Mulch species gave better plant height than the control at all nitrogen fertilizer rates. Results here indicate that, prunings alone can give good growth without the addition of mineral nitrogen fertilizer. At 5 WAP, the incorporation of prunings, gave better maize dry matter than surface application. When the prunings were applied on the surface, maize dry matter was similar for both tree species but was better than the control treatment without prunings. This trend was the same when the prunings were incorporated. At 9 WAP, only Gliricidia prunings gave better maize dry matter when they were incorporated. The application of Senna prunings on the soil surface gave a significantly better maize dry matter than when it was incorporated and this was the best for both mulch species. Also the addition of Gliricidia on the soil surface gave a better maize dry matter than the control. When the prunings were incorporated, Gliricidia produced the best maize dry matter. The improved crop growth due to the incorporation of Gliricidia may be due to the readily available nitrogen from the decomposing plant materials. There could have been nitrate losses when Gliricidia was applied on the surface and hence the reduced plant growth. The application of slow decomposing Senna prunings on the soil surface could help file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

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check erosion, conserve moisture, and lower soil temperature. These microclimate effects combined with the nitrogen release from the slow decomposing Senna prunings could be responsible for the increase in the maize dry matter. On the other hand, the incorporation of these prunings could cause waterlogging especially when there were heavy rains. Incorporation could also lead to rapid release of allelochemicals to the root zone of the maize plant. This could adversely affect maize growth. At 5 WAP, the response of maize dry matter to nitrogen fertilization varied considerably . At 0 kg N/ha, Gliricidia and Senna prunings produced 100 and 127% more maize dry matter respectively than the treatments without prunings. Gliricidia prunings gave 14% more dry matter than Senna. At 50 kg N/ha, there were 32 and 27% more maize dry matter in non-pruning control and Gliricidia plots respectively relative to the treatments without nitrogen fertilizer. The highest maize dry matter was produced with Gliricidia prunings which gave 92 and 24% more maize dry matter than in the control and plots treated with Senna prunings respectively. Senna prunings yielded 47% more maize dry matter than the control plot without mulch. At 100 kg N/ha, the increase in maize dry matter relative to the control without fertilizer nitrogen was minimal for all the mulch treatments. However the prunings gave 100% more maize dry matter than the control without prunings. At 9 WAP, there was increase in maize dry matter with increasing rates of fertilization. At 0 kg N/ha, there were 70 and 79% more maize dry matter in plots treated with Gliricidia and Senna prunings respectively than the control plot without prunings. Senna prunings gave slightly more maize dry matter than Gliricidia prunings. Relative to the control without mineral nitrogen fertilization, there were 64, 39, and 55% more maize dry matter in non- pruning plot, Gliricidia and Senna plots respectively when nitrogen was added at 50 kg/ha. Moreover, at this same rate, maize dry matter in the Gliricidia and Senna treatments was 44 and 70% more than in the control without prunings respectively. When the nitrogen rate was increased to 100 kg/ha, maize dry matter increased by 54, 53, and 48% respectively for non- pruning, Gliricidia and Senna plots as compared to the control plot without N fertilization. Also at 100 kg N/ha, Gliricidia and Senna plots gave similar maize dry matter yields, and were 69 and 71% more than the non-pruning treatment respectively. At all rates of nitrogen fertilization, the prunings produced better maize dry matter than fertilizer treatments alone. This benefit increased with increasing fertilization. This result shows the need for the combination of nitrogen fertilizer with prunings in order to increase fertilizer use efficiency. The good results obtained with prunings without nitrogen fertilizer indicates that, farmers can apply some of these prunings without the application of fertilizers. Maize grain yield response to pruning types and management varied considerably. When the mulches were applied on the surface, Senna prunings produced 30 and 60% more yield than the Gliricidia and the control plots respectively. Gliricidia prunings yielded 24% more than the control. When the prunings were incorporated, Gliricidia prunings yielded 42 file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

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and 2 % more maize grain than the control and Senna prunings respectively. The incorporation of Senna decreased maize grain yield by 19% relative to when it was applied on the surface . However even when it was incorporated, maize yield was 40% more than in the control. This means a 20 % reduction of the yield gain when it was applied on the surface. The incorporation of Gliricidia increased maize grain yield by 14%. The rapid decomposition of Gliricidia as compared to Senna may not have allowed the maize crop to utilize the nitrogen release from it for yield build- up especially when it was surface-mulched. The loss of available nitrogen through the surface run-off of water and leaching may be among the causes of poor yield when Gliricidia prunings were applied on the surface. On the contrary, the slow decomposition of Senna during the high rainfall period may have released sufficient nitrogen to the maize plant for plant growth. However the incorporation of the prunings made nitrogen released from the rapidly decomposing Gliricidia readily available for the maize plant. Maize yield dropped when Senna was incorporated probably due to the fact that high amount of polyphenols (allelochemicals) released from the Senna prunings were readily available in the root zone of the maize plant which probably negatively affected yield. It could also be due to waterlogging since the incorporation of slow decomposition mulch material may retain more water especially in the rainy season. Maize grain yield in plots treated with Senna prunings increased with increasing rates of nitrogen fertilization. However grain yield in the Gliricidia and control plots was at maximum at 50 kg N/ha. At 100 kg N/ha, although yield was higher than at 0 kg N/ha, it was lower than at 50 Kg N/ha (Fig 15). At 0 kg N/ha, Senna prunings gave the best yield. At 50 kg N/ha Gliricidia and Senna prunings gave similar yields which were better than the control. In the non-mulch plot, increasing nitrogen fertilization from 0 to 50 kg N/ha gave 102% more yield while in plots treated with Gliricidia and Senna prunings, this increase from 0 to 50 kg N/ha gave 66 and 34% more yield respectively. Moreover at 50 Kg N/ha, Gliricidia and Senna prunings gave 26 and 22% more yield than the non-mulch plot respectively. At 100 kg N/ha, the beneficial effects of the addition of N fertilizer to tree prunings dropped although it gave higher grain yield than the control plot without nitrogen. As compared to the nonnitrogen treatments, the addition of nitrogen fertilizer at 100 kg N/ha gave 62, 40 and 41% more maize yield for no mulch, Gliricidia and Senna treatments, respectively. The yield advantage of the addition of nitrogen fertilizer to prunings was best for Gliricidia at 50 Kg N/ha while best results were obtained at 100 kg N/ha for Senna prunings. Although root and leaf extracts of the three multipurpose trees inhibited cowpea and maize germination and early development to varying degrees, this effect was only occasionally evident for germination when the mulch materials were incorporated into the soil. Surface application of all the prunings did not affect both maize and cowpea emergence. However because of the dramatic inhibition of cowpea emergence when Gliricidia was incorporated, care has to be taken in the incorporation of prunings with unknown file://Y:\Ecology_Users\Samia\MABnet\bursaries\mysrept\95\kamara\TMPdxqgpw2ixh.htm 13/03/06

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effects. Also the surface application of prunings gave satisfactory maize and cowpea dry matter yields relative to the control. This was more so when the crops were grown in the field under natural conditions and sufficient rainfall. Because of complex interaction of soil physical, chemical and biological properties, allelopathic effects became less prominent. For cereals with high demand for nitrogen, crop residue management which makes nitrogen readily available to the root zones promotes crop growth. So the incorporation of high quality prunings like Gliricidia could be recommended. However prunings with high carbon nitrogen ratio which could eventually lead to nitrogen immobilization should be avoided except with the addition of starter doses of mineral nitrogen.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

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