INT L JOURNAL OF AGRIC. AND RURAL DEV. SAAT FUTO 2015

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1 SOIL PROPERTIES AND PERFORMANCE OF BAMBARA GROUNDNUT (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) AS INFLUENCED BY Moringa oleifera LEAF EXTRACT 1 Ibe A.E., 2 Onuoha, G.N., * 1 Madukwe, D.K., 3 Iheaturu, D.E. 1 Department of Forestry and Wildlife Technology, School of; Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. 2 Department of Crop Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria 3 Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. *Corresponding Author: donkele2002@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, to ascertain the potential effect of Moringa oleifera leaf extract on soil properties and the performance of Bambara groundnut. The experimental layout was a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications.. The following treatments T 1 = No Moringa leaf extract / ethanol, T 2 = 60ml of ethanol, T 3 20ml of Moringa leaf extract T 4 = 40ml of Moringa leaf extract T 5 = 60ml of Moringa leaf extract, were applied twice and T 6 = 3.5g of NPK was applied once. Data were collected on the following parameters; vine length/plant (cm), number of leaves/plant, leaf area /plant (cm 2 ), number of vines/plant, number of pods per plant, 100-seeds weight(g), number of nodules and seed yield and were subjected to analysis of variance procedure (P 0.05). The soil analysis results before and after harvest showed that Moringa leaf extract at the rate 60ml/plot increased the ph (6.5) value from the value 5.3 recorded from plots treated with 3.5g NPK fertilizer. The ph of the untreated plots and plots treated with 60ml of ethanol were 5.6 and 5.7 which are exactly or slightly above the initial soil ph respectively. Results also showed that Moringa leaf extract improved the performance of Bambara groundnut, compared with the NPK at 3.5g application rate. In terms of leaf area (35.3 cm 2 ), number of leaves (38.5), number of vines (4.3), number of pods (24.7), 100-seeds weight (76.6g), number of nodules (56.1) and seed yield (127.7 Kg/ha). It is therefore concluded within the limit of this study that Moringa leaf extract at the rates applied, is capable of enhancing the performance of Bambara groundnut and amending degraded soil. Keyword: Bambara groundnut, Moringa, Plant extract, Performance, Soil amendment, Yield. INTRODUCTION The relevance of some plant species such as Moringa oleifera in improving the livelihood is gaining increasing interest among researchers. Moringa oleifera is one of the most useful tropical plants. It is a perennial plant which has been found to possess high economic and cultural values in many countries of the world (Aregheore, 2002). It accelerates growth of young plants, strengthens plants, improves resistance to pests and diseases, prolongs life span, increases number of roots, stem and leaves, produces more and larger fruits and generally increases yield by about 20-30% (Fugile, 2001; Aregheore, 2002). These findings have earlier been reported by Price (1985) who observed increase in growth and yield of crop due to use of Moringa. Moringa also has been reported to significantly improve soil fertility (Anyaegbu, 2014) if used as a green manure when Moringa seedlings are ploughed into the soil to a depth of 15 cm at age of 25days (Davis, 2000). The improvement in crop growth and yield resulted from the influence of Zeatin: a plant growth hormone from Cytokinines group as reported by Price (1985). Foliar application of Moringa on wheat at tillering, jointing, booting and anthesis have been reported by Foidl et al. (2001) to increase wheat yield. Foidl et al. (2001) further reported 25-30% increased yield for most of the horticultural and some field crops like onions, bell pepper, soya, maize, sorghum, coffee, tea, chill and melon. Bambara groundnut is a legume whose growth and yield is controlled by the natural environmental conditions, especially the climate and soil fertility status (Udoh et al., 2005). Moringa oleifera is certainly under-exploited at present. Its numerous uses as a vegetable, seed oil, gum, hedge tree, and ornamental plant, and its easy propagation and cultivation justify more intensive research into its biological and economic potentials. However, there is need for additional efforts to secure more food for the growing population of Nigeria (Aregheore, 2002). The use of Moringa for agricultural purposes to enhance seed germination, growth and yield of crops has not been evaluated in Nigeria. In the wake of increasing global prices of inorganic fertilizer, land and Volume 18 (1): ,

2 water pollution arising from use of inorganic fertilizer and the contribution of inorganic fertilizers to climate change and destruction of soil properties, there is a need to find alternative soil and crop improvement materials. The present study therefore is aimed at investigating the potentials of Moringa oleifera leaves extract as a crop growth enhancer and soil amendment. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment was carried out during the cropping season of September 2014 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri which lies between the latitude of N and longitude E within the Southeastern agriecological zone of Nigeria. The environmental condition is characterized by a temperature above 27 0 C, average annual rainfall of 2500 mm and relative humidity of 78% during the rainy season (NIMET, 2010) An experimental plot of 17 x 11m (187 m 2 ); spraying can, spade, cutlass, shovel, and grinding machine collected from the Research Farm were used for the study. The M. oleifera leaves were collected from the University Moringa farm. The NPK fertilizer and ethanol (80%), were bought from agro-chemical shop in Owerri. Bambara groundnut seeds (Local Variety) were procured from the local market (Ekeukwu) Owerri, Nigeria. Beaker, cylinder, and electronic weighing balance used to measure out the extract and the yield of the crops were collected from the Crop Science laboratory. The experimental design used was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and six treatments. The experiment was made up of 18 plots each measuring 2 x 3 m (6 m 2 ). The Bambara groundnut seeds were treated with Furadan 5G and then planted at the seed rate of 4 seeds per stand which were later thinned down to 2 seedlings two weeks after germination. The M. oleifera leaves were sun dried and grinded into fine particles. 200g of the grinded leaves was added to 3000ml (3L) of 80% ethanol and left to stand for 48 hours. The mixture was sieved to obtain the crude Moringa leaves extract. The crude Moringa leaves extract was serialized into different levels of concentrations which formed the different treatments. The blank 80% ethanol treatment and the NPK fertilizer treatment constitute the controls. Two (2) weeks after germination, the first phase of the treatments was applied at the following rates Treatment (T) 1 = No Moringa leaf extract / ethanol, T 2 = 60 ml of ethanol, T 3 20 ml of Moringa leaf extract T 4-40 ml of Moringa leaf extract T 5 = 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract, using the spraying can and T 6 = 3.5g of NPK fertilizer was using the ring method. Applications of the Moringa treatments were repeated 6 weeks after germination. All sprays were carried out very early in the morning when the leaves were still wet and the stomata were still open to facilitate its absorption. Weeding was done at 2 weeks after planting and subsequently as the need arose and the plots were adequately irrigated The experiment was properly monitored and data were collected for the following parameters; vine length/plant (cm), number of leaves/plant, leaf area /plant (cm 2 ), number of vines/plant, number of pods per plant, 100-seeds weight (g), number of nodules and seed yield. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means were separated using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) at the 5% level of probabilities (Onuh and Igwemma, 2007). RESULTS Effects of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts on properties of soil The ph value of the experimental soil was 5.6 at the beginning of the study. At the end of the study, the ph of plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract increased to 6.5 while plots treated with 40 and 20 ml of the Moringa leaf extract increased to 6.3 and 6.2, respectively. However, the ph of plots treated with 60 ml of ethanol and NPK fertilizer stood at 5.7 and 5.3, respectively (Table 1). The Total Nitrogen (T.N) in the soil was 0.12% before the study and after the study, it increased to 1.12% and 1.08% in plots treated with 60ml and 40 ml of the Moringa leaf extract, respectively. While plots that received 60 ml of ethanol treatment and NPK fertilizer gave 0.11% each of T.N, however, plots that did not receive treatments recorded 0.14% of T.N (Table 1). The potassium ion (K + ) present in the soil before the study was at 0.13 Cmol which later increased to 0.14 Cmol and 0.12 Cmol in plots treated with NPK fertilizer and 40 ml of Moringa leaf extract, respectively (Table 1). While in plots treated with 60 ml of the Moringa leaf extract and 60 ml of ethanol the K + level was recorded as 0.05 Cmol and 0.06 Cmol, respectively (Table 1). The available Phosphorous in the soil before the study was ppm and decreased to 2.57 ppm in plots treated with 20 ml of Moringa leaf extract, and 3.75 ppm in plots without treatments. Plots that received 60 ml and 40 ml of the Moringa leaf extract gave 5.61 ppm and 4.63 ppm, respectively (Table 1). Volume 18 (1): ,

3 Table 1: Soil Properties before and after the experiment % Cmol % ppm Treatments ph OC OM TEA H + TN Al 3+ Ca 2+ Mg 2+ K + Na + CEC BS P Initial g of NPK fertilizer No Moringa Leaf Extract ml of Ethanol ml of Moringa leaf extract ml of Moringa leaf extract ml of Moringa leaf extract OC= organic carbon, OM= organic matter, TEA=Total Exchangeable Acid, H + =hydrogen ion, TN= Total Nitrogen, Al 3+- = Aluminum ion, Ca 2+ Calcium ion,mg 2+ = Magnesium ion, K + = Potassium ion, Na + = Sodium ion, CEC= Cation Exchange Capacity, BS = Base Saturation, P= Phosphorus Volume 18 (1): ,

4 of Leaves/Plants At 8weeks after planting (WAP), the highest (38.5) mean number of leaves was recorded from plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract which showed significant difference (p< 0.05) from the lowest (15.6) mean number of leaves (Table 2). However, the plots treated with NPK fertilizer the mean number of leaves was 28.6 and was not significantly different (p< 0.05) from the means recorded from plots treated with 40 ml of the Moringa leaf extract (25.1) and from the 60 ml of ethanol (24.1) (Table 2) of Vines/Plant The highest (4.3) mean number of vines at 8 WAP was recorded from the plots that received 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract and it showed significant difference (p< 0.05) from the 2.5 mean number of vines recorded from the NPK treated plots and other plots (Table 2). However, the NPK treated plots did not show significant difference (p < 0.05) from the plots without treatments (2.0) and plots treated with 40 ml of Moringa leaf extract (2.2) ( Table 2) Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on Vine Length (cm) The shortest vine length recorded (15.5cm) was from the plots that received 60cm of Moringa leaf extract. This was significantly different (p<0.05) from the mean vine length recorded from other plots (Table 2). However the highest mean (42.7cm) was recorded from plots that did not receive any treatment (Table 2). Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on Leaf Area Plots treated with 60ml of Moringa leaf extract gave the highest (35.3cm 2 ) mean leaf area and was significantly different (p<0.05) from the other treatment plots. While the lowest (14.8cm 2 ) mean leaf area was recorded from the plots that received 60ml of ethanol and was not significantly different (p<0.05) from the 15.6cm 2 recorded from plots that did not receive treatment (Table 2) Table 2: Effects of Moringa leaf extracts on the Yield Performance of Soybean LA(cm 2 ) Mean No of leaves per Mean No of vines Mean Vine length per plant (cm) plant per plant Treatment 8WAP 8WAP 8WAP 8WAP 3.5g of NPK fertilizer 23.3 b 28.6 b 2.5 b 42.5 a No Moringa Leaf Extract 15.6 c 15.6 c 2.0 b 42.7 a 60ml of Ethanol 14.8c 24.1 b 1.0 c 37.0 a 20ml of Moringa leaf extract 17.6 bc 22.8 bc 1.2 bc 40.5 a 40ml of Moringa leaf extract 27.8 ab 25.1 b 2.2 b 37.2 a 60ml of Moringa leaf extract 35.3 a 38.5 a 4.3 a 15.5 b LSD P Means in the same column, having the same letter(s) are not significantly different at P<0.05 according to LSD. of nodules/plant Plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract recorded the highest (56.1) mean number of root nodules which was significantly different (p< 0.05) from the means in other treatment plots. However, plots without treatments gave the lowest (35.6) mean number of root nodules which was not significantly different fromh the means in the other treatment plots except plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract (Table 3). of Pods/Plant The highest (24.7) mean number of pods per plant was recorded from the 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract, this showed significant difference (p< 0.05) from the other means while the lowest (18.4) mean number of nodules was recorded from plots treated with 40 ml of Moringa leaf extract (Table 3) Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on 100- Seeds Weight (g) The lowest (27.2g) mean weight of 100 seeds of Bambara groundnut was recorded from plots treated Volume 18 (1): ,

5 with 60 ml of ethanol and this was significantly different from the means recorded from the other treatment plots (Table 3). While means recorded from plots treated with NPK fertilizer (48.7g), 20 ml of Moringa leaf extract (45.4g), 40 ml of Moringa leaf extract (44.3g) and plots without treatment (40.0g) were not significantly different from the highest (76.6g) mean weight of 100-seeds recorded from plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract (Table 3). Table 3: Effects of Moringa leaf extract on the Yield components and yield Performance of Bambara groundnut Treatments Mean Number of Pods per Mean weight of 100seeds yield (g) Mean number of nodules per plant Mean seed yield per plant (Kg/ha) plant No Moringa Leaf Extract 22.5 b 40.0 b 35.6 b 66.6 bc 60ml of Ethanol 21.2 bc 27.2 c 36.4 b 45.3 c 20ml of Moringa leaf extract 21.7 bc 45.4 b 38.2 b 75.7 b 40ml of Moringa leaf extract 18.4 c 44.3 b 40.3 b 73.8 b 60ml of Moringa leaf extract 24.7 a 76.6 a 56.1 a a 3.5g of NPK fertilizer 20.1 bc 48.7 b 48.2 ab 81.2 b LSD P Means in the same column, having the same letter(s) are not significantly different at P<0.05 according to LSD. Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract on Seed Yield (Kg/ha) The highest (127.7 Kg/ha) mean seed yield of Bambara groundnut was recorded from plots treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract (Table 3). This showed significant difference (p< 0.05) from the other treatment plots, while the lowest (45.3 Kg/ha) was recorded from plots treated with 60 ml of ethanol however means obtained from other treatments were not significant (Table 3). DISCUSSION Results of the study showed that application of Moringa leaf extract was able to increase the soil ph from 5.6 to 6.5 on the plots that were treated with 60ml of the Moringa leaf extract. On the plots treated with 40ml and 20ml of the Moringa leaf extract, the ph rose to 6.3 and 6.2, respectively. In the plots that received 60ml of ethanol, the ph had a slight change (5.7) from the initial value, but on the plots that received 3.5g NPK fertilizer treatment, the ph was observed to drop to 5.3. This increase and drop in the ph value suggests that the Moringa leaf extract has the potential of reducing soil acidity and thus has a liming effect on the soil, Similar results on the increase in soil ph due to incorporation of plant sources of manure were reported by Akanbi and Ojeniyi (2007) for Chromolaena leaves, and Ogeh (2010) for almond leaves. The mechanism responsible for this increase in soil ph was probably due to ion exchange reactions which occur when terminal OH - of Al 3+ and Fe 2+ hydroxyl oxides are replaced by organic anions which are products of decomposition of organic manures (Undie et al., 2013). The ability of organic manure to increase soil ph can be attributed to the enrichment of the soil through mineralization of cations particularly Calcium. However, the increase in acidity in the plots treated with 3.5g NPK, is in line with the observations of Madukwe et al. (2008) that of synthetic (NPK) fertilizers when applied to the soil have the capacity of increasing the soil acidity. The organic carbon and organic matter content of the soil was observed to be on the increase in all the treatment plots when compared with the initial properties of the soil before application of treatments except for plots treated with NPK fertilizer, and plots that did not receive any treatment. However, plots treated with 60ml of Moringa leaf extract had the highest value of organic carbon and also organic matter. However, nutrient elements such as Nitrogen was observed to be on the increase on plot treated with 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract than in the NPK and ethanol treated plots. This could be associated with the higher number of nodules recorded in the 60 ml Moringa leaf extract treated plot which has the potential of fixing more nitrogen to the soil (Madukwe et al., 2008). The phosphorus level was reduced in all the treatment plots when compared with the initial value. This tend suggests that Bambara groundnut was assimilating the phosphorus faster than the treatments could replace (O Hara, 2001). Generally, Bambara groundnut plants in the plots treated with 60 ml of the Moringa leaf extract performed better in terms of leaf area, number of Volume 18 (1): ,

6 leaves, and number of vines, than those that were treated with NPK fertilizer and lower rates of the Moringa leaf extract. However, plots that received 60 ml of the Moringa leaf extract had the shortest lengths of vines. This better performance of the Moringa leaf extract-treated plots is in contrast to the report of poor or limited quantities of plant nutrients in ethanol extracted Moringa as contained in the work of Makkar and Becker, (1996). The better yield recorded from the 60 ml Moringa leaf extract-treated plot could be attributed partly to the higher number of nodules recorded and partly to the greater weight of seed recorded. This increased yield recorded in the moringa treated plots is also in line with the findings of Undie (2013), who worked with Solanum aethiopicum and reported that significant increase in yield and yield components of garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) varieties was a manifestation of the positive effect of organic manures on soil properties that transformed into soil fertility and a confirmation of the high mineralizable nutrient composition of Moringa. However, the higher number of pods and nodules recorded per plants in the 60 ml of Moringa leaf extract treated plots could be associated with the area of leaves exposed to sunlight, which makes for the trapping of greater quantity of rays which promotes photosynthesis thereby favouring pod filling and effective nodulation (O Hara, 2001). CONCLUSION From the results, obtained growth and performance of Bambara groundnut was significantly influenced by the application of Moringa leaf extract. The level of the effect increased with increase in the rate of application of the extract. The study also showed that Moringa leaf extract was superior to NPK fertilizer and ethanol in their potentials as soil amendments especially in terms of increasing soil ph. It is therefore concluded within the limit of this study that Moringa leaf extract at the rates applied, is capable of enhancing the performance of Bambara groundnut and amending degraded soil. However, it is recommended that the Moringa leaf extract be applied in higher rates in subsequent trials and on a highly acidic soil to confirm its liming effects on the soil. REFERENCES Akanbi, O.S. and Ojeniyi, S.O. (2007). Effect of Siam weed mulch on soil properties and performance of yam in Southwest Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Soil Science 17: Anyaegbu, P.O. (2014).Comparative assessment of the effect of Moringa extracts, NPK fertilizer and poultry manure on soil properties and growth performance of garden egg (Solanium menlongina) in Abuja, Nigeria. Nigerian Agricultural Journal 45(1):21-30 Aregheore, E.M. (2002). Intake and digestibility of Moringa oleifera batiki grass mixtures by growing goats. Small Ruminant Research. 46: Davis, K. (2000). The Moringa tree, (Revised edition) Echo, Durrance Rd, North Ft. Myers FL 33917, USA. Foidl, N., H.P.S. Makkar and K. Becker (2001). The Potential of Moringa oleifera for Agricultural and Industrial Uses. In. Lowell J. Fuglie (Ed), The Miracle Tree: The multiple attributes of Moringa (Ed), pp; CTA, Wageningen the Netherlands. Fuglie, L.J. (2001): The Miracle Tree: Moringa oleifera: Natural Nutrition for the tropics. The Multiple attributes of Moringa. P Madukwe, D.K., I.E.C. Christo, and M.O. Onuh (2008). Effects of organic manure and cowpea varieties on the chemical properties of the soil and root nodulation. Science World Journal 3(1): Makkar, H.P.S and Becker, K. (1996). Nutritional Value an anti-nutritional components of whole and ethanol extract Moringa oleifera leaves. Animal Feed Science Technology 63: NIMET (2010). Nigeria meteorological unit Owerri. Annual Report 2010 O Hara, G.W. (2001). Nutritional constraints on root nodule bacteria affecting symbiotic nitrogen fixation a raise. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41: Ogeh, E.S. (2010). The performance of maize in acid infertile soil amended with municipal tree leaves residue and phosphorus. Nigerian Journal of Soil Science 20 (2): Onuh, M.O. and A.A. Igwemma (2007). Applied Statistical Techniques for Business and Basic Science. 2 nd edition. Skill-mark Media Ltd Owerri. Price, M.L., (1985). The Moringa Tree. Echo Durrance Rd; North ft Myers FL 33917, USA. Udoh. D.J., Bassey, A. Ndon, Polycarp, P.E. Suquo, and Nyaudoh, U. Ndaeyo (2005). Crop Production Techniques for the Tropics. Concept Publication Limited. ISBN pp. Undie, U. L., Kekong, M.A. and Ojikpong, T.O. (2013). Moringa (Moringa oleifera LAM.) leaves effect on soil ph and garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum l.) yield in two Nigeria agroecologies. European Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research, Vol.1 (1): Volume 18 (1): ,