Assessment of green manure and NPK fertilizer on soil physical properties, morphological characters, yield, and quality of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.).

Abstract

The soils of the Guinea savannah zone of Nigeria are low in plant nutrients, and crops are primarily cultivated using inorganic fertilizer. However, the cost of inorganic fertilizer is increasing, and many farmers cannot afford it, thus exacerbating an already perilous situation. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ilorin, Nigeria during the 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons to evaluate the influence of NPK fertilizer and leaves of some plants; Chlomoleana odoranta, Parkia biglobosa, Gliricida sepium, Azadirachta indica, Tithonia diversifolia and Panicum maximum as green manure on the growth and yield of sesame. Data were collected on soil properties, growth, morphological characters, yield, and quality of sesame. The results showed that incorporating green manures at 20 Mg/ha reduced the soil bulk density (14.1% and 13.3%), improved porosity (16.1% and 18.9%) in both seasons compared to NPK-treated, and control plots. G. sepium also produced the highest plant height (23.4% and 15.6%), number of leaves (33.3% and 39.2%), leaf area (58.3% and 57.5%), and leaf area index (58.5% and 57.6%) more than the control plot in both seasons. G. sepium-treated plot produced the highest yield, which was 58.3% and 62.3% better than the control plot. The incorporation of 20 Mg/ha G. sepium as green manure improved soil physical and chemical properties and the yield of sesame. The use of 20 Mg/ha G. sepium as green manure is recommended for resource poor farmers as it will improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil.