| dc.description.abstract | A study was conducted at Kabete campus field station between September 2006 and June
2007 to determine the herbage growth and forage micro-minerals density of the Quartin
clover (Trifolium quartnianum) which belongs to the African clover genus. It was
assessed for its mineral micronutrient concentration using X-Ray florescence
spectroscopy. The study involved three experiments; one in the green house (GH),
another one in wooden boxes (WB) measuring 1M2 square and the third study in an open
field. Soil at the experimental site was randomly sampled and analyzed for micronutrient
concentration. The field experiment was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design
(RCBD) with four treatments replicated four times. The treatments in the field
experiment were:-three terrain levels and Phosphate fertilizer at 0kg/ha P205, 30kg/ha
P205, 50kg/ha P205, 60kg/ha P205. The first two experiments were done in the green
house in pots and in wooden boxes in April 2006 to September 2006 to assess the
herbage growth of Quartin clover, four growth stages were observed. Seed was scarified
before planting. Plant sampling and data collection were done bi-weekly during the
growing seasons to determine herbage growth. The Plant tissues and Soil samples were
subjected to Energy Dispersive X-Ray Florescence Spectroscopy (EDXRF) analysis to
determine mineral micronutrient concentration. Growth components measured included,
plant height, ground cover, leave number, branching, nodule formation, dry matter and
seed yield. The date of 50% flowering was 120 days after sowing which gave an
indication of how long the legumes take to flower as this is an important criterion for
identifying suitable time for harvesting the forage.
Seed emergence was 82-93.0 % 10 days after planting. The good germination percentage
was enhanced by seed scarification to remove seed dormancy. SPSS Package version
11.5 was used to analyze the data collected. Data was subjected to ANOVA. Means were
separated using the least squire significance difference test at P<0.05.
Terrain level and fertilizer treatments showed significant difference (P<0.05) in Percent
ground cover in field establishment. Phosphate fertilizer application showed significant
effects (P<0.05) on stubble weight, leaf number and nodules per plant at 50kg/ha P205
but there were no differences in plant height due to fertilizer treatments. Stubble weight,
dry matter yield and seed yield, were significantly (P<0.05) affected by terrain levels in
field experiment and box establishment. Iron was the highest mineral micronutrient
concentration in Quartin clover seeds followed by Manganese and Zinc respectively.
Application of triple supper phosphate at 50kg/ha P2O5 gave the highest dry matter yield.
Herbage growth at the lower slant terrain did better than middle and upper slants (terrain
levels) with a positive correlation of r= 0.45 between slants correlated to soils available,
Herbage growth was reduced in the upper and middle slants when precipitation was
insufficient. Quartin clover responded to fertilizer application since native fertilizer was
not adequate to the crop yield permitted by the moisture regime. It therefore
recommended that timely planting and/or frequent irrigation is necessary to maximize
yield. Quartin clover is a legume fodder that fixes its own Nitrogen and accumulates high
levels of protein and micro nutrients. Therefore, farmers interested in restoring soil
nutrients in their immediate needy fields could plant it as a cheap method of soil
improvement and conservation as well as reducing labour demand in fetching animal feed
for zero grazing farming systems. Feeding it to dairy animals would improve the quality
of animal products such as meet and milk hence satisfying the hidden hunger directly to
the animals and indirectly to human beings. Phosphate application is of crucial
importance in establishment, growth and development of Quartin clover since it affects
both herbage growth and mineral micronutrient accumulation in Quartin clover. This
study therefore recommends that phosphate fertilizer be applied as a basal fertilizer at a
rate of 30-50 kg/ha P2O5 during establishment of the Quartin clover. | en |
