Effect of Poultry Manure Rates on Growth and Yield of Three Species of Pepper (Capsicum spp.) in Awka, Southeastern Nigeria

Pepper is one of the most important vegetable in the sub-sahara Africa, however, production is still limited by low soil fertility. Hence, the objective of this paper was to assess the effect of poultry manure rates on growth and yield of three Capsicum spp pepper (green pepper, nsukka yellow pepper, red bell pepper) species in Awka, Southeastern Nigeria using standard methods. The initial chemical composition of the soil and composition after the application of poultry manure was determined. Data collected include plant height (cm), number of leaf, leaf area (cm2), stem girth (mm), number of days to 50% flowering, fruit per plant and fresh fruit yield (kg ha-1), fruit length, fruit circumference, fruit diameter, number of locus, number of seeds and fruit thickness. All the data were subjected to analysis of variance using the ANOVA method and difference between treatments means were determined using least significant difference test (LSD). Result showed that the application of poultry manure significantly increased soil fertility with a corresponding increase in growth and yield. Application rate of 8,000kg/ha is also recommended for optimum growth.