Soil chemical properties as influenced by poultry manure source and application rates

Poultry manure application to soil has been a good way to restore and improve soil health. However, it is mostly used in combination with inorganic fertilizer, which in the long run, the inorganic fertilizer may have a negative effect on soil health. Therefore, a laboratory experiment (incubation study) was conducted at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, to investigate how soil chemical properties are affected by different sole poultry manure sources and application rates. The experiment was a 3 x 5 factorial experiment laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD), consisting of three poultry manure sources, including deep litter, battery cage, and local, and five application rates (0, 5, 10, 15and 20 tons/ha) in three replications. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were separated using least significant difference (LSD) at 5% probability level. Results showed that poultry manure exerted a significant effect on available soil phosphorus, organic carbon, and total nitrogen. Additionally, greater improvements in all soil chemical properties were observed with increasing manure application rates, with application at 20 tons/ha being the most effective. However, future research is needed to better understand the practical application of different manure sources and various application rates on soil and crop performance.