EVALUATION OF TITHONIA DIVERSIFOLIA FOR SOIL IMPROVEMENT IN CELOSIA (CELOSIA ARGENTEA) PRODUCTION.

Field experiments were conducted between June and September in the 2007 and 2008 cropping seasons at the teaching and experimental field of the National Horticultural Research Institute (7025"N and 3052"E), Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. To evaluate the growth and yield of Celosia argentea L. using different rates of Tithonia diversifolia and also to evaluate the effect of the amendments on soil chemical properties. The experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates with plot size of 4m2. Tithonia diversifolia was chopped, (fresh leaves and young stem) applied at 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 20 tons ha-1 on fresh weight basis. These were incorporated into the soil two weeks before planting. Results indicated that soil P, Ca, CEC, K and soil organic matter content were significantly (P < 0.05) improved by the addition of Tithonia. There were significant treatment effect on soil pH, N, P, K, Mg and Zn (P < 0.05) which were improved with the use of Tithonia. Growth parameters: number of leaves, plant height and stem girth increased significantly (P< 0.05) with the application of Tithonia diversifolia.