Effects of leafy biomass of Tithonia diversifolia and cow dung compared to mineral fertilizer on corn growth and yield

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the province of Kasaï-Oriental (DR Congo), maize is of great importance because it is a staple food which is consumed by more than 80% of the population living in this region. However, its production faces some constraints, in particular the low level of soil fertility, which causes lower yields and a drop in production. Thus, for the improvement of these poor soils in order to support agriculture and increase the yield of maize, the use of organic manures would be a palliative to the mineral fertilizers that are hard to find by producers. Hence, this study was initiated with the objective of evaluating the effect of Tithonia diversifolia leaf biomass and cow dung compared to recommended mineral on growth and yield of maize cultivation in Kasaï-Oriental. To achieve this goal, a completely randomized experimental design was used. The treatments used consisted of the control without fertilization (T0), Cow dung: 10 t/ha (T1), T. diversifolia leaf biomass: 10 t/ha (T2), Mineral fertilizer (NPK + Urea-46%) at the recommended rate (T3). From the results, it appears that corn fertilized with cow dung gave a higher yield (1.02 t/ha) compared to the corn fertilized with leaves of T. diversifolia (0.75 t/ha) followed by maize under mineral fertilizer (NPK+urea) (0.64 t/ha) and finally the control without fertilizer (0.58 t/ha). Given the obtained results, cow dung (10 t/ha) can be recommended as a fertilizer in maize production in Kasaï-Oriental. Future research should quantify the sustainability of the fertilizing effects of organic matter alone and in combination with mineral fertilizers in different agricultural seasons for an optimization of inputs and maximization of large-scale maize production in this region.

Keywords: Maize, mineral fertilizer, cow dung, Tithonia diversifolia