MEDIA AND WATERINGREGIMEONTHE GROWTH OF AMARANTH

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of watering regime and potting media on the growth of Amaranthus cruentus. The experiment was carried out at the Screenhouse of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin. The treatments includes: Top soil, Top soil amended with Trichoderma, Topsoil
amended with Cow dung, Watering1 (daily watering), Watering2 (watering every two days), Watering3 (watering every three days) and Watering4 (watering every four days)were fitted in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) replicated three times. Data was analyzed using one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results of this study showed significant difference (p < 0.05) on watering regime and potting media. The different watering regime did not positively affect the growth of Amaranthus cruentus as the growth parameters were similar across the different watering regimes. Untreated top soil
produced the highest mean values for all growth parameters measured and the lowest was observed with the top soil amended with Trichoderma. Further research is recommended to explore the specific mechanisms through which top soil enhances growth of Amaranthus cruentus