Efficacy of chicken Manure on the Growth, Yield and Profitability of Maize in the Upland and Inland Valley Swamp of Sierra Leone

Author(s): Siaka Kroma, Prince E. Norman, Alpha U. Barrie, Sylvia Y. Norman

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of chicken manure on the growth, yield and profitability of maize at the School of Agriculture Experimental Site, Njala University, during 2014 and 2015 cropping seasons. A total of eight treatment combinations comprising two plant densities (26,666 and 53,333 plants.ha-1) and four chicken manure levels (0, 2, 4 and 8 t.ha-1) were established in split plot design with three replicates. Results revealed that plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index (LAI) and chlorophyll content of leaves significantly increased with time and increasing chicken manure (CM) rate. Seed yield and yield attributes of populations one and two significantly increased with increasing CM rates. Application of CM at 2.0 t.ha-1 increased yields by more than 100% in the second and third seasons; and in populations one compared to the control. Findings of the economic analysis revealed that the 2.0 t.ha-1 CM point application is the most profitable maize production system for populations 1 and 2 in the upland and IVS ecologies. Results suggest that optimum application and adequate supply of plant nutrient from chicken manure is important for the success of conservation and sustainable farming systems. Findings in this study could be used as guide for improving nutrient use efficiency of CM in crop management rotation systems and commercial production of the crop.

1. Amujoyegbe B.J., Opabode J.T. and Olayinka A. (2007) Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on yield and chlorophyll content of maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum Sorghum bicolour (L.) Moench). African J. Biotech., 6 (16): 1869-1873.
2. Beah A.A., Norman P.E, Scholberg J.C, Lantinga E.A. and Conteh A.R. (2014) Effect of green manures on nitrogen uptake and yield of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis), International J. Appl. Agric. Res., 9(1): 73-84.
3. Boateng A.A., Zickermann J. and Kornahrens M. (2006) Poultry manure effect on growth and yield of maize. West Africa J. Appl. Ecol., 9: 1-11.
4. Dauda, S.N., Ajayi F.A. and Dor E.N. (2008) Growth and yield of watermelon (Citrullus lunatus) as affected by poultry manure applications. J. Agric Soc. Sci., 4(3): 121-124.
5. Enwezor W.A., Udo E.J., Ayotunde K.A. and Adepetu J.A. (1995) Effects of Organic fertilizer on the yield of maize, Field Crops Res., 65: 132-136.
6. Food and Agriculture Organization (2012). FAOSTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 30 November, 2013 from http://faostat.fao.org/.
7. Food and Agriculture Organization (2011) FAOSTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 10 August, 2013 from http://faostat.fao.org/.
8. Farhad W., Saleem M.F., Cheema M.A. and Hammad H.M. (2009) Effect of poultry manure levels on the productivity of spring maize (Zea mays L.). J. Animal and Plant Sci., 19(3): 122-125.
9. Hussein T.O. (1997) Effect of poultry manure on growth of tomato, proceeding of 15th annual conference, HORTSON, April 8-11, 1997. N.I. HORT, Ibadan Nigeria, pp 30-35.
10. Iken J.E. and Amusa N.A. (2004) Maize research and production in Nigeria, African J. Biotech. 3(6): 302-307.
11. International Soil Reference and Information Centre and the Food and Agriculture Organization (ISRIC/FAO) (2002) Procedures for Soil Analysis. Technical Paper 9, 6th Edition, FAO. 120 p.
12. Kamara A.Y., Menkir A., Fakorede M. A.B., Ajala S.O., Badu-Apraku B., and Kureh I. (2004) Agronomic performance of maize cultivars representing three decades of breeding in the Guinea Savannas of West and Central Africa. J. Agric. Sci., 142(5): 567-575.
13. MAFFS/NARCC (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security) / (National Agricultural Research Coordinating Council) (2005). Crop production guidelines for Sierra Leone. 104 pp.
14. Markwell J., Osterman J.C. and Mitchell J.L. (1995) Calibration of the Minolta SPAD-502 leaf chlorophyll meter. Photosyn. Res., 46(3): 467-472.
15. Martin K.K., Sankeran K.K. and Kerishnamoorthy (1998). Maize growth and yield as influenced by organic waste nutrient. J. Experimental Agric., 23: 233-239.
16. Obi M.E. and Ebo P.O. (1995) The effects of different application rates of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil physical properties and maize production in a severely degraded ultisol in southern Nigeria. Bioresource Technol., 51 (2-3): 117-123.
17. SLARI (Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute) (2011) Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute, Operational Plan, 2012-2016. 124 p.
18. Stoppani M.I., Wolf R., Francescangeli N. and Martí H.R. (2003) A non-destructive and rapid method for estimating leaf area of broccoli. Advances in Hort. Sci., 17(3): 173-175.
19. Tagne A., Feujio T.P. and Sonna C. (2008) Essential oil and plant extract as potential substitutes to synthetic fungicides in the control of fungi. Intentional conference for diversifying crop protection, 12-15 October, La grand-motte, France, 403 p.