Response of Green Amaranth (Amaranthus viridis Linn.) to Different Animal Manure Fertilizers

Response of Green Amaranth (Amaranthus viridis Linn.)
to Different Animal Manure Fertilizers

Abstract

Green amaranth (Amaranthus viridis Linn), locally known as kulitis, is one of the edible amaranth species in the Philippines. While kulitis is easy to grow, there are no reports of large-scale production in the country. The crop is usually produced in backyards by small farmers and the fresh tops are commonly sold in the market. This study was conducted to assess the effects of chicken (T2 = 1.855 kgs/plot), hog (T3 = 2.936 kg/plot), and goat manure (T4 = 2.273 kg/plot) on kulitis growth and development. The treatments were established based on preliminary soil analysis. Results showed that plants treated with goat manure were significantly taller (10.21-19.83 cm) than those with chicken dung (8.4-14.86 cm), hog manure (6.96-12.42 cm), and the control (10.21-19.83 cm) at 2-3 weeks after transplanting. The number of leaves differed only during the second week where T4 plants showed an average of 6.33 leaves/plant compared to T1 (5.58), T2 (5.75) and T3 (5.5). Significant differences in leaf length were observed in the third week where T4 plants showed longer leaves (10.03 cm) than T1 (6.59 cm), T2 (7.49 cm), and T3 (7.08 cm). Leaves of T4 plants were significantly wider at week 2 and week 3 (4.38/6.85 cm) compared to T1 (2.71/4.62 cm), T2 (3.43/4.99 cm), and T3 (3.01/4.99 cm). Shoot weight (g) and biomass (g) were significantly higher in T4 (15.64/28.33) compared to T1 (5.83/8.08), T2 (8.17/12.92), and T3 (7.5/11.08). Study results unequivocally showed the efficacy of goat manure as fertilizer for growing green amaranth compared to other organic sources of fertilizer.