GRANITE DUST AND POULTRY MANURE EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND YIELD PERFORMANCE OF MAIZE ( Zea mays L).

Abstract

Poultry manure is rich organic manure since solid and liquid extracts are excretal together and there is no urine loss. Comparative studies of the effects of various rates of granite dust and poultry manure were tested on maize performance in field trials at Akure, Nigeria. The maize seed SWAN -1 (open pollinated) were sown on the field in 2011 and 2012 and at the spacing of 60 x 40cm on plot measuring 32 x 28m. The treatments involved were: Control, 2t/Ha Granite dust, 3t/Ha Poultry manure + 0.5t/Ha Granite dust, 2t/Ha Poultry manure + 1t/Ha Granite dust, 1t/Ha Poultry manure + 1.5t/Ha Granite dust, 4t/Ha Poultry manure and 200kg/Ha of NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated four times. The treatments were applied at 2 weeks after planting at 200kg NPK 15-15-15 (0.2g/stand), 2t/Ha Granite Dust ,The growth and yield parameters of maize were taken at 2 weeks interval (2,4, 6,8,10 and 12) after planting. The parameters taken were: Plant height, stem girth, number of leaves, at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ,12 weeks after planting (WAP) and cob weight, grains weight per cob and husk weight. Root / stem/ leaf ratio and proximate composition of the grain after harvesting were also investigated. Data obtained on growth and yields were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant treatments were separated using the Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5%. It was found out that application of granite dust with poultry manure proved that it improved the yield and growth parameters of maize compared with control. It was also observed that the application of 2t/ha PM + 1t/ha GD and 3t/ha PM + 0.5t/ha GD was as effective as the NPK standard in improving most of the parameter used. However, it was also observed that the maize nutritional index was not differing from that of NPK as the standard.