Effects of aqueous leaf extract of moringa oleifera (lam) on growth and yield of lettuce (lactuca sativa l.) in Sudan Savanna of Nigeria

The extensive use of synthetic chemical fertilizers is associated with environmental pollution and soil degradation. In addition, the high cost of these fertilizers necessitate the search for alternative, eco-friendly and safe natural sources of phytonutrients. The liquid extracted from moringa leaves has been used in agriculture to improve the growth and productivity of several crops. The yield of lettuce in Nigeria is low, the average yield were in the range of 12-28t compared with the potential yield of 49.7t. A field experiment was conducted during the 2017 rainy season at the Teaching and Research Farm of Bayero University, Kano (Latitute 110 58 N and Longitude 80 34 E) and Tarauni Local Government Area (Latitude 110 58 N and Longitude 80 34 E) to study the effect of aqueous leaf extract of moringa on growth and yield of lettuce and to determine the optimum concentration of moringa on yield of lettuce. The treatments consisted of four concentrations of aqueous leaf extract of moringa (0, 3, 4 and 5%). These were factorially combined and laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Data were collected on five randomly selected plants at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after transplanting. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance. Results of the study revealed that application of 5 and 4% aqueous leaf extract of moringa were statistically similar and produced the tallest plants. Similarly application of 3 and 4% produced plants with more number of leaves. This also increased significantly with 5 and 4% aqueous moringa leaf extract at BUK. The application of 4 and 5% moringa extract recorded highest leaf yield (9.89 and 7.04 t ha-1). It is recommended that further research with higher concentration of mornings in different ecological zones should be carried out to obtain optimum concentration for lettuce production.