POULTRY MANURE RATE FOR POT-PLANT BITTER LEAF (Vernonia amygdalina Del.) PRODUCTION IN A HUMID RAINFOREST ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Recommended agronomic practices for sustainable production of bitter leaf, especially in Anambra state, Nigeria where the leaves are used to prepare special soup delicacy, is scarce despite the local and global nutritional and pharmaceutical utilization of the crop. A preliminary study was therefore conducted to study the growth and yield responses of bitter leaf, grown as pot plants, to poultry manure rates with the objective of determining the optimum manure rate under the aforementioned production system. The poultry manure rates were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 t/ha. The research was carried out as a pot experiment at the Teaching and Research Farm of Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design with ten replications. There was a significant increase in growth and leaf yield with increase in poultry manure rate with the peak at 10 t/ha poultry manure application. Specifically, at 6 months after planting, tallest plants (38.3 cm), widest stems (8 mm) were obtained from plants the received 10 t/ha poultry manure. Highest fresh leaf yield (2.02 t/ha) was recorded in plants that received highest amount of poultry manure (20, 25 and 30 t/ha) though the mean value was statistically at par with 1.98 t/ha leaf yield obtained from the application of 10 t/ha poultry manure. Similarly, the application of 10 t/ha PM enhanced the accumulation of highest dry matter in the leaves (0.79 t/ha) compared to other poultry manure rates. Hence, the application of 10 t/ha poultry manure was recommended for optimum growth and yield of bitter leaf as pot plants in Awka, Nigeria.