Comparative Effects of Sawdust-Piggery Compost and NPK on the Growth and Yield of Maize in a Degraded Ultisol

Abstract

The rate of land degradation in the tropics necessitates the use of fertilizer to improve soil quality for enhancement of plant growth and yield. Two season experiments were carried out to investigate the comparative effects of different composts and NPK on the growth and yield of maize in a degraded soil was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. The experiment was fitted in a Randomized Compete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments (control, composted piggery manure, piggery-sawdust, sawdust and NPK fertilizer) replicated three times. The soil samples were anaylsed before planting and after harvesting for both physical and chemical properties. The compost was applied at 15 tonnes per hectare before planting while NPK at 300 kg ha^-1 was applied two weeks after planting. From the result, the application of organic manure reduced soil acidity, increased soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient content of the soil, thereby increased the growth and yield of maize. The growth rate of maize was significantly (P<0.05) higher with the application of piggery manure compared to other treatments. The application of piggery manure at 15 t ha^-1 significantly (P<0.5) increased the grain and dry matter yield to the values of 3.97t ha^-1 and 7.30t ha^-1 respectively compared to other treatments. The yield of maize obtained from sawdust- piggery compost was not significantly different from that of NPK fertilizer. The grain and dry matter yield were significantly (P<0.05) lower in composted sawdust with the values of 0.67t ha^-1 and 1.46t ha^-1 respectively. The order of significance of grain yield was: piggery compost > Sawdust-piggery compost and NPK > control > composted sawdust. In conclusion, pig composted manure significantly (P<0.05) increased the growth, grain dry matter yield of maize compared to other treatments while the yield of maize from the application of Sawdust-piggery compost and NPK(15 15 15) were not significantly different from each other.