A Potculture experiment was conducted to
evaluate the yield and quality of groundnut with
poultry manure as partial substitute for P and S.
Poultry manure (PM) was integrated with chemical
fertilizers (CF), SSP and elemental S at different ratios.
There were six treatments replicated three times in a
completely randomized design (T1-Control, T2-
100%PM, T3-75% PM + 25% CF, T4-50%
PM+50%CF,T5- 25% PM + 75% CF and T6 100%CF.
Highest pot yield (45.50 g/pot) and oil content (45.2%)
was obtained forT5 and Maximum protein content
(12.50%) was recorded for T3

Prapagar, Komathy

Premanantharajah, Punitha

English

IR South Eastern University of Sri Lanka

[ 9 4 ]
Abstract: A Potculture experiment was conducted to
evaluate the yield and quality of groundnut with
poultry manure as partial substitute for P and S.
Poultry manure (PM) was integrated with chemical
fertilizers (CF), SSP and elemental S at different ratios.
There were six treatments replicated three times in a
completely randomized design  (T1-Control, T2-
100%PM, T3-75% PM + 25% CF, T4-50%
PM+50%CF,T5- 25% PM + 75% CF and T6 100%CF.
Highest pot yield (45.50 g/pot)  and oil content (45.2%)
was obtained forT5 and  Maximum protein content
(12.50%)  was recorded for T3.
Keywords: oil content, poultry manure, protein
content, yield.
Introduction
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is an
economically important and valuable oil seed crop
cultivated extensively throughout the world.
Groundnut prefers light-textured and well drained
soils. The excellent soil group is sandy loam with a
good supply of nutrients. In general these are deficient
in nutrients. Therefore application of fertilizer is
essential to increase the yield and quality of 
groundnut.
The nutrient removal by oilseeds crop was higher
(N, P and K), while the contribution to nutrient uptake
from fertilizer was  low (Hegde, 2006). There is a
growing deficiency of  nutrients due to intensive
cropping coupled with continuous use of high analysis
fertilizers without any organic manure addition. 
Phosphorus has a great role in energy storage and
transfer and as a constituent of nucleic acid, phytin and
phospholipids in plants. An adequate supply of
phosphorus early in plant life is important for the
reproductive parts of the plants. It plays an essential
role in carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism and
also in respiration of plants. The availability of
phosphate in soils is often limited by fixation reactions,
which convert the monophosphate ion to various
insoluble forms. The availability of soil phosphate is
enhanced by additions of organic manures, presumably
due to chelation of polyvalent cations by organic acids
and other decay products. Varalakshmi et al., (2005)
demonstrated that incorporation of farm yard manure
along with inorganic phosphorus increases the
availability of phosphorus and this is attributable to
reduction in fixation of water soluble phosphorus,
increased mineralization of organic phosphorus due to
microbial action and enhanced mobility of
phosphorus. The supply of P through manures not
only provides enough P to growing plants but also
increases the soil solution P (intensity factor, I) and
quantity of available P (quantity factor, Q) (Patiram,
1993).  In a study on the impact of FYM and poultry
manure on P availability Rao (2003) observed that the
available P content in soil increased significantly from
19.5 kg ha–1 under control to 20.8 and 21.5 kg ha–1 with
10 t FYM and 5 t poultry manure ha-1, respectively. 
Sulphur is recognized as the fourth major
nutrient after nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
(Tandon, 1995). Field scale deficiencies of sulphur in
soils and plants are becoming increasingly important.
When a soil is deficient in sulphur, and this deficiency
is not rectified, then the full potential of a crop variety
Punitha Premanantharajah(1) and Komathy  Prapagar(1)
Eﬀect of poultry manure as partial substitute
for P and S on the yield and quality of
groundnut
(1) Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, 
Eastern University, Chenkalady,  Sri Lanka.
(email: puni_prem@yahoo.com)
Punitha Premanantharajah and Komathy Prapagar
Effect of poultry manure as partial substitute for 
P and S on the yield and quality of groundnut
cannot be realized regardless of the optimum supply of
other nutrients and adoption of improved seeds or top
class husbandry practices. Sulphur deficiency is mostly
reported in coarse textured soils, in soils having low
organic matter, in sites away from industrial activity
associated with the emission of sulphur containing
gases, in high rainfall areas, in crop rotations involving
pulses and oilseeds and due to continuous use of
sulphur free fertilizers (Tandon, 1995).  Sulphur
improves crop yields, oil percentage in oilseeds, plant
proteins, etc. Radhamani et al. (2001) observed that oil
content of sesame was higher with S application as
compared to treatments without S application.
A field experiment conducted in loamy sand to
study the individual and interaction effect of P and S
on cluster bean showed that the levels of P and S
significantly increased the seed and stover yield over
control (Seshadri Reddy, 2005).On a sandy loam soil
linseed crop responded to applied S and P applications
with increased yields and oil content over control
(Chaubey, 1992). The synergistic relationship between
P and S was observed at 35 kg P and 50 kg S ha-1
resulting in highest seed, straw and oil yields in both
the years.  Protein content also increased with P and S.
Uptake of total and fertilizer P and S by soybean also
enhanced significantly with the addition of P and S
fertilizers to the soil.  Higher utilization of fertilizer P
and S were observed at their respective lower levels
that increased significantly when both were applied
together (Khajanchi Lal et al., 1996).
Soil fertility cannot be maintained with the
application of inorganic fertilizers alone. Besides
inorganic chemical fertilizers, there are several sources
of plant nutrients like organic manures, crop residues,
and industrial wastes. No single source can meet the
increasing nutrient demands for agriculture. To
achieve sustainability in production, there is a need to
integrate both organic and inorganic sources of
nutrients. Such an integration of nutrient sources will
enhance the nutritional use efficiencies (Hegde and
Sudhakarababu, 2001) besides maintaining soil fertility.
Poultry manure  occupied a place of pride as it is rich
in nutrients than the other manures (Mohamad
Amanullah et al. 2007). Vijaya Sankar Babu et al.
(2007) concluded that the uptake of N, P, K, Ca and
Mg was higher in poultry manure and fertilizer treated
plots in both the planted and ratoon crops of
sugarcane.  
Information on the exact quantity of phosphorus
and sulphur rendered available to crops from the
applied manures is scanty, and such precise
information could be obtained only with the aid of
tracer techniques.
Against this backdrop, the present investigation
was contemplated with the following objectives:
Objective
To study the yield, and quality of produce in
groundnut consequent to the application of organic
manures;
To find out the suitable organic and inorganic
source combination to increase the yield and quality
parameters of ground nut.
Materials and Methods
Pot culture experiment: 
The experimental soil is yellowish red, very deep,
fine loamy, non-calcareous, and well drained. The bulk
soil collected was air-dried in shade, gently pounded
with a wooden mallet and sieved to pass through a
2mm sieve. Processed soil samples were filled in
earthen pots at 8 kg soil per pot. There were six
treatments and three replications, making a total of 18
pots.
T1: Control 
T2: 100% of recommended dose of fertilizers
(RDF) as poultry manure (PM)
T3: 75% of RDF as PM + 25% as inorganic
T4: 50% of RDF as PM + 50% as inorganic
T5: 25% of RDF as PM + 75% as inorganic
T6: 100% of RDF as inorganic
Sowing of crops
To all pots common basal applications of 17 kg N
ha-1 as urea, 54 kg K2O ha-1 as muriate of potash and
93.1 kg Ca ha-1 as CaCl2 were given. Single super
phosphate (SSP) and elemental sulphur (S) chosen as
[ 9 5 ]
Proceedings of the Third International Symposium,
SEUSL: 6-7 July 2013, Oluvil, Sri Lanka
[ 9 6 ]
reference source of Chemical fertilizer and poultry
manure as reference organic source. Single super
phosphate(SSP) applied @ 34 kg P2O5 ha-1 and
elemental S applied @ 75 kg S ha-1 to all on equivalent
P and S basis (0.054 g P per pot and 0.27 g S per pot),
respectively.    Seeds of groundnut five per pot were
sown in each pot. After the germination, the plants
were thinned to 3 per pot. Routine cultural practices
were followed in raising the crop
Pod yield
Groundnut was grown to maturity and harvested.
Pods from each pot were weighed and total yield was
expressed in kg ha-1. 
Oil content
The oil content in the kernels was determined by
Soxhlet extraction using petroleum ether (Boiling
point 40 – 60 ºC) as solvent as per the standard AOAC
procedure (Horowitz, 1984).  Five grams of kernels
were extracted with petroleum ether in a Soxhlet
apparatus for five hours and then the solvent was
distilled off at 60 ºC.  The oil content was calculated
from the weight of oil and weight of kernels and
reported as percentage.
Protein content
Protein content of kernel was estimated by
multiplying nitrogen content (%) of kernel with 6.25.
Results and Discussion
Yield of groundnut
The pod yield data revealed that the highest pot
yield was for integrating 25 % poultry manure with
75% chemical fertilizer, with a significant yield
improvement over control. All the treatments were
significantly superior to control. The second best pod
yield was due to 75% poultry manure with 25%
chemical fertilizer and was comparable with the
treatment combining 50% poultry manure with 50%
chemical fertilizer.
Application of phosphorus and sulphur through
different sources promoted the number of pods, pod
weight and shelling percentage over control. This is in
agreement with the results obtained by Maity and
Gajendra Giri (2003) who reported that there was a
significant positive interaction of phosphorus and
sulphur on pod yield of groundnut with the combined
application of phosphorus and sulphur. It could be
attributed to the complimentary role played by the
nutrients in successful growth and development of
groundnut. 
Combining poultry manure with chemical
fertilizer significantly influenced the dry matter yield.
Enhanced dry matter accumulation might be due to
the integrated effects of poultry manure and chemical
fertilizer in improving the major and micronutrients
availability, as well as improving soil physical, chemical
and biological properties (Dwivedi et al., 1990).
Besides this, the dry matter yield might also have been
increased due to the interaction effect of phosphorus
and sulphur. Randhawa and Arora (2000) had earlier
confirmed the positive interaction effect of phosphorus
and sulphur on dry matter production of wheat.
Analyte Procedure Reference
Oil content
Nitrogen content
standard AOAC
procedure
Micro Kjeldahl
method
Horowitz,
1984
Jackson
(1973)
Table 1:
Methods of analysis of plant samples 
Treatments Pod yield (g pot-1)
Control
100% PM
75 % PM + 25% CF
50 % PM + 50 % CF
25 % PM + 75% CF
100 % CF
CD (P = 0.05)
28.43 e
38.07 c
41.03 b
40.33 b
45.50 a
29.77 d
1.29
Table 2:
Eﬀect of poultry manure and chemical
ferlizer on the pod yield of groundnut
Punitha Premanantharajah and Komathy Prapagar
Effect of poultry manure as partial substitute for 
P and S on the yield and quality of groundnut
When phosphorus was combined with sulphur,
the yield was significantly higher than control. This
might be due to the synergistic effect of phosphorus
and sulphur applications on the yield and could be
attributed to the enhanced root activities and root
nodulation of plants leading to higher uptake of
nutrients in soybean – wheat- moong sequence
(Balanagoudar et al., 1999). 
The yield data in this present investigation
revealed that the highest yield and yield attributes was
for the treatment integrating 25% poultry manure with
75% chemical fertilizer. The increase in yield might
also be attributed to the beneficial effects of combined
use of poultry manure with fertilizers as nutrient
availability increased through enhanced microbial
activity, conversion from unavailable to available forms
and also due to improved physical, chemical and bio-
chemical conditions. These results are in conformity
with the findings of Babhulkar et al. (2000) in soybean.  
When poultry manure was combined with
chemical fertilizer, the pod yield of groundnut was
increased significantly as compared to sole application
of either poultry manure or superphosphate. This
might probably because of the increased release of the
macro- and micronutrients in soil resulting in better
extraction of nutrients by the crop. 
Well-developed pods with fully filled kernels are
essential for increasing shelling percentage. Application
of phosphorus and sulphur favored higher shelling
percentage. This might be attributed for a favorable peg
formation and pod development with well filled
kernels resulting in increased shelling percentage.
Patel and Patel (1987) observed significance on shelling
percentage due to application of phosphorus in
groundnut.
Quality of groundnut 
Oil content 
The results (Table 3) of the present investigation
indicated that the oil content of groundnut was
significantly higher due to the application of
phosphorus and sulphur. The beneficial effect of
phosphorus and sulphur on oil content is due to the
increase in linoleic acid content and probably due to
the increase glucosides, which, on hydrolysis, produced
higher amount of oil. Phosphorus and sulphur
applications accelerated the metabolic pathway of
linoleic acid synthesis. The beneficial effect of
phosphorus and sulphur application on oil content has
also been reported by Chaubey et al. (1992) in linseed.  
Combining poultry manure with chemical
fertilizers significantly influenced the oil content than
sole application. In this investigation 25% poultry
manure with 75% chemical fertilizer exhibited a
considerable increase in oil content (45.20%). Poultry
manure is a rich source of all nutrients. Dosani et al.
(1999) have confirmed the possibility of substituting
recommended dose of fertilizers by 3 t ha-1 poultry
manure in groundnut. When poultry manure is
combined with chemical fertilizer this might increase
the availability of nutrients. In addition to nitrogen,
phosphorus and sulphur other secondary and
micronutrients also required for oil production which
might have been rendered available (Hegde, 2000). 
Protein content 
Phosphorus and sulphur applications
significantly increased the kernel protein content (Tab
3). Maximum protein content was recorded in the
treatment combining 75% poultry manure with 25%
chemical fertilizer (12.50%). This was followed by 25%
[ 9 7 ]
Phosphorus and
sulphur sources
Oil
content
(%)
Protein
content
(%)
Control
100% PM
75 % PM + 25% CF
50 % PM + 50 % CF
25 % PM + 75% CF
100 % CF
CD (P = 0.05)
31.30e
42.53bc
43.50b
41.57c
45.20a
39.73d
1.32
6.26 d
10.60 b
12.50 a
10.46 b
10.75 b
10.04 c
0.29
Table 3:
Eﬀect of poultry manure and chemical
ferlizer on quality of groundnut 
Proceedings of the Third International Symposium,
SEUSL: 6-7 July 2013, Oluvil, Sri Lanka
[ 9 8 ]
poultry manure with 75% chemical fertilizer treatment
(10.75%) which in turn was on par with the treatment
that received poultry manure alone (10.60%) and the
treatment that received 50% poultry manure combined
with 50% chemical fertilizer (10.46%). The treatment
of chemical fertilizer alone recorded the lowest protein
content (10.04%) but this was significantly higher than
in control (6.26%).
The results with respect to protein content
showed a significant influence due to the applied
phosphorus and sulphur. This might be due to the
increased uptake of nitrogen, which in turn might be
incorporated in the protein molecule. Maragatham and
Chellamuthu (2000) reported that increased dose of
nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur had positive and
significant influence on seed yield and protein content
of sunflower.
Combined effect of phosphorus and sulphur
might have stimulated the proliferation roots and
thereby enhanced the absorption of nitrogen which
might have contributed for the increased protein
content in seed. These results corroborated with the
findings of Yadav and Harishankar (1980) in sunflower.  
Conclusion
Combining poultry manure with chemical
fertilizer significantly increased the pod yield, protein
and oil content of kernel. In this investigation 25%
poultry manure with 75% chemical fertilizer exhibited
highest pod yield and considerable increase in oil
content (45.20%). Maximum protein content was
recorded in the treatment combining 75% poultry
manure with 25% chemical fertilizer (12.50%).
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[ 9 9 ]


Effect of poultry manure as partial substitute for P and S on the yield and quality of groundnut

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Effect of poultry manure as partial substitute for P and S on the yield and quality of groundnut

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