Different Types Of Organic Fertilizers Research Articles

A Study of the Relationship between Initial Grape Yield and Soil Properties Based on Organic Fertilization

Increasing the use of organic fertilizers is an effective measure to improve, increase soil fertility and maintain crop yields. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different types of organic fertilizers on the early yield of grapes and soil parameters, as well as the relationship between soil parameters and grape yield under fertilization conditions. The ‘Shine Muscat’ grape was used as the material, with early maturing cultivation in the solar greenhouse. From the time of grape planting, three-year continuous fertilization management was carried out using five types of base fertilizers: chemical fertilizer (CK), fermented corn stalk residue (A1), mature sheep manure (A2) and two types of commercial organic fertilizers (B1 and B2). In the third year, berry and soil samples were collected to determine grape yield and evaluate soil physicochemical properties, nutrient status and changes in enzyme activity, studying the relationship between grape yield and soil indicators. The results show that compared to CK, the grape yields with B1 and B2 increased by 19.04% and 16.26%, respectively, while A1 and A2 decreased by 24.09% and 18.97%. Organic fertilizer application reduced soil bulk density, increased soil porosity, enhanced soil organic matter content and effectively buffered soil pH levels. Two types of commercial fertilizers (B1 and B2) improved soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available nitrogen and available phosphorus content to varying degrees. All organic fertilizer treatments effectively increased soil enzyme activity, except for soil sucrase activity. Through correlation and regression analyses, it was found that in this study, the levels of available nitrogen, available potassium and soil saccharase activity were most closely related to early grape yield. Their influence on grape yield was in the order of available nitrogen > soil saccharase activity > available potassium. Therefore, with a combined organic and inorganic basal fertilization system, the fertilizer nutrients are more comprehensive and help to increase the productivity of grapes at the beginning of the fruiting period. Nitrogen and phosphorus are very important in the maintaining of grape yields and improving sucrose activity in the soil through the application of organic fertilizers cannot be ignored when increasing yields.

Rooted in Nature: The Rise, Challenges, and Potential of Organic Farming and Fertilizers in Agroecosystems

Organic farming, which is deeply rooted in traditional agricultural practices, has witnessed a profound evolution over the last century. Transitioning from a grassroots initiative resisting the industrialization of agriculture to a global industry, organic farming now plays a pivotal role in addressing contemporary challenges related to environmental health, sustainability, and food safety. Despite the growing consumer demand for organic products and market access, organic farming has its challenges. This paper discusses the origin and evolution of organic farming with an emphasis on different types of organic fertilizers, benefits, and challenges. Nutrient variability and the slow-release nature of organic fertilizer often do not meet crop demands and can substantially reduce yield. Some organic fertilizers, like manure and biosolids, can provide a higher yield benefit, but there are environmental and health risks associated with them. Weed and pest management in organic farming can be labor-intensive and increase costs. Inefficient planning of organic farming and rapid transition can also create food insecurity. This paper also gives a brief account of the current certification process for organic fertilizers and their technicalities. It showcases how the holistic approach of organic farming extends beyond production, including strategies like reducing food waste and building self-sufficient farming communities. These practices contribute to a more sustainable agricultural system, reducing environmental impacts and supporting local economies. Future technological innovations, especially in precision agriculture and bio-physicochemical models, can help in formulating targeted organic fertilizers.

The usage of different fertilizer type in same soil character ization improvements in Tikrit

This study included the effected of using different types of organic fertilizer in some soil chemical characterization productivity of okra plant. The experiment were designed according (R.C.B.D), with three replicates by using fertilizers remnants of cows and poultry, sludge were used. Three levels(10,20,40) ton/hectare were used in comparison with different levels of mineral fertilizer (150+115+115), (230+230+300), (460+460+600) Kg/hectare .This treatment resulted in reduction of soil organic materials, which approached 2.53% as compared with organic fertilizers and increased, phosphorus and potassium levels. While the sludge treatment increased organic material ,phosphorus and potassium over 40 ton/hectare, as well as in an increase in the plant chlorophil contents. This increase was approximately 3.52mg/g. In overall comparison between the various fertilizers, the sludge produced equal effect with the different mineral fertilizers levels.

Growth Performance of Oil Palm Seedlings on Different Types of Organic Fertilizer

Fertilizer and soil nutrient management is important to sustain the productivity of nursery systems for oil palm seedling. Inorganic fertilizer usually applies to the oil palm seedling in nursery. The problem of the inorganic fertilizer nowadays is the price is quite expensive and can cause pollution if not manage well. So, by changes the inorganic to organic fertilizer, farmers can reduce their cost, and can gets many benefits through the usage of organic fertilizer. This study investigated the effects of organic fertilizer on growth performance and development of oil palm seedling. 3-month-old Tenera oil palm seedling was treated with an organic fertilizer (10 g of goat manure, 10 gram of fish waste and 10 gram of coffee waste). Control treatments were left untreated. Growth of seedling, plant morphology, plant physiology and soil pH were measured to compare among the treatments. Application of organic fertilizer significantly increased number of fronds about 28% to 46% compare from the control treatment, 28% to 41% increment in plant girth for treatment that treat with organic fertilizer, and significantly increase chlorophyll content of oil palm seedling leaves more than 11% for organic fertilizer application but not significantly increase the plant height and relative growth control (RGR). Several treatments on different organic fertilizer, like soil pH and relative water content (RWC), not significantly different from control but application of organic fertilizer help to increase the soil pH and help to increase the percentage of RWC in plant. These finding indicates that application of different organic fertilizer help to improve several morphology characteristics like number of fronds, and plant girth. It also can help to increase the chlorophyll content in leaves and help to improved soil pH. In future, application of organic fertilizer can be fully utilized for growth and development of oil palm seedling in nursery where it can help to reduce the usage inorganic fertilizer and help to reduce the cost of the nursery.

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in organic fertilizers in China

The use of organic fertilizers is becoming a routine measure of soil improvement in China, and therefore organic fertilizers are considered an emerging contributor to microplastic accumulation in farmland soils. However, little is known regarding the microplastic contents in organic fertilizers used across China. Here, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in 102 organic fertilizer samples across 22 provincial administrative regions of China to serve as a basis for the development of better microplastic management strategies. Organic fertilizers are made of a wide variety of feedstocks, including livestock manure (chicken, cow, goat, and pig manure) and bacterial residues etc., and are mainly produced via aerobic composting. In present study, microplastics within a 0.1–5 mm range in different types of organic fertilizers were separated using a general sequential density flotation method. Microplastic abundances ranged from undetectable to 2550 items/kg, with an average value of 325 ± 511 items/kg and a detection frequency of 80.4 %. The highest microplastic abundances were detected in Beijing City (758 items/kg) and in compound organic fertilizers (average of 386 items/kg). The microplastics in organic fertilizer were primarily white/transparent (75.9 %), 1–3 mm in size (55 %), and film-shaped (39 %). Interestingly, microplastics were not detected in cow dung fertilizer, suggesting that cow dung-based fertilizers might generally contain lower microplastic levels. Moreover, organic fertilizer microplastics tended to be concentrated in provincial areas with intensive agriculture, and the input flux of microplastics from organic fertilizer into fertilized soils reached an average of 5.07 × 1012 items per year. Collectively, our findings provide key insights into the current state of microplastic levels in organic fertilizers in China and serve as a basis for the creation of novel microplastic mitigation strategies in farmland soils.

The effect of organic fertilizers on the yield components of corn plant, protein and starch content of grain

The importance of organic fertilizers for sustainable agricultural production is an undeniable fact. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of different organic fertilizers on the growth and quality properties of maize plants. Three different types of organic fertilizers; cattle manure, vermicompost and leonardite, and their doses of 2.500, 5.000, 7.500 and 10.000 kgha-1 were used in the experiment. In addition, conventional production and non-fertilized production were used as control applications. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiments were repeated to assess the residual effects of the treatments. Fertilizers were applied in 2018 to determine the residual effects of organic fertilizer applications in the second year. In the research; plant height, ear diameter, ear grain weight, 1000 grain weight, grain yield, protein ratio, oil ratio and starch ration were examined. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of different organic fertilizers on the yield components and grain content of the corn plant. These features varied between 180.72-157.87 cm, 39.38-33.59 mm, 117.1-62.2 g, 261.2-237.1 g, 4416.8-1712.9 kg ha-1, 7.8-5.9%, 2.5-2.1% and 74.7-73.8%, respectively. According to the results, the 2500 kgha-1 and 5000 kgha-1 doses of vermicompost had the highest values for the oil ratio and protein ratio, on the other hand the leonardite application of 10.000 kgha-1 for the starch ration had the highest value. Generally, conventional fertilizer application had the highest values for yield components.

Profiles of tetracycline resistance genes in paddy soils with three different organic fertilizer applications

The rapid expansion of organic rice cultivation areas have been accompanied by increased application of organic fertilizers. The high prevalence of soil antibiotic resistance caused by organic fertilizer application poses a severe threat to the agricultural and soil ecosystems. To date, research efforts and understanding of the effects and mechanism of action of the various organic fertilizers on antibiotic resistance in paddy soils remain poorly investigated. Tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs, including tetB, tetC, tetL, tetZ, tetM, tetO, tetT, and tetX), class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) and bacterial communities were characterized using quantitative-PCR and Illumina MiSeq sequencing, in paddy soils exposed to inorganic fertilizer (NPK), animal-derived organic fertilizer (AOF, composted swine and/or chicken manure), plant-derived organic fertilizer (POF, rapeseed cake and/or astragalus) and commercial organic fertilizer (COF, composted of animal manure mix with crop residues) applications. Compared with NPK, AOF applications significantly increased the relative abundance of TRGs, which was predominantly expressed in the increase of the relative abundance of tetC, tetM, tetO, tetT, and tetX, while POF and COF had no significant effect on the relative abundance of TRGs. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that AOF and POF significantly altered bacterial communities in paddy soils relative to NPK, while COF had no significant change of bacterial communities. Variation partitioning analysis indicated that soil physicochemical properties were the decisive factors for the changes of TRGs in organic paddy fields. Furthermore, redundancy analysis and the Mantel test showed that TRG profiles in AOF applied paddy soils were strongly influenced by electrical conductivity (EC). Total nitrogen (TN) and organic matter (OM) affected the distribution of TRGs in COF and POF applied paddy soils through a different mechanism. This study provides insights into the impacts of different types of organic fertilizer on the profiles of TRGs in paddy soils.

The Effect of different Types of Organic Fertilizers on the Growth and Yield of Vegetable Plants

From interfaces to farming organically, she is system comprehensive for production. She depends on administration and perpetuates the system's environmental nature instead of relying on flow inputs (fertilizers, material manufacturers) so she puts effects on social, health, and environmental potential into consideration. During cancellation, use all that is industrial from fertilizers, pesticides, and organizations' growth and replace it with what is natural and available in the environment. During rotation, natural resources are available, such as waste animals of all kinds and the remains of vegans. That addition waste Organic to me the soil He increases From Subject Organic In which an increase From Prepare Biology microscopic and its activity as well Working On addition food elements for soil in the form of continuous Than Restores balance for items food In which The objective of the article: is to compile scientific material on organic fertilizers and their importance for vegetable plants and to highlight some of the studies that I dealt with.

Comparison of different types of fertilizers on growth, yield and quality properties of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in the Southeast of Kazakhstan

Over the years, the use of organic materials in farming has reduced due to the increase in the use of chemical fertilizers which are rich in readily available plant nutrients. Intensive use of chemical fertilizers may have depressing effect on yield of watermelon. The field experiment were conducted at the Experimental Clinic of the Laboratory “Selection of vegetable and melon crops” and in the laboratory “Biosafety and Biocontrol of vegetable and melon crops” of Regional Branch “Kainar” of the LLP “Kazakh Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Growing” which is located in the foothill zone of the southeast of Kazakhstan, to study the effects of different types of organic fertilizers (cow manure, poultry manure and biohumus) and recommended chemical fertilizer (NPK) on the characteristics of watermelon (growth parameters, yield and quality) of southeast of Kazakhstan. There were significant differences among the treatments in relation to fruit yield of watermelon, growth paremeters and quality properties (dry matter, total sugar, Vitamin C and NO3-N). Recommended fertilizer dose (N90P60K60) had the highest fruit yield of watermelon and growth paremeters followed by manure applied at 40 t ha-1. All the fertilizer treatments had higher yield of watermelon than control. From this study, the use of manure as an organic fertilizer in the cultivation of watermelon could be used as alternative to chemical fertilizer. It is recommended that manure at 40 t ha-1 be adopted for watermelon cultivation in in the Southeast of Kazakhstan.

Effects of organic fertilizer application on crop yield and soil properties in rice-wheat rotation system: A meta-analysis

To clarify the effects of organic fertilizer application on crop yield and soil properties in rice-wheat rotation system in China, we carried out a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the effects of organic fertilizer types (ordinary organic fertilizer, biochar, and straw), fertilization regimes (organic fertilizer alone, organic fertilizer + partial chemical fertilizer, and organic fertilizer + full amount of chemical fertilizer), and experiment duration (short term, medium term, and long term) on soil properties and the yield of rice and wheat, as well as their responses to soil conditions (acid, neutral, basic). Results showed that the application of organic fertilizer had similar yield-increase effect on rice yield (3.1%) and wheat yield (3.0%) compared to chemical fertilizer application alone. The effect of organic fertilizer application on soil quality was more obvious, significantly reducing soil bulk density by 5.7%, and increasing the concentrations of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial biomass nitrogen by 11.7%-38.4%. Among different types of organic fertilizer, the effects of ordinary organic fertilizer and biochar on soil properties improvement were better than straw. Compared to the organic fertilizer application alone, the effects of organic fertilizer combined with chemical fertilizer on crop yield was better, but poorer on soil property improvement. With the increasing duration of organic fertilizer application, crop yield and soil fertility gradually increased. Under the condition of acid soil, the effect of organic fertilizer application on crop yield was the best. The annual yield of rice and wheat showed significant negative correlation with soil bulk density, but a significant positive correlation with the concentrations of soil total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, and microbial biomass nitrogen.

Effects of Different Types of Organic Fertilizer on Biomass Yield, Bioactive Compounds and Heavy Metals Contents of Phyllanthus Niruri

This research aimed to study the effects of different types and rates of organic fertilizer on biomass yield, bioactive compounds, and heavy metals content of Phyllanthus niruri. Two types of organic fertilizers (animal-based and plant-based) with five different rates (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 kg N ha−1) were used in this study. There was an interaction between fertilizer types and rates on biomass yield, heavy metals content, and bioactive compounds. Plants are grown with 400 kg N ha−1 of animal-based fertilizer, and plant-based fertilizer produced the highest fresh biomass. However, phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin concentrations of P. niruri were not affected by applying animal-based and plant-based fertilizers at all rates. In addition, Cd and Pb concentrations also decreased with the increasing rate of organic fertilizer and were below the Malaysia Permissible Levels (MPLs). Therefore, animal-based fertilizer at 400 kg N ha−1 was selected as the optimum rate due to its reduced heavy metal concentration in plants and higher phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin yield.

Organic Fertilization and Tree Orchards

Organic fertilization has been proposed as an alternative approach to supply nutrients for crops, in the frame of organic and sustainable agriculture, with the aim to decrease high inorganic fertilization rates, protect the environment and decrease production costs for farmers. Since different types of organic fertilizers, such as manures, olive mill wastewater (OMW), sewage sludge (SS), crushed pruning wastes, composts and cover crops, exist as soil amendments to improve soil fertility, enhance plant nutrition and sustain the productivity of tree crops, their role as biofertilizers has been fully analyzed under the most important published papers. In addition, the benefits and drawbacks of organic fertilization, in a comparative approach with inorganic fertilization, are presented and discussed. Within the most important advantages of organic fertilizers, the enhancement of beneficial soil microorganisms and the improvement in soil physical properties and fertility should be included, while their most important disadvantage is their inability to directly satisfy the prompt N nutritional needs of tree crops, due to slow N mineralization rates. Finally, some novel aspects on the interrelation among innovative organic fertilizers for tree crops, sustainable field management, crop productivity and fruit quality are also included in this review, under the light of the most important and recent research data existing in the literature, with the aim to provide recommendations and future directions for organic fertilizers by tree growers.

БІОХІМІЧНИЙ СКЛАД ЗЕРНА ПШЕНИЦІ М’ЯКОЇ (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) ЗА ВПЛИВУ ДОБРИВ

The article, based on the analysis of scientific works, presents the research findings of the influence of mineral, organic and organo-mineral fertilizer on the biochemical composition of soft wheat grain. It is shown that seed productivity and quality of wheat grain depend on the provision of plants with nutrients during the growth season, resistance to stress factors and biological characteristics of the variety. The yield of winter wheat increases due to super-strong and extra-strong varieties, but the quality of grain, which is negatively correlated with productivity, decreases. Fertilizers are a significant factor in improving the quality of wheat grain, and their use allows to obtain high quality baking flour. Application of different types of organic fertilizers (cattle manure, chicken manure) and green manures (wheat-wheat, oat-pea, mustard) results in an increase in the gluten content from 24.2 to 25.6–27.7 % in grain winter wheat. The application of manure also contributed to the accumulation of proteins in the grain. The quality of wheat grain (nutritional value and baking properties) depends on both the protein content and their amino acid composition. Nitrogen fertilizers have been shown to increase the protein content and the amount of essential amino acids in grain and improve their amino acid composition, but their application, especially in higher doses, reduces the baking properties of wheat flour. The use of nitrogen fertilizers also increases the content of trace elements in wheat grain and improves the nutritional value of this important food. Foliar feeding of plants with chelated micro-fertilizers on the background of complete mineral nutrition (N60P60K60) also improves the quality of grain, while increasing the content of proteins and gluten. Pre-sowing seed treatment and foliar fertilization of plants in the phase of tillering and earing with liquid organo-mineral fertilizer Polidon Bio Zernovyi special purpose for winter wheat, against the background of mineral nutrition (N60P60K60), increased the protein content in grain according to experimental variants and promoted raw gluten growth.

Biologization technologies in agriculture of the Belgorod region

The article summarizes the results of field experiments to study the effectiveness of biologization elements in the cultivation of agricultural crops in the Central Black Earth zone of Russia. It has been proved that compost based on poultry manure and granular organic fertilizers with shallow introduction contribute to an increase in yield of up to 50 cwt/ha of grain while improving the fertility of typical chernozem. The coefficient of structure is growing, the bulk density of the soil, physical and chemical characteristics are stabilized. Liquid pig-breeding drainage shows an increase in grain yield but does not have a significant effect on the state of arable land. Similar characteristics apply to technologies for the grain crops cultivation with the use of mineral fertilizers. The greatest economic efficiency was obtained with the combined application of different types of organic fertilizers in moderate doses with the surface method of the main soil cultivation.

EFFECT OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENTON GROWTH AND YIELD OF OKRA

This study was carried out at Subarna Agro-Based Initiative’s (SABI) field, Noakhali, Bangladesh during the period of Rabi Season, 2018. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the growth and yield performances of okra in different types of organic fertilizers and to identify the possible fertilizer treatment which enhances both growth and yield of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Monech] .BARI Okra-1 was taken for the study. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used and there were 4 treatments namely; Farm Yard Manure (T1), Vermi-Compost (T2), FYM + Vermi-Compost (T3) and Integrated Nutrient Management (T4) were replicated three times. Plant height (cm), number of leaves, total flower, total number of fruits, fruit length (cm) and fruit weight (g) data were taken as parameters on the growth and yield of the plant. Though fruit weight was observed higher for the effect of T3 (72.78 g) but in case of Integrated Nutrient Management (T4) the other characters such as plant height, number of leaves, total flowers, total number of fruits, fruit length were observed higher. The T4 showed a comparatively better result of growth and yield than other treatments. This study clearly indicated that Integrated Nutrient Management which contains the micronutrients with minimum inorganic and organic manure may be a potential source for better growth and high yield in okra.

Effects of Composting Different Types of Organic Fertilizer on the Microbial Community Structure and Antibiotic Resistance Genes.

Organic fertilizer is a major carrier that stores and transmits antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In the environment, due to the application of organic fertilizers in agriculture, the increasing diversity and abundance of ARGs poses a potential threat to human health and environmental safety. In this paper, the microbial community structure and ARGs in different types of organic fertilizer treated with composting were examined. We found that the abundance and diversity of ARGs in earthworm cast organic fertilizer were the lowest and the highest in chicken manure organic fertilizer. Interestingly, the abundance and diversity of ARGs, especially beta-lactam resistance genes, sulfonamide resistance genes, and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) resistance genes, in organic fertilizers were reduced significantly, while composting caused no significant change in mobile genetic elements (MGEs), where antibiotic deactivation and the use of efflux pumps were the two most dominant mechanisms. It was clear that removal of ARGs became more efficient with increasing reduction in the bacterial abundances and diversity of potential ARG hosts, and integron-mediated horizontal gene transfers (HGTs) played an important role in the proliferation of most ARG types. Therefore, the reduction in ARGs was mainly driven by changes in bacterial community composition caused by composting. Furthermore, rather than HGTs, the diversity and abundance of bacterial communities affected by compost physical and chemical properties were the main drivers shaping and altering the abundance and diversity of ARGs, which was indicated by a correlation analysis of these properties, antibiotic residues, microbial community structure, and ARGs. In general, high-temperature composting effectively removed antibiotic residues and ARGs from these organic fertilizers; however, it cannot prevent the proliferation of MGEs. The insights gained from these results may be of assistance in the safe and rational use of organic fertilizers by indicating the changes in microbial community structure and ARGs in different types of organic fertilizer treated with composting.

PRODUCTIVITY OF PINTO BEANS (Arachis pintoi) WITH DIFFERENT TYPES AND DOSAGE OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER

The study aims to determine the productivity of pinto beans (Arachis pintoi) which is fertilized with differenttypes of organic fertilizer including its dosage. The study was conducted by using a completely randomized design(CRD) within two patterns of factors. Firstly, organic fertilizers are cow dung (S) and chicken manure (A). Secondly,dosages without fertilizer (D0), 15 tons/ha dosages (D1), 20 tons/ha dosages (D2), dosage of 25 tons/ha (D3); anddosage of 30 tons/ ha (D4) of organic fertilizers. The variables observed were plant height, number of branches,number of leaves, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, total forage dry weight, leaf areat and leaf dry weight ratio withstem dry weight. The results showed no interaction between the type and dosage of fertilizer in which the growthand production of pinto beans (Arachis pintoi) gave the same results by fertilizing with 25-30 tons/ha dosagesof chicken manure. It can be concluded that increasing the productivity of pinto beans (Arachis pintoi) can befertilized with 25-30 tons/ha dosages of chicken manure

Does long-term inorganic and organic fertilization affect soil structural and mechanical physical quality of paddy soil?

ABSTRACTFew studies deal with the impacts of long-term fertilization on soil mechanical physical properties. A long-term fertilization experiment initiated in 1996 was performed in the paddy soil (Endoaqualf) of China. The treatments included: control (CK), chemical fertilizers (NPK), rice straw (RS), pig manure (PM), rice straw plus chemical fertilizers (RS+NPK) and pig manure plus chemical fertilizers (PM+NPK). The PM, PM+NPK, RS and RS+NPK treatments significantly (p< 0.05) increased the percentage of > 2 mm macroaggregate compared with the CK treatment, while application of chemical fertilizers alone had no significant effect on the formation of macroaggregate. Application of organic fertilizers significantly increased soil liquid limit (LL), plastic index (PI), and deformation relative to CK, while decreased soil plastic limit (PL), COLE, TS and cohesion. In contrast, the application of chemical fertilizers significantly increased the PL, COLE, TS, cohesion and internal friction angle, while decreased the LL and PI compared with the PM treatment. The application of different types of organic fertilizers could also affect the soil mechanical properties differently. The study suggested that soil management practices in paddy soil should preferably include integrated use of chemical fertilizer and manure or straw to maintain better physical environment of the soil.

Effects of Different Types of Organic Fertilizers on the Nutrients and Anti Nutrients Composition of Amaranthus caudatus and Amaranthus cruentus

Aims: To evaluate the effect of different types of organic fertilizers on the nutrients and anti nutrients composition of Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru local variety) and Amaranthus cruentus (NH84/452).&#x0D; Study Design: A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used for the experiment.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out in the nursery of a homestead garden at No 20, Isaiah Balat Street, Sabo GRA, Kaduna State, Nigeria.&#x0D; Methodology: The study consists of seven treatments which includes control (no fertilizer), 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 poultry manure, 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 sewage sludge, 35 kg ha-1 and 70 kg ha-1 NPK compound fertilizer and also with two varieties; Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru local variety) and Amaranthus cruentus (NH84/452) with factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. At maturity, the leaves were harvested and prepared for laboratory analysis for both nutrients and anti-nutrient composition. Proximate composition was determined according to A.O.A.C protocol. Water soluble vitamins were analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) while the metals were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).&#x0D; Results: The ash, moisture, fat, protein, fibre, carbohydrate and energy of the two varieties were found in the range of 2.58 - 3.06%, 78.78 - 80.69%, 1.04 - 1.49%, 7.49 - 9.67%, 2.41 - 3.29%, 3.02 - 6.46% and 54.72 - 61.52 Kcal/100 g respectively. The micronutrients including β-carotene, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, iron and zinc were found in the range of 4.79 - 6.68, 14.37 - 40.36, 5.97 - 22.15, 8.37 - 27.99, 10.03 - 13.40 and 5.11 – 941 mg/100 g respectively. The anti-nutrients; tannins, phytate, saponins and oxalate were in the range of 0.33 - 0.69, 0.40 - 0.94, 1.29 - 2.30 and 0.53 - 1.01% respectively&#x0D; Conclusion: Poultry manure provided higher nutrients on the two varieties of Amaranth when compared with sewage sludge and NPK compound fertilizer. While sewage sludge resulted in the plants having higher anti-nutrients. The application of poultry manures at 10 tons/ha is therefore recommended for farmers to use to obtain more nutritious amaranth.

Effects of Different Types of Organic Fertilizers on Growth Performance of Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru Local Variety) and Amaranthus cruentus (NH84/452)

Aims: To evaluate the effect of different types of organic fertilizers on growth performance of Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru local variety) and Amaranthus cruentus (NH84/452).&#x0D; Study Design: A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used for the experiment.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was carried out in the nursery of a homestead garden at No 20, Isaiah Balat Street, Sabo GRA, Kaduna State, Nigeria.&#x0D; Methodology: The study consists of seven treatments which includes control (no fertilizer), 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 poultry manure, 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1 sewage sludge, 35 kg ha-1 and 70 kg ha-1 NPK compound fertilizer and also with Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru local variety) and Amaranthus cruentus (NH84/452) in factorial arrangement fitted into a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. Growth performance data were collected on plant height, number of leaves, leaf area and leaf area index from 2 weeks after transplanting (WAT) to 6 weeks after transplanting (WAT).&#x0D; Results: The plant height and number of leaves of the two varieties were found in the range of 18.30 - 135.67cm and 13.33 - 78.33cm respectively. Leaf area and leaf area index of the two varieties had values in the range of 41.71 - 258.29cm2 and 1.76 - 41.72 respectively. At 6 WAT, 10 t ha-1 poultry manure recorded the highest value for all the growth parameters for both varieties except for leaf length, leaf width and leaf area of Amaranthus caudatus (Samaru local variety), where 10 t ha-1 sewage sludge and 70 kg ha-1 NPK compound fertilizer were highest.&#x0D; Conclusion: The experimental results of this study have shown that poultry manure had higher growth performance on the two varieties of Amaranth when compared with sewage sludge and NPK compound fertilizer. The application of poultry manures at 10 t ha-1 is therefore recommended for farmers to use to obtain higher yields of Amaranth.