1Department of Crop Science, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria
2Department of Agronomy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
3Department of Agricultural Economic and Rural Society, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
4Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Maiadua Local Government, Katsina State, Nigeria
5Department of Agricultural Economics, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria
*e-mail: belloinuwa19@gmail.com
Online published on 29 December, 2018.
Field trials were carried out during three seasons (2007–2010) at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa (11039'N 08002'E, 500 m above sea level) in the Sudan Savanna zone of Nigeria to study response of irrigated tomato to different sources and rates of organic manure alone or in combination with NPK fertilizer. There were thirty six treatments made of factorial combinations of three sources of organic manure; urban waste, neem based and poultry manure each at three levels (50, 100 and 150 kg N ha−1 equivalent) besides, four levels of inorganic compound fertilizer. The treatments were laid out in a split plot design replicated three times. The combination of manure sources and manure rates were assigned to the main plots. The results indicated that among the three manure sources, poultry manure recorded the highest values for total fruit yield. Application of manure at higher rates of 100 and 150 kg N ha−1 equivalent resulted in significant increase in total fruit yield compared with the application of 50 kg N ha−1 equivalent. Among the three manure sources evaluated, urban waste manure had the highest gross margin and profit index. The study concludes that the production of irrigated tomato using organic manure alone is a profitable venture in the Sudan Savanna agro ecological zone in Nigeria
Gross margin, irrigated tomato, organic manure, yield
