Impact of Poultry Manure and its Associated Salinity on the Growth and Yield of Spinach (Spinacea oleracea) and Carrot (Daucus carota)

This study was conducted to assess the effects of poultry manure and its associated salinity on the yield of spinach and carrot. Samples from three textural distinct soils Calcisol, Arenosol and Luvisol were mixed with poultry manure (at 5, 10, 20 & 40% manure application rate) into equally sized pots. After three weeks following germination, the spinach and carrot seedlings were transplanted in these mixed samples, watered and monitored until the crops reached maturity. Data regarding the yield and related traits such as shoots length, area of the edible part, fresh and dry biomass were recorded during the course of experimentation. There was substantial decrease in both cropsʹ shoot length with increasing application rate up to 20% rate and virtually no growth observed in the 40% treatment suggesting the adverse effects of poultry manure on plant yield. Similarly, poultry manure induced the salinity of the samples with reduction in crop yields. Carrots were more severely affected (with virtually no growth observed even in the addition of 5% manure) because of its high sensitivity. Irrespective of the treatments, Arenosols yielded best results than other soil types, while spinach crop performed better than carrots probably due to the high sensitivity of carrot to salinity. © 2010 Friends Science Publishers