Abstract
The effect of poultry manure and cow dung amendment of diesel oil polluted soil on the growth of Zea mays (Maize) was carried out in a green house at Lamingo area of Jos. The experiment was set up in a randomize block design (RBD) of five (5) replicates for each treatment. Loamy soil (500g) was polluted with 250ml of diesel oil in perforated polyethene bags size (64x21cm) and amended with poultry manure and cow dung at 0%.10%, 20% and 30% soil weight. Three (3) seeds of maize were planted in each pot. Two types of control were set up to validate this experiment: a positive control (500g of soil + 0ml of diesel + 0% manure) and a negative control (500g of soil + 250ml diesel + 0% manure). These were observed for germination and growth parameters for 13 weeks. The results showed that maize seeds in the positive control had the shortest day to germination (6day), an average of 12 and 13 days to germination was observed in plots treated at 30% poultry manure and cow dung respectively. No germination was observed in both the negative control and at 10% organic manure treatment. Maize plants in the positive control plots had highest mean leaf count (13) followed by those at 30% manure treatment (11) and (12) respectively, while those at 20% manure treatment had the least number of leaves. Results on stem girth followed a similar trend with the aforementioned parameters. Plant height at weeks 10 and 12 were significantly higher than those of all other weeks, but do not differ from each other at 0.05 level of probability. Plant in the control had the highest number of kernels per cob (187) followed by plot at 30% manure treatment 150 and 180 respectively for poultry manure and cow dung. The study has shown that diesel contamination affected growth and yield of maize plant adversely. However among the manure treated plots those exposed to higher fraction of poultry manure strived better than those treated with equal fraction of cow dung. Poultry manure can therefore be recommended as a biostimulant in diesel oil polluted soil.
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