Abstract
Amending soil with animal wastes can be useful in food production as well as a means of waste disposal. It has been found to enhance physico-chemical properties and enhance yield. Poultry manure (PM), swine waste (SW), cow dung (CD), and sewage sludge (SS) were added to a hydromorphic ultisol (sandy loam, typic haplusult at the rate of 10 tha-1 (12 kgplot-1)). Maize hybrid (Oba super II) was used as test crop. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications was used in laying the experiment. Data collected were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using Fishers’ Least Significant Difference (F-LSD). Physical properties of soil influenced by animal wastes include bulk density, total porosity, hydraulic conductivity, gravimetric moisture contents, aggregate stability, and rheological characteristics. Amendments also enhanced soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium, pH, exchangeable acidity, cation exchange capacity, and base saturation were all higher relative to the unamended plots. Productivity studies revealed that maize growth was significantly affected by amendments especially PM. This was observed in height, leaf area index and yield higher relative to the control. Generally, the increase followed the order PM>SW>SS>CD. Animal wastes especially from poultry sources are recommended for soil amelioration and for increased crop yield in the area. Key words: Cow dung, sewage sludge, swine waste, poultry manure, waste disposal.
Highlights
Sustainable agriculture is fast becoming the focus of the world today
Values of available P were low in the animal wastes based on Landon (1991), it was highest in poultry manure (0.4 mgkg-1)
The study shows that animal wastes enhanced soil properties and maize yield of hydromorphic ultisols in Abakaliki agro-ecology
Summary
Sustainable agriculture is fast becoming the focus of the world today. Sustainable agriculture is a method of farming that is humane, environmentally friendly and socially ethical, but can sustain itself.
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