Philippine E-Journals

Growth and Yield Performance of Corn as Influenced by the Combined Application of Swine Manure and Inorganic Fertilizer

Kent D Paclar | Raquel O Salingay | Bathel Grace P Taban-Paclar | Sylvia Minda T Dargantes

Discipline: Animal Science

 

Abstract:

Swine manure is an environmentally sound alternative to organic fertilizer. To meet the nutritional needs of the crops, however, a large amount of swine manure is required. To increase crop output, it is therefore necessary to combine swine manure with inorganic fertilizer. This study investigated the agronomic and yield performance as well as the return on investment of corn treated with combined application of swine manure and inorganic fertilizer. The study was conducted at the Agricultural Experiment Center, Central Mindanao University, Musuan Maramag Bukidnon a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six treatments and three replications. The treatments were as follows: T1 control, T2 = 70-90-10 NPK kg/ha-Recommended Rate of Inorganic Fertilizer (RRIF), T3 = 4 tons/ha- Recommended Rate of Swine Manure (RRSM), T4 = 75% of the RRSM and 25% of the RRIF, T5-50% of the RRSM and 50% of the RRIF, and T6 25% of the RRSM and 75% of the RRIF. Results show that the combined application of swine manure and inorganic fertilizer did not significantly affect agronomic parameters but significantly influenced ear diameter, adjusted yield, and agronomic efficiency. The yield of corn with any combination of swine manure and inorganic fertilizer is significantly higher than plants without fertilizer application but comparable with plants applied with RRIF. Among combinations, 50% of the RRSM and 50% of the RRIF have the highest ROI (1.57). The study suggests that combining inorganic fertilizers with swine manure can potentially decrease the use of inorganic fertilizers in corn production.