Assessment of Poultry Manure and NPK Fertilizer on the Yield Components of Cucumber Variety in Owerri (Published)
Citation: Mary Chidimma Williams, Queendaline Amarachi Ezeoke, Victor Adelodun Diekade, Oluwafemi Oyedele, Paul Mbonu, Emmanuel Tolulope (2022) Assessment of Poultry Manure and NPK Fertilizer on the Yield Components of Cucumber Variety in Owerri, International Journal of Horticulture and Forestry Research, Vol.3, No.1, pp.1-11
Abstract: Cucumber is an annual vegetable crop grown for its vitamins and mineral-rich fruits. Although inorganic fertilizer improves crop yield, its consistent usage leads to soil acidity. This study was conducted to assess the effects of poultry manure (PM) and its combination with NPK fertilizer on the growth and yield of cucumber. The layout was a 3 x 3 factorial scheme with three replicates at the research field of Federal University of Technology, Owerri in 2017. Three treatments consisting PM (5tons/ha), PM (2.5tons/ha) + NPK (60kg/ha) and NPK (120kg/ha) were applied. At 6 weeks after planting (WAP), Poultry manure and its combination with NPK positively influenced growth parameters such as vine length and number of leaves. Fruit length, fruit circumference, fruit number and fruit weight were significantly increased by PM. Cu999 performed significantly better than other varieties for fruit length and fruit number while Cu102 had the highest fruit weight.
Keywords: Cucumber, NPK Fertilizer, Poultry manure, Varieties, Yield, growth parameters.