INTEGRATED APPLICATION OF BIOFERTILIZER AND COMPOST AS IT IMPROVES CUCUMBER (CUCUMIS SATIVUS L.) GROWTH AND YIELD IN THE SUDAN SAVANNAH ECOLOGY OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study evaluated the interactive effects of biofertilizer and compost on the growth, yield and yield components of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under semi-arid conditions of northern Nigeria during the 2025 rainy season at the Research Farm of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and Dambatta. The treatments consisted of four (4) biofertilizer levels (0, 3, 4, and 5 L ha⁻¹) and three (3) compost levels (0, 5, and 10 t ha⁻¹), these were combined and laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. The four levels of biofertilizer were assigned to the main plots and three levels of compost allocated to the subplots. The results revealed that, both biofertilizer and compost significantly influenced vine length, number of branches per plant, and yield attributes at both locations. The application of 4 L ha⁻¹ biofertilizer and 5-10 t ha⁻¹ compost consistently produced superior vegetative and reproductive performance, resulting in the highest fruit number, fruit length, and total fruit yield. Significant (p < 0.001) interactions were observed, with the combination of 4 L ha⁻¹ biofertilizer and 5 t ha⁻¹ compost (B₄C₅) recording the greatest number of fruits per plant (47.6) and total fruit yield (54.1 t ha⁻¹) in both sites. This synergy suggests that moderate compost rates enhance the nutrient mobilization, phytohormone production, and microbial efficiency of biofertilizers, thereby improving nutrient use efficiency and soil fertility. The study concludes that integrating biofertilizer and compost offers a sustainable nutrient management approach that boosts cucumber productivity while reducing chemical fertilizer dependence. Hence, the adoption of integrated nutrient management (INM) is recommended for sustainable vegetable cultivation in the semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa.