Effects of soil types and nutrient levels on early leaf development of maize, bean and sunflower crops

Leaf area development at early stages of plant growth affects dry matter production because the former is the determinant for the amount of light intercepted, which then is used for photosynthesis. A pot experiment was conducted in a glasshouse to investigate the interacting effect of soil types and nutrient levels on leaf area and leaf dry weight at early development stages of maize, bean, and sunflower. The experiment was laid down in a randomized complete block design with three factors including plant species, nutrient levels and soil types. The latter two showed an interacting effect both on leaf area per pot and leaf dry weight, but the three way interactions were not significant. Leaf area and leaf dry weight per pot were high in pot soils and at 50% nutrient level for all the plant types. All plant types showed higher difference in leaf area and leaf dry weight per pot in pot soil than in quartz sand and sandy soils. Leaf area per pot and leaf dry weight per pot was high in pot soils. Maize and bean, and maize and sunflower interactions showed significantly higher difference in leaf area and leaf dry weight in pot soil than in quartz sand and sandy soils. Key words: Pot soil, quartz sand and sandy soils, plant types.