Advances in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management

Full Length Research Paper

A contrast between fish offal’s fertilizer, chemical fertilizer and manure applied to tomato and onion

Aotunex Ihemanma and Chigaemezu Ebutex

Botany Department, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa. Email:[email protected]

Accepted 03 November, 2013

Abstract 

Fertilizer is a critical input for improving production and increasing crop yields. The effect of chemical fertilizer, fish offal’s fertilizer and manure on marketable yield and other parameter of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Adama red onion (Allium cepa) were compared. The experiment was laid as a randomized complete block design (RCBD), with three treatments; chemical fertilizer (T₁), fish offal’s fertilizer (T₂) and manure (T₃). Treatments encompassed 0.24 kg diammonium phosphate (DAP) of chemical fertilizer, 2 kg of ground fish offal’s fertilizer and 10 kg of unfermented (fresh) manure for tomato. Similarly, 0.12 kg DAP of chemical fertilizer, 1 kg of ground fish offal’s fertilizer and 5 kg of unfermented manure for Adama red onion. 3 × 4 m plot size was used for tomato and 2 × 3 m plot size was used for Adama red onion. The results indicated that there is significant difference (p < 0.05) in tomato height at first harvesting with the maximum height of 80.33 ± 3.97 cm from plot treated with fish offal’s fertilizer. There is significant difference (p < 0.05) in onion bulb weight. The maximum bulb weight was 112.51±16.4 g recorded from plot treated with chemical fertilizer. Tomato fertilized with fish offal’s fertilizer grew better than those fertilized with chemical fertilizer at later stages. Fish offal’s fertilizer boosted the production at the later age and concluded that it can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilizer for tomato. The use of fish offal’s fertilizer for different crops, application time and amounts should be further studied.

Key words: Fish offal’s fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, manure, onion, tomato.