Effect of organic waste as fertilizers and weed management practices on the growth and yield of tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) in a derived savannah humid environment.

Purpose: To understand the effect of organic wastes as fertilizer and weed management on the growth and fruit yield of tomatoes to recommend the best organic waste fertilizer and weed management practices for the production of this crop in a derived savannah agro-ecology zone of Nigeria. Method: The experiment was conducted in Nsukka, Nigeria where the climate is characterized by mean annual rainfall of about 1600 mm, with a bimodal distribution pattern that peaks in July and October. The mean minimum and maximum temperatures are 21 °C and 31 °C, respectively. The relative humidity varies yearly, often in the range of 55-90%. The treatment is comprised of organic animal wastes as manure types which include: 20 t/ha of poultry manure, 20 t/ha of Pig dung, zero manure application(control), and 5 weed management practices: sawdust cover (17,000 tons/ha), rice husk mulch (23,000 tons/ha), black polyethylene mulch, hoe weeding, and weedy check. The treatment was laid out in a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results: Among the mulch materials used, rice husk plots consistently recorded the highest tomato fruit yield per hectare (34, 222.0 tons/ha). On the organic wastes, the pig dung treatment performed better than others used, the yield recorded per hectare was (15,533.0 tons/ha) for the tomatoes. Conclusion: The research found out that the use of pig dung should be adopted as well as the use of rice husk mulch on the soil surface as weed management practices to improve yield of tomatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]