Determination of nitrogen mineralization in an open dumpsite soil treated with poultry manure in Anyigba, Nigeria.

Abstract

Nitrogen mineralization is the process of conversion of organic nitrogen to a useful form for plant use. A pot experiment was conducted at Soil and Environmental Management Department of Kogi State University Anyigba to determine nitrogen's mineralization rate in an open dumpsite soil treated with organic manure. About 1.6kg of soil sample was collected from Fallow land where no fertilizer history has been recorded and at three different dumpsite soil (Ate-Iji dumpsite (DS1), Ijebu-Ode dumpsite (DS2) and Iyale road dumpsite (DS3) ) in Anyigba at a depth of 0-15cm and was put inside a pot, which was replicated three times. The spacing between pots was 8m×5m range in completely randomized design (CRD). The soil's physicochemical properties were determined, 20g of poultry manure was added to each pot at a constant rate excluding the control pots (fallow land soil). The soil was stirred, and water was added at regular interval. The mineralization rate of nitrogen was determined after 14days, 28days and 56 days of treatment application. Nitrate (NO3-N), ammonium (NH4+–N) and nitrite (NO2-N) was calculated from total nitrogen. The data was analyzed, and treatments mean separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD). Poultry manure had a significant influence on the mineralization rate of nitrogen. DS3 soil gave the highest mineralization values for all the nitrogen forms. Highest values of 184.5mg/kg of NH4+ was recorded after 14days of mineralization in DS3 soil, while the highest value of 470.8mg/kg of NO2 -was recorded after 14days of mineralization in DS3 soil and the highest value of 634.5mg/kg of NO3- was recorded after 14days of mineralization compared to other dumpsite soil. The fallow land which serves as control gave the lowest mineralization values for all the nitrogen forms, and this indicated that organic manure has a greater impact in nitrogen mineralization in soil when applied to the soil within 28 days