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BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT The effects of Soil Type and Different Pre-sowing Treatments on seedling emergence and vigor of Senegalia polyacantha. BY ANESU HASVE B1337016 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE HONOURS DEGREE IN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DATE OF SUBMISSION 31/03/17 DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my inspiring mother Irene Mutemaringa and my late father James Hasve. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT All gratitude is extended to the men and women who made this study possible. Mostly important is my academic supervisor Ms C. Masona. My profound gratitude to my beloved husband Alphius Nyamayarwo and my family who sacrificed their time to help in all ways they could. Above all, I praise the Lord Almighty for permitting me to reach this far. ii ABSTRACT The study investigated the effects of soil type and pre-sowing treatment on seedling emergence and vigor of Senegalia polyacantha . The experiment was laid out in a (3*3) completely randomized design with three replications. Soil type had three levels (sandy loam, humus and clayey loam) while seed treatments were soaked ( in hot water for thirty minutes, cold water for twenty four hours, concentrated sulphuric acid (0.3 M H 2SO 4) for sixty minutes) and no treatment (control). Results showed that soil type and seed treatment affected seed germination of S.polyacantha seed . Seeds subjected to hot water treatment and then sown in sandy loam soil had the highest emergence, followed by cold water treatment then sulphuric acid treatment and lastly control. Germination percentage was highest from hot water treated seeds across all soil types with sandy loam having (46%), then humus (31.6%) and lastly clay loam soil (6.6%). For Height performance, in humus soils, was significantly taller (p<0.05) than clayey and sandy soils across pre-sowing seed treatments except for the hot water treatment. Non-treated Senegalia polyacantha seedlings had the least mean height (29.28±5.18 cm) in sandy loam soils whereas hot water and sulphuric acid treated Senegalia polyacantha seeds performed favorably (mean height 48.38±4.93 cm and 46.05±3.37 cm respectively) in sandy loam soils. Results suggest that planting S.polyacantha in sandy loam soil after hot water treatment reduces time taken for emergence and germination of Senegalia polyacantha seeds. Pre-treatment of seeds in sulphuric acid for 60 minutes and sowing them in humas soils can improve height performance. The refare pre-sowing treatment of Senegalia polyacantha seeds and planting in sandy loam and humus soil is more preferable to facilitate fast seedling emergence and growth rate. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION .......................................................... i DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABREVIATIONS ................................................................... viii LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research background ........................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Problem statement ............................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Aim ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Research Objectives .......................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Justification of the study ................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Botany of S.polyacantha ................................................................................................... 5 2.3 The effects of soil type on seedling emergence and vigor of S polyacantha . ................... 6 2.4 The effects of pre-sowing treatments on the seedling emergence and vigor of S.polyacantha .......................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................. 10 3.0 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Study area........................................................................................................................ 10 3.2 Soil textural analysis ....................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Pre-sowing treatments and growing media ..................................................................... 12 3.4 Experimental Design ....................................................................................................... 13 3.5 Data collection ................................................................................................................ 14 3.8 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................. 16 iv 4.0 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Height performance ........................................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................................. 20 5.0 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................................. 22 6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................... 23 6.1 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 23 6.2 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 23 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 23 v LIST OF FIGURES Fig 3.1 Map showing Astra campus nursery at Bindura University of Science Education…13 Fig 4.1 Height performance of S.polyacantha …………………………………………........19 Fig 4.2 Branchlet development of S.polyacantha …………………………………………...20 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Experimental layout……………………………………………………………14 Table 3.2 Variables measured in the nursery during trial period…………………………16 Table 4.1 Seedling emergence of S.polyacantha after a period of two weeks……………17 vii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABREVIATIONS ANOVA – Analysis Of Varience BD – Branchlet Development C – Control CWT – Cold Water Treatment DFID - Department of International Development HWT – Hot Water Treatment K - Potassium N – Nitrogen P – Phosphorus SAT – Sulphuric Acid Treatment SPSS – Statistical Package For Social Sciences viii LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1 Post hoc analysis: comparison with soils…………………………………………..39 Appendix 2 Mean Heights for S. Polyacantha .............................................................................32 Appendix 3 Means for branchlet development………………..…………………………...……32 Appendix 5 Post hoc – soils comparison…………………….………………………...………..34 Appendix 4 Post hoc for branchlet development………………………………………………..35 Appendix 6 Comparison of treatments………….…………………………………………......36 ix CHAPTER 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research background Senegalia polyacantha is an important