Comparative effects of poultry droppings and cow dung rates on the growth and yield of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) in Wukari, Southern Guinea Savannah

A field study was conducted at Federal University Wukari Teaching and Research Farm during the 2022 cropping season to investigate the effects of poultry droppings and cow dung on the growth and yield of sweet pepper in Wukari.The randomized complete block design was adopted for the experiment and replicated thrice, on a 3 m × 2 m plot.The treatments consist of different rates of cow dung and poultry droppings of 5 tons/ha, 10 tons/ha and 15 tons/ha, which were compared to the untreated control samples.The growth parameters were measured at 2, 4 and 6 weeks after transplanting while the yield parameters were taken at maturity.Results showed that using both cow dung and poultry droppings significantly increased the growth parameters of sweet pepper compared to the control.At six (6) weeks after transplanting, the highest growth parameters were obtained in the 15 tons/ha poultry droppings treatment with 101.1±1.31leaves, 33.4±2.20 cm plant height, 2.8±0.15cm stem girth, 21.3±3.69secondary branches, 32.8±4.18flower pods and 20.1±5.32 cm2 leaf area.The yield of sweet pepper also significantly increased using of both poultry droppings and cow dung.The mean number of fruits per plant was highest in the 15 tons/ha poultry droppings treatment (21.9±2.76) and lowest in the control -no treatment (6.7±1.28), the mean yield per plant was highest in the 15 tons/ha poultry droppings treatment (3.32±0.22kg), and lowest in the control -no treatment (0.78±0.02 kg) and the mean yield per plot was highest in the 15 tons/ha poultry droppings treatment (38.75±2.18kg) and lowest in the control -no treatment (8.76±1.21kg).These findings revealed that applying poultry droppings at the rate of 15 tons/ha or more will enhance the growth and yield of sweet pepper significantly and might be viable alternative to chemical fertilizers.