Assessment of Fertilizer Activity of Human Urine and Wood Ash on Growth of Amaranthus in a field Experiment, Bayero University Kano.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67601/njbls.v3i2a.56Keywords:
Nutrient recycling, Plant growth, Soil amendment, Sustainable agricultureAbstract
As response to poor soil quality or low nutrient levels of our soil, the application of conventional fertilizer to boost yield became very popular with farmers in Kano State particularly. Prohibitive cost and adulteration are some of the challenges of fertilizer use. In rural areas, some farmers resort to the use of household waste largely composed of compounds of ashes and decayed food materials. In this study, the effectiveness of urine and Anogeissus leiocarpa ash was tested on common spinach, Amaranthus in a field experiment. Urine was selectively collected, stored in a plastic jerry can for 60 days. The dry wood of Anogeissus leiocarpa was combusted to ash. Some of the concentrated urine was diluted by distilled water to 50%. 50% and 100% concentrated urine showed different performance on growth (plant height) of Amaranthus. By the 7th week of the test, the performance of 50% concentrated urine was better than 100% concentrated. The mean height of the plant for 50% was 31.3cm while for 100% it was 26.3cm. The treatment with 400g and 200g of wood ash recorded mean values of 18.68 and 19.50 respectively. The difference observed by these two test materials was not significant. The main finding of this study is that 50% concentrated urine is more effective in promoting growth (plant height) in the plant Amaranthus. In conclusion, both test materials, urine and wood ash are potential plant growth promoting compounds compared to control thus acting as fertilizers. However, further investigation is required to determine the most effective concentration level of urine as well as ash on vegetables and other crop plants.
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