Adamu, A.2023-12-112023-12-112019-06-04A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRAGUATE ATUDIES, NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY KEFFI, FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN SOIL SCIENCEhttps://keffi.nsuk.edu.ng/handle/20.500.14448/3088Multi-locational field experiment was carried out in 2017 rainy season in Lafia and Wamba to evaluate the effects of inorganic and organic sources of soil amendments on soil fertility, growth and yield of tomatoes. The treatments consist of three levels of Poultry Manure (PM) (5, 10, and 15 tons/ha), three levels of N.P.K (15: 15: 15) Fertilizer-integrated with Zinc (N.P.K+Zn) (200, 250 and 300kg/ha) and the above three levels of PM each mixed with N.P.K+Zn (200kg/ha). The treatments were laid in a Randomized Complete Block design (RCBD) and replicated three times at the two different locations. Soils in both the experimental sites before cropping were loamy sand and sandy loam at Lafia and Wamba, respectively; low in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, CEC and organic carbon. However, the soils were acidic with pH 5.63, 5.64; and also very high in base saturation of 90.93% and 78.34% for Lafia and Wamba, respectively. Application of PM alone, N.P.K+Zn significantly (p<0.05) increased chemical properties of soil at Lafia. Application of 250kg/ha N.P.K+Zn produced the highest magnesium (0.30cmol/kg); calcium (2.11cmol/kg) and exchange acidity of 6.11cmol/kg; the lowest values of magnesium (0.11cmol/kg); calcium(1.28cmol/kg) and exchange acidity of 4.49cmol/kg were found in the control in comparison with other rates. While in Wamba application of 15t/ha PM+200kg/ha N.P.K +Zn produced the highest value of nitrogen (1.14%), CEC (1.17cmol/kg); this values are at par with the application of 10t/ha PM+200kg/ha N.P.K +Zn. Also, application of 200kg/haN.P.K +Zn gave the highest values of potassium (3.35cmol/kg); Magnesium (2.91cmol/kg), and exchange acidity (7.02cmol/kg), compared to other treatments and the control. The same was observed in Lafia location when application of PM single, N.P.K+Zinc significantly (p<0.05) increased number of leaves of tomato in both Lafia and Wamba. Also significant increase was observed (p<0.05) when PM single, N.P.K+ Zinc were administered on number of tomato per plant, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plot and total yield per hectare of tomato in the two Locations. Application of 10t/haPM+200kg/haN.P.K +Zn gave the highest number of tomato per plant(51.00); the widest fruit diameter (4.27cm); highest fruits weight per plant of 716.34g and total yield of tomato (10.24 t/ha) were produced by application of 15t/haPM+200kg/haN.P.K+Zn. The outcome of this experiment showed that the use of 15t/haPM+200kg/haN.P.K+Zn greatly better the growth and yield of tomato and enhanced the soil chemical properties better than PM alone or N.P.K +Zn fertilizer aloneenThesis