Municipal solid waste and NPK fertilizer effects on soil physical properties and maize performance in Nsukka, Southeast Nigeria

A study was carried out in the experimental farm of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka to determine the effect of composted Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) on some soil physical properties and also the effect of combined application of MSW and NPK 20:10:10 fertilizer on maize. Four rates of MSW; 0, 1000, 1500 and 2000 kg/ha and four rates of NPK fertilizer; 0, 100, 200 and 300 kg/ha were tested. These were laid out in a 4 × 4 factorial experiment in randomized complete block design (RCBD). The result shows that the application of MSW did not cause significant improvement in some soil physical properties such as soil aggregate stability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and porosity. Maize yield was significantly increased by the application of MSW. Combined application of MSW and NPK fertilizer resulted to higher yield in maize than sole application of either MSW or NPK fertilizer. The highest grain yield was realized from the combined application of 2000 kg/ha of MSW and 300 kg/ha of NPK fertilizer. The result shows that combined application of MSW with NPK performed better than sole application of either MSW or NPK fertilizer. Combination of 2000 and 300 kg/ha performed better than other treatment combinations and was found satisfactory to improve maize performance in sandy loam ultisol in Nsukka.   Key words: Municipal solid waste, NPK, maize, yield, soil properties.