A METHOD FOR ENHANCING ESTABLISHMENT OF LEUCAENA-LEUCOCEPHALA (LAM) DEWIT IN INFERTILE ACID SOILS

The effect of soil cores as a means for enhancing establishment of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit in an infertile acid soil was examined in a glasshouse trial. Treatments were small cores of black earth soil or peat implanted in a larger pot of podzolic soil. Growth was compared to black earth and podzolic controls. Destructive harvests were made at 2 week intervals over 12 weeks. The black earth core and peat core treatments gave significantly better top and root yields than when seed was sown directly into the podzolic soil. Improved growth was attributed to nodulation which occurred only in the black earth and peat mediums. It was concluded that transplanting leucaena seedlings in cores of medium favouring nodulation will enhance establishment in acid soils.