Influence of different growing media on the growth, yield, proximate composition, and mineral content of Solanecio biafrae (bologi) | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 21 August 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejar.2025.403373.1697 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Abosede Kehinde-Fadare   1; Precious Amali 2; Olajumoke Dada1
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| 1Department of Crop, Horticulture and Landscape design, Ekiti State University, Nigeria | ||||
| 2Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jos, Nigeria | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Growing vegetables in soilless media has gained popularity in developed countries, but remains relatively rare in developing nations such as Nigeria.The study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ekiti State University using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD),aimed at evaluating the growth,yield ,proximate composition, and mineral content of solanecio biafrae,in various growing media(Soilless media and Topsoil) . The tested soilless media comprised a mixture of rice husk (RH) and cocopeat, rice husk biochar (RHB), and rice husk alone. Vegetative growth parameters measured included plant height, number of leaves and stem girth, with plant weight serving as the yield metric. Additionally, leaf samples were analyzed in the laboratory for their proximate and mineral contents. The findings demonstrated that the mixture of cocopeat and rice husk significantly improved the growth and yield of bologi. The proximate and mineral compositions varied across different media. Bologi grown with rice husk biochar exhibited the highest moisture content (82.28%), ash content (1.51%), and fat content (2.18%). Plants grown in rice husk alone showed the highest fiber content and the lowest fat content. Regarding mineral content, the highest levels of phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) were observed in rice husk media. At the same time, soil recorded the highest levels of zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), and iron (Fe), closely followed by rice husk media. Therefore, it can be concluded that soilless media, should be further explored as a viable medium for plant growth in ensuring sustainability in agriculture. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Soilless media; Soil; Bologi; Proximate; Minerals | ||||
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