Comparative Efficiency of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth and Yield in the Rainforest Zone of Centre Cameroon

Maize is a major crop grown and consumed in the world and it requires a high fertilizer input. Although chemical fertilizers are an important input to get higher crop productivity, they have an impact on soil fertility, environment and human health. A field study was carried out to find alternatives to the mineral fertilization of maize. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of fertilizers on maize growth and yield while evaluating economic profitability. Four treatments (control, compost, poultry manure and mineral fertilizer NPK 20-10-10) and two maize varieties (local variety and improved variety CMS 8704) were used in a split-plot design with four replicates. Physicochemical analyses of soil and organic fertilizer were determined. Growth parameters, yield and acceptability index were evaluated. As results, poultry manure and compost are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. At 9 weeks after sowing (WAS) the best stem diameter was obtained by the local variety in the plots fertilized with mineral fertilizer (2.83±0.31 cm). The yield of the CMS 8704 variety was significantly higher in the plots fertilized with poultry manure (2.23 t ha-1) than the yield of the local variety in the control plots (1.16 t ha-1). Principal component analysis (PCA) shows that compost and poultry manure were characterized by an increase in growth parameters as well as mineral fertilizer NPK. Poultry manure had the highest acceptability index of 1.25. In view of these results, it is clear that organic fertilizers; especially poultry manure, would have a positive impact on increasing maize production.