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The Effect of Nitrogen Rates and Sources on Leaf Production, Nitrate

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The Effect of Nitrogen Rates and Sources on Leaf Production, Nitrate ACCBJPTED PO® ffHIS TE1SSIS HAS BEEN t h e DEGREE off--.. placed ltf a n d a cor A’ MAT BE DS’VEm^''-^ LIBRARY7. V THE e f f e c t o f n i t r o g e n r a t e s a n d s o u r c e s on l e a f PRODUCTION, NITRATE ACCUMULATION. AND THIOCYANATE CONTENT IN KALE AND COLLARD (Brassica o1eracea var. acephala, D.C.) LEAVES. ^ BY FRED K. KANAMPIU A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN AGRONOMY AT THE FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI. v 1987 mHVERsrry of Nairobi LIBRARY DEDICATION To my mother Rugina Kanampiu and kid brother Patrick Kanampiu DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other University. Date " / lll3I Fred K. Kanampiu This thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as University supervisors. Date Department of Crop Science Faculty of Agriculture University of Nairobi Senior Lecturer Department of Soil Science Faculty of Agriculture University of Nairobi (iv) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Dedication...................................... (ii) Declaration.................................... (iii) Acknowledgements.............................. (viii) List of tables.................................. (x) List of figures............................... (xii) List of appendices............................. (xiv) Abstract......................................... (xv) CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............... 1 CHAPTER 2; LITERATURE REVIEW............ 7 2.1 Nitrogen Nutrition in Plants.,.......... 2.2 Effect of Nitrogen on Yield of Kales and Collards..................... 8 2.2.1 Nitrogen rates........................ 8 2.2.2 Nitrogen sources....... 10 2.3 Nitrate Accumulation in Plant Leaves and its effects on Human Health.......... 11 2.3.1 Factors Affecting Nitrate Accumulation in Plant Leaves.............. 11 2.3.2 Hazards of Nitrate to Human Health.... 17 2.4 Thiocyanates.............................. 18 2.4.1 Factors Affecting thiocyanate content in Plants................................ 19 (V) Page 2.4.2 Hazards of Thiocyanate i°ns t0 Human Health.......................... 21 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS... 23 3.1 Experimental Site....................... 23 3.1.1 Soil Characteristics................. 23 3.2 Planting Materials...................... 25 3.3 Treatments and Experimental Design.... 25 3.4 Cultural Practices..................... 26 3.4.1 Nursery............................... 26 3.4.2 Plots Preparation and Transplanting.. 26 3.4.3 Pests and Diseases................... 27 / 3.4.4 Irrigation............................ 27 3.5 Observations during the Experiment..... 28 3.5.1 Soil Sampling......................... 2 8 3.5.2 Leaf Sampling......................... 28 3.6 Laboratory Analysis....,................ 29 3.6.1 Dry Matter Determination............. 29 3.6.2 Nitrate-nitrogen Detennination...... 30 3.6.3 Thiocyanate ion Content Determination... 30 Oi) Page 31 3.7 Data Analysis..................... CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.52 4. 1 Effects of Rates and Sources of Nit­ rogen, and Varieties on Leaf Yield.. 52 4.2 Effects of Rates and Sources of Nit­ rogen, and Varieties on Nitrate Accumulation in Leaves............. ,l) 4.2.1 Nitrate-nitrogen Accumulation in Leaves as Related to Nitrate-nitro­ gen Levels in Soil................. 4.3 Effect of Rates and Sources of Nitro­ gen, and Varieties on Thiocyanate ion content in Leaves................... 55 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH M WORK............... 5.1 Conclusions........................... 5.2 Suggestions for Further Research Work. (vii) Page 6 . REFERENCES.......................... 71 7. APPENDICES.......................... 85 K (viii) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to my supervisors, Dr. J.A. Chweya and Dr. B.O. Mochoge for their invaluable suggestions, guidance, advice, constructive criticisms and friendship throughout the study and during the preparation of the thesis. I acknowledge, with much appreciation, the help, in the spirit of 'Iiarambee', I got from M. Sc. Agronomy students vuring transplanting. Special thanks to Dr. W. Kipng'eno, of the Animal Production Department, for his valuable help in experiment layout and statistical guidance on data analysis. I thank, very much, Mr. J. Ndaiga and Mr. D. N. Karanja, of the Crop Science Department, for their technical help during laboratory analysis. I also thank Mr. C. Mwachulumo and Mr. F. Njoroge for their valuable help in field preparation. If anybody knows the long tedious hours I spent in the field or laboratory, then it must be Mary Oyiela. Field work and laboratory analysis would have been such a big hassle without Oyiela's invaluable assistance. In a special way, I owe many thanks to Flora Njiru for her constant encouragement from as far back as when I joined the Crop Science Department. I am sincerely grateful to DAAD (German Academic Exchange Services) and International Foundation of Science for financing my studies and research work. 1 am also grateful to Mrs. R. Abasa, Dean's secretary, Faculty of Agriculture, for the efforts she took to type this work. Last, but by no means least, is special thanks to my mother for her constant prayers for my success and for what, in her own mind, is intangible and the derived benefits anything but guaranteed in a world full of uncertainties. (X) LIST OF TABLES No. Page 1 . Pood composition in terms of the retail weight (as purchased in 100 grams freshweight)__ 16 2. Effect of nitrogen rates on cumulative leaf weight and number of Brassica olcracca var. accphala D.C................. 33 3. Effect of nitrogen sources on cumulative leaf weight and number of Brassica oleracea var. accphala D.C................. 35 4. Effect of varieties or. cumulative leaf weight and number of Brassica oleracea var. accphala D.C........................... 3 7 5. Effect of nitrogen rates, sources and varieties on cumulative leaf number per plant of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C. - second experiment...........42 6 . Effect of nitrogen rates on nitrate- nitrogen accumulation in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C....... 44 7. Effect of nitrogen sources on nitrate- nitrogen accumulation in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C........ 47 (xi) No. Page 8 . Effect of varieties on nitrate- nitrogen accumulation in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C. 50 9. Effect of nitrogen sources on thiocyanate ion content in leaves of 58 Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C... 10. Effect of varieties on thiocyanate ion content in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C.................. 00 1 (xii) LIST OF FIGURES No. Page 1. Interaction between nitrogen rates and varieties on cumulative leaf weight (Kg/ 2 10 m ) of Brassica oleracea var. ace- phala D.C. - second experiment............ 2. Interaction between nitrogen sources and varieties on cumulative leaf number per plant of Brassica oleracea var. acephala 41 D.C. - second experiment................. 3. Interaction between rates and sources of nitrogen on nitrate-nitrogen accumulation in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acc- phala D.C. - first harvest of second ex- 7~ . 52 pertinent.................................... 4a. Correlation between nitrate-nitrogen in soil and nitrate-nitrogen in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C. - first harvest of first experiment....... °1 4 t 4b. Correlation between nitrate-nitrogen in soil and nitrate-nitrogen in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C. - second harvest of first experiment...... 4c. Correlation between nitrate-nitrogen in soil and nitrate-nitrogen in leaves of Bras- sica oleracea var. acephala D.C. - first (xiii) N o . Page hai'vest of second experiment........ 56 5a. Interaction between rates and sources of nitrogen on thiocyanate ion content in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. accphala D.C. - first harvests of first and second experiments................ (,2 5b. Interaction between rates and sources of nitrogen on thiocyanate ion content in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. accphala D.C. - tecond harvests of first and second experiments................ 63 6 . Interaction between nitrogen sources and varieties on thiocyanate ion con­ tent in leaves of Brassica oleracea var. accphala D.C. - second harvest of first experiment........................ (’-5 \ (xiv) Appendix Page 1. Mean monthly weather record-Field Station, Kabete......................... 2. Some soil chemical characteristics 86 before planting........................ 3.1 ANOVA for cumulative leaf weight per 2 87 10 m and leaf number per plant....... 3.2 ANOVA for N0~ accumulation (°a NO,-N) . J> ^ 88 in leaves............................... 3.3 ANOVA for NO- accumulation (% NO^-N) in petioles............................. 89 3.4 ANOVA for NO- accumulation (% NO^-N) in laminae.............................. 90 3.5 ANOVA for SON content (ppm) in leaves.. 91 3.6 ANOVA for SCN content (ppm) in petioles. 92 5.7 ANOVA for SCN content (ppm) in laminae.. 93 4. Correlation Coefficients (r) and NO--N accumulation in leaves of 1 Brassica olc- racca var. acephala D.C. as related to NOj-N levels in soil..................... 94 5. Major product classes from the enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates............ 79 (xv) ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted between Aug­ ust 1986 and March 1987 at the Field Station of Faculty of Agriculture, Kabete Campus, University of Nairobi, to study the effect of rates and sour­ ces of nitrogen (N) on leaf production, thiocyanate content and nitrate accumulation in leaves
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