The Effects of Combined Application of Cattle manure And Mineral Nitrogen And Phosphorus Fertilizer on Growth, Biomass Yield, And Quality of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L) Tuber Inabelo Area at Masha District sheka Zone, South-Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Soil fertility decline is considered as one of the major causes for resulting in reduced yield of potato production in abelo area Masha district sheka zone of south-western Ethiopia. Hence, a field experiment was conducted in Belgand Meher season, in abelo area, Masha district south-western Ethiopia, to investigate the effect of combined use of application of Cattle Manure (CM) with mineral NP on growth, biomass yield, quality, of potato tuber. The treatments comprised combinations of three rates (2.5,5, 7.5t ha -1 ) of CM with 25%, 50% and 75% of recommended rates of mineral NP, respectively. In addition, 100% recommended rate of mineral NP for the experimental site (165 kg N ha -1 and 137 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1) and zero rates were used for comparison. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications.The results revealed that applying 7.5 t ha -1 CM combined with 75% mineral NP gave significantly Days to 50% flowering by 7 daysi.e. From 56-6 and14 daysi.e. from 51-65, days to 50% maturity by 5 daysi.e. from (101-106) and 13 days from (95-108) and increases plant height from 56-69 and 63-78, Increase shoot fresh weight by 39.66% from (1274.59-1780.2 ghill ),increased dry matter content from (21.085-25.782) and (22.36 to 24.47), specific gravity from (1.083-1.107) and (1.092 -1.101) reduces small tuber size percentage ) and improves medium size tubers from (65.56 to 74.79) and (44.58 to 80.26) in Belg and Meher season as compared to zero application. Respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that, the use of combined application of CM (7.5 t ha ) can significantly increases growth, biomass yield, improvement in tuber quality.

Biomass production and nutritional quality of potato tuber as affected by blended fertilizer (NPSB), cattle manure, vermicompost and mineral NP in southwestern Ethiopia

“…Similar result was recorded earlier (26) who reported the maximum dry weight (87.07 gm plant -1 ) when 75% NP + 2 t ha -1 VC + 20 kg ha -1 sulfur + 20 kg ha -1 zinc sulfate + Azotobacter (seed treatment) were administered which was superior to 100% NP and no-fertilizer treatment (control). Accordingly, the application of 7.5 t CM ha -1 in combination with 75% of NP gave the highest root dry weight of 9.34 gm hill -1 in Belg and 9.59 gm hill -1 in Meher (22).…”

“…This situation possibly resulted in increased leaf expansion and increased leaf number that led to increased concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves, thereby enhancing the rate of photosynthesis, resulting in a high rate of dry matter accumulation in the aboveground biomass. The highest shoot dry weight (59.33 gm hill -1 and 56.67 gm hill -1 ) were recorded at the highest rate of 7.5 CM t ha -1 + 75% of NP in Belg and Meher seasons respectively (22). In potato crop, maximum shoot dry matter (68 gm hill -1 ) with integrated use of 120 kg N ha -1 + 10 t ha -1 vermicompost was obtained as compared to the treatment that did not receive any of the fertilizer treatment combination (55 gm hill -1 ) (24).…”

“…In contrast, no-fertilizer treatment (control) recorded the smallest plant height (56 cm) in Belg and 61.97 cm in Meher, which are statistically the same as those of 100% NP in Belg and 100% NP, 100 kg NPSB ha -1 in Meher. The highest plant height of potato (69.33 and 78.67 cm) in Belg and Meher seasons, respectively obtained from the combined application of 7.5 t CM ha -1 with 75% of NP as compared to the nofertilizer treatment (control) (55.96 cm to 69.33 cm) in Belg and Meher seasons (22). Similarly, it has been demonstrated that the combined use of 3 t ha -1 vermicompost + Panchagvaya spray (3% at 30, 60 and 75 DAS) + Liquid manure (2000 l ha -1 ) + Jeevamruta (2000 l ha -1 ) caused a taller plants (26.8 cm) compared to the application of NPK alone or no-application of NPK (23).…”

“…However, the lowest root dry weights of 5.95 gm in Belg and 6.64 gm in Meher were obtained at no-fertilizer treatment (control). As mentioned earlier, this might be due to vermicompost addition which improves soil physicochemical and biological properties, thereby increasing the availability of micro-and macronutrients in soil and enhance the uptake by plant tissues as there is a positive relation of the concentration of nutrients in the plant with root and shoot dry biomass of potato (22). Similar result was recorded earlier (26) who reported the maximum dry weight (87.07 gm plant -1 ) when 75% NP + 2 t ha -1 VC + 20 kg ha -1 sulfur + 20 kg ha -1 zinc sulfate + Azotobacter (seed treatment) were administered which was superior to 100% NP and no-fertilizer treatment (control).…”

“…In line with this result, it was also reported that the increased nitrogen application from 0 to 56 kg ha -1 significantly enhanced the specific gravity of potato tubers, which ranged from 1.05 to 1.06 gm cm -3 (29). It has also been demonstrated that increasing vermicompost and mineral fertilizer tend to increase the highest specific gravity of 1.1 gm cm -3 in Belg and 1.107 gm cm -3 in Meher in the combined application of 75% of NP + 7.5 t ha -1 VC (22).…”