INTRODUCTION

THE EFFECTS OF UREA ON THE GROWTH OF SUNFLOWER

Statement of the problem

The researcher had witnessed that student at Shashe River School grow sunflower every year. Every
year they produce crops with poor growth of sunflower as their sunflower produces young heads,
they are always stunted and have yellowish leaves. This could be lack of nutrients in the soil. To
correct this problem the research is going to be carried out to see if urea can increase the growth of
sunflower.

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

The aim of the study is to address the problem of poor growth in the sunflower. This study is
relevant and important to the scientific community. This study aimed to solve the problem faced by
student at Shashe River School who produce high sunflower. The students are going to benefit
because this research will provide them with good information that urea can be applied to solve this
problem of poor growth on the sunflower. STUDY

OBJECTIVES

To find out if the application of urea will increase the growth of sunflower head in terms of mass of
head per unit area.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS

Description of the site

The project was conducted at Shashe River School Garden. The school garden is in the western part
of school premises near the boy’s hostel. It has a length of 68m and a width of 53m. The soil type of
the garden is sandy soil. The soil promotes good growth of sunflower because it has good water
holding capacity. It also supplies enough nutrient to sunflower. The garden has tall trees that act as
wind breakers, they protect sunflower from being bend down by strong winds. The site shows that
maize was grown the year before the sunflower was grown which may had depletion of nitrogen in
the soi therefore leading to poor sunflower growth.

The environmental factor that also affected the growth of sunflower was high temperature which
led to more evapo-transpiration. This made the soil to have less moisture and the plant to have less
moisture leading to them to wilt therefore reducing the growth of sunflower of maize plant as it
lacks water that is used in photosynthesis and for the growth of sunflower.

DESIGN OF THE EXPERIMENT

C1 T2 C2 T

Treatment [urea was added]

Control [no urea]

In conducting the experiment, a big plot had four subplots of an area of 1m. The two sides of the
plot were for treatment [urea] and the other were control [no urea]. The subplot assigned on the
south was treatment and control and the subplot on the north was treatment and control.
Randomization procedure was used to allocate the treatment and control plots. The step was
followed in this procedure.
1.A4 paper was taken and divided into four pieces, two piece of paper was written T1 and T2 for
treatment and the other two pieces was written C1 and C2 for control.

2.The four pieces were folded uniformly to hide the labelling.

3. The four pieces were shaken in a closed palm to mix them.

4.One piece was picked randomly on the palm and placed on each plot without replacing them.

5.The papers were then unfolded and the plot was then allocated based on what was written on the
paper.
PROCEDURE

A spade was used to remove weeds and grasses by the researcher. Then a spade and a rake were
used to load the unwanted materials into a wheelbarrow. The unwanted material was then taken to
the dumping site to be unloaded.

The ridges were made using a spade and a rake on an allocated land of 4m by 1m after measuring it
with a 1m ruler. The soil was then dug using digging fork to loosen the soil. A rake was used to break
lumps and level the soil. A plot of 4m² was then divided into four subplots of 1m by 1m. The plot was
chosen by randomization to establish with side will be control; where urea was not added and which
side is treatment; where urea was added.

After a week old, 85g/m² of urea was applied on treatment plots using a rill method. The fertilizer
was added using a hand. Then the fertilizer was covered with the soil to prevent it from being carried
by water during irrigation. The fertilizer was added on treatment plots only. After that, the plot was
watered with 4 fully filled watering cans. Watering was carried out every week including Saturday.
Cultivation was carried out after two weeks using a hand fork. Weeding was done to remove
unwanted materials on the plot.

For planting sunflower seeds, interrow spacing of 60cm was measured using a meter ruler. In the
rows, intra rows of spacing of 30 cm was measured using a meter ruler and a hole of 1cm deep was
made at the marked spot of 15cm apart of each other. 2 seeds were sown per holes to make a
population of 18 plants per sub plot and then 2 seedling was removed in each hole on the subplots
and 6 seedlings were left in the sub plots. The total population of the seedling is 24 per 4m by 1m.
After putting the seed in the hole, it was covered with soil and make it firm to remove air pockets.
The soil was watered to provide moisture for the seed, so that they can emerges.

After 3month of the age of the sunflower, the data collection was carried out. This was done by
measuring the height of each sunflower plants. After the data collection, then the project was
terminated and the crop residues were uprooted using hands. The hole was then dug on the plot
and the crop residues were buried inside the plot and they were covered with soil so that they can
decompose.
METHODS OF OBSERVATION, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Observation was done on the height of sunflower stem upon maturity. The height of sunflower stem
was measured. To measure the height of sunflower stem a meter ruler was used.

Data was collected using a census, where the whole population was measured, no sampling was
done. A census was used because sunflower population was small therefore it was easy to measure.
It was also used because a small population was used therefore less time was used. When measuring
the height of sunflower stem, little resources were needed like meter ruler, recording book and a
pen.

Measurement was taken in each plot for each sorghum plants using meter ruler. To take the
measurement, the plant was placed on the table as the measurement were taken. The zero mark of
the ruler was placed at the stem of the sorghum up to the highest-rated point of the sorghum head.
As the data was collected it was recorded in the book as it is presented in the appendix section.

Data was analyzed by calculating the average height of sunflower plant from both treatment and
control plot. It was done as follows.

Average height of sunflower plant=sum of the sunflower height measured

Total number of sunflower plants measured

The formula was used to calculate the average height of the sunflower.
RESULTS

The table shows the results of the effects urea on the growth of sunflower plants in the treatment
plot; where urea was added and, in the control plots, where urea was not added. The data was
collected after 3month old of sunflower.

PLOTS AVERAGE OF HEIGHT /CM

Treatment (urea was added) 44

Control (urea not added) 30

The table represent the average height of sunflower crop from the treatment; where urea was
added and from the control plot; where urea was not added
DISCUSSION

The average height of a sunflower plant in treatment plot where urea was added is 44cm and the
average height of sunflower plant in control where urea was not added is 30cm. This shows that
adding urea to sunflower in treatment plot increased the average height by 14cm.

The average height of sunflower plant in the treatment increased because urea has a source of
nitrogen. Nitrogen on the plant develop the growing of the plant therefore increase the height of
sunflower as it is necessary for growth and development of root system that can support the
sunflower.
CONCLUSION

Urea fertilizer increases the height of sunflower stem by average of 14cm.

RECOMMENDATION

It recommends to student of Agriculture at Shashe River School to add urea on their plot when they
are growing sunflower as it increases the growth of sunflower.

It also recommends that researchers should repeat this project to verify the result because the
population of the sunflower used was small so this could have compromised with the results.
APPENDIX

The table show the height of sunflower plant from treatment plot

Treatment plot (urea added) Plant height(cm)

Treatment plot2 41,44,45,42,47,43

Treatment plot1 0

Average height of sunflower=sum of sunflower height measured

Total number of sunflower plants measured

Average height of sunflower= (41+44+45+42+47+43+0) cm

=43.66666666666667

=44cm

The table show the height of sunflower plant from control plot

Control plot (no urea added) Plant height (cm)

Control plot 1 34,32,25,35,25

Control2 35,21,35,31,25

Average height of sunflower=sum of sunflower height measured

Total number of sunflower plants measured

=34+32+25+35+25+35+21+35+31+25

10

= 29.8

= 30cm