Effect of Compost and Mycorrhizal Inoculation on Growth, Yield and Disease Incidence of Two Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties in Cameroon

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of various natural fertilizers on growth and seed yield of wheat plants. Field experiments were conducted during the 2023 cropping season. A split-plot experimental design with three replications was used. The first factor was fertilization, with five treatments (negative control: seedlings receiving no fertilizer (T0), positive control: synthetic chemical fertilizer 20-10-10 + Urea 46% (T1), compost derived from cow dung manure (T2); mycorrhizal inoculum (T3), compost derived from poultry litter (T4)); the second factor was variety, with 02 wheat varieties (IRAD1 and IRAD2). Wheat growth parameters and seed yield were evaluated. The results showed that the growth and seed yield of wheat varied significantly (p<0.05) depending on the fertilizer, overall, no significant differences were observed between wheat varieties for the studied parameters. Plants that received the T2 treatment exhibited significantly (p ˂ 0.05) the highest values of the studied parameters (plant height, foliar production, number of ear/plant, seed yield, and incidence of wheat diseases). The wheat seed yield of T2 plants of IRAD1 variety was 2.66-fold and 1.66-fold higher than that of T0 and T1 plants respectively. T2 organic fertilizer improved the seed yield of IRAD2 variety at 71.17% and 92.29% compared to chemical fertilizer and unfertilized plants respectively. The supply of 500 g of compost derived cow dung manure per hole at sowing time significantly improved wheat seed yield and therefore, can be used as an alternative to replacing the mineral fertilizers usually employed for the cultivation of this cereal crop.