Performance of cocoyam (Colocosia esculentus L.) as influenced by organic and inorganic manure in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria

A field trial was conducted to study the performance of cocoyam as influenced by organic and inorganic manure during the 2014 cropping season at the Teaching and Research Farm of Samaru College of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Treatments consist of no manure (control), goat manure, cow dung, and poultry manure each at 10 tons ha-1 and 0, 90, 120 and 150 kg NPK ha-1 and laid out in a split plot design with organic manure assigned to the main plots; whereas inorganic manure to the sub plots with three replications. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters; plant height, number of leaves plant-1, leaf area plant-1, number of corms plant-1, corm yield plot-1 and corm yield hectare-1. Results obtained indicated that growth and yield of cocoyam was lowest in control treatments which showed that the organic manure and inorganic manure used in the study especially poultry manure and 150 kg ha-1 of NPK, positively influenced the yield of cocoyam. Poultry manure and150 kg ha- 1 of NPK positively increased cocoyam plant height, number of leaves plant-1, corm yield plot-1 and corm yield hectare-1 compared to control treatments. There was no significant effect with respect to leaf area plant-1 and number of corms plant-1. Based on the findings of the experiments it could be deduced that poultry manure and NPK rate of 150 kg ha-1 promoted higher growth and yield of cocoyam.