USE OF CHICKEN MANURE IN SOIL BIO-FUMIGATION ON MELON CROP

Abstract

An assay was conducted to evaluate the use of chicken manure in soil bio-fumigation on melon crop at El Ejido Experimental Station, Los Santos, Panama. The treatments evaluated were soil solarization, solarization combined with chicken manure in three different dosages (bio-fumigation) and control. For bio-fumigation the chicken manure was incorporated by disking, field was irrigated to full capacity and solarization was performed by 30 days. The response variables were commercial fruit yield, incidence of weeds (at 25 day after planting), incidence of disease causes by Didimella sp., soil temperature and soil physicochemical properties. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Blocks design replicated four times. The incidence of weeds was significantly lower (P=0,001) for treatments with bio-fumigation compared to control and solarization treatments. The incidence of Didimella sp. was significantly lower (P=0,0047) for bio-fumigation treatments with 2,4 and 6 kg chicken manure/m², with average values of 42,5%, 17,5%, 30% and 20%; compared to control with average value of 57,5%. Fruit yield was significantly higher (P=0,007) in solarization and bio-fumigation treatments than control; and bio-fumigation was significantly higher than to solarization (P=0,0013). The total organic material in soil was improved with bio-fumigation and pH value increase from 5,3 to 6,4 with the highest dosage of chicken manure. However, the electric conductivity was increased to danger levels for some crops systems (3,23 dS/m). Finally, no statistical significant difference was observed for the assessed response variables among the three chicken manure evaluated dosages. In melon crop, bio-fumigation with chicken manure significantly reduces the weeds and Didimella sp. incidence, and increases the commercial fruit yield.