THE EFFECT OF NPK15-15-15 FERTIIZER AND POULTRY DROPPINGS ON TOMATO YIELD IN ANKPA ANKPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KOGI STATE

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of NPK 15:15:15 Fertilizer and poultry droppings on tomato yield in Ankpa, Ankpa local Government Area of Kogi State. It sought to determined whether any deference exist between NPK

15:15:15 fertilizer and poultry manure in their effects on the yield  of tomato plants grown on experimental plot in natural soil   in Ankpa, Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State Nigeria. To do this, four research questions were asked and one hypothesis was tested. Primary sources of data were used. On the basis of the research questions, a research design known as Split Block method  with  a  Randomized Complete Block Design and  an observation schedule were employed.   The schedule was constructed and administered on 64 experimental subjects. The data obtained from the observation schedule were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The descriptive statistics used are mean and bar chart while the inferential statistic used is Two-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The Two-Way ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis. The test of hypothesis and the findings that emerged from the analysis show that the plant nutritional sources, NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer, poultry droppings, and the combination of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry droppings, have different degrees of effectiveness on the yield of tomato plants. The findings show that the effectiveness of the combination of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry droppings is greater than the effectiveness of NPK 15:15:15 alone on the yield of tomato plants.   In turn, the effectiveness of NPK 15:15:15 is greater than the effectiveness of Poultry droppings on the yield of tomato plants. Based on the observed relative effectiveness of the plant nutritional sources, it was recommended that the complementary application of NPK commercial fertilizer   and   poultry  droppings   should   be   preferred   to   either   NPK commercial fertilizer or poultry droppings alone, in the cultivation of tomato plants.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Tomato is one of the most important fruit crops in the world. It ranks second in importance to potato in many countries (Parray, Ganai, and Fazli, 2007). Tomato belongs to the family Solanaceaes, a member of the genius Lycopersicon.   Lycopersicon species are native of Ecuador, Peru, and the Galapagon Island, though most evidence suggests that the site of domestication was Mexico (Taylor, 1986:1). Tomato is highly versatile and is  used  in  thousands  of  recipes  right  across  Europe,  from  ketchup  to chowder, pizzas to bloody marys.

In Nigeria, tomato is a special ingredient in the food of both the poor and the rich. The tomato stew is eaten with relish, especially on Sundays and during festivals.  Tomatoes  have  both  nutritional  and  medicinal  values.  It  is important for neutralising the acids produced during the digestion of meat and other fatty acids (Smith, 1994: 12). It is valuable roughage which promotes digestion and helps to alleviate constipation (Parray, Ganai and Fazli 2007:302 Tomato is a source of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals which when eaten makes the eye brighter than using cosmetics on it. (Gojale, 2002:14). Tomato seeds, which contain 24% oil, are also of

medicinal value. According to (Parray et al 2007; 302), they “…promote gastric secretion, act as blood purifier and keep intestines in good condition.” Agricultural scientists (researchers) in research   institutes and government parastatal  and  ministry  of  agriculture  are  much  interested  in  promoting tomato production in  the  tropics because  (perhaps,  more  than any other vegetable) tomato has great potential for improving three fundamental components of the standard of living; that is, income, employment and nutrition (Calkins,1978:1).

Large scale tomato production is found in the northern Guinea and Sudan Savannah `zones of Nigeria, where relatively high yields are realized by planting between June and December (Bodunde, Erinle, and Eruotors, 1996:

2). Small scale productions are prevalent in family gardens and small neighbourhood  farms in the Southern Guinea Savannah and  Rain Forest regions of  Nigeria.  Small  scale  farming  is  a  farming  system  where  the management of the farm is done by the farmer and his family and the surplus of their products is being sold in the market. Decreasing soil nutrient quality and rising cost of inputs, especially fertilizer, plague tomato production in Nigeria, resulting in the dwindling yields of tomato plants in the country (Ogunwole,   Lawal,   Olarewaju,   Audu,   Adekpe,   Ugbabe,   Yaro,   and Yoyinlola,  2006:312).A yield  is the  quantity of  fruit produced from  the cultivation  of  tomato  plant.  Total  cultivation  area  in  Nigeria  for  the

production of tomato was 127000 hectares and the production quantity was

889000tonnes given an average of 7 tonnes per hectare (Law-ogboma, and Egharevba (2008). This yield is below African average which is 20.5 tonnes per hectare (Food and Agriculture Organisation; 2003:23). Prominent among the  factors  that  account  for  the  low  tomato  productivity  in  Nigeria  are scarcity and improper application of inorganic fertilizer which has ruined tropical soils (IFDC; 2005:27) and, at the same time, non-use of fertilizer and organic manures in  the management of the crop  (Law-ogboma, and Egharevba, 2008:266).fertilizer are inorganic substances which when added to the soil help to improve crop yield (Olaitan, and Omonia, 2006; 43).

Tomato is cultivated mostly on subsistence basis in rural areas. Market gardeners may cultivate between ¼ to 1 hectare of land (Law-Ogboma et al,

2008:265).  Tomato plants are mostly grown under degraded soil conditions (Nurung, 1980:4; Ogunwole et al, 2006:312). Degraded soil is a soil that has lost much of it nutrient and is ruined. This makes the incorporation and use of other plant nutrients sources expedient in the management of the crop. Mineral fertilizers are commonly applied by growers to maximize yields. However,  in  Nigeria,  most  rural  farmers  avoid  the  use  of  fertilizers, including N.P.K. 15:15:15, on their tomato farms. This is because fertilizers are scarce and expensive, their procurement and distribution is shrouded in politics so that most Rural farmers can hardly afford one (Ogunwole et al;

2006:312; Egwu, 2005: 12). Also, the price of tomato is usually low, partly because of lack of an affordable and effective means of preservation. The low price discourages the use of high cost fertilizer input. Rural farmers prefer, instead, to use fertilizers for other crops like yam, maize, cassava where the investment makes economic sense (Ogunwole, et al; 2006:313). This situation could worsen the already dismal tomato yield  statistics in Nigeria.  The  use  of  organic  nutrient  sources  is  one  cheap  and  readily available alternative to mineral fertilizers (Botiano, and Mokwunye, et al,

1991:217). One of the most popular sources of organic nutrients is poultry dropping. Poultry droppings are generated in poultry farms and from free roaming birds in quantities that satisfy the needs of small village farms and family  gardens.  The  cost  of fertilizer is  higher  for the  farmers who  are mainly small scale producers and fertilizer is often scarce. Hence research attention shifted to the use of agricultural wastes for supplying nutrient to tomato and other crop. These wastes such as cocoa pod husk, wood ash, oil palm bunch, refuse, brewery waste, (spent grain) droppings of poultry, cattle and goat pose disposal and environmental problems (Ojeniyi et al 2007).

The procurement of organic fertilizer by most commercial gardeners is cheaper than the procurement of commercial fertilizer .This is because, farmers can get organic fertilizer from local sources especially from those poultry farmers who keep poultry farm on commercial basis.   Commercial

growers need between 9 to 18 tonnes of poultry droppings per acre for good tomato yield (USDA, 1980:94). Though researches have demonstrated that both N.P.K. 15:15:15 and poultry droppings promote higher yields in  other crop or plants, the absolute advantage of one over the other in promoting tomato yield in Nigeria is not yet clear. Commercial tomato gardeners and agricultural  field  workers  are  usually  unable  to  tell  which  of  NPK  and poultry dropping is a better bargain (Elmar, and Wolfang,; 1990:9). N P K

15: 15: 15 fertilizer is a mineral or inorganic fertilizer formulated with equal proportion of three major plant nutrient; Nitrogen, represented by N; Phosphorous; represented by P; and Potassium, represented by K. Few researchers have worked on the response of tomato to N.P.K. and poultry manure, but their results are so diversified that it is very difficult to state which  of  the  two  nutrient  sources  produce  higher  tomato  yield  (Law- Ogboma  and  Egbarevba,  2008:  269).  The  experiments  conducted  by Ramadan  and  Adam  (2007) and Ghorbani,  Koocheki, Johan, and Asadi, (2008) illustrate the diversity of the few experimental outcomes.

Ramadan and  Adam  (2007) conducted  a field experiment in which they subjected tomato plants to eight treatments of chicken manure and mineral fertilizers. In the experiment, they sought to find out how the treatments would affect the plant yield and the distribution of heavy metals in the plants’ organs. They compared the eight treatments and reported that a mean

fruit  yield  of 21.3  tonnes per hectare  resulted  from  the chicken  manure treatment, while a mean fruit yield of 19.5 tonnes per hectare resulted from the NPK treatment (Ramadan, M.A.E. and Adam, S.M. 2007:230). Accordingly, Ramadan and Adam (2007) noted, “The lowest fruit yield of tomato was obtained by the addition of mineral fertilization alone … Higher and statistical fruit yield was obtained by the addition of chicken manure alone.”  The result of this experiment shows that poultry manure has more effect on the fruit yield of tomato plants than NPK.  In 2005 and 2006, Ghorbani, Koocheki, Johan, and Asadi, (2008) also conducted field experiments to study the effects of chicken manure and NPK on tomato fruit yield  and  nutrient  composition.  They  reported  a  yield  of  16t/ha  for  the tomato plants treated with chicken manure and a yield of 23t/ha for the tomato plants treated with NPK (Ghorbani, R. Koocheki, A. Johan, M. and Asadi,   G.A.2008:514).   This  result   of   the   experiments   conducted   by Ghorbani et al (2008) shows that NPK has more effect on the yield of tomato plants than poultry manure.

However,  this result  conflicts  with  that  of  Ramadan et al  (2007).  More researches are needed to contribute enough evidence to make the distinction between the two nutrient sources clear in their effects on tomato yield especially in middle belt where the production of tomatoes is favoured by small  scale  farmers.  The  small  scale  farmers  are  ageing  and  may  not

continue to engage in tomato production unless replaced by youth who are likely going to be future farmers. The youth are found mostly at secondary school level, where they are thought agricultural science for their senior school certificate Examination. The idea of determining the best nutrient sources for producing tomatoes is better thought in schools by teachers to students. In this way the future of producing enough tomatoe products will be guaranteed especially when handled by youths. The current research endeavour is in pursuit of helping to make this distinction clear.

Statement of the Problem

Many researches have been conducted on the effect of NPK and poultry droppings on the yield of    many different kinds of plants like maize, yam, cassava and others; a few of the researches are conducted in Nigeria. Some of the researches show that poultry droppings cause greater yield than NPK (Oiken and Asiegbu, (2003). Other researches show the superiority of NPK over poultry droppings in their effects on the yields of these crop plants (Elmar and Wolfang; 1990:15). Yet, the results of some other researches show no clear difference in the effectiveness of NPK and poultry droppings in promoting the yield of tropical crops (Thonnissen, Midmore, Ladha, Holmer, and Schmidhalter, (2000: 245).   The diversified results of the researches make it difficult to establish the difference between NPK and poultry droppings as they affect crop yield. No information available to the researcher has discussed researches on tomatoes yield with NPK and poultry

manure. However, few researches in Nigeria are inadequate to produce a clear  difference  in  the  yield  response  of  tomato  to  NPK  and  poultry droppings (Oiken and Asiegbu (2003). Consequently, more research works are needed to establish the difference between NPK 15:15:15 and poultry dropping in their effects on the yield of tomato plants.

As a result the researcher asks: Is there a difference between NPK 15:15:15 and poultry droppings in their effect on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in  natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of kogi state.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to determine if any difference exist between NPK 15:15:15 and poultry manure in their effect on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil. Specifically, the study seeks to

1.  Find out the effects of NPK 15:15:15 on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of kogi state;

2.  Find out the effect of poultry manure on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of kogi state;

3.  Compare the effect of NPK 15: 15: 15: with the effect of poultry dropping on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plot in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa local government Area of kogi state.

4.  Find out the effects of the combinations of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry manure on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of kogi state.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study are significant to agricultural science teachers, agricultural science students, extension workers, future researchers, and tomato farmers. Agricultural science teachers will benefit immensely from the findings of this study. The findings will update the body of knowledge centred on the subject matter with new facts. Agricultural science teachers will therefore find the result of this study useful     as added and current information are acquired and this will help to enrich their knowledge in lesson  delivery.  Similarly,  they  can  quote  the  findings  of  this  study  to support similar findings in other research endeavours.

Agricultural science students will benefit from the findings of this study as current and valuable contribution to their knowledge. This is especially so as the subject matter of this study relates to the curriculum content of Agricultural science courses, particularly plant science and agronomy.

Agricultural extension workers will, through the findings of this study, understand more the nature of tomato plants’ response to poultry droppings and NPK. This improved understanding will be a valuable input to their continuous search for ways of assisting farmers. By exploiting this enhanced understanding, they can engage appropriate counsel in helping farmers improve the productivity of their tomato plants.

Similarly,  future  researchers  and  scholars  conducting  studies  on  related subject matter will find  the  findings of this study very useful literature. Besides, the findings will form the basis of scholars’ further research works. Curious tomatoes farmers  will  also  utilize  the  findings of  this study,  to improve their competences in tomato production for increase productivity and make more profit.

Research Questions

This study sought to answer the following research questions:

1, what is the effect of NPK 15:15:15 on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of Kogi state?

2, what is the effect of poultry manure on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of Kogi state?

3, what is the difference between NPK 15:15:15 and poultry manure on their effects on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of Kogi state?

4,What is the effect of the combination of NPK 15: 15: 15 fertilizer and poultry dropping on the yield of tomato plant grown on experimental plot in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa local government area of kogi state?

Statement of Hypothesis

HO1:  There is no significant difference between the yields of tomato plants grown with NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer and poultry droppings on experimental plots in Natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local government Area of kogi state, at 0.05 level of significance.

Scope of the Study

This study is limited in scope to finding out the effects of NPK 15: 15: 15 and poultry droppings and the combination of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry dropping on experimental plots in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria.

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