Effects of banana peels, poultry and goat manures on soil properties and pepper growth in soils from two parent

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at the Greenhouse of Teaching and Research Farm of Akwa Ibom State University, ObioAkpa Campus, to determine the effects of sole and combined applications of banana peels, poultry and goat manures on soil properties and growth of chilli pepper on soils derived from alluvium and coastal plain sand. The pots each containing 5 kg of soil were laid out in a 2 x 6 factorial fitted into a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications giving a total of 36 experimental units. Pepper seedlings at six weeks were each transplanted from the nursery to the potted soil. Six treatments (banana peels, poultry manure, goat manure, banana peels/poultry manure, banana peels/goat manure and control) were used, each applied at 20 tha-1. Results showed that both pre-experimental soils (Alluvium/Coastal Plain Sand) were loamy sand and sand with strongly acidic pH (5.4/5.2) and low total N (0.52/0.09%), available P (10.84/10.49 mgkg-1) and exchangeable K (0.15/0.09 cmolkg-1). Treatments applied significantly increased soil pH (5.98/5.78), OM (4.08/3.30%), TN (0.13/0.66%) and available P (31.81/17.77 mgkg-1), in both soil relative to control. Growth data of pepper collected at 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after transplanting were significant in both soils relative to control. Mean fruit yield/hectare of pepper was significant when all the treatments were applied. The highest fruit yield of 1.41 tha-1 was obtained from alluvium soil treated with banana peels plus poultry manure (BPM+PLM). From the results obtained, treatments applied increased soil properties, growth and yield of pepper plants.