Impact of different animal manures on root growth performance of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) varieties

Abstract

The study evaluated the performance of Sorghum root Varieties grown under different types of animal manures. The experiment was carried out using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with treatments consisting of selected animal manures namely poultry manure, cow dung, goat manure, and a control (no manure) including three varieties of sorghum ( samsorg 47, samsorg 17,and samsorg 45). Data were collected on mean number of roots, mean root length, mean fresh root weight, mean dry root weight and mean number of roots per plant. The results obtained showed that the application of animal manures significantly influenced root development of sorghum. Goat manure generally produced the highest performance across most parameters, followed by cow dung, while the control and poultry manure recorded the lowest values. The superior performance of goat manure is attributed to its higher nutrient content and faster mineralization rate, which enhance soil fertility and nutrient availability. The study concludes that goat manure is the most effective organic amendment for improving root performance of Sorghum.