ABSTRACT

 Pot experiment was conducted at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Urnudike green house to study the influence of combined use of poultry manure and wood ash on soil properties and growth of maize. The experiment was a factorial experiment laid out in completely randomized design with 3 replicates. The soil amendments were poultry manure with rates 0, 5, 10 and 15 lonnes pet' heciwe and wood ash with rates 0, 4, 8 and 12 tonnes per hectare. The results slewed that the various levels of poultry manure and wood ash increased maize growth. At 12 eeIcs after plantin&, leaf area index increased to 5.14 when 1St/ha poultry manure was applied and to 5.11 when I 21/ha wood ash was applied. Stem girth at 12 weeks after planting increased to 0.975 when 15i,ha pOultry manure was applied and to 0.975 when 8t/ha wood ash was applied, maize height at 12 weeks after planting increased to 141.5cm when 1St/ha poultry manure was applied and 139.9cm when 8t/ha woOd ash was applied. Dry matter yield increased to 34.21g/pot when 1St/ha poultry manure was applied and 32.12g/pot when 12t/ha wood ash was applied. Exchangeable potassium content of the soil was increased to 0.2460cmo1kg1 when I St/ha poultry manure and I :t/ha wood ash was applied. The effect of poultry manure and wood ash on oLhcr soil properties was not C\ ident after maize cropping. It was concluded that use of poultry iliallure and wood ash for maize cropping on acid sandy soil require constant application.