TITLE:
The Effects of Mineral Fertilizers and Organic Amendments on the Growth and Yield of Sunflower
AUTHORS:
Etanke Sylvie Essomo, Doris Besem Arrey, Yannick Afanga Afanga, Barnabas Nehemiah, Steve Ejimbi Efua
KEYWORDS:
Sunflower, Poultry Droppings, Compost, Fertilizer
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.17 No.10,
October
22,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study assessed the effects of mineral fertilizer and organic amendments on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth and yield at the University of Dschang research farm in western Cameroon during the 2022 growing season. Six treatments were compared: an untreated control (T0), poultry droppings (T1), compost (T2), mineral fertilizer (NPK 13-13-21; T3), poultry droppings plus mineral fertilizer (T4), and compost plus mineral fertilizer (T5). Leaf number, stem height, and collar diameter were monitored during growth; flower weight, flower diameter, and yield were assessed at harvest. The highest numerical yield was obtained with compost alone (T2; 4.01 t·ha−1), followed by compost plus mineral fertilizer (T5; 3.81 t·ha−1), compared with 3.42 t·ha−1 in the control. The greatest mean leaf number and stem height across the five reported observations occurred under T4, whereas poultry droppings alone (T1) produced the greatest mean collar diameter. These descriptive results suggest that responses to fertilizer sources differed among growth and yield variables. Compost showed potential for sunflower production under the conditions of this single-site, single-season experiment; treatment differences require confirmation using the original plot-level data and appropriately replicated trials.