Effect Of Poultry Manure On The Growth And Yield Of Terfera
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Effect Of Poultry Manure On The Growth And Yield Of Terfera
ABSTRACT
A field trial was conducted at the Imo Poly Farm to assess the impact of chicken manure rate on the growth and yield of watermelons. Six different rates of poultry manure were tested three times on 18 beds.
The treatments included: control plot, 2 tons/ha, 4 tons/ha, 6 tons/ha, 8 tons/ha, and 10 tons/ha. The treatments were presented in a completely randomised block arrangement. The experiment was conducted out from February to April 2011.
Data were collected on growth and yield factors. Five plants were randomly chosen and tagged per plot for data collection. Establishment count; plant height; stem girth.
The number of leaves per plant and leaf area were measured at 5 WAP and at harvest to determine growth. The number of fruits per plant and fresh fruit weight per bed were used to estimate yield.
The findings of this investigation revealed that watermelon growth does not differ considerably at 5 WAP. At harvesting, the largest stem girth of 32.40mm was attained with 4tons/ha, while the lowest was 28.50mm with 6tons/ha. The maximum watermelon production was 1.69kg at 6 tonnes per hectare, while the lowest was 0.87kg at 4 tonnes per hectare.
According to the study’s findings, watermelon can still perform well without fertilisers on regularly fertilised soils.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
The Effect of Poultry Manure on the Growth and Yield of Terfera.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) is an important vegetable crop in the tropics, including Nigeria. The fresh watermelon pod comprises about 86.1% water, 2.25% protein, 0.2% fat, 9.7% carbohydrate, 1.0% fibre, and 0.8% ash (Purseglove, 1984). Watermelon is one of the most popular vegetables in Nigeria, thanks to the country’s consistent rainfall and irrigation system.
The fruit is very significant in people’s diets all over the world, especially in West Africa and other tropical places where the staple cuisine is pounded yam, cassava flour, and other starchy foods. Watermelon is also used to supplement staple diets because it contains vitamins, minerals, and proteins (Funso and Bassir, 1976).
The fruit contains mucilage, which provides a slippery texture when cooked and can be used as a thickening. Watermelon fruit contains vitamins A and C, as well as trace amounts of vitamin B. It is rich in calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It contains 2.7–3.0% protein and a substantial amount of riboflavin.
Fatokun (1976) claimed that consuming these edible components promotes digestion and prevents constipation. It can also be used to treat peptic ulcers. It is also utilised in the production of margarines.
In India, it is used in curries and chutneys, as well as to replace coffee. Watermelon seed cake is high in protein and produces excellent animal feed. Watermelon is also known as Ochro, Okoro, Quimgombo, Quingumbo, Ladies Fingers, Gombo, Kopi Arab, Kacang Bendi, Bhindi (South Asia), Bendi (Malaysia), Bamia, Bamya, or Bamieh (Middle East), and Gumbo (Southern USA).
Watermelon is a fruit vegetable produced mostly for its pods. The fragile fruits are prepared as vegetables, either boiled or sliced and fried. Ripe seeds contain around 20% edible oil.
It is frost-sensitive and will not flourish in areas with prolonged drought. It grows in a variety of soil conditions, but thrives in wet, friable, well-drained, and mature soils.
The mucilage is removed and utilised in gum manufacturing. Watermelon pod mucilage is used medicinally to replenish plasma or expand blood volume. The immature fruits are utilised to treat various ailments (Olajide, 1995).
Nitrogen is an important and usually inadequate nutrient in tropical soils, and plants require a substantial amount of it. It is an essential component of chlorophyll (Epstein, 1972).
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and indications of soil nitrogen deficiency range from leaf chlorosis to stunted growth and, eventually, low yield.
Different viewpoints have been voiced regarding watermelon fertilisation with organic manures such as poultry droppings and cowdung. Schippers (2000), for example, advocated applying 20 tonnes of poultry manure per hectare prior to seeding.
This is consistent with Kogbe’s (1976) guideline of 20 tonnes per hectare. Poultry dung is the most readily available organic manure in South Western Nigeria.
Poultry manure has been shown to produce more seed yield in maize than cattle dung. This was attributed to poultry manure’s higher nitrogen and phosphorus content, as well as its ability to provide additional magnesium and trace elements to the soil (Purseglove, 1984).
1.2 Statement Of The Problem
Because of the necessity to consume pure foods free of chemical compounds that are easily absorbed from inorganic nutrient sources, emphasis is now placed on the utilisation of organic manures rather than inorganic nutrients.
Using inorganic fertilisers in lowland areas may further raise the risk of groundwater pollution. Farmers cannot afford to employ mineral fertilisers to increase their vegetable output.
Using these herbicides, particularly on fresh watermelon or tomatoes, may enhance the risks of swallowing these chemicals, which are absorbed and partitioned to fruit or affect the economic production of such crops (Williams and Harris 1986).
There is still a scarcity of information in the literature about the effects of various organic sources, notably poultry dropping, on watermelon fruit yield and nutrient utilisation. As a result, there is a need to investigate the influence of chicken manure on watermelon output.
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