The Application of Poultry and Cattle Manures under Different Housing and Packaging Systems on Yield and Yield Attributes of Telfairia occidentalis (Hook F.)

Abstract

Handling of animal manure before the application to the field is one of the main issues influencing its nutrient content. The experiment was carried out to evaluate the yield and yield attributes of Telfairia occidentalis as influenced by poultry and cattle manures under different housing and packaging methods in the year 2017 and 2018 at the Organic Agricultural Research Farm of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Amendment include: bagged poultry manure in Zinc House at 5.6 tha-1 (ZPB) and unbagged at 6.0 tha-1 (ZPU), bagged poultry manure in open space at 5.5 tha-1 (OPB) and unbagged at 6.8 tha-1 (OPU), bagged poultry manure  in palm fronds house at 5.4 tha-1  (PPB) and unbagged at 6.9 tha-1 (PPU), bagged cattle manure in Zinc House at 6.5 tha-1 (ZCB) and unbagged at 5.6 tha-1 (ZCU), bagged cattle manure in open space at 5.3 tha-1 (OCB) and unbagged at 5.9 tha-1 (OCU), bagged cattle manure in palm fronds house at 5.1 tha-1 (PCB) and unbagged at 5.5 tha-1 (PCU), and control The trial was a 3 X 2 X 2 factorial fitted into Randomized Complete Block design (RCBD). Data collected were dry matter yield, number of seeds/pod, number of secondary vines, number of days to podding/fruiting, the shelf-life, and yield. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and significant means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. It was observed that all amendment contributed significantly to dry matter yield, number of seeds/pod, number of secondary vines, reduced the number of days to podding/fruiting, prolong the shelf-life, and increase the yield of T. occidentalis above control while the application of PCU at 5.5 t/ha  and PPB at 5.4tha-1 resulted in the highest. Finding, therefore recommends that, for better yield and yield attributes of T. occidentalis in the study area, it must be supplemented with PCU at 5.5tha-1 or PPB at 5.4tha-1.