EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF POULTRY MANURE UNDER IRRIGATION INTERVALS ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF LATE-SEASON GARDEN CRESS (Lepidium sativum l.) IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA.

A field trial on the effects of different levels of poultry manure under irrigation intervals on the growth and yield of Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Omuma. The experiment was arranged in a Factorial Design fitted into a Randomized Complete Block Design replicated (4) four times. The seeds of garden cress were planted via a broadcast method using a plastic cover of Coca-Cola to ensure a uniform plant population. The treatments were poultry manure levels of 0t/ha, 3t/ha. 6t/ha and 9t/ha which were incorporated into the soil two (2) weeks before planting. Watering can be used to apply water to the crop manually at one (1) and two (2) day intervals. Data were collected on plant height and the number of leaves/plant at 2, 4. 6 weeks after planting, whereas leaf yield was determined at harvest 8 weeks after planting. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that 9 t/ha poultry manure under one (1) day irrigation interval produced the highest leaf yield of 4±0.21 t/ha and other parameters evaluated. The lowest yield of 1.0±0.05 t/ha was obtained using 0 t/ha poultry manure under two (2) days irrigation interval