Rate and Frequency of Poultry Manure on Growth and Yield of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia Occidentalis Hook. F.)

Abstract

Abstract Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F.) cultivation is predominantly done by smallholder farmers but scarcity and high cost of inorganic fertilizers have limited its usage and shifted to viable alternative. Field experiments were carried out in the Crop Research Farm, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria from November 2018 to August 2019 and from August 2019 to August 2020 cropping seasons to determine the effects of poultry manure (PM) rate and frequency of application on agronomic performance of fresh shoot, pod and seed yields of Telfairia occidentalis. The study involved three rates: 5, 10 and 15 t ha− 1 of PM as main plot and four frequency of PM application: once, twice, thrice and at every harvest and a control plot laid out in split-plot arrangement and fitted into a Randomized Complete Block Design, replicated three times. In 2018, Poultry manure at 15 t ha− 1 increased fresh shoot weight at 6 to 14 weeks after planting (WAP) relative to 5 t ha− 1 and 10 t ha− 1 PM rate. In 2019, interaction of PM at 5 t ha− 1 applied thrice significantly increased fresh shoot weight by 85.4% at 14 WAP relative to 15 t ha− 1 PM applied once. Interaction of PM at 10 and 15 t ha− 1 applied thrice and at every harvest respectively gave similar results on cumulative fresh shoot weight while the plants in control plots produced significantly lower fresh shoot weight in 2018. There were no significant differences observed in weight of pod and seed weight/plant with PM rate, frequency and interaction in 2018 and 2019 cropping. The study concluded that 10 t ha− 1 PM rate applied thrice enhanced cumulative fresh shoot yield in fluted pumpkin in the study area.