Phytotoxicity Assessment of Different Animal Manure on Selected Vegetable Crops in Kashere Community, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study evaluated the phytotoxicity effect of poultry, goat and cow manure on Okra, Tomato and Pepper vegetables using appropriate standard methods.  In the current study, of the three different manure collected and used on the three vegetable crops, GI value of <50% was recorded on Okra and Pepper seeds mounted on PM medium (48.51% and 41.36% respectively), GI value of between 50% and 80% was recorded on Okra, Tomato and Pepper seeds mounted on GM medium (64.76%, 79.77% and 73.70% respectively) also Pepper seeds mounted on CM medium (76.48%) and Tomato seeds mounted on PM medium (75.41%) while GI Value of >80% was observed on Okra and Tomato Seeds mounted on a CM medium (81.63% and 94.10% respectively). Overall result of all the animal manure evaluated, poultry manures was phytotoxic on okra and pepper seed and moderately phytotoxic on Tomato seed based on the plant bioassay evaluated. It is possible that other chemicals that were not analyzed in this study could potentially be responsible for the phytotoxic effects of poultry manure on the vegetable seeds, indicating that some curing in the form of composting or vermicomposting may be necessary to degrade or reduce the presence of phytotoxic compounds in the poultry manure used for the study before use as soil amendments and thus would help to render the resultant end product environmentally safer.