Performance of Watermelon (Citrulus lanatus Thumb) intercrop with Plantain (Musa paradisiaca AAB) under different rates of Poultry Manure

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in the humid tropics of Southeastern Nigeria during the rainy season to evaluate the performance of Citrulus lanatus Thumb intercropped with Musa paradisiaca AAB under different poultry manure rates. The layout was a split - plot fitted into a Randomized Complete Block Design with four blocks and three replications. The spacing for each of the two C. lunatus varieties - Crimson sweet - V₁ and Sugar baby - V₂ that formed the main plot treatment was 2m x 2m with four seedlings per planting spot. The plantain spacing was 3.5m x 4.0m with the watermelon plants centralized between the plantain rows. The soil is ferallitic acid sand with a pH of 5.25, 0.09%N, 16.20ppm P and 0.53 cmol/100g of K. The sub-plot treatment consists of 0 ton/ha -T₁; 5.0 t/ha - T₂ and 7.5 t/ha - T₃ completely decomposed poultry manure. Except for days to 50% germination, all the yield and agronomic parameters evaluated were significantly (P≤0.05) affected by manure treatments. Maximum fresh fruit yield values for both V₁ and V₂ varieties of C. lanatus Thumb was obtained at 5.0 tons/ha poultry manure rate. The fresh fruit yield values for V₁ were 3.23, 9.50 and 9.00 tons/ha for T₁, T₂ and T₃, respectively. But for V₂ the corresponding fresh fruit yield values were 3.44, 8.70 and 8.15 t/ha, respectively. The Crimson sweet variety of watermelon at a poultry manure application rate of 5.0t/ha was therefore recommended for growers of watermelon under plantain/watermelon intercrop in the region.