THE IMPACT OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON GROWTH, YIELD AND OIL CONTENT OF SEEDS OF COLOCYNTH PLANT

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out at the Demonstration Farm of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Sudan during the period April – September 2009.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of the organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth, yield and seed oil content and to explore the differences between two seed sources of colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.) under Shambat environment. The treatments were chicken manure at the rate of 12 ton/ha., compost at the rate of 12 ton/ha., urea at the rate of 240 kg/ha. and the control. The two seed sources were ‘Sunt’ Forest, Khartoum State and North Kordofan State . The layout of the experiment was split plot design with 3 replicates. Sowing date was on the first of April 2009 . Parameters measured were number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, plant length, days to 50% flowering, number of fruits per plant, number of seeds per fruit, weight of 1000 seeds, percentage of seed oil content, seed yield per hectare and oil yield per hectare. Number of leaves and branches were significantly different among chicken manure , compost and the other treatments . The two seed sources exhibited significant difference in number of leaves and branches per plant. Regarding the plant length, compost treatment was significantly higher than urea and the control, but nearly the same as the chicken manure. The seed sources were not significantly different. Number of days to 50% flowering showed that chicken manure and urea were significantly different ( late) from compost (early); but difference was not significant between the compost and control which was not significantly different from chicken manure and urea. The two seed sources were significantly different. There was no significant difference among fertilizer treatments regarding number of fruits per plant whereas the two seed sources were significantly different. Plants from ‘Sunt’ Forest seed were more prolific than those from North Kordofan. Compost gave significantly higher number of seeds per fruit than the control and ‘Sunt’ Forest seed produced significantly higher number of seeds per fruit than that of North Kordofan. Regarding the weight of 1000 seeds, no significant differences were observed among fertilizer treatments while the North Kordofan seeds scored significantly heavier weight than ‘Sunt’ Forest. The percent oil content showed no significant differences among fertilizer treatments as well as the seed source. However, seed yield and oil yield per hectare showed significant difference between compost and the control and no sigfnicant difference between compost and chicken manure and urea. No significant difference were detected between the two seed sources. Here the significance is attributed to the significance in total seed yield among fertilizer treatments; likewise ‘Sunt’ Forest showed high yield of seeds and consequently oil per hectare than that of North Kordofan.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The use of medicinal herbs for curing diseases has been documented in the history of all civilizations. Yet, Man in the pre-historic era was probably not aware of the health hazards associated with irrational therapy. With the onset of research in medicine, it was concluded that plants contain active principles which are responsible for curative action and other uses of the herbs. Consequently the medicinal plants found application in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural and food industries. Sudan possesses adiversity of flora due to its different climatic zones, which allowed domestication of a large wealth of wild and cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants.

The Family Cucurbitaceae is one of the important vegetables’ producing families world- wide. A number of species within the family have been long known for their medicinal value. For instance a large number of wild and cultivated cucurbits are distributed throughout the globe. Most of the cultivated forms are used as vegetables like: Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis melo, Citrullus lanatus. Some of the cucurbits are useful in local medicine like: Citrullus colocynthis and pumpkins (Cucurbita spp.) seeds. As reported by Evans (1989) the genus Citrullus includes three species and Hassan (2001) reported that the genus Citrullus includes Citrullus lanatus (watermelon), C. ecirrhosus, C. rehmii and C. colocynthis. Colocynth was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Arab physicians, and was produced in Cyprus and Spain during the Middle Ages. It is mentioned in an Anglo-saxon herbal of the eleventh century. Supplies are mainly derived from Syria, Cyprus, the Sudan and North Africa (Evans, 1989). Colocynth is used for amenorrhea, ascites ,bilious disorders, cancer, fever, Jaundice, Leukemia, rheumatism, snakebite, tumours and urogential disorder (Duke, 1983).

This study was carried out on one of the medicinally important Cucurbitaceae plant, namely Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad, commonly called (Colocynth or wild gourd or bitter apple) and locally known as “Handal”. In Sudan, colocynth grows as a wild plant, in spite of its potential values as medicinal plant and its economic value. This herb can be cultivated for export and can be a source of foreign currency. For instance ten tons were exported to Egypt (Anonymous, 2001). It is widely distributed in northern, eastern, western, central parts of the Sudan and in sandy soils and hot deserts. The colocynth fruit is of commercial value. The pulp is extracted and exported . It possesses powerful cathartic properties and is used in medicine; in Sudan a tar is obtained from the fruits with which water bags (Water skin) are dressed in order to prevent camels from tearing them open and the powdered pulp either alone or mixed with black pepper is used as a preventative against the clothes moth (Broun and Massey, 1929). The Citrullus colocynthis leaves and stems are eaten by goats and wild games while the fruits are eaten by donkeys. Some of the west tropical African tribes eat the seeds after cooking and the seeds are rich in oil content (Dalziel, 1937). The seeds of colocynth obtained from different sources show variations in color and size. In spite of the aforementioned values, there has been no systematic research carried out, so far, in Sudan on the feasibility of cultivating the plant as a cash crop.

The objectives of this study therefore were:

1- To establish production information for domestication of ‘Handal’ as a cash crop.

2- To investigate the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on yield and oil content.

3- To explore the differences between two forms of seeds belonging to different environments, in yield and oil content.

Related Project Topics :