Studies on Effects of Rates of Poultry Droppings on Growth and Yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The study on the effect of rates of poultry dropping on the growth and yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Omoku, Rivers State, Nigeria. The school is located at latitude 5°2’N and longitude 6°40’E with elevation of 200 m above sea level. The area is characterized with rainfall range of 2000 m to 3500 m with high relative humidity and maximum annual temperature varying between 27.3°c and 35°c. Experimental design used in this study is the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The treatment, Poultry dropping was applied at the rates of 0t, 5t, 10t, and 15t per hectare and replicated three (3) times. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine degree of variability at 5% probability level. Result obtained from data analysis shows that Cucumber growth, yields and yield components were enhanced with the incorporation of Poultry droppings across various treatment rates. This is evident in the significant difference in germination %, growth and yield and yield components recorded during the assessment period at 5% level of probability (P≤0.05). Further work is necessary to determine the optimum level of applying the manure for cucumber production.