COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF CHICKEN AND TURKEY MANURE ON SOIL HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES IN SANDY LOAM SOIL

Abstract

This study described the response of soil hydraulic parameters to chicken and turkey manure. A soil-manure mix ratio of 5:1 was used for the experiment. Samples were labelled CMM for chicken manure and TMM for turkey manure. A third sample without manure was labelled control. All soil samples were kept under a controlled environment for 12 weeks. Soil samples were collected and analyzed at intervals of 4 weeks for bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), water retention capacity (WHC), and total organic carbon (TOC). Soil textural properties and manure nutrient composition were also analyzed. Standard methods were used for all analyses. Results show that the soil is of loamy sand textural classification and that both amendment materials improved bulk density significantly  relative to the control. The mean bulk densities (CMM – 1.25 g/cm³; TMM – 1.19 g/cm³) were found to be within the recommended values for loamy soils. Although the amendments changed WHC and Ksat values, the difference compared to the reference soil was not significant Mean values of  bulk density, WHC  ( , and Ksat  (22.06 cm/day) of the amended soils indicate that both manures improve soil hydraulic and organic matter properties, and selection between the them will depend on availability.