Leaf N, P, Mg and K Concentrations of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Varieties as Influenced by Plant Population and Basin Sizes Under Irrigated Conditions

Plant analysis has been used as a method for determining the relative quantities of mineral elements in plants. In order to measure the leaf N, P, K and Mg of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) grown under irrigation, an experiment was conducted during 2006 dry season at the Irrigation substation of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The results showed that there was no significant influence of the plant populations used on the leaf N, P, K and Mg concentration although Leaf N concentration was slightly higher at 100,000 plants ha -1 than at other populations. The leaf P, Mg and K concentrations were slightly but not significantly higher at 50,000-plant ha -1 . Basin size did not have significant effect on leaf concentrations of N, P, K and Mg. It was observed that leaf N concentration was high in the 3m x 3m basin while leaf P Mg and K concentrations were higher in the 3m x 5m basin than others. However, among the varieties used, Samnut 21 and 11 had significantly higher leaf Mg concentration than Samnut 23