EFFECT OF FISH EFFLUENT AND POULTRY MANURE ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CUCUMBER (CUCUMIS SATIVUS L.)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Soil fertility decline and the high cost of inorganic fertilizers constrain cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production in Nigeria. This study compared the effects of poultry and fish effluent on cucumber growth and yield under field conditions in Kano State. The experiment followed a Randomized Complete Block Design with three treatments (poultry manure, fish effluent, and control) replicated three times. Data were collected on vine length, number of leaves, stem girth, number of fruits, average fruit weight, total fruit weight, and marketable yield. Analysis of variance showed significant treatment effects (p ≤ 0.05) for all parameters. Fish effluent produced the highest vine length (317.50 cm), leaf number (32.08), stem girth (0.93 cm), fruit number (13.67), average fruit weight (163.17 g), total fruit weight (2.25 kg per plant), and marketable yield (91.4%). Poultry manure ranked second, while the control recorded the lowest values. The study concludes that both poultry and fish effluent improve cucumber performance, with fish effluent consistently superior. It is recommended that farmers adopt fish effluent as an effective organic fertilizer, while poultry manure remains a suitable alternative where fish effluent is unavailable.
Keywords: cucumber, poultry manure, fish effluent, yield, organic fertilizer
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