Storage Period of Poultry Manure and Its Effects on Diseases Development onCucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in College of Education Farm, Afaha Nsit

Abstract

This study determined the storage period of poultry manure and its effects on diseases
development on cucumber in College of Education Farm, Afaha Nsit, Akwa Ibom State. Two
objectives, two research questions and two null hypotheses were postulated to guide the study.
The study adopted experimental design specifically, a randomized complete block design. The
population of the study was one thousand and twenty (1020) cucumber seeds selected from a
variety of cucumber called Oliviera Bold -F-1. Simple random sampling technique was used
in selecting eight hundred and fifty (850) cucumber seeds. Four hundred and twenty - five (425)
stands of cucumber plants was used in which more sixty-five stands of cucumber died, three
hundred and sixty (360) cucumber plants were used for both the experimental and the control
groups. five (5) raised seed-beds in each treatment with seventeen stands of cucumber per
raised seed beds, and these gave a total of (5) five treatment groups and twenty-five (25) raised
seed-beds. Poultry manure was fermented and kept for three months labeled (Trt1), two
months, labeled (Trt2) one month (Trt3) unfermented poultry was labeled (Trt4) and zero
application was named (Trt5) respectively. Observations were carried out in the two variables
in every one week for four weeks for collection. Percentage and mean were used in answering
the two research questions while the two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of
significance using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the data analyzed and findings of
the study it was concluded that, growers of cucumber need to ferment poultry manure and
stored for three weeks before use for cultivation of cucumber to avoid downy mildew and it
was also recommended that growers of cucumber should be enlightened by the extension
agents on how to ferment poultry manure and kept for three weeks before use for the cultivating cucumber to avoid and also reduces downy mildew disease development. The Agricultural extension agents should introduce the methods of fermenting poultry manure and stored for three weeks before use for cultivation of cucumber