Growth and Yield response of Maize (Zea mays L.) to Different Rates of NPK fertilizer and Poultry manure in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

Abstract

Low soil fertility is one of the factors hindering crop production in Cameroon. This is attributed to the fact that continuous cropping is carried out without adequate external farm inputs. The adoption of an Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM)
technique such as the combination of organic manure and chemical fertilizers is being taken as one of the solutions to
this problem. A study was conducted during the main cropping season in the experimental farm of the Institute of Agricultural
Research for Development (IRAD), Bambui in the Western Highlands of Cameroon to investigate the effect of different rates of
NPK fertilizer and poultry manure on the growth and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). The field was laid out in a randomized
complete block design with tree replications and twelve treatments which were: no input (control), 300KgNPK/ha + 0Kg PM
(Poultry manure)/ha, 150KgNPK/ha + 0Kg PM/ha, 0KgNPK/ha + 2.5tons PM/ha, 0KgNPK/ha + 5tons PM/ha, 0KgNPK/ha+10tonsPM/ha,150KgNPK/ha+2.5tonsPM/ha,150KgNPK/ha+5tonsPM/ha,150KgNPK/ha+10tonsPM/ha, 180KgNPK/ha + 2.5tonsPM/ha,180KgNPK/ha+5tons PM/ha and180KgNPK/ha + 10tons PM/ha. Each plot measured 4m x 5m. Planting was done at a spacing of 80cm x 50cm with two seeds per station to maintain a plant population of 50,000 plants per hectare. All cultural practices were followed from planting to harvesting. The data collected were plant height, number of leaves per plant, stem girth, leaf area, Ear length, Ear girth, number of grain rows per ear, number of grains per ear, weight of 1000 grains, and grain yield. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run to find the differences between the various parameters and the LSD Fisher’s multiple range test was executed to compare the different treatments. The results of the study showed that application of 0kgNPK/ha + 10tonsPM/ha and 0kgNPK/ha + 5tons PM/ha significantly (P<0.05) increased the growth and yield of maize as compared to the other treatments. The application rate of 300kgNPK/ha + 0kg PM/ha also enhanced the growth and yield of maize. Besides that, the treatment 150KgNPK/ha + 2.5tons PM/ha also gave higher yields. This later treatment may be recommended to maize producers in the study area to improve maize yields since it is more economical in terms of cost of production.