APPLICATION OF GROUNDNUT PEEL AS AN ORGANIC AMMENDMENT MATERIALS

ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted at the screen house of the Department of soil science and land management, University of Benin, Benin city, Nigeria to examine the effect of groundnut peel as an organic amendment material in the growth of maize (Zea mays L.). It examined the effects of groundnut peel on the physical, chemical and microbial properties of the soil. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and data obtained were subjected to analyses of variance (ANOVA). The experimented was duplicated three times with four treatments; T₁ (Control), T₂ (3g), T₃ (6g) and T₄ (9g) of ground peels. The parameters taken for the maize plants were leaf area, plant height, stem girth, and number of leaves. After 8 weeks, the experiment was terminated and then the different samples of soils were collected from the rhizosphere of the maize plant and then analyzed for physical, chemical and microbial properties. Result obtained shows that the application of groundnut peel improves the growth parameters, soil physical and the chemical properties of the soil at 3g. Hence, it is recommended that groundnut peel be best applied at the 3g rate for improved soil fertility after the amendment material has been properly mineralized.