Studies on Nutrient Release Pattern of Neem Fortified Cocoa Pod Husk Fertilizer in an Alfisol

Abstract

A laboratory experiment was carried out at Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan to evaluate the nutrient
release pattern of neem fortified cocoa pod husk developed for use as organic fertilizer materials. Cocoa Pod Husk
(CPH), Neem Leaf (NL), Neem Seed (NS), CPH + NL (90:10), CPH + NL (80:20), CPH + NS (90:10) and CPH +
NS (80:20) were separately applied at the rate of 100 kg N ha-1 into 50 g soil placed in plastic cups. There were six
sampling periods (2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks) after treatment application. Soil N (Kjeldahl), P (Bray 1), K (1 N
NH4OAc pH 7) and pH (soil:water ratio 1:2) were determined at each sampling period. The result showed that the
organic materials had significant effect in raising the pH of the soils compared to unamended soil. Neem fortified
CPH significantly (P < 0.05) increased nitrogen release higher than control at 8, 12 and 16 weeks after application.
Phosphorus release was significantly higher in soil treated with CPH, NL, NS and neem fortified CPH than the
control at 20 weeks after application. CPH and neem fortified CPH enhanced K release better than NL and NS
applied separately across the incubation periods. Neem leaf and seed powder with higher N content than CPH is a
precursor of N- release into the soil shortly after incorporation.

[How to Cite: Ogunwole OM, GO Adeoye, O Fagbola and JS Ogeh. 2012. Studies on Nutrient Release Pattern of Neem Fortified Cocoa Pod Husk Fertilizer in an Alfisol. J Trop Soils 17 (2) : 129-134. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2012.17.2.129]

[Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2012.17.2.129]