CHICKEN MANURE: AN ORGANIC NITROGEN FERTILIZER FOR PLANTAINS (Musa acuminata x M. balbisiana AAB)

A field experiment was establi3hed on Corozal clay (Aquic Tropudults) to evaluate the effect of periodic applications of chicken manure on plantain (cv. Haricongo) performance and yield. Plantain plants receiving periodic applications of manure, up to 7.26 kg/plant/crop, showed similar growth and yield to the check plants fertilized with the fertilizer formula 10-5-15 + sulpomag. Plantain bunch weight of the manure treated plots ranged from 13.44 to 18.91 kg and the number of fruits ranged from 41.7 to 49.4 fruits/bunch. Average bunch weight and average number of fruits of the check treatment was 13.04 kg and 41.7 fruits/bunch, respectively. Among leaf samples collected at four and nine months after planting, very little variation in nutrient concentration and content was observed among treatments