Comparative Effects of Mineral Fertilizer and Two Poultry Manures on the Growth and Yield of Maize/Soybean Intercrop

Abstract

Maize/soybean intercrop was established in the experimental farm of NCRI Badeggi. The design of the experiment was RCBD, with eight treatments and three replicates. The experiment was designed to investigate the comparative effects of mineral fertilizer, and two poultry manures on the growth parameters and yield of maize /soybean intercrop. The study evaluated the effects of broiler and local chicken manure applied each at the rates of 2 t/h, 4t/h and 6t/h with or without mineral fertilizer. NPK fertilizer at the rates of 40 kg/ha and 20kg/ha combined with poultry manures at the rates of 2 t/h and 4t/h respectively, while poultry manure at 6 t/h and NPK at 60 kg/ha were applied as sole treatments. There was a control treatment with neither poultry manure nor mineral fertilizer. Data were separately collected on the vegetative and yield parameters of both maize and soybeans. Agronomic activities such as weeding, thinning and applications of insecticides were appropriately carried out. Local chicken manure integrated with an ample quantity of NPK fertilizer enhanced the growth and yield parameters of both maize and soybean in maize soybean intercrop. Results obtained from this experiment indicated that local chicken manure at the rate of 2 t/ha and 4 t/ha integrated with NPK fertilizer, at the rate of 40kg/ha and 20kg/ha respectively, significantly influenced the number of cob per plot, cob weight per plot, grain weight per plot, days to 50% silking, as well as days to maturity in maize. Sole local chicken manure applied at the rate of 6 t/ha significantly enhanced plant vigour in soybean, three weeks after planting. The yield performance of maize crops treated with Local chicken manure surpassed those of sole broiler manure and sole NPK fertilizer. Results from this work also demonstrated the efficiency of poultry manure when integrated with commercial fertilizer.