Effect of Different Poultry Manure Levels and Plant Spacing on the Growth and Yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus Linn.) in Lowland Condition

Abstract

The study examined the impact of poultry manure and plant spacing on cucumber growth and yield in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences Research site in September 2024. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in a split plot arrangement, replicated three times. A well decomposed manure comprising four different levels of poultry manure (0t/ha-1, 5t/ha-1, 10t/ha-1, and 15t/ha-1) and two plant spacing (50cm x 50cm and 75cm x 75 cm). The results showed that poultry manure at 15t/ha-1 with plant spacing of 75 cm x 75 cm had longer vine length (141.47 cm), more branches (2.35), numbers of leaves (113.0), and leaf area (33.4 cm2) which resulted into bountiful fruit production with number of fruit (39.25), fruit length (25.0 cm/ha), average fruit weight (62.05 g/ha) and yield (235.13 t/ ha). In conclusion, poultry manure should be applied at a rate of 15 t/ha using plant spacing of 75 cm x 75 cm should be used by both smallholder and commercialized farmers in order to achieve rapid growth and yield of cucumber in Sierra Leone.