Comparison Between The Effects Of Mesquite (Prosopis sp. L.) Manure And NPK Fertilizer On Fodder Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor. L) In Sandy Soil Potting Mixtures

Abstract

The study was carried out in the year 2005 at the Faculty of Forestry Nursery, University of Khartoum, Shambat with the main objective of determination of the effect of mesquite manure on the growth of Sorghum bicolor, raised in sandy soil potting mixtures, compared with the complex chemical fertilizer NPK. Five treatments were used; three of them used different weights of mesquite manure: 12g (M12), 24g (M24) and 48g (M48) respectively, the fourth was the addition of 270g of complex chemical fertilizer NPK and the last one was the control without any addition. Results showed that the stronger effect on sorghum height was induced by M48. The mean sorghum height in this treatment was 4m at the end of week 12. The mean sorghum shoot heights in the treatments were in the following ascending order: control < NPK < M24 < M12 < M48. Mesquite manure application has produced positive effect on the sorghum root development and growth. The highest root length was found in the highest manure application, so that the length in this treatment was more than 1.7 times higher than in the control. Trends of calculated shoot/root ratio were in conformity with shoot and root length growth out lined precedently. The general pattern of these ratios was: control < NPK< M12 = M24 VI < M48. The ratio values showed that root length in the control was about one third of the shoot, while it was only one eighth of the shoot length in the treatment with the highest mesquite manure application. Trends of sorghum weight development in the different treatments were very much similar to those discerned for the height, i.e. the highest weight was found in treatment M48, medium in treatment M12 and lowest in NPK and the control. As a result sorghum shoot dry weight of treatment M48 was significantly different (P < 0.0001) from all other treatments. For the sorghum root dry weight, M48 was significantly different from the control and NPK, while they were not significantly different between them selves; also, there was no significant difference between the control and NPK treatment. Percent shoot dry matter in all treatments, shower that the greatest value was for M48 (42%) and the lowest for M24, while it oscillated around 30% for M12, NPK and control.