Effect of composted animal manure on growth and development in Napier Pakchong (Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum glaucum)

Napier Pakchong ( Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum glaucum ) is the main forage grass used as a livestock food source. The application of organic fertilizer can reduce reliance on inorganic fertilizer and enhance Napier Pakchong's growth and development. This experiment was conducted in a greenhouse for four months to determine the growth rate of Napier Pakchong upon using a combination of organic fertilizers and NPK fertilizer and to identify the most suitable organic waste fertilizer with NPK for optimal growth and yield. The study employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications and four treatments: T1– Standard application of NPK 15:15:15 (90 g), T2 – NPK 15:15:15 (70 g) + Composted Chicken Dung (2 kg), T3 – NPK 15:15:15 (70 g) + Composted Cow Dung (2 kg), and T4 – NPK 15:15:15 (70 g) + Composted Horse Dung (2 kg). The measured parameters included live tiller count, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight (g), and soil pH. The treatment using cow dung with reduced NPK (T3) outperformed all others, exhibited 233% higher tiller count, 242% increase in fresh weight and 345% increase in dry weight compared to NPK only (T1). It can be deduced that NPK 15:15:15 (70 g) + composted cow dung (2 kg) can be the most suitable fertilizer combination to promote Napier Pakchong growth while reducing dependency on inorganic fertilizers.