EFFECT OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF AFRICAN SPINACH (AMARANTHUS HYBRIDUS)
Abstract
Amaranthus hybridus commonly known as African spinach belonging to the family of amaranthaceae, is a good source of vitamin C, calcium, iron, and folic acid, an important leafy vegetable widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical region for its nutrition commercial and subsistence farming. In terms of agricultural significance, recent studies have highlighted its resilience to poor soil conditions and the potential for improvement in yield through better cultivation practices, including the use of organic fertilizers. Research indicate that organic fertilizers improve soil fertility and sustainability which benefit both crop and farming ecosystem.
The research work was carried out at the experimental garden of the department plant Biology, Federal University of Technology Minna. Niger State, Nigeria. The seed of amaranthus hybridus was sown directly in a sack on the field at a spacing of 10cm by 10cm. Two types of organic fertilizers (poultry dropping and cow dungs) were used in the experiment. The fertilizers were weighed 5g before application and the soil was weighed 20kg as well. It was carried out in a complete Block Design (CBD) using 64 sacks, planted at least 4 seeds in each sack. The morphological and the yield parameters were taken. The application of poultry droppings increased significantly (P>0.05) the highest plant height (97.27cm) while the lowest value (42.00cm) was recorded in control, the highest number of leaves (27.38) while the lowest is (13.38), the highest leaf area (64.60cm2) while the lowest (38.99cm2), the highest and lowest number of spikes (55.38) and (25.62), the highest and lowest length of spike (18.12cm) and (7.27cm) and the highest weight value of spike (63.65g) and the lowest value (5.00g) were observed in brown and black variety respectively. The application of poultry dropping increased significantly (P>0.05) in the yield component. The result obtained from the experiment shows that the effect of the treatment was significantly different (P
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