International Research Journals

 Journal

 Effects Of Number Of Nodes Per Cutting And Goat Dung On The Growth Of Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia Seguine JACQ) Under Screen-house Conditions In Nigeria

 Ayodele O.P., Ewulo B.S. And Adenawoola A.R.

 2011

Two identical completely randomized screen house experiments were undertaken in the Department ofCrop, Soil and Pest Management, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria to evaluate thegrowth response of Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia seguine) to different cutting nodes and potting mediamade with varying levels of goat dung. In preparing the media, top soil, collected from the dept of 0-15cm and sand (grade used for plastering houses) were both sieved to remove stones, pebbles andother foreign materials and then mixed together in ratio 3:1. The goat dung was air dried before theapplication at various levels. Treatments involved the use of two and three nodes per cutting in factorialcombination with five levels of goat dung at 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% (by volume of goat dung). The use ofthree nodes per cutting resulted to higher shoot and root weights than that of two nodes. Increase ingoat dung level above 10% led to reduction in number of leaves produced, average leaf area and theweights of both the shoot and root while cuttings with three nodes planted in 10% goat dung tended toput up the best growth performance. Application of high rates of goat dung irrespective of the numberof nodes per cutting is not advisable for the growth of D. seguine. 

 International Journal Of Organic Agriculture Research & Development

 Journal

 Effect Of Weed Residues On Growth, Tuber Yield And Leaf Nutrient Content Of Yam In Southwest Nigeria

 Ewulo, B.S, Adeniyan, B.O, And Ojeniyi, S.O

 2011

of Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia), Siam weed (Chromolaenaodorata), Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum), and Guinea grass(Panicum maximum (Jacq)) on yam (Discorea rotundata) growthparameters, tubers yield, leaf nutrient content and soil physical propertiesat two locations in Southwest Nigeria. These mulch residues were appliedat 10 t/ha making a total of five treatments with the control. The mulchesincreased vine length, number of branches and leaves tuber weight, leaf N,P, K, Ca and Mg contents significantly (P<0.05). Mexican sunflower andSiam had similar effect, likewise Guinea grass and Elephant grass. Soilmoisture for plots treated with Mexican sunflower, Siam weed, Elephantgrass, Guinea grass and control were 9.95, 9.1, 8.6, 7.7, 6.9% respectively,.Mexican sunflower most conserve soil temperature, followed by Siamweed, Elephant grass and Guinea grass. There were no significantdifferences in bulk density of soil treated with mulch at Akure, whileMexican sunflower had the least value of bulk density at both site 

 International Journal Of Organic Agriculture Research & Development

 Journal

 Effect Of Cocoa Pod Husk On Growth, Yield And Nutrient Status Of Tomato In Southwest Nigeria

 Ewulo, B.S; Ojeniyi, S.O; And Odedina, S.A

 2011

The use of cocoa pod husk in improving soil and tomatoes yield is of importance in Nigeriain view of the sizeable amount of cocoa pod husk generated and often wasted. In order totest the effectiveness of ground cocoa pod husk (CPH) as nutrient source for tomato: 0, 5,10, 15, 20 and 25 t ha-1 CPH and N.P.K (15:15:15) fertilizer (NPKF) at 200 kg ha-1 wereapplied to soil. The treatments were applied to early and late crops grown at two sites atAkure, Southwest Nigeria. The test soils were deficient in organic matter, P, and Ca.Growth and fruit yield data were collected and leaf analysis was done. Leaf area, plantheight and number of branches increased with level of CPH. Increase in growthparameters given by 20 t ha-1 CPH and NPKF were similar. Leaf P, K, Ca and Mgconcentrations increased with level of CPH. Compared with NPK, 15, 20, and 25 t ha-1CPH increased leaf K, Ca and Mg concentration. CPH application increased fruit weight,and increases by 10, 15, 20, 25 t ha-1 CPH and NPKF were significant (p>0.05). Increasesin fruit yield by application of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 t ha-1 CPH and NPKF were 86, 503, 397,658, 747 and 653% respectively. 

 Research Journal Of Agriculture, ISSN (Online): 2378 – 9018.

 Journal

 Reduced Tillage Effect On Soil Physico-chemical Properties, Growth And Yield Of Maize In Gleysol And Ultisol Of Kogi State, Nigeria.

 Babatunde, I. J., Ewulo, B. S., Agele, S. O. And Ogundare, S. K.

 2010

Field experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of reduced tillage methods on soil properties and maize performance on Ultisol and Glysol of Kogi State. The sites of the experiments were on ultisol at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Ejiba anda glysol at Ahmadu Bello University, Division of Agricultural Colleges, College of Agriculture, Kabba. Treatment consisted of five tillage methods namely; Zero Tillage(ZT), Mannual Tillage (MT), Plough Alone (PA), Plough +Harrow (PH), and Plough +Harrow + Ridge(PHR). The treatments were replicated three times. Soil physical properties such as bulk density, porosity, moisture content, temperature, macro and micro porosity and chemical properties such as soil pH, Organic matter, N, P, K, Ca,Mg, CEC and Base Saturation were examined before and at the end of the experiment. Maize growth parameters (stem girth, leaf area and plant height) were collected at two weeks interval. Days to 50% tasseling were taken. Yield parameters (seed weight, 1000seed weight,number of seed per cob and seed yield t/ha) were collected at harvest. Leaf tissue analysis was carried out on leaves collected at tasseling to determine leaf nutrient. The results showed that tillage significantly (P 

 American Eurasian Network For Scientific Information

 Journal

 Sawdust Ash And Urea Effect On Soil And Plant Nutrient Content And Yield Of Tomato

 Ewulo, B.S, Babadele, O.O, Ojeniyi S.O

 2009

Field experiment was carried out at two sites in Akure in the rainforest zone of Southwest Nigeria to studyrelative effect of combined use of sawdust ash (SDA) and urea (U) on soil chemical properties, nutrient status,growth and fruit yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculantum Mill). The soils in experimental sites were low innitrogen and phosphorous. The treatments replicated three times on tomato seedlings were the control (no SDA,no urea), 240 kg ha-1 U, 4.5 t ha-1 SDA + 60 kg ha-1 U, 3.0 t ha-1 SDA + 120 kg ha-1 U, 1.5 t ha-1 SDA +180 kg ha-1 U, and 6 t ha-1 SDA. The SDA urea and their co application increased soil organic matter (OM),N, P, K, Ca and Mg relative to the control. The SDA gave highest soil pH, OM, available P, exchangeableK, Ca and Mg. Urea reduced soil pH. The SDA, Urea and their coapplications at r educed levels increasedleaf N, P, KM Ca and Mg controls relative to control. Urea gave highest leaf N, while SDA gave highest leafP, Ca and Mg. The SDA, urea and their combined use increase plant height, number of leaves, stem girth, rootand leaf weight, biomats and number and weight of fruits. Urea gave highest values of fruit and number offruits, and was followed by SDA and 1.5 t ha-1 SDA + 180 kg ha-1 U respectively. Compared with control,urea, 6t ha-1 SDA, 1.5t ha-1 SDA + 180kg ha-1 U, 3.0 t ha-1 SDA + 120 kg ha-1 U, 4.5 t ha-1 SDA + 60 kgha-1 U increased fruit weight by 103, 81, 67, 56 and 47% respectively. The equivalent increases in numberof fruits were 236, 164, 136, 118 and 55%. It is concluded that SDA can be used to complement urea intomato production but cannot replace urea. 

 African Journal Of Agricultural Research. Academic Journals

 Journal

 Effect Of Poultry Manure On Selected Soil Physical And Chemical Properties, Growth, Yield And Nutrient Status Of Tomato

 Ewulo, B. S., Ojeniyi.S. O. And Akanni, D. A.

 2008

In order to study the effect of poultry manure additions on nutrient availability, soil physical andchemical properties and yield of tomato, five levels of the manure, namely 0, 10, 25, 40 and 50 t ha-1 wereapplied at Akure, Southwest Nigeria. The soil at the two experimental sites were slightly acidic, low inorganic matter, N, P, and Ca. Poultry manure increased soil organic matter, N and P. Soil bulk densitywere reduced and moisture content increased with levels of manure. Manure applications increased leafN, P, K, Ca and Mg concentrations of tomato, plant height, number of branches, root length, numberand weight of fruits. The 25 t ha-1 poultry manure gave highest leaf P, K, Ca and Mg and yield relative tocontrol. The 10, 25, 40 and 50 t ha-1 manure levels increased average fruit weight by 58, 102, 37 and 31%respectively. 

 WFLPublisher Science And Technology

 Journal

 Organic Matter And Okra Growth And Yield Examination On Sandy Loam Soil Amended With Cattle And Pig Manure In Humid Southwest Nigeria

 S. Ewulo Babatunde

 2008

Particulate organic matter (POM) is quick and easy for fungi and bacteria to decompose and the C and energy provided readily available. It isbiologically active with a short turnover rate. In order to determine soil organic carbon (SOC) and N storage in whole soil (WS) and POM fordifferent levels of cattle and pig manure and to compare their effect on soil nutrient and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) growthand yield, a screenhouse experiment was established. The experiment involved sandy loam soil (60% sand, 26% silt, 14% clay) amended withfour levels (20, 40, 60 and 80 g kg-1 soil) of pig and cattle manure respectively and a control (0 g kg-1 soil). Seeds of a short duration variety(NHAe 47-4) were planted. Soil samples were collected for chemical analysis and selected plant growth parameters (plant height, number of leavesand stem girth) were monitored at the second, fourth, sixth and eighth weeks after planting. Yield parameters (okra pod weight, length and diameter)were determined at five harvests. Soil samples were analysed for whole soil and particulate organic matter C and N content, whole soil pH, Ca, Mg,K, P and Na were also determined. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and means separated using least significant difference(LSD) at p = 0.05. C:N ratio, C and N enrichment were calculated and correlation and regression equation established for whole soil and particulateorganic matter C and N. Cattle and pig manure significantly increased WS O.C., pH, P, K, Ca and Na, with the exception of Mg, it also significantlyincreased okra stem girth, pod weight, pod length and pod diameter with the exception of plant height and number of leaves. Cattle and pig manurealso significantly increased POM C and N and POM significantly enriched with WS C and N. Application of cattle and pig manure at 60 g kg-1 wasfound optimal for soil properties considered. Correlation coefficient between WS C and POM C and between WS N and POM N were all positive,however, the correlation decreased with time in C but increased in N. 

 American Eurasian Network For Scientific Information

 Journal

 Comparative And Cumulative Effect Of Cocoa Pod Husk Ash And Poultry Manure On Soil And Maize Nutrient Contents And Yield

 Ayeni, L.S., Adetunji, M.T., Ojeniyi, S.O. Ewulo, B.S. And Adeyemo, A.J.

 2008

A field study was conducted on the separate and combined effect of two agrowastes namely:- Cocoa podash and poultry manure on soil fertility, nutrient content, growth and grain yield of maize on an Alfisol inSouthwest Nigeria. Separate and combined effects of the materials were investigated at application rates of 0,5 and 10t/ha given nine treatments. The effect of treatments on the first crop and residual effect on the secondcrop was studied. The test soil was low in organic matter (OM), N, P, K, Ca and Zn. Poultry manure hadlower C:N ratio and higher N, P, Mg, Fe and Mn concentrations compared with cocoa pod ash which hadhigher K and Ca concentrations. Cocoa pod ash and poultry manure increased significantly soil OM, soil andmaize macro and micro nutrients content on immediate and residual basis. The two materials have cumulativeand complementary effect on soil nutrients and nutrient uptake. While poultry manure gave higher values ofsoil N, P, Ca and Mg and plant N, P, Zn, Fe, Cu and Mn than cocoa pod ash, ash gave higher values of soilCu, Zn, and Mn and plant K and Ca. Plant N, P, K, Zn and Fe increased with level of poultry manure.The ash and poultry manure increased dry matter yield, height and grain yield of maize significantly, althoughpoultry manure gave higher yield than ash at the same rate. The ash at 5 and 10t/ha increased grain yield by20 and 31% respectively on immediate basis and by 34 and 74% on residual basis. Poultry manure at 5 and10t/ha increased yield by 39 and 43% respectively on immediate basis, and 73 and 93% on residual basis.Combination of 5t/ha cocoa pod ash with poultry manure at 10 and 5t/ha respectively gave highest cumulativeyield of 6.51 and 5.58t/ha. 

 Springer

 Journal

 Effects Of Some Soil Management Systems On Soil Physical Properties, Microbial Biomass And Nutrient Distribution Under Rainfed Maize Production In A Humid Rainforest Alfisol

 S.O. Agele, B.S. Ewulo And I.K. Oyewusi

 2005

The interaction of land use and seasonal microclimatic events could explain the differences in soil qualitycharacteristics which mediate biological and physical processes of the soil under low input land use systems(plough plus harrow, strip/heap tillage, manual clearing/no till). It is hypothesised that in a humid tropicalAlfisol, low input system involving reduced tillage methods, and mineral fertilizer and/or livestock manureuse, would support a higher density of microbial biomass, soil aggregation, organic C and total N andhence improvement in soil quality. The dynamics of biotic and abiotic soil properties as affected by methodsof seedbed preparation characterised by manural input and microclimatic transitions from wet to dryseason was studied in a maize field in a tropical rainforest Alfisol in Akure, a humid rainforest zone ofNigeria. Each year, trials were carried out during the rainy (April–July) and late (September–December)seasons of 2001 and 2002. Methods of seedbed preparation involving plough plus harrow, strip/heap tillageand no tillage, and addition of different gradients of manures (mineral N and/or plant debris and livestocklitter) were imposed on the soil at the site of the experiment (of comparable physical properties of bulkdensity and texture). Among the treatments, there were significant differences in the values of water holdingcapacity, aggregate stability (macro-aggregation), concentrations of microbial biomass, organic C, totaland mineral N and CEC. In the rainy and late season trials, the strip/heap tillage and the no till treatmentsimproved aggregate stability (as measured by the percentages of aggregates between 2 and 10 mm of soil)and water holding capacity over plough + harrow. For example, in the rainy season trial, under treatmentsinvolving strip/heap tillage and the no till alone and in combination with livestock manuring and residueretention, the values of aggregates between 2 and 10 mm range from (110–116; 113–119 g/kg) and waterholding capacity (0.11–0.14; 0.12–0.15 g/g) over plough + harrow (107.3 g/kg; 0.11 g/g). Similar trendswere found in the values of soil microbial biomass C (377, 353; 547, 490 lg/g dry soil), soil organic C (3.8,4.3; 5.2,5.5 g/g) and total N (2.9, 2.3; 2.9, 3.0 mg/g) for strip/heap and no till treatments compared toplough + harrow (327.6 lg/g dry soil; 3.4 g/g; 2.8 mg/g). Although the %C microbial to C organic ratio(an indicator of the utilisation of organic carbon by the microbes in terms of organic matter turnover rate)was stable for all treatments, its magnitude was not constant but increased with increases in soil C concentration.The values of microbial biomass carbon to organic carbon (Cmic: Corg) ratio were higher underploughing and heap tillage combined with mineral N (0.096, 0.099) than in no-till treatment (0.083) in therainy season trial. Similar trends were obtained in the magnitudes of this parameter in the late season trial.Microbial biomass correlated positively with both soil organic C (y = 0.393c 6.7; r2 = 0.99; P< 0.05 and water holding capacity (y = 0.87c0.39; r2 = 0.94; P < 0.05) and negatively with bulk density(y = 0.3c + 1.9; r2 = 0.90; P < 0.05), strong positive linear correlation were also found between soilmacro aggregates and other soil properties: microbial biomass C (y = 0.41c 18.4; r2 = 0.95; P < 0.05),organic C (y = 0.61c 14.3; r2 = 0.97; P < 0.05) and total N (y = 0.063c 10.8; r2 = 0.98;P < 0.05). Huge responses of soil characteristics were obtained from low input land use systems (ploughplus harrow, strip/heap tillage, manual clearing/no till). These properties mediate many biological andphysical processes of soil carbon, N mineralisation, soil aggregation and water holding capacity andmicrobial biomass, and led to improvement in soil quality. The emerged trend was that the interaction ofland use, clay content of the soil and seasonal microclimatic events could explain the heterogeneity of soilcomponents among treatments. 

 Medwell Online

 Journal

 Effect Of Poultry Dung And Cattle Manure On Chemical Properties Of Clay And Sandy Clay Loam Soil

 B.S. Ewulo

 2005

In order to investigate the effect of poultry dung and cattle manure on clay and sandy clay loam soilchemical properties, an incubation experiment was carried out in which clay and sandy clay loam soil wereamended with poultry and cattle manure at 0, 20, 40 and 60 g kgG1. The soil treated was incubated in the darkat 25°C for eight weeks at field capacity. Soil pH, O.C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and CEC increased with rate ofmanure, while exchangeable acidity reduced irrespective of soil type. The poultry manure gave quick responseand higher concentration of soil chemical properties especially in case of the clay soil.