Influence of Combined Biochar and Poultry Manure on Selected Soil Chemical Properties and Ginger Yield in an Ultisol of Umudike, South-East Nigeria
Abstract
The study was carried out to examine the effect of different ratio combinations of biochar (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 t/ha) and poultry manure (0, 4 and 8 t/ha) in an ultisol of South-East, Nigeria. The 8 treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in the field. Surface (0-30 cm) soil properties were determined before and after planting, and ginger yield (t/ha) taken at harvest. Results showed that all the selected soil chemical properties and fresh rhizome yield of ginger significantly (p<0.05) improved by the combined application of biochar and poultry manure. The combination of biochar (8t/ha) and poultry manure (8 t/ha) gave the highest yield (13.23 t/ha), followed by 6t/ha biochar + 8t/ha poultry manure with yield of 9.17t/ha. The study therefore, recommends treatment combination of biochar and poultry manure at the ratio of 8t/ha each for use in ginger production in ultisol or similar soils and for improving soil properties.
NAJ supports free online communication and exchange of knowledge as the most effective way of ensuring that the fruits of research and development practice are made widely available. It is therefore committed to open access, which, for authors, enables the widest possible dissemination of their findings and, for readers, increases their ability to discover pertinent information. The Journal adopts and uses the CC: BY license and is open access. This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Copyright for articles published in this Journal is retained by the Journal.
