Influence of Different Types of Organic Manure and Weeding Frequencies on Weed Parameters and Leafy Yield of Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorious)

Abstract

Field trials were carried out during 2018 and during 2019 dry season period at Federal College of Forestry and Mechanization Afaka Kaduna, located between latitude 10° 35”N and longitude 007° 21”E at altitude 644 m above sea level, to determine the influence of different types of organic manure and weeding frequencies on weed parameters and leafy yield of jute mallow (Corchorus olitorious). The experimental treatments consists of ten combinations of  poultry manure + weed free, cow dung + weed free, goat dropping + weed free, poultry manure + weeding at 2 WAT, cow dung + weeding at 2 WAT, goat dropping + weeding at 2 WAT, poultry manure + weeding at 4 WAT, cow dung + weeding at 4 WAT, goat dropping + weeding at 4 WAT and no organic manure application + no weeding which were laid out in a randomize complete block design (RCBD) and replicated 3 times. The weed parameters and yield component observed and measured were common weeds that infested the plots, weed dry weight, weed control index, weed competition index and cumulative leaf yield at 2, 4, 6 WAT and at harvest. The result revealed that the plots were highly infested with three major weed species namely Synedralla nodiflora Gaertn, Gomphrena celosiodes and Cyperus esculentus. Highest weed completion index was obtained from poultry manure + weeding at 2 WAT while the least weed competition index was observed with application of cow dung + weeding at 4 WAT and goat dropping + weeding at 4 WAT respectively. The result also revealed that application of poultry manure + weed free plots had the highest mean cumulative yield value of 236 kg per hectare, closely followed by plots with application of poultry manure + weeding at 4 WAS (223 kg) per hectare compared to the control treatment that plots that have no organic manure + no weeding that had the least mean cumulative yield value of 111 kg per hectare. The study concludes that the use of poultry manure plus weed free gave the best yield of jute mallow compared to other types of organic manure and the control. It is therefore recommended that farmers in the study area should adopt the use of poultry manure plus weed free treatment to obtain bumper harvest from cultivation of jute mallow (Corchorus olitorious).