THE EFFECTS OF SOIL DEPTH ON THE GROWTH OF THE CLOVER FERN AND THE USES OF THE CLOVER FERN ON THE GERMINATION OF FERN SPORES

Many native plants have valuable uses that have yet to be discovered. The clover fern is an aquatic fern which could possibly be used as a planting material. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of soil depth on the growth of the clover fern (Marsilea crenata C. Presl.) and also to explore the uses of the clover fern on the germination of fern spores. The soil depths tested were: 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 cm in planting pots. Observations were made on 3 replications in an RCBD experiment. The mean comparisons were made using Duncan’s test at a significance level of 0.05. It was found that the ferns at a soil depth of 15 cm possessed the longest internode length of 7.43 cm. Ferns at a soil depth of 20 cm possessed the longest stalk length of 16.16 cm and ferns at a soil depth of 25 cm showed the widest leaf diameter at 4.00 cm. The clover ferns at a soil depth of 25 cm demonstrated the highest fresh and dry weights at 971.11 g and 146.11 g respectively (p<0.05). Uses of these clover ferns on the germination of fern spores were tested along with peat moss. Both germination materials were tested on their own and in a series of mixes. Germination was observed in two of the mix ratios, but that germination rate was low. This study indicates that clover ferns should be studied further for use as a planting material.