organic manure effects on selected soil properties, water use

Application of organic manure showed a significant effect (p<0.05) on dry matter at all growth stages in the second plant season. Then high grain yield in the second growing season may be a result of reporting high WUE. Application of organic manure had a significant effect (p<0.05) on water use efficiency (WUE) in the second growing season.

The WUE recorded the highest values among CM and CM + PM treatments in the second crop season than in the first crop season, while PM recorded the highest WUE value in the first crop season.

Introduction

Background
Problem Statement
Motivation of the Study
Research Objectives

Main objective
Specific objectives

Hypotheses

The solution to this problem lies in improving water use efficiency in the agricultural sector. Improving the efficiency of crop water use will save water for environmental flow requirements and industrial use (Sally and Kamara, 2003). The main objective of this study was to investigate the application of three organic fertilizers on sunflower grain yield, water use efficiency and physical and chemical properties of selected soils under the rainfed conditions in Limpopo Province.

The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of two organic fertilizers and their combination on selected soil properties, yield and water use efficiency of sunflower.

Literature Review

Effects of organic manure on soil physical properties
Effects of organic manure on soil chemical properties
Effects of organic manure on sunflower water use and water use efficiency… 12
Production Levels of Sunflower
Sunflower Production Areas
Uses of Sunflower

Livestock manure also reduced exchangeable acidity and increased exchangeable Ca and Mg. The authors found that all fertilizers did not improve soil organic carbon. In the second growing season, all organic amendments had significant effects on sunflower flower diameter and head weight. Very small quantities of sunflower seeds were produced in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa (DAFF, 2012b).

Sunflower can be used as an edible oil in the form of margarine, sauce oil and cooking oil.

Materials and Methods

Description of the study site
Soil profile description
Organic manure sources and application
Land preparation and experimental layout…
Planting density and spacing
Soil sampling and analysis
Soil physical properties

Bulk density determination
Soil water retention characteristics determination
Infiltration measurements

Soil chemical properties
Change in soil moisture content
Calibration of the NWM
Crop water use and water use efficiency
Biomass sampling and yield determination

Dry matter and leaf area…
Plant height and stem girth determination
Grain yield

Statistical Analysis

Both ends of the core ring were trimmed with a trowel and put on the caps. Where BD is the dry bulk weight in g cm-3, m is the mass of the dry soil in g, and V is the volume of the soil in cm-3. The ceramic plates and core rings containing the soil samples were then saturated for 24 hours to replace air in the soil pores with water.

The gravimetric water content of the samples was then determined by weighing the sample immediately after it was taken from the saturated chamber. The drive plate was placed on top of the rings and the infiltration rings were simultaneously inserted approximately 5 cm vertically into the ground with a shock-absorbing hammer. Cumulative time and time interval were determined by calculating the differences of the time reading on the clock.

The cumulative infiltration (I) was determined by adding up the total amount of water that infiltrated into the soil from the beginning to the end of the measurement. The infiltration curve is plotted from the calculated infiltration rate on the y-axis of the graph and the cumulative time on the x-axis. Field calibration of the NWM (Model 503DR CPN Hydroprobe, Campbell Pacific Nuclear, California and USA) was performed using methods described in Evett and Steiner (1995).

Count ratios were calculated by dividing each depth count by the mean of the standard count. Plant height was measured from the base of the plant to the tip of the uppermost leaf.

Figure 2: Vertical view of the soil profile at the study site

Results

Pre-cropping selected average soil physical and chemical properties
Chemical properties of the organic manure
Climatic conditions
Effect of organic manure on soil physical properties
Effect of organic manure on soil chemical properties
Effect of organic manure on biomass and yield
Crop water use and water use efficiency

Calibration of NWM
Effect of organic manure on WU and WUE

The total rainfall received in the first growing season was about three times greater than the second growing season. Application of organic manure (OM) had no significant effect on aggregate stability, but application of CM and PM recorded almost the highest similar stable fractions at all soil depths (Table 5). The highest pH was recorded by CM + PM (6.27) in the upper layer in the first growing season (Table 7).

Both parameters recorded the highest values in the second harvest season compared to the first harvest season, except for the control treatment where CEC was higher in the first harvest season (Table 7). Potassium and Na showed a significant difference (p<0.05) among the treatments in the second harvest season. Mean values in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different (ns = not significant; CS = growing season; OM = organic fertilizer).

Application of organic fertilizers in the second cropping season resulted in a higher grain yield compared to the first cropping season, except for PM, which consequently decreased by 168% from the first cropping season. Cattle manure + PM and PM recorded the highest WU in the first harvest season and second harvest season, respectively (Table 11). The organic fertilizer application had a significant effect (p<0.05) on WUE in the second harvest season.

Statistically, CM and fertilizer combination treatments (CM + PM) had similar WUE in the second growing season. Means in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different (ns = not significant; CS = growing season; OM = organic fertilizer).

Table 3 shows results of organic manure analysis. The pH of poultry manure (PM) was neutral, whereas cattle manure (CM) was found to be slightly alkaline

Discussion

Effect of organic manure on soil physical properties
Effect of organic manure on soil chemical properties
Effect of organic manure on biomass and yield…
Effect of organic manure on grain yield, head diameter, head dry matter and
Effect of organic manure on s unflower WU and WUE

Poultry application also recorded the highest sunflower stem girth in the second harvest season through the three growth stages (Table 9), unlike in the first harvest season where the combination (CM + PM) application recorded the highest values of sunflower stem girth throughout the three growth stages (Table 9) . The application of organic manure showed a significant effect (p<0.05) on the grain yield in the second cropping season. Similar to the findings of this study, Munir et al. 2007) recorded the highest grain yield under PM application in the first cropping season.

Application of organic fertilizers in the second cropping season (low rainfall) resulted in a higher grain yield compared to the first cropping season, as previously reported by Adebayo et al. However, PM application in the second cropping season resulted in a significant decrease in grain yield by 2061.64 kg ha from the first cropping season (Table 10). The application of organic manure in the first harvest season recorded the highest head diameter compared to the second harvest season in all treatments.

The highest head dry matter value (49.27 g head-1) was recorded by poultry manure application in the first harvest season compared to other treatments. In the second cropping season, manure combination (CM + PM) recorded the highest value followed by poultry application. In general, it was observed that WU in the first cropping season was higher than WU in the second cropping season.

High WUE recorded by PM in the first harvest season can be associated with the highest grain yield obtained. The high grain yield from control, CM and CM + PM in the second growing season resulted in a high WUE compared to the first growing season (Table 11).

Conclusions and recommendations

Although WU in the first cropping season was higher than WU in the second cropping season, WUE was higher in the second cropping season than in the first cropping season except for PM (Table 11). Water use efficiency was high during a season of low rainfall, during which a high grain yield was achieved. Similar to the results of this study, Olalde et al. 2001) reported high total biomass production under low rainfall experimental site resulting in high WUE.

Overall, the use of the three organic fertilizers led to higher grain yield, yield components and WUE compared to the control in both cropping seasons. The lack of positive response from dry matter, grain yield and WUE at the maturity stage of the first growing season may be due to the excessive rainfall experienced at the end of the growing season resulting in fungal diseases, thus causing a decrease of LAI at maturity. From the results of this study, the applied organic fertilizer can be recommended to improve sunflower grain yield, soil density, aggregate stability, infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration of a clay soil.

It can also be recommended that in order to have a significant influence of organic fertilizers on the physical properties of the soil, further similar long-term studies of organic fertilizers are carried out. Based on the results of this study, PM can be recommended as the first choice among the fertilizers used for local smallholder farmers under evenly distributed rainfall. However, it should be noted that in order to make cross-site recommendations based on grain yield and WUE, climatic conditions and soil type must be taken into account, therefore the results obtained in this study are only valid for the specified soil and climatic conditions.

Effects of seed bed preparation methods and organic amendments on soil properties, growth and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in the humid zone of Nigeria. Effects of long-term application of inorganic and organic fertilizers on organic carbon and soil physical properties in a maize–wheat rotation. Long-Term Effects of Organic and Mineral Fertilizer Application on Soil Physical Properties and Maize Yield in Western Kenya, MSc Environmental Science Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Effects of livestock manure on selected smallholder soil physical properties in two soils of Murewa, Zimbabwe. Effects of chicken manure on soil properties under sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] crop in Swaziland. Effects of tillage on runoff from a bare clay soil in a semi-arid ecotope in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

Effect of poultry manure on soil physical properties, nutrient uptake and yield of coconut coat (Xanthosoma saggitifolium) in South West Nigeria. Studies on soil amended with poultry manure and its effects on yield and yield components of pumpkin. Effect of poultry manure on soil physiochemical properties, aggregate stability and biomass yield of Panicum maximum.

Effects of farmyard manure and application of inorganic fertilizers on soil physicochemical properties and nutrient balance in rainfed lowland rice ecosystem. Effects of organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers on yield of brinjal and soil properties.