Comparative evaluation of urea Super Granule (USG) and Prilled Urea (PU) on growth and yield of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) at Samaru, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted during the 2018 and 2019 wet seasons to determine the effects of urea super granule (USG) and prilled urea  (PU) on growth, yield and yield components of chilli pepper. The experiment was laid down in a randomized complete block design  (RCBD) and replicated three times. The treatments consist of the control, unfertilized plot (F1), 100% N-urea super granule (F2), 100% N- prilled urea (F3), 75% N- urea super granule + 25% N-FYM (F4), 75% N-prilled urea + 25% N-FYM (F5), 75% N- urea super granule (F6) and  75% N-prilled urea (F7). Results of the investigation revealed that F2 significantly enhanced the production of fresh fruits yield ha^-1 , dry  fruit yield ha^-1 , number of fruits plant^-1 , total revenue, gross margin, and cost benefit ratio. From the results, it was observed that  application of USG had positive impact on yield of chilli pepper than the conventional PU; and could save about 20% N fertilizer. Therefore, it could be concluded that application of USG, as a source of N showed better performance and found to be more economic  viable than the conventional PU for chilli production in the study area.