Performance of Chicken Manure, Moringa as an Alternative Fertilizer for Green Paper (Capsicum Annuum L.)

The extensive use of synthetic or inorganic fertilizers in agriculture has been linked to environmental degradation, soil pollution, and groundwater contamination. Organic amendments, such as chicken manure and moringa, have been proposed as sustainable alternatives. Using green pepper as a test crop, the specific objectives were to assess the single and combination of chicken manure and moringa as alternative fertilizers.

The research employed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments: T1 (chicken manure), T2 (moringa), T3 (a combination of chicken manure and moringa), and T4 (a control group) with no fertilizer. Each treatment was replicated three times, resulting in a total of 36 plants across the experimental plots. The study was conducted in the Jack Compound of Lusaka. Data was collected on key growth parameters including plant height, leaf width, number of leaves, and stem diameter and yield parameters, such as days to first flower and fruit, number of flowers and fruits per plant, fruit size, and fruit weight.

The results demonstrated that the combined application of chicken manure and moringa tea (T3) significantly enhanced both vegetative growth and fruit yield compared to the single applications and the control group. Plants receiving the combined treatment exhibited superior overall vigor and productivity, with notable improvements in stem diameter, number of flowers, fruit size, and fruit weight. This indicates that organic amendments like chicken manure and moringa can serve as effective alternatives to artificial fertilizers in green pepper production. Critically, their combined application provided greater agronomic benefits than either treatment alone.

These findings underscore the significant potential of integrating combined organic soil amendments into sustainable farming systems. Adopting such practices can contribute to improved crop performance, a reduced environmental footprint from agriculture, and enhanced food security. The implications of these findings are important for advancing sustainable agriculture. They provide robust evidence that a synergistic combination of chicken manure and moringa is a potent alternative fertilizer to synthetic fertilizers, offering a viable strategy to boost productivity while mitigating environmental harm.