Influence of Abattoir Waste Blood Meal on Soil Chemical Properties, Growth and Yield of African Chili Pepper (<i>Capsicum Frutescens</i>) in Nutrient Deficient-tropical Soil

The use of chemical fertilizers as soil amendment has improved crop yields in sub-Saharan Africa successfully. Unfortunately, they appear to be expensive and readily unavailable to farmers. They are also believed to cause soil acidity, eutrophication and emit greenhouse gases. This current field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of blood meal from abattoir blood waste on soil chemical properties (pH, organic Carbon, total Nitrogen, available Phosphorus, and exchangeable Potassium), the concentration of macro elements (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium) and microelements (Copper, Zinc, and Iron) as well as the growth and yield of African chili pepper relative to chemical fertilizer. The study comprised four treatments: blood meal, conventional NPK, combination of blood meal and chemical NPK, and control with five replications in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The result showed that blood meal significantly improved the soil pH, organic matter content, total Nitrogen, available Phosphorus and exchange Potassium, and the concentration of macro and microelements in pepper relative to chemical fertilizer and control. Also, Blood meal in combination with chemical fertilizer significantly improved the soil pH, organic matter content, total Nitrogen, available Phosphorus and exchange Potassium, and the concentration of macro and microelements in pepper compared to the chemical fertilizer and control The study also revealed that the application of blood meal significantly resulted in 7.6%, 32.9% and 398.7% fruit yield increase relative to the combination of blood meal and chemical NPK, conventional NPK alone and control. The application of blood meal from abattoir blood waste can improve soil chemical properties, nutrient concentration, growth and yield of African Chili pepper under field conditions.