Abstract

The study was carried out in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria from 2010 to 2011 to assess the effect of poultry manure application on growth and performance of potted moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam) plants raised for urban dwellers’ use. Application of five and 10 tonnes/ha of poultry manure to the soil medium ensured consistent increase in the plant height, stem girth, internode length, number of leaves and branches. The control treatment (0 tonne/ha) had the least values of all the morphological characteristics. The 10 tonnes/ha poultry manure treatment gave significant increase (p < 0.05) in the plant growth vigour in the first two months of growth with a decrease in the third month. The interaction effects of accession by poultry manure were significant (p < 0.05) on the days to initial flowering, days to 50% flowering and fresh leaf biomass production/plant but not significant (p > 0.05) on the days to 100% flowering, days to pod formation, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/pod, pod length and pod circumference.  The 10 tonnes/ha poultry manure gave the highest values of all the yield traits in 2011 followed by five tonnes/ha and zero tonne/ha respectively. There were significant accession by manure interaction effects (p < 0.05) on all the yield traits except days to first and 50% flowering. There were lesser days to first, 50%, 100% flowering and pod formation and higher values of all the other yield traits in 2011 than in 2010.

Key words: Nigeria, potted Moringa plants, poultry manure, urban dwellers.