ABSTRACT

This study examined the influence of poultry manure and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) inoculation on the growth and yield of two pepper varieties in soil and soilless systems.  Two genotypes of pepper (cherry bomb and red hot cherry) were planted in the following 6 treatments: Topsoil, Cocopeat, Cocopeat + Topsoil, Cocopeat + Topsoil + 5g AMF, Cocopeat + 5g AMF and Topsoil + 5g AMF, each amended with 250g poultry manure, in a 2×6 factorial arranged in a CRD (r=3). The agronomic and yield parameters were taken and analyzed with ANOVA, and means were separated using DMRT at 5% significance level. The results of the study indicated that the maximum growth of the pepper varieties were in the treatment with 250g of poultry manure amended to a substrate containing an equal proportion of cocopeat and soil, and the inoculation of AMF to a substrate containing equal proportion of cocopeat and soil.  However, the addition of poultry manure to a substrate containing equal proportions of cocopeat and soil supported production of the highest number of fruits (7.17±0.52) and fruit weight (1.60±0.10). The application of poultry manure to either topsoil or cocopeat substrate (soilless condition) therefore boosted the yield of pepper, while the additional application of 5g AMF to a mixture of topsoil and cocopeat substrate (50:50 by volume) accelerated the decomposition of the poultry manure and subsequently improved pepper growth. However, the nutrients got used up faster as it had no advantageous influence on the pepper yield. It is thus recommended that both poultry manure and AMF should be applied at both the growth and yield stages of pepper in an organic production system.