*Corresponding Author s Tel.: Abstract

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1 Agricultural Science Research Journal Vol. 6(2): 43-48, February 2016 Available online at ISSN: International Research Journals Full Length Research Paper Evaluation of nursery and field manuring on the performance of Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum L) in south western and north central Nigerian locations *Ademiluyi Benson Oluwafemi 1, Joseph Abiodun 2 1 Department of Plant Science, Ekiti State University, P. M. B. 5363, Ado Ekiti 2 Department of Crop and Soil Science, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State *Corresponding Author s femnikben@yahoo.com, Tel.: Abstract Studies were carried out to assess the effects of nursery field manure on the performance of tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum L. in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State and Omu-Aran, Kwara State Nigeria. Organic manures (Poultry manure and cow dung) were applied at the rate of 150g per pot to make a field equivalent of 6t ha -1. Seedlings were raised in the nursery for three weeks on either non-fertilized or organic manure nursery pots before transplanting to either non-manure or organic manure soils. The treatment combinations were: Control to control (CC); Control to poultry manure pot (CPM); Control to cow-dung manure pot (CCD); Poultry manure nursery to control pots (PMC); Poultry manure nursery + poultry manure pot; Poultry manure nursery + cowdung manure pot (PMCD); Cow-dung manure nursery to control pot (CDC); Cow dung manure nursery + cowdung manure pot (CDCD); Cow dung manure nursery + poultry manure pot (CDPM). The control to control (CC) received neither nursery nor post nursery manure of either poultry or cow-dung. Seedlings from either poultry manure or cow dung nursery and transplanted to poultry manure soils gave the best performance in terms of height, number of leaves, number of branches days flower, number of fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant. Seedlings from non-fertilized nursery resulted to lower field performance of plants even when planted on a manure soil in the field. Poultry manure was found to outperform cow dung in improving tomato production when applied both at the nursery and on the field. The results obtain from this study indicated that combined effects of pre and post nursery manure application will improve the growth and yield of tomato. Key words: Tomato, poultry manure, cow dung, pre-and post-nursery, growth and yield Introduction Inorganic fertilizer had been reported to improve plant growth, development and yield (Stefano et al., 2004). Also sufficient plant nutrients from inorganic fertilizers lead to improved soil activities, enhanced cell multiplication and enlargement and luxuriant plant growth (Fashina et al., 2002; Obi et al., 2005). However, reports have shown that excessive use of inorganic fertilizers can lead to reduction in number of fruits, delay in fruit setting which subsequently delay ripening and lead to heavy vegetative growth (John et al., 2004). Other disadvantages include soil acidity and nutrient inbalance, (Ojeniyi, 2000; Ano and Agwu, 2005; Ayoola and Adeniyan, 2006; Agbede et al., 2008). Leaching and pollution of ground water could also result from the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers (Sridhar and Adeoye, 2003). Organic manure helps to improve Agricultural productivity, increase the population of soil micro-organisms which have some influence in protecting plants against pathogens as well as provide plant growth hormones like auxin (Agbede et al., 2009). Reports have also shown that organic manure helps to improve soil physical condition of for plant performance (Giwa and Ojeniyi 2004 Akanni and Ojeniyi 2008). The Importance of organic manure in improving tomato production had been reported (Brown, 1995; Akanbi et al., 2005). Apart from improvement in yield of crops, it had also been pointed out that organic fertilizers can help prevent diseases and insect pests from attacking plants, increase the activities of soil organisms that will release phytohormones that stimulate nutrients absorption and plant growth; cation exchange capacity; organic matter and carbon content of the soil (Bulluck and Ristaino 2002; Bulluck et al., 2002; Heeb et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2007; Nweke and Nsoanya 2013; Nweke et al., 2013 and Nweke et al., 2014). 43

2 Tomato crops require essential plant nutrients for good production. These nutrients are functions specific and must be supplied to the plant at the right time and in the right quantity for proper performance (Adekiya and Ojeniyi, 2002). The critical age of sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.) response to NPK fertilizer for improved growth and yield had been assessed (Ademiluyi 2012). The present work aims at studying the additive effect of proper nursery fertilization on seedlings transplanted to a well-nourished soil. Materials and Method The experiment was conducted in 2014 between January and June; and July and December respectively. The January to June trial referred to as early was conducted in the Teaching and Research Farm of Landmark University, Omu-Aran Kwara State Nigeria (8 8 N, 5 6 E), while the July to December trial called late was carried out at the experimental site of the Department of Plant Science of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State Nigeria (7 40 N, 5 15 E). Both locations have a bimodal rainfall pattern with an annual mean of 1232mm and 1,400mm respectively. The treatment combinations were: Control to control (CC); Control to poultry manure pot (CPM); Control to cow-dung manure pot (CCD); Poultry manure nursery to control pots (PMC); Poultry manure nursery + poultry manure pot (PMPM); Poultry manure nursery + cowdung manure pot (PMCD); Cow-dung manure nursery to control pot (CDC); Cow dung manure nursery + cowdung manure pot (CDCD); Cow dung manure nursery + poultry manure pot (CDPM). The control to control (CC) received neither nursery nor post nursery manure of either poultry or cow-dung; The CPM did not receive manure in the nursery but transplanted on poultry manure soil; The PMC was poultry manure seedlings transplanted to no manure soil; PMCD received poultry manure in the nursery and later transplanted to cowdung soil; CDC was cow-dung manure seedlings from the nursery transplanted to no manure soil; CDCD received cow-dung manure in the nursery and transplanted into cow-dung manure soil; while the CDPM received cow-dung in the nursery and transplanted to poultry manure soil. The organic manures were applied at the rate of 150g per pot to make 6t ha -1 field equivalent either at the nursery or in the transplanted pots (Fabiyi et al., 2014). Soil from land earlier cultivated with yam was collected, thoroughly mixed, and filled into nursery pots and horticultural pots for the purpose of nursery preparation and transplanting respectively. The nursery pots filled soils were either mixed with poultry manure (PM) or cow-dung (CD) that had been air-dried for four weeks and ground. The dried PM and CD were pulverized to ensure easy mixing with the soil which was done three weeks before sowing. Also, the field pots receiving either PM or CD were also mixed with the ground manure three weeks before transplanting. The collected soil samples were subjected to routine soil analysis and found to be a sandy clay loam with an organic matter content of 4.28; 0.28%N; 11.70mg/kg P; 580mg/kg K; and a ph of 5.77 in Ado Ekiti while the one in Omu-Aran was a sandy loamy soil with an organic matter content of 4.05; 0.07% N; 11.03mg/kg P; 590mg/kg K; and a ph of The poultry manure and cow dung were analysed to contain 2.50%N; 5.13mg/kg P; mg/kg K; and a ph of 7.52: and 2.19%N; 4.27mg/kg P; mg/kg K; and a ph of 8.20 respectively. Tomato seedlings were transplanted at three weeks after sowing (Ademiluyi 2011). The experiment was open field potted experiment set up in a complete randomize design replicated six times. The following growth and yield factors were assessed: Initial seedling height and girth; seedling height and stem girth at 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after transplanting (WAT); number of leaves at 4, 6, 8, and 10 WAT; Days to flower; number of fruits per plant; fruit weight per plant. All data collected were subjected to statistical analysis of variance and means compare using the Duncan s multiple range test. Results Routine soil analysis as pointed out in the materials and methods shows that poultry manure was richer in NPK than cow-dung. The effects of pre-nursery manure on seedling height and stem girth of seedlings at transplanting are presented in Table 1. The control nursery pots produced shortest plants with thin stems. Poultry manure fertilized nursery produced taller seedlings with the thickest stems. While cow dung fertilized nursery produced shorter seedlings with lower girths than poultry manure fertilized nursery, it also produced taller seedlings with higher stem girth than the control. Table 1: Effects of nursery and field manure on Tomato height and stem girth at transplanting Treatments Plant height (cm) Stem girth (cm) Control to Control (CC) 5.8c 5.9c 10.1c 9.2c Control to poultry manure (CPM) 5.7c 5.5c 9.5c 8.9c Control to Cow dung (CCD) 5.8c 6.0c 9.2c 9.1c Poultry manure to control (PMC) 9.6a 10.6a 15.4a 15.6a Cow dung to control (CDC) 8.5b 9.3b 13.2b 14.0b Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 9.9a 10.3a 15.3a 15.3a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 9.6a 10.5a 15.1a 15.5a Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 8.8b 9.6b 13.6b 13.6b Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 8.7b 9.4b 14.1b 13.7b 44

3 Table 2 presents the effects of pre-and post-nursery manure on Tomato height at 4 and 8 weeks after transplanting. The tallest tomato plants were observed in the poultry manure seedlings that were later transplanted to poultry fertilized field (PMPM). The PMPM was also similar in height to the cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) treatment. At both 4 and 8WAT the shortest plants were recorded in the plants that received no manure both at the nursery and after transplanting. Fertilized nursery increased growth performance of tomato more than the unfertilized nursery. Table 2: Effects of pre- and post-nursery manure on Tomato height at 4 and 8 weeks after transplanting Treatments Plant height at 4 WAT (cm) Plant height at 8 WAT (cm) Control to Control (CC) 7.0f 8.4f 13.3f 11.0f Control to poultry manure (CPM) 12.4cd 13.5c 47.5d 41.9c Control to Cow dung (CCD) 10.5e 8.0e 46.4d 38.9d Poultry manure to control (PMC) 13.6cd 12.3d 43.8e 39.7d Cow dung to control (CDC) 12.5d 12.3d 42.6e 35.9e Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 18.0a 16.6a 59.9a 55.3a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 14.0bc 14.5b 55.9b 46.8b Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 13.8cd 12.6cd 52.5c 45.5b Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 17.1a 15.4ab 57.5ab 53.8a Stem girths recorded in the PMPM and CDPM were similar and highest in both seasons at 4 and 8 WAT. Nursery manure seedlings resulted into higher plant girth than the non-manure nursery seedlings. Seedlings transplanted from unfertilized nursery to either cow dung or poultry manure pots gave similar stem girths of tomato at 4 WAT. At 8 WAT, plants from control nursery transplanted to poultry manure fertilized soils gave higher plant girth than those transplanted to cow dung fertilized soil (Table 3). Table 3: Effects of nursery and field manure on stem girth of tomato at 4 and 8 weeks after transplanting Treatments Stem girth at 4 WAT (cm) Stem girth at 8 WAT (mm) Control to Control (CC) 5.1e 8.2e 12.2f 11.3f Control to poultry manure (CPM) 9.5c 8.9de 19.7c 18.4c Control to Cow dung (CCD) 9.2c 8.5e 16.1d 15.6de Poultry manure to control (PMC) 9.4c 10.6d 16.2d 16.0d Cow dung to control (CDC) 7.2d 9.1c 14.5e 14.9e Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 14.3a 13.3a 23.8a 35.2a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 12.1b 11.9b 21.9b 20.5b Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 12.64b 11.64b 19.4c 18.1c Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 13.1a 12.7a 22.5ab 22.9a The effects of pre and post nursery manure on number of leaves of tomato at 4 and 8 WAT are presented in Table 4. The control experiment recorded the lowest number of leaves both at 4 and 8 WAT in both seasons while the highest number were obtained in tomatoes transplanted from either poultry manure or cow dung nurseries and planted in poultry manure soils. Seedlings from poultry manure nursery transplanted to cow dung soils recorded higher number of leaves than seedlings from cow dung nursery transplanted to cow dung manure soil except in 2013 at 4 WAT when PMCD and CDCD were similar. Also seedlings from control nursery transplanted to poultry manure soil produced higher number of leaves than those transplanted to cow gung manure soils. Table 4: Effects of nursery and field manure on number of leaves of tomato at 4 and 8 weeks after transplanting Treatments Number of leaves at 4 WAT Number of leaves at 8 WAT Control to Control (CC) 6.5f 7.3h 15.6f 16.4g Control to poultry manure (CPM) 18.5c 24.3d 48.5c 50.3d Control to Cow dung (CCD) 16.0d 21.0e 44.8d 49.3d Poultry manure to control (PMC) 16.3d 19.8f 48.8c 46.3e Cow dung to control (CDC) 10.8e 17.5g 39.0e 43.0f Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 24.4a 41.8a 70.8a 75.5a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 21.5b 29.8b 60.5b 62.8b Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 20.0b 26.0c 47.5c 55.3c Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 23.5a 39.5a 68.4a 70.3a 45

4 Table 5 shows the effects of pre and post nursery manure on number of branches of tomato plants at 4 and 8 WAT. The highest number of branches was recorded in the PMPM but similar to the CDPM in both seasons while the control experiment recorded the lowest number of branches. Poultry manure seedlings branched more than cow dung seedlings transplanted to cow dung manure soil. Also, seedlings from cow dung nursery transplanted to poultry manure soil were higher than those transplanted to cow dung soils in terms of number of branches. Table 5: Effects of nursery and field manure on number of branches of tomato at 4 and 8 weeks after transplanting Treatments Number of branches at 4 WAT Number of branches at 8 WAT Control to Control (CC) 2.0e 3.1f 5.0f 4.9f Control to poultry manure (CPM) 6.0bc 5.4c 9.0c 10.3c Control to Cow dung (CCD) 5.2c 5.0cd 7.8d 9.3d Poultry manure to control (PMC) 5.0c 4.1e 6.8e 8.0e Cow dung to control (CDC) 4.5d 4.8de 6.3e 7.5e Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 7.8a 8.0a 12.0a 14.3a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 6.6b 6.8b 10.0b 12.3b Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 5.8c 5.6c 9.5c 11.3c Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 7.3a 7.8a 11.3a 13.8a Effects of pre- and post-nursery manure on days to flower after transplanting are presented in Table 6. The fastest tomato plants to flower were those from poultry manure nursery transplanted to poultry manure soils. These were not significantly different from those of CDPM. In 2014, poultry manure to poultry manure, Poultry manure to cow dung and cow dung to poultry manure gave similar flowering days. The control experiments flowered last. Table 6: Effects of pre- and post-nursery manure on days to flower after transplanting Treatments Days to flower Omu-aran Ado- Ekiti Control to Control (CC) 53a 55a Control to poultry manure (CPM) 43c 46c Control to Cow dung (CCD) 47b 50b Poultry manure to control (PMC) 49b 49b Cow dung to control (CDC) 51a 52a Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 35e 36e Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 37d 37e Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 43c 40d Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 36de 37e Poultry manure nursery seedlings transplanted to poultry manure soils gave the highest number of fruits and highest fruit weight per plant that were similar to those of cow dung manure seedlings transplanted to poultry manure soils (Table 7). Seedlings from either poultry manure or cow dung fertilized soils transplanted to control soils gave higher number of fruits than those from control nursery transplanted to control soils. Seedlings from poultry manure nursery transplanted to poultry manure soils produced higher fruit weight than those transplanted to cow dung manure soils. Similarly seedlings transplanted from either poultry or cow dung manure nursery produced higher fruit weight on control soils than those transplanted from unfertilized nursery. The lowest fruit weight was recorded in the plants transplanted from unfertilized nursery to unfertilized soils. Table 7: Effects of pre- and post-nursery manure on number and weight of fruits per plant Treatments Number of fruits plant -1 Fruit weight plant -1 (g) Control to Control (CC) 2f 3e 156.3f 167.3g Control to poultry manure (CPM) 6d 6bc 454.6d 453.6d Control to Cow dung (CCD) 5de 5cd 360.4e 420.4e Poultry manure to control (PMC) 5de 6bc 350.1e 353.1f Cow dung to control (CDC) 4e 5de 380.2d 348.1f Poultry manure to poultry manure (PMPM) 10ab 11a 521.0a 521.0a Poultry manure to cow dung (PMCD) 9bc 9b 483.7b 483.7b Cow dung to Cow dung (CDCD) 8c 8b 472.5c 469.5c 46

5 Cow dung to poultry manure (CDPM) 11a 11a 516.3a 516.3a Discussion The present study clearly demonstrated the need for a well-nourished nursery for improved performance of tomato plant in the study area. Fertilized nursery increased growth performance of tomato more than the unfertilized nursery as the seedlings transplanted from manure nursery performed better than those from unfertilized nursery. The high growth and yield obtained in plants that received manure both at the nursery and on the field pointed out the importance of nursery manure at improving tomato performance. This also reflects the need for nutrient availability during the early juvenile stage to improve crop performance. The nonfertilized nursery produced poor seedlings which also led to reduced plant growth and yield. The reason for this could be attributed to insufficient nutrient uptake by the seedlings at such juvenile stage which might have caused reduced growth and subsequent poor yield. Fertilizer application in plants has been known to increase carbohydrate synthesis resulting to higher vegetative growth (Malik et al., 2011). This high vegetative growth induced by early nutrient availability in the nursery might have contributed to the high performance obtained in this work. The unfertilized nursery was probably lower in nitrogen when compared to those that received poultry manure or cow dung. The importance of early fertilizer application to crops had earlier been shown in previous work when fertilizer application to pepper at 2 weeks after transplanting performed better than those applied at later dates (Ademiluyi, 2012). There was also comparative higher crop performance in terms of growth and yield in the poultry manure nursery than the cow dung manure nursery. The result of poultry manure and cow dung analysis had shown that poultry manure possess higher nutrients (NPK) than the cow dung. This might have resulted to this better performance by poultry manure than the cow dung. Also while cows are ruminant that feed on grasses mostly, poultry birds feed on balanced diet containing all the essential nutrients. This might have resulted in richer nutrient droppings from these poultry birds and hence better crop growth and yield. This finding shows that poultry manure is a better organic fertilizer for improved tomato production. Such higher performance of poultry manure as organic fertilizer had been reported (Dauda et al., 2005; Fabiyi et al., 2014). Conclusion It is concluded from this study that nursery bed should be well fertilized with poultry manure or any equally rich organic manure to present a good growth medium for tomato seedlings for better performance. The practice of raising tomato seedlings on poor soils before transplanting should be discouraged because it could lead to reduced plant growth and subsequent yield reduction. 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