Soil Chemical Properties and Yield of Maize As Affected by Organic Amendment of River Sand with Cow Dung and Poultry Dropping

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Soil Chemical Properties and Yield of Maize As Affected by Organic Amendment of River Sand with Cow Dung and Poultry Dropping

Embassy Apene¹, Donatus Obiajulu Onwuegbunam^2*

¹Department of Basic Science and General Studies
²Department of Agricultural & Bio-Environmental Engineering Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna, Nigeria
*Corresponding author

Abstract:-The study comprised the incorporation of poultry dropping (PD) and cow dung (CD) as means of amending river sand, and the subsequent use of the amended soil to grow hybrid maize in pots in Kaduna, Nigeria. The values of residual soil chemicals after harvest showed that the poultry dropping produced higher soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen and available phosphorus (AP), with values of 7.4 -7.6, 0.06 – 0.066 dS/m, 0.0042 – 0.0075 and 2.39 – 5.15 mg/Kg, respectively, at the application rates of 500 g to 1,500 g per pot. The difference in the values is, however, not significant between PD and CD. Cow dung gave higher values in the % organic matter (O.M.) (0.21 – 0.46 %) and potassium (K) (44 – 49 mg/Kg). Generally there was significant difference in the residual chemical properties due to levels of application. The yield of maize due to the un-amended sand was zero, while the sand amended with cow dung produced higher mean yield (2.06 t/ha) than poultry dropping (1.87 t/ha). It was recommended that the amendment application rate be increased for more bio-available nutrients to improve yield, and that the soil be texturally modified through addition of clay portions to create the optimum texture (sandy loam) for best management practice of maize.

Keywords: Sand, soil nutrients, organic amendment, yield, maize

I. INTRODUCTION

Sandy soils as defined in the World Reference Base (FAO-ISRAC-ISSS, 1998) contain less than 18% clay and greater than 65% sand. Generally, the main Reference Group for sandy soils is the Arenosol (FAO-ISRAC-ISSS, 1998). Sandy soils are prevalent in tropical environments especially where felsic volcanic, or siliceous sedimentary rocks and their erosional products are found. Whereas some of these soils are only sandy in the surface layers, others are sandy throughout the root zone. Sandy soils occur in arid, semi-arid and humid rainfall zone the tropics and from coastal lowlands to high altitudes (Bell and Seng, 2005).

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