Effect Of Organic And Inorganic Amendments On Soil Physio - Chemical Properties And Growh Of Cocoyam (Colocasia esculelta (L) Schott)

ABSTRACT

The effect of Rice mill Waste (RMW) in combination with or without N.P.K 15:15:15 on some physico-chemical properties of an Ultisol in umudike, southeastern Nigeria, WS studied. The experiment comprised treatments (0 and 2.5, 5, 10 and 20tIha RMW combined with 200 and 00kg/ha 1TPK, 30t/hn RMW alone and 400kih NPK alone) rfly wcro !dd out in a ra d.omi:cd complete block design replieated 3 times. Dn.a eoccted were subjected to analysis of vaiance. Resuhs showed tht r1tive to hc control, amended plots performed better with regard to the. hysical a[anetcrs ireasurcd. Ap1ication of RMW alone at 30t/ha icieased meanweight diamettr (M WD) water -stable aggregates and. waled hvdrauie conductivity (Ksal) by 11 0 and 32% rcsncctivelv, (-o resulted in about % decrease in disperaion ration (Dk). Simihwiy, Hp1ication of 3 Ut/ha RMW increa3ed the organic matter (OM), vaiiab1e F, total N nad ox aoge)1e properties over the control. pH measured in v'ater improved in the amended plots over the control whereas that ncasurcd in KCI showed no improvement. Also; amendment with RI'vl W ecd NPK fèrt!izcr im roved the soil prod;vity indicated by increases sucker count and phint height. These results indicate the p tentiais of l. MW in improving 0o rhysicochernicai properties and productivity oF rsdcd socs