Comparative assessment of the morphological traits of local maize (Zea mays L.) varieties upon exposure to varying rates of poultry manure

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is an important cereal crop in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a pliable food source, increasing its yield to maintain a steady supply is of high importance. Poor soil fertility is a major factor contributing to low maize yield in Africa. Consequently, this work aimed to assess how varying poultry manure quantities impact the morphological growth and yield of two maize varieties: white and yellow, at the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. This assay involved a 2x4 factorial laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD), performed 3 times. Poultry manure was applied in these amounts: 5t/ha, 10t/ha, 15t/ha, and 0t/ha (control). The experimental field consisted of 24 plots (8 plots triplicated) with 2 seeds per stand sown at a 4cm depth. Data collected included plant height, leaf length, width, number, and stem girth. These data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Genstat, with p-values ≤0.05 considered statistically significant. Poultry manure at 10t/ha showed significant p≤0.05 interactions for the number of leaves and leaf width per plant relative to other treatment levels, indicating better maize growth. The control had the lowest growth traits and the highest percentage of moisture loss. Based on the results, a recommendation of poultry manure application at 10t/ha should be used to achieve sustainable and higher maize production. This is due to the observation that 10t/ha of poultry manure yielded the best overall performance. Finally, yellow maize outperformed white maize at 10t/ha and is more responsive to yield upon application of 10t/ha of poultry manure.