THE EFFECTS OF SUBSTRATE TYPE AND CULTIVAR ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF PLANTAIN PLANTLETS

Plantain (Musa spp.) production depends greatly on clean quality and vigor of planting materials, which are influenced by growing medium one of which is the substrate and cultivar during nursery establishment. This study evaluated the effects of substrate type and cultivar on the growth and plantlets performance of plantain at the LAUTECH Teaching and Research Farm. The experiment was laid out as a 4 × 5 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design (CRD), replicated three times, involving four plantain cultivars (Agbagba, Obinolewai, Orishele and Curare Enano) and five substrates (compost, soil + compost, sawdust, soil + sawdust and soil). Growth and plantlets performance were assessed using stem girth, leaf area, number of leaves, number of roots, chlorophyll content, fresh weight and dry weight. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and significant treatment means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at the 5% probability level. Growth increased progressively from 4 to 12 weeks after planting (WAP), with substrate type significantly influencing stem girth from 6 WAP and leaf area and number of leaves throughout the assessment period.