Green Manures and NPK Fertilizer Applications Effect on Organic Carbon Pool, Soil Physical Properties and Cucumber Production

Abstract

Deterioration of soil physical properties and organic matter depletion resulting from continuous cultivation of tropical sandy loam soils, even with the regular applications of inorganic fertilizers is common. To regenerate the soil organic matter and maintain soil structural and hydraulic properties for crop production, the effects of different legumes green manures and NPK chemical fertilizer were evaluated after a 3-year field experiments at the University of Port Harcourt, Teaching and Research Farm (2018 – 2021). Treatments were: 5 tons ha-1Centrocema (Ce5), 5 tons ha-1 Gliricidia (Gl5), 5 tons ha-1Calapogonium (Ca5), NPK 20:10:10 (NPK) and the Control, arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), in 5 replications. Results showed that three annual applications of Centrocema, Gliricidia, and Calapogonium increased soil organic carbon pool at the 0-30 cm topsoil, and reduced the bulk densities by 8.5%, 4.1%, and 7.0%, respectively, compared to the NPK fertilizer and control. The increased in bulk density in untreated plots led to decrease in water stable aggregates, low water holding capacity and low yield of cucumber crop. Green manures applications increased soil organic carbon pool, improved topsoil physical properties and cucumber yield, while NPK chemical fertilizer had negative effects on these properties.