GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM MILL) AS INFLUENCED BY POULTRY MANURE AND NPK FERTILIZER

Abstract

Four field trials were conducted during the years 2006 and 2007 at Owo, the forestsavannatransition zone in southwest Nigeria, to study the effect of poultry manure (PM), NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer and NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer + poultry manure on the growth and yield of tomato.Seven treatments were applied to the soil: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 t ha-1poultry manure , 300 kg ha-1 NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer and 150 kg ha-1 NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer + 10 t ha-1poultry manure. These werelaid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The treatments werecompared on the basis of their effect on soil chemical properties, leaf nutrient content, growth andyield of tomato. All levels of poultry manure and NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer + poultry manureincreased leaf N, P, K, Ca and Mg levels. The soil chemical properties except pH increased withamount of poultry manure. NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer alone did not increase the soil and leaf Ca andMg. All levels of poultry manure, NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer alone and NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer +poultry manure increased the number of leaves, plant height, leaf area, number of fruits and fruitweight significantly. Among poultry manure levels, 30 t ha-1poultry manure gave the highest fruityield. Among the seven treatments, NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer + poultry manure gave the highestyield. On an average over the two years, 10, 20, 30, 40 t ha-1poultry manure, 300 kg ha-1 NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer alone and 150 kg ha-1 NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer + 10 t ha-1poultry manuretreatments increased fruit weight by 19, 36, 51, 14, 20 and 83%, respectively. Results revealed thatpoultry manure is a suitable source of nutrients for tomato especially if applied at 30 t ha-1in theforest-savanna transition zone of southwest Nigeria. The combined use of NPK 15-15-15 fertilizerand poultry manure increased tomato yield compared to the application of NPK 15-15-15 fertilizeror poultry manure alone and is therefore recommended for sustainable productivity. In addition,lesser quantities of poultry manure and NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer would be required, therefore,reducing the amount of money spent on chemical fertilizer