S21 - Session P1 - Growth and nutrient content of sprouted plantain (Musa AAB) bits in response to organic fertilizers

Authors: Isaac Ore Aiyelaagbe *, Mercy Owoeye

Plantain (Musa AAB ) is a staple for more than 150 million people in West and Central Africa. Increased demand for organic food due to their envisaged health benefits has led to interest in commercial organic production of food crops such as plantain. This has in turn led to production and marketing of diverse new organic inputs such as fertilizers. At the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta southwest Nigeria, the efficacy of Sunshine Organic Fertilizer - a new organic fertilizer brand for the cultivation of plantain was compared with that of poultry manure (PM) which is the standard organic fertilizer used by farmers, or a no fertilizer control. Both fertilizers were applied in a single dose to 3-month-old sprouted plantain cv. Agbagba bits potted in 10kg of soil at rates equivalent to 10, 20 or 40 t/ha. The rates were assigned in a split-plot arrangement fitted into a completely randomized design with four replicates. Twelve weeks after application, Sunshine Organic Fertilizer significantly enhanced foliar N content, plant height, leaf area, canopy diameter and total dry matter accumulation better than poultry manure. Furthermore, plants fertilized with poultry manure contained significantly more Cu and Mn. Fertilizer application rates were significant for plant height and canopy diameter. The effects of 20t or 40 t/ha did not differ significantly, but both elicited significantly better growth than control or 10t/ha. Except for plant height, there was no interaction between fertilizer type and rate of application. In the interim, application of 20t/ha of Sunshine Organic Fertilizers is recommended for organic production of plantain in southwest Nigeria since it is superior to poultry manure or growing plantain without organic fertilizers.