Asian Journal of Plant and Soil Sciences

The indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers has raised concerns about soil health and environmental sustainability. Organic manures are emerging as viable alternatives to improve soil fertility and crop productivity. This study was conducted at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS), Lamjung Campus, Nepal, to evaluate the effects of different organic manures on the growth and yield of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L., variety Ganga). The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with eight treatments replicated thrice: control, vermicompost, goat manure, farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure, bokashi compost, poultry manure + goat manure, and poultry manure + FYM. Parameters including plant height, leaf number, branch number, flowers, fruits, fruit diameter, fruit length, average fruit weight, and yield per plant were recorded. Results indicated that poultry manure significantly outperformed other treatments, recording the highest plant height (37.15 cm), leaf number (31), branch number (14), flowers (10), fruits (5.28), fruit length (8.37 cm), fruit diameter (5.8 cm), and yield (120.6 g/plant). Vermicompost and bokashi compost followed closely, while control plants showed the lowest performance. The study concludes that poultry manure is the most effective organic manure for enhancing sweet pepper growth and yield under Lamjung conditions, with vermicompost and bokashi as promising alternatives.