AVAILABILITY AND USE OF SWAMP RICE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AMONG FARMERS IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

Field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research field of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Southeastern Nigeria. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of poultry (PM) and pig manure (PGM) rates (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15t/ha) on the growth and yield of green pepper (Capsicumannuum L.) and their postharvest response pattern. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated four times. Plant height and number of branches increased with increasing level of PM, which translated to increased number of fruits and fruit weight per plant. Poultry manure applied at the rate of 15t/ha recorded significantly (P< 0.05) higher plant height and number of branches (24.1cm and 10.3, respectively), compared to the control (0t/ha) at 6.8cm and 3.3 respectively. There was also significant treatment effect on the number and weight of green pepper fruits as poultry manure applied at the rate of 10t/ha gave the highest values for number at (62.2) and weight (211.0g) of green pepper. On the number of fruits harvested at weekly intervals, significant treatment effects were observed at the 5th and 7th week of harvest (P<0.05). A trend of increase in number of fruits was observed as the manure rates increased and from week to week until a peak yield was obtained at the 5th  week after which decline in the fruit number was observed. At the 1st week of harvest, poultry manure applied at the rate of 5t/ha gave the highest number and fruit weight at 3.3 and 103.0g respectively while the poultry manure applied at the rate of 7.5t/ha gave the highest number and weight of fruit at the 2nd week at 3.3 and 100.7g respectively. At the 3rd  and 5th  week of harvest, 12.5t/ha PM recorded the highest number of fruits but 10t/ha PM recorded higher fruit weight at both weeks and at the 6th week. The least number and weight of fruits were obtained in the control treatment from the 2ndto the

7th  week. It was also observed that pig manure rates had significant effect on the number and weight of fruits harvested weekly. Application of 12.5t/ha PGM gave the highest number and weight of fruits at the 1st week at 2.5 and 80.9g respectively while the application of 15t/ha PGM manure gave the highest number and weight of fruits at the 2nd week of harvest. The application

of 10t/ha and 7.5t/ha PGM gave the highest number of fruits of 4.0 and 6.7 at the 3rd  and 4th week of harvest respectively. The biochemical qualities of green pepper were not significantly influenced by poultry manure rates. Green pepper fruits that were harvested from 10t/ha poultry manure (T5) contained higher quantity of protein, nitrogen, phosphorus and alkaloid while those that were harvested from 12.5t/ha poultry manure (T6) contained higher concentration of vitamin A, C and E, flavonoid, tannin and phytate. Green pepper grown under 2.5 or 15t/ha poultry manure regimes contained more potassium (K) and iron (Fe). It was evident from the biplot that the application of poultry manure tended to increase quantity of phytochemicals in the fruits. However, phytate content was same across all the manure levels. The proximate, mineral and phytochemical quality traits of green pepper responded significantly to the effects of pig manure rates as shown in the biplot in Figure 2. Green pepper fruits grown under 2.5 t/ha manure regime (T2) contained more iron (Fe) and phytate while the fruits that were harvested from 5t/ha (T3) contained more Vitamin A and flavonoid. Concentration of tannin, alkaloid, nitrogen, protein, potassium, vitamin C and E was highest in green pepper fruits that were not fertilized (T1) or fertilized with 7.5t/ha pig manure regime (T4). Quantity of phosphorus was higher in fruit type that manure was applied at the rate of 15t/ha (T7). On the postharvest studies, it was observed that green pepperfruits grown under 2.5t/ha poultry manure application had the longest green life while the control treatment gave the longest green life in pig manure application when stored bare. The residual effect of poultry and pig manure previously applied on green pepper was studied using radish as a test crop. The applied manure revealed a sufficient left over amount of nutrient which was sufficient to effectively support at least one more planting on the same plot of land. The application of 15t/ha poultry manure gave the highest weight of total plant biomass, weight of bulb and weight of leaves at244.0g, 175.0g, and 69.5g, respectivelywhile 7.5t/ha PGM gave the highest weight of total plant biomass, weight of bulb, weight of leaves and number of radish bulbs at 185.0g, 127.0g, 58.6g and 7.0, respectively and the control treatment had the least of all the parameters in both manure types. The results suggest that application of 10t/ha poultry manure rate was the best for optimum green pepper yield as well as 7.5t/ha pig manure rate. The application of either poultry or pig manure has been found to improve the growth and yield of green pepper, however, poultry manure has been found to give better performance. This could be attributed to better concentration of nitrogen and other essential elements in poultry manure than in pig manure, therefore the use of poultry manure may preferably be recommended. Nevertheless, if pig manure is the type of manure available within an area, 7.5t/ha pig manure rate is recommended for best green pepper output.

INTRODUCTION

Green pepper (Capsicumannuum L.) is an economically important crop belonging to the family Solanaceae under the genus Capsicum (Russo, 1996). It originated from South and Central America where it is still under cultivation (Pickersgill, 1997). Peppers are considered the first spice to have been used by human beings and there is archaeological evidence of pepper and other fossil foods from as early as 6000 years ago (Hill et al., 2013). The genus Capsicum has five  domesticated  species  (C.  annuum,  C.  frutescens,  C.  chinense,  C.  pubescens  and  C. baccatum).    The most popularly cultivated species among these are green pepper (Capsicumannuum) and hot pepper (Capsicumfrutescens) (Andrews, 1984). Both serve as food and cash crops in Nigeria and other countries. Pepper was introduced into Europe by Columbus and other early explorers in the sixteenth century and cultivation spread throughout the world (Greenleaf, 1986).

This pepper plant is a small perennial shrub. It is characterized by white or greenish-white corolla. It has one or more pedicels at a node with varying fruit sizes and shapes (Norman, 1992). They are usually grown as herbaceous annuls in tropics, sub-tropics and temperate regions (Alabi,  2006).  Green  peppers grow  relatively  quick with  a maturity  period  of 3-4  months. Previously in Nigeria, it is grown in home gardens and convenient sites near settlements often as intercrop. Presently it is grown as a mono-crop. This is done on large scale by both peasant and commercial farmers, (mostly in green houses). It is among the most commonly grown crops throughout Africa because of its utilizations (Harlen, 1995; Heiser, 1995).

Pepper is a vital commercial crop. It is widely cultivated because of its spicy nature and nutritional value serving for vegetable, spice, and value-added processed products (Kumar and Rai, 2005). The green pepper is used green, yellow or red. It may be eaten cooked or raw, as well as in salad (Andrews, 1984). It is relatively non–pungent with thick flesh. Green pepper is the worlds’ second most important vegetable after tomato (Anonymous, 1989). It is used for pickling in brine, baking and stuffing. It is also used in making stew, soup and salad (Harlen, 1995; Heiser, 1995). It is an important constituent of many foods, adding flavor and colour to food in many Nigerian diets. It has little energy value but contributes nutritiously with nutrient that may be lacking in food materials like phytate, alkaloid and tannin hence improves food intake (Grubben, 1977). Green pepper is therefore indispensable to Nigeria and world food industries.

Nutritional value per 100g of green pepper contains 4.64g of carbohydrate, 2.40g sugar, 1.7g of fat, 0.86g of protein and 80.4mg of vitamins C (United State Department of Agriculture, 2005). Large scale pepper production in Nigeria is mostly found in the northern part under irrigation system during dry season (September-March). The raining season crop (June – September) suffer serious pest and diseases damage, limiting the output during the season (Quinn, 1980). The crop is not only being cultivated for local consumption, it is also exported and has thus become a foreign exchange earner for many countries hence the need for increase in production to meet the increasing demand (Norman, 1992). This gives rise to the need for techniques which could be applied to extend the green life and shelf life of green pepper fruits to reduce postharvest losses due to deterioration as the fruits are perishable. Nevertheless, to achieve high crop productivity, it  depends  on  several  factors.  Few  among  these  include  manure  application,  manure  type, planting density, cultural practices, sowing date etc. Islam et al., 2010, stated that the sowing date and manure types and rates are of utmost importance. They reported that considerable manure type, rate and optimum sowing time bring about proper growth and development of plants. This results in maximum yield of the crop and economic use of land (Islam et al., 2010).

In the tropics, a major challenge facing crop production is the low inherent fertility status of the arable soils. Green pepper is cultivated in the Southeastern part of Nigeria, but the yield has been lowdue to the poor soil fertility status. The low fertility status of the soil in the tropical region has advanced as a serious factor limiting crop yield.It has been widely recognized that tropical lowlands require special agricultural strategies/practices to guarantee their productivity and sustainability of production. Maintenance of soil fertility has been established as a prerequisite for sustainable crop production and increase in yield. Therefore, there is a need for careful considerations of the requisite agronomic packages that will ensure optimum yield by improving the soil condition and health. Jablonska, (1990) has reported that organic manure amendment/application plays a vital role in this regard.

Therefore, the objectives of the studies include to:

1.   Evaluate the growth and yield responses of green pepper to different levels of pig and poultry manure

2.   Determine the residual effects of applied manure to growth and yield of radish. 3.   Determine the shelf life and nutritional qualities of green pepper fruits as influenced by manure types (postharvest studies).

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