Abstract:
This study examined the effect of NPK 15:15:15 Fertilizer and poultry droppings on tomato yield in Ankpa, Ankpa local Government Area of Kogi State. It sought to determined whether any deference exist between NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer and poultry manure in their effects on the yield of tomato plants grown on experimental plot in natural soil in Ankpa, Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State Nigeria. To do this, four research questions were asked and one hypothesis was tested. Primary sources of data were used. On the basis of the research questions, a research design known as Split Block method with a Randomized Complete Block Design and an observation schedule were employed. The schedule was constructed and administered on 64 experimental subjects. The data obtained from the observation schedule were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The descriptive statistics used are mean and bar chart while the inferential statistic used is Two-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The Two-Way ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis. The test of hypothesis and the findings that emerged from the analysis show that the plant nutritional sources, NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer, poultry droppings, and the combination of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry droppings, have different degrees of effectiveness on the yield of tomato plants. The findings show that the effectiveness of the combination of NPK 15:15:15 and poultry droppings is greater than the effectiveness of NPK 15:15:15 alone on the yield of tomato plants. In turn, the effectiveness of NPK 15:15:15 is greater than the effectiveness of Poultry droppings on the yield of tomato plants. Based on the observed relative effectiveness of the plant nutritional sources, it was recommended that the complementary application of NPK commercial fertilizer and poultry droppings should be preferred to either NPK commercial fertilizer or poultry droppings alone, in the cultivation of tomato plants.
