GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITIES OF GINGER ACCESSIONS PLANTED ON VARYING RATIO OF PLANTING MEDIA MIXED WITH POULTRY MANURE IN NSUKKA NIGERIA

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a perennial rhizomatous herb of the family Zingiberaceae. Its rhizome consists of short finger-like structures born horizontally near the surface of the soil. Ginger

consists of more than 1200 plant species with 53 genera.This research was to determine the growth

performance and nutritional qualities of ginger accessions planted on varying ratio of planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka. There werefive research questions and five hypotheses thatguided the study. The research wasa true experimental study which adoptedcomplete randomized design (CRD) of 3 x 3 factorial designs; Factor A=3 ginger accessions and factor B=3 planting media.The   plant   population   for   the   study   was   81.Parameters   for   determining   the   growth performances of the accessions were; days to germination, plant height, number of nodes and internodes, length and width of leaves. Determining the shelf life of the three ginger accessions was by weight loss of harvested rhizomes and leaves. Parameters for determining nutritional qualities of the three ginger accessions werethe percentage of ash, carbohydrates, crude fibre, moisture, fats and crude proteins.The experiment was conducted at Vocational &Technical Education, Agricultural Education farm operation (Green House),University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State. Datawere collected using 30cm ruler, observational schedule, 30kg graduated manual weighing balance & FURI electronic scale (graduated in grams).Proximate composition was determined at Crop Science Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Laboratory reagents used for proximate composition were propylene oxide, eponaraldite mixture, uranyl acetate, Lead citrate, H2SO4, CuSO4 5H2O (as catalyst), Na2SO4 (anhydrous), K2SO4, and alkali (NaOH). The datacollected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GenStat 7.22DE 2008. Differences between treatment means were considered statistically significant (P< 0.05) using Least Significance Different (LSD). Hypothetically,the tables revealed that planting media significantly (P<0.05) produced ginger with good growth performance and nutritional qualities.The result in Table 1 shows that M2 had an early emergence of an average of 12.56 days after planting. Table 2 shows that after 12 weeks of planting M1 produced the longest leaves with an average of 7.00cm. Table 3 shows that after 12 weeks of planting, M3 produced the highest number of nodes with an average of 9.83. Table 4 shows that after 12 weeks of planting, M1 produced the highest number of leaves with an average of 13.33. Table 5 shows that after 4 weeks of harvest, rhizomes from M1 retained more weight with an average of with an average of 0.80kg.Table 23 shows A1 in M1 produced the highest ash with an average of

1.80%, A1 in M1 also produced the highest carbohydrates with an average of 1.60%, A2 in M1 produced the highest fats with an average of 0.30%, A3 in M1 produced the highest crude fibre with

an average of 5.6%, A3 in M1 produced the highest moisture with an average of 87.08%, and A1 in

M1 produced the highest crude proteins with an average of 5.67%. Table 23 also show that A1 in M2 produced  the  highest  ash  with  an  average  of  2.38%,  A1  in  M2  also  produced  the  highest

carbohydrates with an average of 1.10%, A2 in M2 produced the highest fats with an average of

0.20%, A1 in M2 produced the highest crude fibre with an average of 8.5%, A2 in M2 produced the highest moisture with an average of 88.70%, and A3 in M2 produced the highest crude proteins with an average of 5.5%. Still table 23, A3 in M3 produced the highest ash with an average of 2.45%, A1 in M3 also produced the highest carbohydrates with an average of 8.45%, A2 in M3 produced the highest fats with an average of 0.29%, A1 in M3 produced the highest crude fibre with an average of

8.4%, A2 in M3 produced the highest moisture with an average of 80.08%, and A2 in M2 produced the highest crude proteins with an average of 2.99%.From the results it wasconcluded that the used of various planting media gave a good ginger growth performance and nutritional qualities in Nsukka. It is therefore recommended that the information in this research study should be used by ministry of Agriculture and research institutes to address and improve farmers’ needs inthe study area.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a perennial rhizomatous herb of the family Zingiberaceae.Morphologicallyginger is a rhizome which consists of short finger-like structures born horizontally near the surface of the soil.  It consists of more than 1200 plant species with 53 genera.The crop was first seen in Asiaand the southern parts of ancient China (Rhode, Fogoros & Zick, 2007). The crop subsequently spread to India, Makulu Islands, which is presently called Spice Islands and to the rest of Asia and Africa. The spread of the crop was as a result of inter-trade between the Asia and other parts of the world. Ginger was introduced to Europe through India during the 1st  century (Waje, Musa & Musa, 2002). According to the authors, ginger spread to the Caribbean regions in the 15th  century and cultivated in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa between the late 18th  and early 19th centuries. In Nigeria, ginger cultivation was said to have started in Gantan village, Kachia LGA, Southern-Kaduna, Kaduna State (Banake 2017). Banake (2017) further explained that ginger  is  commonly  produced  in  several  parts  of  Nigeria,  most  especially  in  Southern Kaduna. It is also produced in small plots of land in Keffi and Akwanga, Nasarawa State and some parts of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benue, Niger and Plateau States among others.

Ginger is cultivated in small plots for domestic uses in the South-Western and South- Eastern Nigeria including Nsukka. The best quality ginger produced in the world comes from Nigeria, which is the 3rdworld’s largest ginger producing nation after Chinaand India (Barnabas, 2000; Matthew, 2005; Daily Trust, 2016). Ginger has both economic and medical importance. Economically, it improves the standard of living among thefarmers andaids the establishment of local industries which provides job opportunities for the farmers. The crop is

used for cookeries, food supplements, drugs and other industrial purposes. On health benefits, ginger is used for the treatment of various illnesses, among which include nausea and motion- sickness, nausea due to chemotherapy, antiemetic, antiplatelet agent, hypertensive effects, regulation of blood glucose and lipid level and anticancer actions among others.

There are several varieties of ginger grown in different ginger growing areas of the world; these cultivated varieties are named according to their locations. Horticulture news (2008)sawvariety as a group of cultivated plants which have the same characteristics. According to this organization, all plants which have been widely cultivated have given rise to many different forms and these are in general known as varieties. Knowing the individual variety within a larger plant family group helps farmers identify the specific plant they are referring to.

The varieties of ginger are generally named after the localities where they are grown (El-Baroty, El-Baky, Farag and Saleh, 2010). According to the authors, the prominent indigenous  cultivars  in  India  are Maran,  Mahim,  Kuruppampadi,  Ernad,  Varad,  Wynad, Himachal  and  Nadia  while  Exotic  cultivars  such  as  Rio-de-Janeiro,  Suprabha,  Suruchi, Suravi, Himgiri, Varada, Mahima, and Rejatha have also become very popular among cultivators. Some of the major varieties of ginger included the Exotic variety (Chinese variety), Tafin-Giwa (Elephant’s feet),Yatsun-Biri (Monkey’s fingers), Spiral ginger (costus speciosus), Zingiber variety, Butterfly lily, Globba ginger, Alpinia ginger, among others.

The commercial varieties commonly cultivated in Nigeria are locally called “Tafin Giwa” and “Yatsun Biri”. Tafi Giwa has bold rhizome with orange internal tissues, while Yatsun biri has dark-pink-orange internal tissues but both varieties are pungent. The Exotic variety is mostly cultivated in the tropical Asia (commonly called Chineseginger). It has large rhizome than the two varieties cultivated in Nigeria. The internal rhizome’s tissues are light- orange colour with less pungentand more liquid contentas compare to Tafin Giwa and Yatsun

Biri.Other important species include Z. officinale, Z. chrysanthum Rosc., Z. rubens Roxb., Z. roseum Rosc., Z. nimmonii Dalz., Z. wightianum Thw., Z. barbatum Wall., Z. squarrosum Roxb., Z. ligulatum Roxb., Z. cernuum Dalz., Z. panduratum Roxb andZ. pardocheilum among others (Baker, cited in Kizhakkayil and Sasikumar, 2011). Major Chinese cultivars include ‘Gandzhou’, ‘Shandong’, ‘Zaoyang’, ‘Zungi big ginger’, and ‘Chenggu yellow’ while

‘Kintoki’,  ‘Sanshu’  and  ‘Oshoga’  are  three  the  major  ginger  cultivars  from  Japan.  In Malaysia, the cultivars include ‘halyia betle’, ‘halyia udang’ and ‘halyia bara’ while ‘Native’ and ‘Hawaiin’ are cultivars from the Philippines. These varieties of ginger consist of various forms of nutritional values which are the most important requirement of any other crop.

Nutritional  qualities  are  the  biological  active  compounds  that  are  constituents  in plants. Ginger rhizome contains various nutritional qualities that are made up of biological active compounds such as gingerol, shogaol, ginger protease, capsaicinand several sesquiterpenes like zingiberol and zingiberenol, these constituents may vary depending on the place of origin and whether the rhizomes are fresh or dry (Ali, Blunden, Tanira & Nemmar,

2008). Over 50 components of the oil present in ginger are mainly monoterpenoids [b- phellandrene, (+)-camphene, cineole, geraniol etc.] and sesquiterpenoids [a zingiberene (30–

70%), b-sesquiphellandrene (15–20%), b-bisabolene (10–15%), (E-E)-a-farnesene, arcurcumene, and zingiberol] (Evans, 2002). The phenolic ketone compounds such as 6- gingerol, 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol are the principal active pungent compounds.

The growth performance in crop plants determine their nutritional qualities, this is possible based on the presence of certain microorganisms known asMycorrhizals. Ali et al. (2008) explain that the capacity for the external hyphae to take up and deliver to plant is by the action of these mycorrhizals. Some of them include Ecto mycorrhizas (ECM), Ericoid mycorrhizas  (EM)  and  Vessicular-arbuscular  mycorrhizas  (VAM).  Mycorrhizal  infection may affect the mineral nutrition of the host plant directly by enhancing plant growth through

nutrient acquisition by fungus or indirectly by modifying transpiration of rhizophere micoflora.

Growth in crop plants therefore could be seen as the biological and physical progression which leads to increase in plant height, size and weight. Growth in plants could also be seen through the increase of leaf size (length and width), number of leaves, number of nodes and internodes and the total yield of the plant. According to Asher and Lee (2003) growth is the natural developmental stages that occur in plants from planting stage to maturity.Growth performance of ginger is therefore measured by certain parameters such as the days to germination, number of leaves, number of nodes, internodes, length and width of the leaves, plant height, development and size of rhizomes among others.Growth in ginger occurs in three stages: germination, development of vegetative parts and development of rhizomes.

On the basis of growth, ginger could be classified according to its size of rhizome and plant height.Navazio, Colley and Reiten(2010) explain thatexotic ginger (Chinese variety) haslarge rhizome size which is less pungent,and less fibrous, and has an average height of

68.63cmand rhizome size of 14.75; theTafin-Giwahas a medium rhizome size of12.05cm with a plant height of 49.16cm,with fibrous roots and high pungent than the exotic variety; and the Yatsun-Biri has a plant height of 48.23cm with a rhizome size of7.29cm, more pungent aromaand more fibrous than the two.Matthew (2005) described ginger based on colour; yatsun-Birihas darker green narrow leaves with dark orange rhizome, Tafin-Giwa has light green fairly leaves with pure orange rhizomes and Exoticvariety is similar with Tafin- Giwa except broad leaves with Exotic. According to Navazio, et al (2010) thedeterminant factor of good quality inginger crop is the colour tissue of the rhizome. The authors say that during the early developing stage of ginger rhizome, the colour of the young rhizomes differs as compared to when it is mature.The immature rhizome has orange or light yellowish colour,

while it is thick yellowish colour in the mature rhizome. Young rhizome has high liquid, less fibres and less pungent. The mature rhizome has less liquid, more fibres and more pungent. Other factors like climatic factorsand other planting media could affect growth performance and nutritional composition of ginger (Navazio et al, 2010 and Nwaogu, 2014).

Planting media are materials that provide supports for the growth crop plants. They could betop soil, saw dust, rice husk, and straw among others. Planting media could also be referred to as growing media, culture media or substrate and could be solid or liquid. Planting media physically support the growth of crop plants, allow for maximum root growth and supply roots with necessities such as water, air and nutrients. Planting media could either be organic materials or natural soils on which crops are planted for growth and development. Planting media for the purpose of this research study are top soils, saw-dust, and rice husk mixed with poultry manure.

Sawdust is a by-product obtained from wood ground shelving. It is a key ingredient good for farming. Ray (2017); USDA (2018), Paul and John (2018) explained that sawdust is a very important planting medium which enriches the soil and improves the overall growth of crop plants. According to the authors, when sawdust is burnt to ash, it releases low nitrogen, high amount of phosphorus, potash, lime and magnesium. It also contains carbon, and the presence of this carbon causes fast decomposition of planting media. Sawdust provides good condition for germination and root development to crop plants.

Rice husk is obtained from the sheath which forms the cover of rice grains during their growth and development. It is one of the most widely available agricultural by-products in rice producing countries throughout the world (Battigazzore, Bochini, Alongi, & Frache,

2014). Rice husk is used for different purposes; as fuel, as material for animal husbandry, as biofertilizer, and as raw materials for construction industry. However, it is still an under- utilized product of rice milling and thus often burned in open air or dumped on wasteland.

Rice husk ash is produced during the combustion of rice husk. Rice husk can be effectively used in rice nurseries and in the main rice fields to achieve healthy seedlings and higher yields. The amendment of soil with ground rice husk has been found to enhance the yield of cowpea and yam among other crops. It provides the effect of alleviation of abiotic stresses and suppression of diseases in several plant species.

Poultry manure is a waste product from poultry birds, it releases fertilizing substances (nutrients)   required   by   plants   such   as   nitrogen(N),   phosphorus   (P),   potassium(K), calcium(Ca), and magnesium(Mg) among others. Application of poultry manure has greater effect on crop plants such as maize, carrot, yam, pepper, melon, ginger and cucumber among other crops. Ginger has been observed to grow and perform maximally on the application of various forms of organic manure;cow dungs, pig droppings andpoultry manure among others.The application of poultry manure improves the different planting media with required plant growth nutrients. The presence of poultry manure enhances more yields of crop plants, this equally determine the biomass of ginger and other crop yields.

Biomass refers to the total quantity or weight of an organism in a given volume in an area. Plant biomass therefore, is the total weight of yield of a crop product either fresh or dry matter. The basic technique for measuring biomass in plants is the harvested method; simply removebiomass, dry it in an oven or sun drying or open shed drying depends on purpose, to remove water and weight. In this research study, the measuring of biomass was done by an open shed drying for some weeks, to determine the life shelf of the accessions of three varieties of ginger under study.

An accession refers to as a group of related plant material from a single species which is collected at one time from a specific location. Each accession is an attempt to capture the diversity present in a given population of plants. Ohio State University (2019) explained that accessions  are  given  unique  identifiers,  accession  numbers  and  are  used  to  maintain

associated information in the crop database. Accession numbers are unique identifiers that are assigned by researchers to crop materials during investigation, once they are assigned to particular crop materials; they are never used for other plant materials. According to Saba and Attila (2013) accessions are distinct, uniquely identifiable sample of seeds representing a cultivar, breeding line or a population, which is maintained in storage for conservation and use. The crop materials could be from a geographical area with similar characteristics in terms of climate, landform and soils. According to the authors, accessions could be sub-sets to any grouping of plant materials with respect to similarities expressed as morphological, agronomical, biochemical or molecular traits. Such grouping can help in selecting specific cultivars for certain needs.

Ginger is one of the major economic crops in Nigeria; its production has led to good income earning among its farmers, establishment of cottage industries  such as Belphine Ginger Company Kafanchan and Kachia Ginger Processing Company both in the Southern Kaduna, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Ginger farming also provides self-employment among farmers, source of foreign exchange, and national revenue generation among others. As a crop, ginger has high demand for many uses, but its cultivation in the South Eastern regionis at a very low level. The ginger under cultivation in the regionis characterized with very poor nutritional qualities such as very poor pungency, tastes bitter, and high water content among others.A preliminary study was carried out by the researcher during his under graduate in

2012, which he planted a variety of ginger (Tafin-Giwa) on the VTE Agricultural Education Farm section, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The harvested rhizomes hadvery negligible pungent,poor  flavour  and  high  water  contentcompared  to  ones  brought  from  Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Some of these harvested rhizomes were also chewed by the researcher and were confirmed with bitter taste. The researcher also studied some research

findings  on  ginger  from  the  South-Eastern  Nigeria;  the  findings  indicated  these  poor nutritional qualities.

Theresearcher therefore, wants to find out the causes of these problems, and possibly provide solutions that will enhance ginger production at a commercial level.

Statement ofthe Problem

Ginger  produced  in  the  study  area  has  been  observed  with  very  poor  nutrient qualities; poor pungency, poor flavour, bitter taste, and high water content among others. Because of these poor qualities in ginger grown in the study areaand its environs, and this must be the reason the productionremain at a subsistence level. Most people in the region therefore, depend on the ginger produced from Northern Nigeria with excellent nutritional qualities. Ginger cultivated in Nsukka is mainly for house hold uses and is not sold at national and international markets.On this premise that necessitated the researcher to carry out this study on the “growth performance and nutritional qualities of ginger varieties planted on varying ratio of planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka.” The researcher’s main objective is to come out with recommendedplanting medium or media ginger variety that can perform very in good nutritional qualities. This will promotethe production the crop that  will  be  more  acceptable  by  consumers  in  the  study  area,  and  also  enhances  the production  of  the  crop  at  commercial  level.If  this  is  achieved,  it  will  reduce  the  over dependent of ginger from Northern Nigeria by people in the area and the entire South-Eastern Nigeria. More farmers will be depending on ginger production as a cash crop which can improve their income generating. Also the researcher intendto see more farmers, agencies and others embark on commercial production of ginger in Nsukka and entire South Eastern Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of the study was to determine the growth performance and nutritional qualities of ginger accessions planted on varying ratio of planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to determine:

1    The effects of planting media on the growth performances of ginger planted in

Nsukka.

2    The effects of Accession on the growth performances of ginger planted in Nsukka.

3    The effects of Accessions on weight loss of ginger planted in Nsukka.

4     The effects of Media and Accessions on growth performances of gingerplanted in

Nsukka.

5. The effects of media and Accessions on percentage of nutritional composition of gingerplanted in Nsukka.

Significance of the Study

The study had both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study was based on Adam smith theory of production and Robert M. Solow’s theory of growth. Adam Smith theory of productionexplains the functional relationship between output and inputs. The planting media(soil, saw dust, rice husk, and top soil mixed with poultry manure) and three varieties of ginger (Chinese ginger-Tafin-giwa and Yatsun-biri) were the inputs that determine the outputs (growth performance and nutritional qualities).The theory of growth by Robert M. Solow explains the principle of diminishing returns which statesthat “where one factor is kept increasing in a production process, it will reach a stage where the increased resource will be at increase-decrease rate”. The theory reveals three factors; technology, capital and labour as a force that determine growth in any production process. These factors were combined in an appropriate way to achieve effective return in production process.

Practically, the findings of the study would be of immense benefit to Ginger Farmers, Agricultural Extension  Agents, Agricultural Education Lecturers and  Teachers, Research Institutes, and Agro Industries among others.

The findings of the study on growth performance and nutritional composition of ginger would be of great significance to ginger farmers as they will be educated on the different  planting  media  that  promotes  the  growth  of  different  varieties  of  ginger  for enhancing   good   productivity.   This   informationwould   reach   ginger   farmers   through agricultural shows,  workshops/seminars, farm  demonstrations and  other farmer-education practices that would be adopted by residence extension agents.

The findings would identify and provide information to Agricultural Education Lecturers and teachers of Agriculture in learning institutions on the planting media that would promote good growth and nutritional values in ginger. This would also help them in drawing or modifying the present curriculum to meet the current trend of agriculture in the learning institutions. The findings would help agricultural education lecturers and teachers with right teaching skills which will enhance high productive skills among their learners. This information would be obtained through journals, seminars, agricultural bulletins, workshops among others.

The findings of the study on the growth performance and nutritional composition of ginger would be of benefit to extension agents. The findings would provide information on the performing characteristics of the three varieties of ginger; hence help them bring innovation to farmers on the right productive varieties based on the cultivation media used. The findings of the study would provide information to extension agents on right skills needed by ginger farmers, which brings innovation on ginger production. This information can be obtained by the Extension agents through seminars, conferences, research centres among others.

The findings of the study on the growth performance and nutritional composition of ginger would provide information to the future researchers/research institutes on the ways to determine the growth performance and nutritional qualities of ginger planted on varying ratios of planting media mixed with poultry manure.The findings ofstudy also would provide information that would be aliteraturesource to the academic researchers who consult it for further studies. It would therefore, lay good foundation for any further studies, on the determining effect on growth performance and nutritional qualities of other crop species, planted on varying ratio of planting media mixed with  poultry manure.This information would beobtained through publications/journals, conferences symposium, research institutes and among others.

The findings of the study on the growth performance and nutritional composition of ginger would be of great benefit to the Agro-Industries by providing vital raw material for their use. The information would alsolead to the expansion of ginger production; which would lead to the establishmentof more local agro-industries for the consumption of the crop produce. This information would be obtainedthrough crops news-bulletin, seminars, research institutes,conferences among others.

If these objectives are achieved, the over dependent on ginger and its products from the Northern Nigeria by Nsukka and the South-Eastern region would be reduced. More farmers would be depending on ginger production as a cash crop; this would improve their incoming generating as well.  The researcher is also aim to see more farmers, agencies and others embark on commercial production of ginger in Nsukka and environs.

Research Questions

1    What are the effects of planting media on the growth performances of ginger planted in Nsukka?

2    What are the effects of Accession on the growth performances of ginger planted in

Nsukka.

3    What are the effects of Accessions on weight loss of of ginger planted in Nsukka.

4    What  are  the  effects  of  Media  and  Accessions  on  growth  performances  of gingerplanted in Nsukka.

5. What are the effects of media and Accessions on percentage of nutritional composition of gingerplanted in Nsukka.

Research Hypotheses

Ho1:There is significant difference in themean ratio of growth performances         of threevarietiesof ginger planted on the three planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka,

Ho2:    There is  significant  difference in  the mean  ratio  on  growth  performances  of the accessions of threevarieties of ginger planted on the planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka,

Ho3:    There is significant difference in the mean ratio on accessions on weight loss of threevarieties of ginger planted on planting media mixed with poultry manure in Nsukka,

Ho4:    There is significant difference in mean ratioon planting media mixed with poultry manure and accessions on growth performances and nutritional composition of three varieties ofginger planted in Nsukka.

Ho5: There is significant difference in the mean ratio on planting media mixed with poultry manure  and  accessions  on  the  percentage  of  nutritional  composition  of  ginger  varieties planted in Nsukka.

Scope of the Study

The study was  restricted to the determination  of growth performance,  nutritional qualities and determination of weight lossof three ginger varieties planted on three planting media. The varieties of ginger for this study were exotic variety (Chinese variety), Tafin- Giwa variety, and Yatsun-Biri variety, while the planting media included soil based and

soilless. The soil based was;Sawdust +Topsoil + Poultry Manure,Rice husk + Topsoil + Poultry Manure andthe soilless were Sawdust +Poultry Manure. Laboratory test byproximate analysis wasconducted to determine the nutritional qualities (crude protein, crude fiber, moisture content, ash content, and carbohydrates) ofthe threevarieties of ginger.Weight loss of the harvested rhizomes and leaves of the three varieties of ginger was measured for four weeks  to  determine  their  shelf-life.The  study  was  restricted  to  Nsukka,  South-Eastern Nigeria, Parameters for growth performance determination were; number of nodes, number of internodes, number of leaves, plant height, leaf length and leaf width, while parameters for nutritional qualities determination were percentage of moisture content, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, carbohydrates and total ash content.

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