The Effect of Kitchen Residue Ash, Poultry Manure and Goat Dung on Soil Properties and Yield of Cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i>) in a Typic Kandiudult of Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike to determine the effect of kitchen residue ash, poultry manure and goat dung on soil properties and yield of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) on Typic Kandiudult of Southeastern Nigeria. Six levels of the treatments; 0t/ha (control), 2t/ha of kitchen residue ash, 2t/ha of goat dung, 2t/ha of poultry manure, 1t/ha of kitchen residue ash + 1t/ha of poultry manure and 1 t/ha kitchen residue + 1t/ha goat dung were applied, replicated three times in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). At the end of the experiment, plants agronomic parameters and soil chemical properties were measured. The result obtained showed that the application of kitchen residue ash, poultry manure and goat dung significantly (P<0.05) increased soil pH, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, soil carbon, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable potassium and magnesium over the control. The applied manure and ash increased the cowpea height, root length, root branching  and grain yield more than the control. The combination of 1t/ha kitchen residue ash and 1t/ha goat dung gave the overall best performance in terms of increasing plant height, root length and number of root branching. Among the amendments tested, 1t/ha kitchen residue ash + 1t/ha poultry manure significantly (P<0.05) increased the soil pH, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable potassium, percentage base saturation and reduced exchangeable acidity more than the other treatment. Further research is recommended for the field application of the treatment on cowpea production.

Key Words: Kitchen residue ash, goat dung, poultry manure, cowpea