Journal of Applied Biosciences (J. Appl. Biosci.) [ISSN 1997 - 5902]
Volume 44: 2987 - 2993. Published August 29, 2011.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of goat dung manure and kola pod husk ash on nutrient composition and growth performance of coffee (Coffea arabica) in Nigeria
Oso A. A 1, Ayodele O. J 1, Ademiluyi B. A.2 and Alajiki S. O1
1Agronomy Section, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, PMB 5244, Ibadan, Nigeria
2Plant Pathology Section, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, PMB 5244, Ibadan.
3Plant Breeding Section, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, PMB 5244, Ibadan.
*Corresponding author: jobikayode@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of sole and combined application of goat dung manure and kola pod husk ash on the growth, nutrient composition of coffee seedlings and the soil chemical composition.
Methodology and Results: Two organic fertilizer treatments; kola pod husk ash (KPHA) and Goat dung (GD) were applied at 6.5g KPHA (5t/ha), 25g GD (20t/ha), 25g GD + 6.5g KPHA (20t/ha + 5t/ha), 18.75g, GD + 6.5g KPHA (15t/ha + 6.5t/ha). The treatments were also applied at 12.5g GD + 6.5g KPHA (10t/ha + 5t/ha), 6.5g GD + 6.5g KPHA (5t/ha + 5t/ha) along with a treatment of 0.6g urea (400 kg/ha), per 2.5kg of soil filled polythene bag and the control. The test soil was low in organic matter (OM), pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Manganese. Kola pod husk ash (KPHA) had higher pH, OM, N, P, K, Na, Mg and Ca concentrations compared to Goat dung (GD) manure. The results showed that the organic fertilizers increased significantly (P<0.05) the plant height, number of leaves, stem girth, number of branches, leaf area, root and shoot lengths, root and shoot fresh weights, root and shoot dry weights, soil and leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, soil pH and OM compared to the control treatment. When compared with urea fertilizer treatment, both sole and combined applications of GD and KPHA increased growth parameters of the coffee seedlings and both soil and leaf chemical compositions. Among the organic manure treatments applied, inconsistent trends were obtained among 20t/ha GD+5t/ha KPHA, 10t/ha GD + 5t/ha KPHA, 5t/ha GD + 5t/ha KPHA and sole application of 5t/ha KPHA. 5t/ha GD + 5t/ha KPHA increased plant height, stem girth, leaf area, number of leaves, number of branches, root and shoot lengths, fresh and dry root weights, fresh and dry shoot weights of coffee seedlings by 30%, 28%, 64%, 33%, 8%, 76%, 68%, 67%, 78%, 22%, and 48%, respectively compared with urea fertilizer treatment. 5t/ha GD + 5t/ha KPHA was the most effective treatment in improving coffee growth parameters, leaf and soil chemical composition.
Conclusion and application of result: Combined application of GD and KPHA manures applied at 5t/ha GD+5t/ha KPHA increased the soil, leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg, soil pH, OC, OM and the growth parameters of coffee seedlings compared with other combinations, KPHA or urea alone. The combination is recommended for optimum growth of coffee seedlings.
Keywords: Coffee, Goat dung, Kola pod husk ash, Nutrient composition, Growth parameters
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