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Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (32): 23-29.doi: 10.11924/j.issn.1000-6850.casb2025-0286

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Impact of Sheep Manure Replacing Chemical Fertilizer at Equal Nitrogen Rate on Yield and Quality of Zucchini

LIU Xiaoyang1,2(), YIN Mei1, FU Libo1, WANG Wei1, WANG Zhiyuan1, CHEN Hua1, YANG Yanxian1, ZHANG Qing1, YANG Jida1, WANG Yingxue1, CHEN Jianfeng1()   

  1. 1 Institute of Agricultural Environment and Resources, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming 650205
    2 School of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030
  • Received:2025-04-14 Revised:2025-09-29 Online:2025-11-18 Published:2025-11-18

Abstract:

A field experiment was conducted in Songming County, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, and the effects of partially replacing chemical fertilizer with sheep manure on fruit yield, quality, and morphology were investigated using the zucchini cultivar ‘Shilong Feicui’ as the material. Six treatments were established, including 100% chemical fertilizer (CK) and five combinations (FM1 to FM5) of chemical fertilizer with different proportions of sheep manure on an equal nitrogen basis. The results demonstrated that substituting chemical fertilizer with sheep manure increased zucchini yield across all combined treatments. The highest yield increase (9.87%) was observed under the FM3 treatment, which 30% of the chemical fertilizer was replaced by sheep manure, compared to the CK. Regarding fruit morphology, FM3 significantly increased both fruit length (by 6.41%) and diameter (by 10.22%) compared to CK. The incorporation of sheep manure also improved nutritional quality, reduced crude fiber content while increasing vitamin C and soluble sugar contents. Furthermore, potassium content in the fruit was significantly enhanced, and nitrate content decreased with sheep manure substitution. This study indicates that the rational combined application of sheep manure and chemical fertilizer can effectively enhance zucchini yield and fruit quality, while reducing the accumulation of harmful substances.

Key words: Yunnan red soil, equal nitrogen replacement, chemical fertilizer reduction, zucchini, sheep manure, yield, quality