Browsing by Author "Osoro, Newton"

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  • Publication
    Publication
    Effects of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes [mart.] solms) Compost on Growth and Yield Parameters of Maize (Zea mays)
    (Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2014-01-10) Osoro, Newton
    Aims: To evaluate the effects of water hyacinth compost prepared with various cultures on growth and yield parameters of maize. Study Design: Randomized Complete Block Design. Place and Duration of Study: Field experiments were carried out at Otonglo Division in Kisumu County and greenhouse trials were carried out at Kenyatta University from November 2011 to August 2012. Methodology: The water hyacinth compost was prepared using effective microorganisms Original Research Article British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(4): 617-633, 2014 618 (EM) solution, cow manure and molasses separately as starter cultures for composting. The compost was applied on maize (H513) on separate growth pots in the greenhouse and plots in the field. The treatments applied included compost prepared with EM (8.84 g/pot), compost prepared with cow manure (8.84 g/pot), compost prepared with molasses (8.84g/pot), diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer (70.7 mg N/pot) and control (without fertilizer). For the field experiments, water hyacinth compost was applied at a rate of 5000 kg ha and DAP at 40 kg N/ha. The experiments had five treatments and three replications for each treatment in the greenhouse and four treatments replicated four times in three farmers’ fields. Results: Application of water hyacinth compost and DAP significantly influenced positively (P ≤ 0.05) the growth attributes of maize. Among the various treatments of the compost, water hyacinth compost prepared with EM (WHE) performed better in most parameters evaluated including plant height, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and root collar diameter. Yield parameters such as 100 seed weight and grain yield were not significantly (p > 0.05) influenced by various treatments. Conclusion: Water hyacinth which is locally available and in large quantities (especially in lake Victoria) can be composted to prepare organic fertilizers and effectively used as an organic soil amendment to restore soil and increase maize production.
  • Publication
    Publication
    Morphological Assessment and Effectiveness of Indigenous Rhizobia Isolates that Nodulate P. vulgaris in Water Hyacinth Compost Testing Field in Lake Victoria Basin
    (SCIENCEDOMAIN, 2013-12-05) Muthini, Morris; Maingi, John M.; Muoma, John O.; Amoding, Alice; Mukaminega, Dative; Osoro, Newton; Mgutu, Allan; Ombori, Omwoyo
    Aims: The study was aimed at isolating, identifying and assessing the effectiveness of indigenous rhizobia nodulating P. vulgaris in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB).Study Design: Randomized complete block design.Place and Duration of Study: Soil and nodule samples were collected from Kisumu (Kenya); Kabanyolo (Uganda) and Nyabarongo (Rwanda). Field experiments: Kisumu (Kenya). Lab and greenhouse experiments: Department of Plant and Microbial Sciences Kenyatta University (Kenya) and Makerere University (Uganda). Research was carried out between January 2012 and April 2013.Methodology: Rhizobia were isolated from nodules obtained from P. vulgaris (rose coco variety) plants planted in the LVB water hyacinth compost trial fields and whole soil trapping experiments in the greenhouse using soil obtained from the LVB. The isolates were characterized using morphological features. Isolates from each group were used in authentication using the infection technique.Results: One hundred and twenty eight isolates were obtained from the trapping experiments and placed into nine groups based on their morphological characteristics. Four hundred and seventy two isolates were obtained from the nodules of the P. vulgaris grown in soils amended with water hyacinth compost and were placed into sixteen groups. The isolates varied in their morphological characteristics. There was a significant difference in the infectiveness and effectiveness of the representative rhizobia isolates.Conclusion: The studies revealed that rhizobia isolates from Lake Victoria are different morphologically. Authentication experiments, confirmed that the majority of the isolates were rhizobia due to their ability to infect the host plant P. vulgaris. All representative isolates varied in their ability to infect and fix nitrogen. Isolates that are more effective compared to the commercial Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar phaseolistrain 446 were isolated in this study. The effective indigenous rhizobia have therefore the potential of being sources of inocula for P. vulgaris.