ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Agron.
Sec. Plant-Soil Interactions
Optimizing Maize Yield and Nutritional Quality through Synergistic Use of Guinea Pig Manure and Mineral Fertilization: A Sustainable Approach for Coastal Peru
Provisionally accepted
- 1Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria, La Molina, Peru
- 2Universidad Nacional de San Martin Tarapoto, Tarapoto, Peru
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Excessive reliance on mineral fertilizers in maize cultivation has raised environmental concerns, highlighting the need for more sustainable alternatives. This study evaluated the effects of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus L.) manure and the application of N, P and K fertilizers on the yield and nutri-tional quality of hybrid maize grown in the central Peruvian coast. A split-plot design with three replications, was implemented, testing four manure doses (0, 2, 5, 10 t ha⁻¹) in combination with four mineral fertilizer levels (0, 50, 75, and 100% of recommended N, P and K). The 5 t ha⁻¹ ma-nure + 75% mineral fertilizer treatment achieved the highest yield (8.82 t ha⁻¹), representing a 28.38% increase relative to the full mineral fertilization treatment, accompanied by a grain weight of 152.80 g and an ear weight of 171.31 g. Nutritional quality peaked at 5 t ha⁻¹ manure + 100% mineral fertilizer, with 7.85% protein and 363 kcal 100 g⁻¹ energy content. Multivariate analysis revealed strong positive correlations between combined organic-mineral inputs and key productivi-ty parameters. These findings demonstrate that the strategic integration of 5 t ha⁻¹ of guinea pig manure with a 25% reduction in mineral fertilization (i.e., 75% of the recommended dose) en-hanced both grain yield and nutritional value. This combination offers a practical, cost-effective pathway for smallholder farmers to improve yellow maize production under coastal Peruvian condi-tions while reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers. These results demonstrate a clear synergis-tic interaction between organic and mineral fertilization, leading to improved crop productivity un-der conditions of limited soil organic matter in the coastal soils of Peru. This finding supports the use of guinea pig manure as a sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural input.
Keywords: Circular economy, Grain Quality, Integrated fertilization, Multi-variate analysis, sustainable agriculture
Received: 05 Dec 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Calero, Cruz, SOLÓRZANO, Gaona-Jimenez and Vallejos-Torres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Geomar Vallejos-Torres
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