Comparative effects of jatropha seedcake, chicken and kraal manures on selected soil properties, growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

M Mataa,Bh Chishala,W Mambo

doi:10.3329/ijarit.v8i1.38222

Abstract

A field trial was conducted to evaluate the comparative effects of jatropha seedcake, chicken and kraal manures on selected soil properties, growth and yield of tomato in Zambia during the cropping season of 2012-13. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replicates and six treatments, namely- jatropha seedcake (5.0 t ha-1), chicken manure (5.0 t ha-1), kraal manure (5.0 t ha-1), jatropha seedcake (2.5 t ha-1) + chicken manure (2.5 t ha-1), jatropha seedcake (2.5 t ha-1) + kraal manure (2.5 t ha-1) and control (0.0 t ha-1) was used. Soil total N, P, K, Ca, Mg, SOM, soil pH, bulk density, plant height, number of branches, number of fruits plant-1, and mean fruit weight effects were subsequently monitored. Organic manures significantly increased total N, available P, exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, SOM, soil pH, plant height, number of branches, number of fruits, mean fruit weight and yield of tomato compared to the control. Organic manures also significantly reduced soil bulk density compared to the control. Among the organic amendments treated alone, jatropha seedcake gave the highest yield of 28.62 t ha-1 compared to chicken manure (28.20 t ha-1) and kraal manure (27.50 t ha-1). Maximum yield benefits came from a mixture of jatropha seedcake + chicken manure (29.60 t ha-1)and jatropha seedcake + kraal manure (29.00 t ha- 1) which could have been due to balanced proportions of major nutrients required for tomato growth. Jatropha seedcake mostly performed favourably the same or better than chicken and kraal manures in many aspects.Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 8 (1): 1-6, June, 2018

Highlights

Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum is an important crop grown throughout the country and all year round for their fruits (Mingochi and Luchen, 2000)
Jatropha seedcake was sourced from Southern Bio-power in Kalundu, Lusaka while chicken and kraal manures were obtained from the Field Station, School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Zambia (UNZA) tomato ‘Tengeru’ seedlings were purchased from a private nursery at three weeks old, about 12 cm tall and with high vigour and had no signs of pests and diseases
The data indicated that the soils were slightly acidic, low in total N, soil organic matter (SOM), available P, exchangeable K, Ca and Mg

Summary

Introduction

Lycopersicon esculentum is an important crop grown throughout the country and all year round for their fruits (Mingochi and Luchen, 2000). Intensive and widespread use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides adversely affects the soil environment, leading to decreased crop productivity and production of potentially harmful food, unsafe for human consumption. These unintended harmful effects and the energy intensive processes involved in the production of inorganic fertilizers have resulted in several research initiatives for developing organic fertilizer alternatives (Chaturvedi and Kumar, 2012). Seed cake resulting from jatropha is not suitable for use as a livestock feed (Martínez-Herrera et al, 2006; Li et al, 2010) and not environmentally friendly because of the presence of toxic component, phorbol ester This poses the challenge of safe disposal of the seedcake.

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Conclusion