Evaluation of Different Manure Sources in Soil Fertility Improvement and Yield of Fluted Pumpkin in an Ultisol of Southeastern Nigeria

Achieving food security for a rapidly growing population in Nigeria will require intensification of food production on existing cropland through improving soil fertility and agronomic practices. Use of chemical fertilizers has been attributing factor for the deterioration of soil and water resources and the environment as a whole. In an attempt to improve the fertility of the soil and crop yield with economically viable, environmental friendly and sound and socially accepted farm practice, a study was conducted to evaluate sole organo-minerals, inorganic fertilizer and their mixtures on the soil chemical improvement and leaf yield of fluted pumpkin in an ultisol of Southeastern Nigeria. Six treatments including the control (10 tons/ha of poultry dropping, 10 tons/ha of rice husk, 0.375 tones/ha of NPK fertilizer, 5 tons/ha of poultry dropping +5 tons/ha of rice husk, 5tons/ha of rice husk +0.188 ton/ha of NPK fertilizer, control) were built into a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated three times. The results showed that the amendments significantly (p<0.05) improved the soil pH, organic carbon, exchangeable calcium and magnesium within the period of study. The results indicated that the CEC, available phosphorous and base saturation were positively (p<0.05) improved by the soil amendments, while the exchangeable acidity was highly reduced significantly by the application of the amendments. The results revealed also the better performance of organic sources over the inorganic in improving most soil chemical properties and the crop leaf yield of fluted pumpkin.