AGRONOMIC BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING POULTRY MANURE AND RICE STRAW ASH IN CUCUMBER FARMING

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the 2021 dry season at the Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University Kano, to evaluate the effects of poultry manure and rice straw ash on the growth and yield of cucumber (Libero F1). The study, situated in the Sudan Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria, involved four application rates (0, 3, 6, and 9 tons ha⁻¹) of each organic input. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Treatments were incorporated into the soil prior to sowing. Data collected on plant height, number of leaves, branches, fruits, fruit length, fruit weight per plant, and total yield were analyzed using ANOVA in GenStat (2014) at a 5% significance level. Results showed that increasing application rates of both poultry manure and rice straw ash significantly improved all measured growth and yield parameters compared to the control. The highest performance was recorded with the 9 tons ha⁻¹ treatments. It is therefore recommended that 9 tons ha⁻¹ of either poultry manure or rice straw ash be applied for optimal cucumber production in the study area.