FECT OF TOPSOIL AND CATTLE DUNG MANURE POTTING MIXTURE ON THE GROWTH OF PAWPAW SEEDLINGS (Carica papaya L.)

A study was carried out in the cropping season of 2025 at the screen house of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus, Benin City to evaluate the effect of topsoil and cattle dung potting mixture on the growth of pawpaw (Carica papaya Linn) seedlings. The trial involved five potting media (topsoil (TS), cattle dung (CD), TS+ CD 1:1, TS+ CD 1:2 And TS+ CD 2:1) laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) and replicated three times. Data were collected on the physical and chemical properties, growth parameters (stem height, stem girth, number of leaves and leaf area) and dry matter indices (total dry weight, shoot dry weight, root dry weight and root:shoot ratio) of all potting media. Results of the study show that seedlings grown in mixtures of topsoil and cattle dung (TS + CD) consistently showed superior growth in terms of plant height and stem girth compared to those in topsoil and cattle dung alone. At 8 WAS, the TS + CD 1:1 potting medium produced seedlings with the largest leaf area, longest root length, highest shoot dry weight, root dry weight and total dry weight. Based on the superior performance in the key growth parameters, the use of a 1:1 mixture of topsoil to cattle dung is recommended for growing pawpaw seedlings in the nursery.