Abstract
Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a major staple crop in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, where it serves as a vital source of food security, income, and cultural significance. Despite its importance, yam production faces numerous challenges, including declining soil fertility, high labor requirements in traditional mound cultivation, the prohibitive cost of inorganic fertilizers and security challenges across Nigeria. Bag propagation has emerged as an innovative alternative, enabling efficient soil and nutrient management, reduced pest and disease incidence, and suitability for limited land areas. Poultry manure, a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer, offers a sustainable means of enhancing soil fertility for yam production. It improves soil structure, microbial activity, and nutrient availability, thereby promoting vegetative growth and tuber yield. However, limited research exists on its application in bag-propagated yam. This study, therefore, evaluates the effect of poultry manure on the growth and yield of bag-propagated yam, aiming to identify a cost-effective and environmentally friendly practice that enhances productivity and supports sustainable yam cultivation. The experimental site was a private farm in Ogida quarters. The experiment comprised two treatments, each treatment had six (6) replications. At outset, date of planting was recorded. Number of days to sprouting, vine lengths, stem diameter, number of leaves were recorded at subsequent intervals. At harvest, tuber weight and vine weight were recorded. Data collected were analyzed using excel, the two means were compared using t-test method with the probability of 0.05 and unequal variance. Yam grown with poultry manure recorded higher vine length and greater tuber weight at harvest compared to those without manure. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that the application of poultry manure significantly improved the growth and yield of bag propagated yam.
