Influence of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer Applications on Sunflower Performance in Derived Savannah Agro-Ecology

Key Points

• The aim is to determine the effects of poultry manure and NPK 20:10:10 on sunflower growth and seed yield.
• Conducted a field experiment with a 4 × 4 factorial design in randomized complete blocks with three replications.
• Applied varying rates of poultry manure (0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha−1) and NPK 20:10:10 (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg ha−1).
• Measured plant growth parameters including height, stem girth, leaves, flowering days, and seed weight.
• Poultry manure at 15 t ha−1 resulted in significantly higher seed yield compared to lower rates (p < 0.05).
• NPK 20:10:10 at 300 kg ha−1 produced the highest seed yield across all treatments.
• Combining poultry manure at 15 t ha−1 with NPK at 300 kg ha−1 optimized growth and production metrics.