Use of Perlite, Chicken Manure and Zinc Foliar Application for Improving Yields of Cassava Grown in Yasothon Soil

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the effects of perlite, chicken manure and zinc foliar application on the yields of cassava grown in Yasothon soil (Typic Paleustult), and the changes to soil properties. The experiment was conducted on a farmer’s field in Ban Kut Muang, Takhian sub district, Dan Khun Thot district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. A factorial in randomized complete block design with four replications was employed. The first factor consisted of no soil conditioner, and applications per rai of 100 kg perlite, 500 kg chicken manure, and 100 kg perlite + 500 kg chicken manure. The second factor comprised no foliar application, ZnSO4 foliar application at the rate of 3 kg/rai applied at 1, 2 and 3 months of age (three times). All plants were added with 15-15-15 fertilizer at the rate of 100 kg rai-1 (split into equal amounts and applied twice at 2 and 4 months of age). Yields of plant and parameters involved were harvested and investigated at 10 months of age. In addition, soil samples at depths of between 0-20 and 20-40 cm were collected shortly before harvesting for analyses of soil properties.

sults revealed that the application of chicken manure gave the average fresh tuber yield of 3.59 ton/rai. This was statistically indifferent from the additions of perlite and perlite plus chicken manure, but was significantly greater than that of no soil conditioner treatment (2.87 ton/rai). Plant survival rate had the same trend as that of fresh tuber yield. Using perlite together with chicken manure tended to give the highest starch yield of 919.1 kg/rai. Zinc foliar application (three times) was likely to offer the highest fresh tuber yield of 3.51 ton/rai, and it also resulted in significantly higher starch percentage (26.9%), starch yield (955.8 kg/rai) and survival rate (90%) than did growing cassava without Zn application. However, the interaction between soil conditioner and zinc application on plant performance was not clear. In addition, chicken manuring had an obvious effect on the increase of aboveground biomass. The use of perlite and chicken manure also resulted in higher accumulation of available P and K in soil collected shortly before cassava being harvested at depths of between 0-40 and 20-40 cm, respectively, than that of the one without the addition of soil conditioner.