Seed treatment with Eclipta alba plant extract and application of fertilizer confers a combined effect on the yield of sorghum

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/11/2018
Views (439) Download (18)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Seed treatment with Eclipta alba plant extract and application of fertilizer confers a combined effect on the yield of sorghum

P. Elisabeth Zida, B. James Néya, Romain W. Soalla, Paco Sérémé, Ole Søgaard Lund
Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res.13( 5), 96-102, November 2018.
Certificate: IJAAR 2018 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

A potential to improve yield of sorghum has previously been demonstrated using seed treatment with an antifungal extract from the plant, Eclipta alba. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of the extract when applied with and without the use of fertilizer (NPK and urea). Over two years, seventeen field tests were carried out on nine farms in South-Eastern Burkina Faso. The farms were characterized by a low baseline yield of sorghum (<400kg/ha) and an annual precipitation of 800-900 mm. The seeds used for testing carried a natural inoculum of fungal pathogens including Epicoccum sorghinum and Curvularia spp. as commonly observed in the region. The plant extract alone provided a yield increase of +21% as a field average (p<0.05). Fertilizer alone provided a mean yield increase of + 23% (p<0.02). The combined use of plant extract and fertilizer resulted in a mean yield increase of 66% indicating at least an additive effect (p<0.0003) and a possible, positive interaction (synergism; p<0.11). With respect to emergence, an additive effect was observed but it was not significant. Compared to the treatment with plant extract, hydropriming only provided moderate effects. In conclusion, the use of plant extract and fertilizer in combination showed a superior effect on yield. Additional field data supporting the choice of extract concentration (2.5% w/v) and the effect on formal and informal sources of seeds are provided.

VIEWS 18

Abdalla EA, Osman AK, Maki MA, Nur FM, Ali SB, Aune JB. 2015. The response of sorghum, groundnut, sesame, and cowpea to seed priming and fertilizer micro-dosing in South Kordofan state, Sudan. Agronomy 5, 476-490.

Aune JB, Bationo A. 2008. Agricultural intensification in the Sahel–The ladder approach. Agricultural Systems 98, 119-125.

Aune JB, Coulibaly A, Giller KE. 2017. Precision farming for increased land and labour productivity in semi-arid West Africa. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 37, 16.

Aune JB, Coulibaly A, Woumou K. 2018. Intensification of dryland farming in Mali through mechanisation of sowing, fertiliser application and weeding. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science DOI: 10.1080/03650340.2018.1505042

Aune JB, Traoré CO, Mamadou S. 2012. Low-cost technologies for improved productivity of dryland farming in Mali. Outlook on Agriculture 41, 103-108.

Aune JB, Ousman A. 2011. Effect of seed priming and micro-dosing of fertilizer on sorghum and pearl millet in Western Sudan. Experimental Agriculture 47, 419-430.

Buah SSJ, Kombiok JM, Abatania LN. 2012. Grain sorghum response to NPK fertilizer in the Guinea Savanna of Ghana. J. Crop Improvement 26, 101-115.

Koch E, Roberts SJ. 2014. Non-chemical seed treatment in the control of seed-borne pathogens. In: Global Perspectives on the Health of Seeds and Plant Propagation Material. Editors: Gullino ML, Munkvold E. Springer Netherlands 105-123.

Mathur SB, Kongsdal O. 2003. Common Laboratory Seed Health Testing Methods for Detecting Fungi. ISTA, Basserdorf, CH-Switzerland 425 p.

Nutsugah SK, Vibeke L, Atokple IDK, Ayensu FK. 2004. Seed-borne mycoflora of major food crops in Ghana. Journal of Science and Technolology (Ghana) 24, 22-31.

Nyborg M. 1961. The effect of fertilizers on emergence of cereal grains, flax and rape. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 41, 89-98.

Palé S, Mason SC, Taonda SJB. 2009. Water and fertilizer influence on yield of grain sorghum varieties produced in Burkina Faso. South African Journal of Plant and Soil 26, 91-97.

Prom LK. 2004. The effects of Fusarium thapsinum, Curvularia lunata, and their combination on sorghum germination and seed mycoflora. Journal of New Seeds 6, 39-49.

Rurinda J, Mapfumo P, van Wijk MT, Mtambanengwe F, Rufino MC, Chikowo R, Giller KE. 2014. Comparative assessment of maize, finger millet and sorghum for household food security in the face of increasing climatic risk. European Journal of Agronomy 55, 29-41.

Saraswathy N, Kumaran PM. 2012. Evaluation of aqueous extract of Eclipta alba leaves for preservative potential against Fusarium species. American Journal of Pharm Tech Research 2, 645-649.

Stokholm MS, Wulff EG, Zida EP, Thio IG, Néya JB, Soalla RW, Głazowska SE, Andresen M, Topbjerg HB, Boelt B, Lund OS. 2016. DNA barcoding and isolation of vertically transmitted ascomycetes in sorghum from Burkina Faso: Epicoccum sorghinum is dominant in seedlings and appears as a common root pathogen. Microbiological Research 191, 38-50.

Welch NH, Burnett E, Hudspeth EB. 1962. Effect of fertilizer on seedling emergence and growth of several grass species. Journal of Range Management 15, 94-98.

Zida EP, Lund OS, Néya JB. 2012. Seed treatment with a binary pesticide and aqueous extract of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. for improving sorghum yield in Burkina Faso. Journal of Tropical Agriculture 50, 1-7.

Zida EP, Sérémé P, Leth V, Sankara P. 2008b. Effect of aqueous extracts of Acacia gourmaensis A. Chev and Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. on seed health, seedling vigour and grain yield of sorghum and pearl millet. Asian Journal of Plant Pathology 2, 40-47.

Zida PE, Néya BJ, Soalla WR, Prakash HS, Niranjana SR, Udayashankar AC, Nandini M, Rajini SB, Barrocas EN, Andresen M, Sérémé P, Lund OS. 2015. Increased feasibility of treating sorghum seeds with Eclipta alba extract by lowering concentration of plant extract and soaking time of seeds. International Journal of Tropical Agriculture 33, 2391-2400.

Zida PE, Néya BJ, Jensen SM, Soalla WR, Sérémé P, Lund OS. 2018. Increasing sorghum yields by seed treatment with an aqueous extract of the plant Eclipta alba may involve a dual mechanism of hydropriming and suppression of fungal pathogens. Crop Protection 107, 48-55.

Zida PE, Néya BJ, Soalla WR, Jensen SM, Stokholm MS, Andresen M, Kabir MH, Sérémé P, Lund OS. 2016. Effect of sorghum seed treatment in Burkina Faso varies with baseline crop performance and geographical location. African Crop Science Journal 24, 109-125.

Zida PE, Sérémé P, Leth V, Sankara P, Somda I, Néya A. 2008a. Importance of seed-borne fungi on sorghum and pearl millet in Burkina Faso and their control using plant extracts. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 11, 321-331.

Zougmoré R, Zida Z, Kambou NF. 2003. Role of nutrient amendments in the success of half-moon soil and water conservation practice in semiarid Burkina Faso. Soil and Tillage Research 71, 143-149.