Comparative Assessment of the Effect of Cow Dung and Poultry Manure on Grain Yield of Amaranthus Blitum

Abstract

Amarathus specie in the broad-based genus of annual plants, normally consumed as leafy vegetables and herbs. Amaranth crop provide grain, leafy vegetable, fodder, and greater diet than the predominant staple crops. Nutrition value and use of grain amaranth is a potential future application in bread making. The study compared the effect of organic fertilizers on the growth and yield of amaranths blitum. The study focused on: assessing the effect of organic fertilizer on the grain yield component of amaranthus blitum; and determining suitable organic fertilizer among cow dung and poultry manure to use in cultivating grain amaranth in the soil. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD)with three treatments each of which was replicated nine times.The data was collected in an interval of one-week period starting from after two weeks of planting time for a period of 12 weeks. The results indicated that the plant height was significantly higher in both season 1 and season 2 and this have been due poultry manure and cow dung. The study revealed that, the better performed treatments were the plots amended with poultry manure and cow dung. Result revealed that mean differences of number of branches of Amaranthas Blitum under treatment of cow dung and poultry manure are statistically significant resulting to L.S.D = (1.249) in season 1 while L.S.D (1.476) in season 2 resulted into not statistically significant mean differences in number of branches on treatment of both cow dung and poultry manure. While control treatment is season 1 was not statistically significant with cow dung and poultry manure treatments. Results revealed that grain yield under treatment of cow dung and poultry manure were statistically significant at 95% significance. This was confirmed by mean differences that were less than L.S.D (1.077kg) in season 1 in all treatments. The study results revealed that cow dung yielded more grains. The researcher concluded that effect of poultry manure and cow dung was significant on plant height of Amaranthas Blitum. The study concluded that mean differences of number of leaves under treatment of cow dung and poultry manure was statistically significant. The study concluded that the most suitable manure for grain cultivation of Amaranthas Blitum is cow dung compared to poultry manure and control treatment. It is recommended that an experiment of this nature should be conducted on farm with full participation of the farmers themselves to observe and see the outcome of the study. The study recommends that for increased production of grain yield and growth of Amaranthas blitum, cow dung organic manure should be mostly used.