COMPARISON OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHOROUS AND POTASSIUM (NPK) IN YOUNG AND MATURED COW, GOAT AND POULTRY MANURES FOR FARMERS’ UTILIZATION AS BEST ALTERNATIVE TO INORGANIC FERTILIZER DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCK-DOWN

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic that resulted into lockdown of the activities all over the world have actually affects all industries including fertilizer industry from producing their various products. Furthermore, the adverse environmental consequences and high costs of inorganic fertilizers make them not only undesirable, but also uneconomical to farmers. These aforementioned problems have led the farmers to be using animals dungs as alternative to industrial fertilizer. The Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) contents in young and matured cow, goat and poultry manures were analysed using standard methods and compared for possible soil nourishment efficacy. The Percentages of nitrogen in manure from both matured and young poultry were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than what were measured in manures from cow and goat. The contents were observed in the following order: poultry manure (2.943 and 2.345%) > that of the goat manure (1.943 and 1.824%) > that of the cow manure (1.628 and 1.371%). The same trends were also observed in the percentage compositions of phosphorus and potassium in the manures. Conclusively, manure from poultry, especially the matured ones have highest percentage of N, P and K compositions than that of the goat and cow, and may have greater positive growth effects when utilized as manure for plant development. As such, it may remain as the best alternative to inorganic fertilizer during the current pandemic and beyond.