incorporation of agro-industrial biomass and their effects on growth

PertanikaJ. Trop. Agric. Sci. 26(1): 49 - 58 (2003) ISSN: 1511-3701© Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Incorporation of Agro-Industrial Biomass and Their Effects on Growth andNutrient Content of Four Successive Crops of Amaranthus

E.I. MOYIN-JESUAgronomy Department

Federal College of AgricultureAkure, Ondo State

Nigeria

Keywords: Agro-industrial biomass, nutrient content

ABSTRAKSatu kajian telah dijalankan di Akure, barat daya Nigeria ke atas kesan habuk kayu, sisa kulit koko, sisa bijian,habuk gergaji dan dedak padi, sama ada mentah atau ditambah dengan baja najis haiwan pada pertumbuhan,kandungan nutrien daun dan hasil empat tanaman Amaranthus viridis (L). Dua puluh kombinasi biojisimindustri pertanian telah digunakan ke atas tanah bersama satu rawatan dengan baja NPK dan satu petak yangtidak dirawaL Biojisim industri pertanian telah digunakan pada t/ha atau bergabung dengan baja najiskambing khinzir dan ayam itik pada kadar 3tha-l (nisbah 1:1). Dua puluh dua (22) rawatan yang direplikasiempat kali ke atas setiap empat tanaman secara berturutan menggunakan satu reka bentuk blok lengkap terawak.Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa penggunaan biojisim industri pertanian ke atas tanah meningkatkan N, P,K, Ca daun, abu Mg, protein kasar, ketinggian tumbuhan, kawasan daun, Milan batang dan penghasilandaun amaranthus secara signifikannya (P<0M5) berbanding rawatan kawalan. Penggunaan sisa bijian, kulitkoko dan habuk kayu lebih efektif dalam meningkatkan pertumbuhany N, P, K daun, abu dan protein kasar,dan penghasilan daun amaranthus dibandingkan dengan dedak padi dan habuk gergaji. Rawatan sisa bijianmeningkatkan N, P, K, Ca, Mg daun, abu dan protein kasar amaranthus kepada masing-masing 32.4%,22%, 30%, 21%, 15.3%, 32% dan 6% berbanding penggunaan dedak padi sahaja. Penggabungan bajanajis haiwan dan biojisim industri pertanian meningkatkan penghasilan daun. Habuk kayu + rawatan bajanajis ayam itik meningkatkan penghasilan daun amaranthus kepada 67%, 50%, 35% dan 34% masing-masing pada tanaman 1, 2, 3 dan 4 berbanding penggunaan sisa bijian sahaja. Rawatan dengan biojisimindustri pertanian memberikan lebih tinggi kandungan K, Ca, dan Mg pada daun berbanding baja NPKkecuali penghasilan daun. Tambahan pula, penambahan sisa bijian dengan baja najis ayam itik jugameningkatkan N, P, K, Ca, Mg daun, protein kasar dan abu atau amaranthus kepada masing-masing 12%,34%, 17.40%, 96.30%, 93% 48% dan 26% berbanding rawatan NPK. Penambahan habuk kayu, sisa kulitkoko, dedak padi, sisa bijian dan habuk gergaji dengan baja najis ayam itik meningkatkan kepanjangan akaramaranthus kepada masing-masing 47%, 42%, 41.58%, 53% dan 27% berbanding rawatan baja NPK.Penambahan biojisim industri pertanian sama ada tanpa atau digabungkan dengan baja najis ayam itikmeningkatkan kandungan nutrien pada daun dan penghasilan amaranthus secara progresifnya melebihi empatmusim tanaman. Hubungan nlai-nilai R2 di antara penghasilan daun amaranthus dan N, P, K, Ca, Mgdaun, protein kasar dan abu adalah 0.90, 0.92, 0.94 dan 0.98 dalam tanaman 1, 2, 3 dan 4. Implikasinyaialah nutrien daun menjelaskan variasi 90%, 92%, 94% dan 98% dalam penghasilan daun amaranthus.

ABSTRACTA study was conducted in Akure, South West Nigeria on the effect of wood ash, ground cocoa husk, spent grain,saw dust and rice bran, either raw or amended with animal manure on the growth, leaf nutrient contents andyield of four crops of Amaranthus viridis (L). Twenty combinations of agro-industrial biomass were applied tothe soil together with one treatment with NPK fertilizer and a control which received no treatments. The agro-industrial biomass was applied at t/ha or individually combined with goat, pig and poultry manures at the rateof 3tha-l (1:1 ratio). The twenty two (22) treatments were replicated four times on each of the four consecutive

E. I. MOYIN-JESU

crops using a randomized complete block design. Results showed that the application of agro-industrial biomassto the soil increased the leaf N,P,K,Ca, Mg ash, Crude protein, plant height, leaf area, stem girth and leaf yieldofamaranthus significantly (p<0.05) compared to the control treatment Application of spent grain, cocoa huskand wood ash was more effective in increasing growth, leaf N, P, K, ash and crude protein, and leaf yield ofamaranthus than the rice bran and sawdust. The spent grain treatment increased the leafN, P, K, Ca, Mg, ashand crude protein ofamaranthus by 32.4%, 22%, 30%, 21%, 15.3%, 32% and 6% respectively comparedto the rice bran (sole) application. Incorporation of animal manure with agro-industrial biomass further increasedthe leaf yield. Wood ash + poultry manure treatment increased the amaranthus leaf yield by 67%, 50%, 35%and 34 % respectively in crops 1, 2, 3 and 4 compared to the sole application of spent grain. Treatments withagro-industrial biomass gave higher leafK, Ca, and Mg contents compared to NPK fertilizer except the leaf yield.In addition, amendment of spent grain with poultry manure also increased the leaf N, Pf K, Ca, Mg, crudeprotein and ash or amaranthus by 12%, 34%, 17.40%, 96.30%, 93%, 48% and 26% respectively comparedto the NPK treatment. The amended wood ash, cocoa husk, rice bran, spent grain and sawdust with poultrymanure increased the root length ofamaranthus by 47%, 42%, 41.58%, 53% and 27% respectively comparedto NPK fertilizer treatment. Addition of agro-industrial biomass either alone or incorporated with animal manureincreased the nutrient content in the leaf and yield of Amaranthus progressively over the four cropping seasons.The R2 values of the relationship between amaranthus leaf yield and leafN,P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, crude protein andash were 0.90, 0.92, 0.94 and 0.98 in crops 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The implication is that leaf nutrientsaccounted for 90%, 92%, 94% and 98% variations in leaf yield of amaranthus.

INTRODUCTIONVegetable farmers in humid tropical countriesuse the same piece of land continuously andafter some years, the crops suffer from nutrientdeficiency and low yield (Aweto and Ayuba 1993).In areas where NPK fertilizer is commonly used,the crops suffer from nutrient deficiency such asCa and Mg. Due to the problems of scarcity andhigh cost of chemical fertilizer, there is a needto investigate into locally available and cheapsources of organic fertilizers for vegetableproduction.

Unlike the animal manures, use of agro-industrial biomass organic fertilizers in vegetableproduction has not received research attention.Decomposing plant residues release importantand appreciable amount of nutrients into thesoil (Ayanlaja and Sanwo 1991).

Amaranthus viridis L is a common vegetablein the humid tropics grown for its edible leaves.In this study, plant residues such as wood ash,ground cocoa husk, rice-bran, spent grain andsawdust, applied sole or amended with animalmanure were tried as fertilizers on four crops ofamaranthus. Their effects on growth parameters,nutr ient composition and leaf yield ofamaranthus were investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Source and Preparation of Organic MaterialsCocoa pod husk, wood ash, poultry, goat andpig dropping were obtained from the cocoafarm plots, cassava processing unit and livestock

section of the Federal College of Agriculture,Akure.

Rice bran was obtained from the 05-6varieties of rice processed at College rice-mill.Sorghum based spent grain was collected fromthe International Breweries Nigeria and thesawdust from a nearby sawmill industry at Akuretownship.

The organic materials were processed toallow decomposition. The dried cocoa pod huskswere ground into powdery form using hammermill while the wood ash was sieved mechanicallywith 2 mm sieve to remove foreign materialssuch as charcoal and wood remnants. The ricebran, spent grain and sawdust were eachthoroughly wetted with water and compostedseparately to reduce the high C/N ratio. Thepoultry, pig and goat manures were heapedseparately to allow for quick mineralisation andwere placed under shade.

The processed individual agro-waste wasadded separately to the soil at 6tha * while theamended forms of the agro-wastes, involvesmixing the agro-wastes together with each animalmanure (pig, goat and poultry manures) andallowed to compost before adding to theamaranthus plants. The amended forms (agrowastes + manures) were added at Stha1 each(1:1). The animal manures were not applied tothe soils individually but mixed with agro-wastes.

50 PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 26 NO. 1, 2003

INCORPORATION OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL BIOMASS AND EFFECTS ON AMARANTHUS

Chemical Analysis of the Organic Materials Used

Two grammes each of the processed forms ofthe organic materials used, were analysed.

The nitrogen content was determined bykjedahl method (Jackson 1964) while thedetermination of other nutrients such as P, K,Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn was done usingthe wet digestion method based on 25-5-5 ml ofHNO3-H2SO4-HC104 acids respectively (A.O.A.C.,1970). The K, Ca and Na elements were readon flame photometer while Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu andMn were read on atomic absorptionspectrophotometer. The P content was developedinto colouration with vanado-molybdate solutionand read on spectronic 20 at 442 Um.

The organic carbon (%) was determined bywet oxidation method through chromic aciddigestion (Walkley and Black 1934).

Field Experiment

The experiments were carried out at Akure inthe rain forest zone of South West Nigeria on asandy loam soil, skeletal, kaolinitic,isohyperthermic oxic paleustalf (Alfisol) or FerricLuvisol (FAO). The surface soil (0-15 cm) hadpH (water) of 5.1, organic matter 0.56%, 0.02%nitrogen, 4.3 mg/kg extractable P, 0.11 mmol/kg exchangeable Mg and 0.08 mmol/kgexchangeable K (Folorunso 1999).

The soil had been cropped for 10 years.The four field experiments were conductedbetween April 1998 and July 1999. Twenty agro-industrial biomass treatments, sole and amended,were applied to the amaranthus. Additionaltreatments included NPK fertilizer at 400 kg/haand the control (no manure, no fertilizer). Thefive agro-industrial biomass were wood ash,ground cocoa pod husk, rice bran, brewery spentgrain and sawdust.

The materials were applied sole at 6tha]

and each agro-industrial biomass was combinedwith goat, pig and poultry manure at the rate ofStha*

The twenty two (22) treatments werereplicated four times on each of the fourconsecutive amaranthus crops at the same timeusing randomized complete block design. Thesize of each of the 88 plots was 16 m2 (4 m x 4 m)and the soils were ploughed and harrowed tomaintain good tilth for the amaranthus crops.The sole and amended residues and NPKfertilizer were incorporated into the soil seven

days before planting.Seeds of amaranthus (NHAC - 35) were

hand drilled in rows that were 30 cm apart (13rows per plot) at the rate of 7.5 kg/ha. Seedswere mixed with equal volumes of sand for evenspreading. Ten days after planting, seedlingswere thinned to a population of 535, 332 plantsper hectare (i. e. 212 plants per plot).

The plant height (cm), leaf area (cm2) andstem girth (cm) were measured at the second,third and fourth week after planting. Vetox 85at in the rate of 28 g a.i. in 9 L of water wassprayed in the second and fourth weeks afterplanting. Thirty-five days after planting, the plantswere harvested and weighed. The root length(cm) was measured for each crop of amaranthus.

Analysis of the Amaranthus Leaves for ChemicalComposition

Sub samples of the plant were dried at 70°C forthree days. The % N was determined bymicrojedahl method (Jackson 1964). P wasdetermined by using vanado-molybdate solutionand it was read on spectronic 20 at 442 Um.The % K, Ca and Na were read on the flamephotometer using appropriate filters. The Mgwas determined on atomic absorptionspectrophotometry.

The crude protein content was determinedby multiplying % N X 6.25 and the % total ashwas also determined as reported by theAssociation of Analytical Chemists (AOAC 1970).

Statistical Analysts

The mean data for amaranthus growthparameters; plant height, leaf area, stem girthand root length, leaves % N, P, K, Ca, Mg, ashand crude protein and leaves' yields for each ofthe four crops were presented. They weresubjected to ANOVA F-test and their levels ofsignificance were determined for the sole andmanure amended treatments using DuncanMultiple Range Test (DMRT) at a level of 5%.

RESULTS

Analysis of the Organic Material UsedTable 1 presents the chemical composition ofthe organic material used for the cultivation ofamaranthus. Among the agro-industrial biomass,the wood ash had the highest nutrient statuswith regards to C, N, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu andZn. Wood ash and cocoa husk were relatively

PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 26 NO. 1, 2003 51

E. L MOYINJESU

TABLE 1Analysis of the organic fertilizers used for the field experiments

Organic fertilizer

Poultry manurePig manureGoat dungCocoapod huskWood ashSpent grain

(Brewery waste)Rice branSawdust

C91

30.0025.0020.0016,0018.001.00

14.009.00

Nh

4.333.722.521.441.530.78

0.600.12

C/Nratio

6.936.727.9311.1111.7612.82

23.3375.00

AvailableP(mgkg)

385.00312.00167.50100.0086.0076.00

56.0010.00

Na

5.655.226.304.418.264.57

4.434.39

Ca Kmg/kg

3.203.102.909.349.400.13

1.120.10

9.7214.459.9715.5923.027.86

7.935.12

Mg

4.104.804.507.108.523.10

1.801.30

Fe

37.8534.0034.5050.4065.513.39

6.254.01

Mn Cumg/kg

1.661.621.608.6411.920.99

1.781.69

0.150.170.160.650.6610.10

0.180.16

Zn

1.261.341.301.691.830.70

0.490.40

high in K, Ca, and Mg. The spent grain is alsohigh in available P, K, and Mg generally; thesawdust and rice bran had the least nutrientstatus. The rice bran had C/N ratio of 1:23while the sawdust C/N ratio was usually veryhigh 1:75.

Among the types of animal manure used foramending the agro-industrial wastes, poultrymanure had the highest values of % N, P, Ca, Feand Mn compared to pig and goat manure. Themanure had lower C/N ratio ranging from 6.72to 7.93 and higher P status compared with theagro-industrial wastes.

It is therefore expected that mixing theanimal manure with the agro-industrial wasteswill enhance the effectiveness of improvingnutrient availability.

Effect of Agro-Industrial Biomass on AmaranthusLeaf Chemical Composition

The sole and amended agro-industrial biomassincreased the leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg crude proteinand ash content of amaranthus significantly(p<0.05) compared to the control treatment(Table 2).

Wood ash, spent grain, rice bran and sawdustincorporated with animal manure furtherincreased the leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg crude proteinand ash. The sole and amended plant residuesproduced higher values of leaf Ca, Mg, P and Kthan the NPK fertilizer.

The spent grain treatment increased thevalues of amaranthus leaf Ca, Mg, P by 26%,30% and 47% respectively compared to thewood ash treatment. Spent grain + poultrymanure treatment increased the amaranthus leafN, P, Ca, Mg, crude protein and ash by 56%,33%, 14%, 26% and 18% respectively compared

to the ric€ bran + poultry manure treatment.Spent grain + poultry manure increased the

leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg, crude protein and ash ofamaranthus by 12%, 34%, 17.40%, 96.3% 93%,48% and 26% respectively compared to the NPKfertilizer treatment. It also increased the sameparameters (N,P, K, Ca, Mg, crude protein andash) by 98.9%, 94.4%, 98.0%, 93%, 93.10%,98.7% and 92.4% respectively compared to thecontrol treatment.

Generally, the rice bran and sawdust hadthe least values of leaf N, P, K, Ca, Mg, crudeprotein, and ash compared to the spent grain,wood ash and cocoa husk treatments.

The values of leaf P, Ca and Mg increasedprogressively throughout the four crops. Therewere high ratios of leaf K/Ca, K/Mg, P/Mg, inthe amaranthus leaves: 1:35, 1:35 and 1:29respectively under the NPK fertilizer treatmentsignifying nutrient interaction which could affectthe amaranthus leaf quality in terms of nutrientutilization as noted by Bear (1950).

Effect of Agro-Industrial Biomass on the Growthand Yield Parameters of AmaranthusThe sole and amended agro-industrial biomassincreased the plant height, leaf area, stem girthand root length (Table 3) and leaf yield ofamaranthus (Table 4) significantly (P<0.05)compared to the control treatment.

The amendment of wood ash, cocoa husk,spent grain, rice bran and sawdust with animalmanure increased the leaf area, plant height,stem girth, root length and leaf yield ofamaranthus. However, agro-industrial wastesamended with pig and poultry manure increasedthe growth and yield parameters more than theamendment with goat manure. For example, the

PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 26 NO. 1, 2003


TABLE 2Effect of agro-industrial wastes plus manure on the leaf nutrient

contents under the four crops of amaranthus

Treatment

Control ( no fetilizer)NPK 15-15-15Wood ash (sole)Wood ash + goat dungWood ash + Pig dungWood ash + Poultry manureCocoa husk (sole)Cocoa husk + goat dungCocoa husk + pig dungCocoa husk + poultry manureRice bran (sole)Rice bran + goat dungRice bran + pig dungRice bran + Poultry manureSpent grain (sole)Spent grain + goat dungSpent grain + pig dungSpent grain + poultry manureSawdust (sole)Sawdust + goat dungSawdust + pig dungSawdust + poultry manure

N

%

0.0286a2.34011.379jk2.423m2.81no2.529p1.18412.474n2.928tu2.912t0.707c0.967dl.Olle1.173h1.046ef2.587qr2.56q2.665s0.682b1.007e1.089fg1.332J

P

51

0.012a0.143d0.145ef0.144de0.1439de0.1951mn

0.18010.1584gh0.212p0.214o0.122c

0.1682jk0.166110.1449d0.1565g0.1922m0.2343r0.2159p0.1071b0.2235q0.1675ij0.1781

K

rD

0.019a0.8182e1.7978q1.1258p0,7058b0.8502h0.9264i

0.8332fg1.3519u0.9536J0.8315f0.9632J0.995m1.1018r1.1818t1.2645t0.7877d0.9907 lo

0.990t1.099n0.99m

1.1952o

Ca

0.010b0.005a0.864de0.0951fg0.11991m0.0847d0.0642c0.1064q0.1234m0.997gh0.0929f0.1039i0.1078ij0.118k0.117310.1376o0.125mn0.1371o0.104510.1171

0.139op0.1390p

Mg

0

0.005a0.005a

0.397de0.0357cd0.604ij0.033c

0.0272b0.065kl0.063J

0.0652kl0.048f0.60ij

0.055gh0.054g0.0567i0.082o0.064jk

0.0727m0.0544g0.273p0.080n0.072m

CrudeProtein

91

0.180a8.652gk8.620jk15.140m15.51no15.810p7.4001

15.460n18.300tu18.200t4.420c6.040d6.32e7.330h6.540ef16.17qr

16.l70qr16.660s4.260b6.290e6.810fg8.330J

Ashcontent

1.143a16.275d18.16hi19.673122.586t20.43p

19.733m21.01o21.701r20.647n15.952c17.79Of17.966fg18.114h16.844e18.506J23.644u22.038s14.457b16.250d18.873k21.236q

Na

%

0.01a0.02b0.06f0.04e0.04e0.38d0.06f0.33c0.09i0.06f0.04e0.06f0.07g0.08h0.06f0.08h0.04e0.07g0.07g0.08h0.04e0.06f

Treatment means within each group or column followed by the same letters are not significantly different from each otherusing DMRT at 5% level

cocoa husk + poultry manure treatment increasedthe plant height, leaf area, stem girth and rootlength by 35%, 19.40%, 29% and 7% respectivelycompared to the cocoa husk + goat dungtreatment.

The NPK fertilizer increased the plant heightand stem girth of amaranthus by 58.5% and40% respectively compared to the wood ash(sole) treatment. However, spent grain + poultrymanure treatment increased the leaf area androot length of amaranthus by 72% and 53%respectively compared to the NPK fertilizer. Theleaves of amaranthus in the third and fourthcrops of amaranthus under NPK fertilizer wereshowing signs of marginal burn.

The amended wood ash, cocoa husk, ricebran, spent grain and sawdust with poultrymanure increased the root length of amaranthusby 47%, 42%, 41.58%, 53% and 27% respectivelycompared to NPK fertilizer treatment.

The spent grain (sole) treatment increasedthe amaranthus leaf yield by 39%, 79%, 64.2%

and 59% in crops 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectivelycompared to rice bran treatment. Wood ash +poultry manure increased the leaf yield by 67%,50%, 35% and 34% respectively in crops 1,2 3and 4 amaranthus compared to the soleapplication of spent grain.

Spent grain + poultry manure treatmentincreased the leaf yield of amaranthus in crops1, 2, 3 and 4 by 3%, 13%, 2.2% and 2% comparedto NPK fertilizer treatment. The spent grain +poultry manure increased the leaf yield ofamaranthus by 98% and 99% in crops 1, 2, 3and 4 respectively compared to the controltreatment.

Generally, the spent grain, wood ash andcocoa husk treatments increased the leaf yield ofamaranthus two times higher than that of ricebran and sawdust treatments.

The multiple regression analysis showing therelationship between amaranthus fresh leaf yieldand nutrient contents of N, Mg, Na, P, K ash,crude protein and Ca for the four crops of


E. I. MOYIN-JESU

TABLE 3The effect of agro-industrial wastes plus manure on the growth parameters of amaranthus four cropping

Treatments

Control (no fertilizer)NPK 15-15-15Wood ash (sole)Wood ash + Goat dungWood ash + pig dungWood ash + poultry manureCocoa husk (sole)Cocoa husk + goat dungCocoa husk + pig dungCocoa husk + poultry manureRice bran (sole)Rice bran + goat dungRice bran + pig dungRice bran + poultry manureSpent grain (sole)Spent grain + goat dungSpent grain + pig dungSpent grain + poultry manureSawdust (sole)Sawdust + goat dungSawdust + pig dungSawdust + Poultry manure

Plant Height(cm)

4.49a44.54v18.48f27.7lo26.80n33.80q22.19hi25.22130.36p38.68st13.55c22.03h23.31J24.78k

25.471m35.05r38.02s41.41u12.77b14.35d16.93e18.97fg

Leaf Area(cm2)

2.51a21.20118.6g

25.13128.64p30.84r17.24f26.41n30.29q32.78s9.76b15.70d22.34J

25.611m27.95o50.77t58.19u74.72v11.40c

16.03de19.21h22.78jk

Stem Girth(cm)

0.15a1.741pL043f1.063fg1.40f1.32611.173h1.253jk1.425no1.758pq0.785b0.822c1.383m1.038ef0.945d1.063fg1.028ef1.014c1.035ef1.23511.241ij1.415n

Root Length(cm)

3.47a13.47d16.81e18.63f19.41h

25.25pq20.36i21.58kl23.45no23.12n12.88b20.45i

22.25m23.02n24.35p25.92r28.20s28.90t13.01c18.82fg20.63ij21.29k

Treatment means within each group or column followed by the same letters are not significantly different from each otherusing DMRT at 5% level

TABLE 4The effect of agro-industrial wastes plus manure on the fresh

leaf yield (t/ha) under four cropping of amaranthus

Treatments

Control ( no fertilizer)NPK 15-15-15Wood ash (sole)Wood ash + goat dungWood ash + pig dungWood ash + poultry manureCocoa husk + (sole)Cocoa husk + goat dungCocoa husk + pig dungCocoa husk + poultry manureRice bran (sole)Rice bran + goat dungRice bran + pig dungRice bran + poultry manureSpent grain (sole)Spent grain + goat dungSpent grain + pig dungSpent grain + poultry manureSawdust (sole)Sawdust + goat dungSawdust + pig dungSawdust + poultry manure

Crop 1

0.15a7.50q2.50ef4.9516.95p7.60s3.15k5.45n6.55o6.95p1.40c2.50ef2.05d2.95j2.85h5.35m9.35t

7.53qr0.63B2.88hi2.45e2.78g

Crop 2

0.12aIO.IOU4.50j

6.53m8.10p8.98q4.70k6.70n9.18r9.28s2.05cS.13c2.80d3.40f

3.68gh7.45o9.85t11.63v1.38B4.23i3.63g5.331

Crop 3

0.123a11.63u6.40jk8.28m9.88op9.83o6.15i9.03n

9.93pq10.58s2.38b4.15c3.98d4.90g6.651lO.OOr11.38t11.90v3.23C5.33h4.53f6.53J

Crop 4

0.13112.40u6.98kl8.90m10.30p10.53r6.43i9.45n10.48q11.25s2.83b4.55e4.33d5.35g6.93k9.85o12.23t12.60v3.45C5.60h4.57f6.55j

Mean

0.131a10.40t5.095ij7.115m8.808op9,235pqr5.108ijk7.658mn9.035pq9.515qrs2.165b

3.583de3.29d4.145g5.028i8.163910.68tu

10.915tuv2.173BC4.51gh3.84ef

5.253ijkl

Treatment means within ecah group or column followed by the same letters are not significantly different from each other usingDMRT at 5% level.

54 PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 26 NO. 1, 2003


TABLE 5Multiple regression equation showing relationship between amaranthus fresh leaf yield, the nutrient

composition of % N, Mg, Na, P, K, ash, crude protein and Ca under four crops of amaranthus

Amount ofresidues

Regression equation R2Regression Coefficient

Crop 1

Crop 2

Crop 3

Crop 4

Y= 0.081 + 1.475x1 - 6.8442+ 6.782x3 + 0.266x4 + 0.252x5+ 0.041x6 + 1.638x7 + 3.41x8

Y = 0.44 + 1.09x1 + 7.084x2 +0.573x3 + 2.180x4 + 1.78x5 +1.07x6 + 0.669x7 + 4.41x8

Y= 0.53 + 1.84x1 + 0.07x2 +0.08x3 + 0.12x4+ 1.29x5 +2.06x6 + 1.06x7 + 4.38x8

Y - 0.184 +0.839x1 + 2.037x2+ 3.78x3 + 0.30x4 + 0.22x5 +0.05x6 + 2.152x7 + 3.56x8

0.90

0.92

0.94

Note : X, = %N, ^ = %Mg, X3 = Na, X4 = p, X5 = %k, X6 = %ash, X7 = %Ca and X8 = Crude protein

amaranthus is presented in Table 5. The R2values for crops 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 0.90, 0.92,0.94 and 0.98 respectively. The implication isthat leaf nutrient contents accounted for 90, 92,94 and 98% in the yield variations of amaranthusrespectively.

The bar graphs showing the effect of thesole agro-industrial biomass on leaf Mg, N, leafarea and leaf yield of amaranthus under thefour crops were presented in Figs. ly 2, 3, and 4respectively. The graphs also revealed that therewas a progressive increase in these parametersfrom crop 1 to crop 4 of amaranthus respectively.

DISCUSSIONThe agro-industrial biomass such as wood ash,rice bran, cocoa husk, spent grain and sawdustwere lower in plant nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca,Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn compared to theanimal manure such as poultry, pig and goatdung. Hence, they have a high C:N ratio andwere expected to decompose more slowly. Thus,the combination of the animal manure with lowC:N was also expected to improve theeffectiveness of the agro-industrial wastes as asource of plant nutrients.

Rice bran and sawdust have relatively highC:N ratios compared to cocoa husk, spent grainand wood ash and this could be responsible fortheir greater resistance to decomposition andbeing less efficient in returning plant nutrientsfor the use of crops.

The agro-industrial biomass such as cocoahusk, wood ash and spent grain had relativelyhigh N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents; hence, theywere more effective in improving the leafnutrients growth and yield of amaranthus. Thegenerally low leaf status of N, P, K, Ca and Mgash content and crude protein and poor growthparameters such as plant height, stem girth, leafarea and root length recorded for the control(no fertilizer; no manure) treatment might betraced to the initial poor soil fertility andcontinuous cultivation which had affected theleaf and application of agro-industrial wastes toenhancement of crop productivity in the tropics(Agboola 1982c).

Spent grain, wood ash and cocoa husk gavethe best yield of amaranthus, this was consistentwith the fact that spent grain had the best Caand Mg contents of amaranthus leaf. Wood ashhad relatively low C:N (11.76) and the highestCa, K, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn contents comparedwith other agro-wastes and it was also reflectedin the best values of leaf N, K, crude protein andash of amaranthus.

Cocoa husk had the least C:N (11.11) whichimplies that it decomposes faster and makes itsnutrients more easily available compared withspent grain, rice bran and saw dust. Cocoa huskhad the best leaf P and fairly high leaf N, K, Ca,Mg crude protein and ash contents. Cocoa huskhas been found to be a good source of K formaize (Adu-Daaph et al 1994).


E. I. MOYINJESU

0 120

Plant residues

Fig. 1: The effect of plant residues on % leaf Mgunder four crops of amaranthus

# 1.500

Fig. 2: The effect of plant residues on % leafnitrogen of amaranthus under four crops

m 1

nE 1st Crop

• 2nd Crop

D3rd Crop i

4th Crop !

Plant residues

1st Crop

2nd Crop

! n 3rd Crop

ID 4th Crop

Fig. 3: The effect of plant residues on leaf area(cm2) of amaranthus under four crops

Fig. 4: The effect of plant residues on amaranthusleaf yield (t/ha) gross plot under four crops



amaranthus

crop. Accordingly, the amaranthus crop grownwith sawdust and rice bran had the least yield,N, K, Ca, ash P, Mg contents and growthparameters. The poor performance attributedto sawdust and rice bran agreed with the factthat these residues had the least nutrient contentscompared with wood ash, cocoa husk and spentgrain. Sawdust had the least values of N, P, K,Ca, Mg and Zn while rice bran had relatively lowN, Ca, Mg and Zn contents. Both sawdust andrice bran had C/N ratios of 75 and 23 respectivelywhich would have reduced their rate ofdecomposition and nutrient release to crops.

The finding that the amendment of spentgrain with pig and poultry manure gave thebetter values of amaranthus leaf yield in the fourcrops than NPK fertilizer, amended forms ofwood ash, cocoa husk, rice bran and saw dust,could be attributed to the enhancement of itsnutrient nutrients contents. This was alsoreflected in having the best leaf P, K, Ca, Mgand ash contents and these observations agreedwith the work of Folorunso (1999) whichreported that spent grain amended with pig andpoultry manure gave the best yield of kora andamaranthus. He attributed this performance tothe fact that spent grain reduced most soil bulkdensity which would have enhanced root growth,nutrient and water uptake. Besides, the highnutrient supplying power of spent grain + poultrymanure to the crop was also mentioned as acontributory factor. The fact that amendmentof spent grain, wood ash, cocoa husk, rice branand sawdust with animal manure improved theplant height, leaf area, stem girth, root length,leaf nutrient status and leaf yield of amaranthusbetter than their sole forms agreed with thework of Titilayo (1982) which reported thenutrients' superiority of organically amendedfertilizers over their sole forms.

Furthermore, Olayinka (1980) reported thatamendment of sawdust with poultry manureincreased maize plant height, dry matter yield,soil organic matter and uptake of N, P, K, Caand Mg. Olayinka and Adebayo (1984) had alsofound that amendment of sawdust with dairymanure enhanced its decomposition.

The performance of NPK fertilizer in theimprovement of growth parameters ofamaranthus plant is consistent with the fairly

high contents of leaf N, P and K.The N, P, and K in the fertilizer are expected

to be more readily available than those suppliedby organic sources. Nitrogen is known to bemainly responsible for plant growth and proteinsynthesis (Ojeniyi 1984). Shortage of P isassociated with reduction in plant growth and Kis essential for carbon hydrate formation,synthesis of protein and promotion ofmersitematic tissue (Tisdale and Nelson 1966).

However, as a result of continuous use ofNPK fertilizer, the leaves of amaranthus weremarginally burnt especially in the third andfourth crops and this could be adduced to anincreased high ratio of K/Ca, K/Mg and P/Mgthat resulted in nutrient interaction. It alsoagreed with the observation of Ojeniyi (1984)and Folorunso et al (1995) who indicated thatthe continuous use of inorganic fertilizers mightlead to nutrient imbalance, hidden hunger incrops and poor nutrient uptake.

The high R2 values showing the relationshipbetween the amaranthus leaf yield and leafnutrient contents justified the fact that the useof agro industrial biomass encouraged increasedharvest of leaf yield and this is of greatimportance to the amaranthus producers whowill realise more income from the produce.

CONCLUSIONApplication of wood ash, ground cocoa husk,rice bran, spent grain and sawdust increasedavailability of nutrients to amaranthus, therebyincreasing its leaf yield. Wood ash, spent grainand cocoa husk were more effective while theamendment of the residues with animal manureincreased their effectiveness as sources of plantnutrients.

REFERENCESADU-DAAPH, H.K, J. K COBBINA and E. O. ASARE.

1994. Effect of cocoa pod ash on the growthof maize. Journal ofAgric. Science Cambridge132: 31-33.

AGBOOLA, A. A. 1982C. Organic maturing andgreen maturing in tropical agriculturalsystem. In Proceedings of 12th InternationalCongress of Soil Science, p. 198-212, 8-16 Feb,New Delhi, India.

A.O.A.C. 1970. Official Method of Analysis. 11 th ed.Washington D.C: Association of AnalyticalChemists.


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AWETO, A. O. and H. K. AYUBA. 1993. Effect of

continuous cultivation with animal manuringon a sub-sahelian soil near Maiduguri NorthEastern, Nigeria. Biological Agriculture andHorticulture 9: 343-352.

AYANLAJA, S. A and J. O. SANWO. 1991.

Management of soil organic matter in theforming systems of the low and humid tropicsof West Africa, A. Review. Soil Technology 4:176-178.

FOLORUNSO, O. O., A. A. AGBOOLA and G.O.

ADEOYE. 1995. Use of fractional recovery inSouthwestern Nigeria. Journal of TechnicalEducation NBTE 1 & 2: p. 57-67.

FOLORUNSO, O. O. 1999. Use of plant residues forimproving soil fertility and yield of okra(Abelmoschus esculentum Moench L) andAmaranthus {Amaranthus viridis L.) Ph.DThesis, Federal University of Technology,Akure.

JACKSON, M. L. 1964. Soil Chemical Analysis, p. 86-92. Englewood Cliffs N.J.: Prentice Hall,Inc.

OJENIYI, S. O. 1984. Compound chemicalfertilizer and food crop production. Effectsof NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer on pepper, cowpeaand maize. Nigeria Journal of Applied Science2: 91-95.

OLAYINKA, A. and A. ADEBAYO. 1984. The effectof methods of application of sawdust onplant growth, nutrient uptake and soilchemical properties. Ife Journal ofAgric: 36-44.

TISDALE, S. L. and W. L. NELSON. 1966. Soil Fertilityand Fertilizers, p. 20-26. New York: MacmillanPublishing Ltd.

TITILAYO, E. O. 1982. The evaluation of varioustypes of organic wastes as sources of nutrientsfor growth and yield of maize. Ph.D Thesis,University of Ibadan. p. 70-80.

WALKLEY, A. and I. A. BLACK. 1934. An

examination of Degtajaroff method fordetermining soil organic acid filtrationmethod. Soil Science 37: 29-38.

(Received: 16 July 2001)(Accepted: 30 November 2002)


incorporation of agro-industrial biomass and their effects on growth

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