Effect of watering regimes and hormones on early growth of <i>Pterocarpus erinaceus</i>

Pterocarpus erinaceus is an endangered indigenous species that needs to be regenerated artificially. Its germination challenges as well as slow early growth are major limitations for its use in plantation establishment and in large scale afforestation projects. A study on the effect of water regimes and hormones on early growth of Pterocarpus erinaceus was carried out under nursery condition. Two (2) hormones (honey and Aloe Vera) were used in combination with 5 water regimes to determine the most suitable for early growth of the species. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 15 treatments and 9 replicates. The findings revealed that watering seedlings of Pterocarpus erinaceus twice a day (2x/day) gives better results on early growth (3.17cm, 4.91cm and 5.73cm for treatment without hormone, treatment with aloe vera and honey respectively). The shoot height of seedlings under the watering regime 2X/day was significantly different from the shoot height of seedlings under other water regimes evaluated. The effect of hormone showed that honey was a better hormone than aloe vera at early stages of growth of Pterocarpus erinaceus as seedlings treated with honey showed better responses in shoot height, collar diameter and number of leaves. Both hormones had better results on shoot height, collar diameter and number of leaves compared to the control, indicating that hormones are highly required to enhance early growth of the species. It is therefore recommended that honey be used as hormones in the raising of Pterocarpus erinaceus seedlings and that the seedlings be watered twice daily, in the morning and evening.