Keywords
Morphometry; Evaluation; Cultivation; Abelmoschus Esculentus; Biomass; Manuring
Abstract
The difference in morphometry and biomass of Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) cultivated under different conditions of manuring; cow dung, chicken droppings, NPK fertilizer and control was evaluated. The experiments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The germination rate of Abelmoschus esculentus treated with three different manure showed that the highest percentage of germination rate was (97.66 ± 10.40 %) among those treated with NPK fertilizer followed by (93.23 ± 5.20 %) of those treated with cow dung, While the least was (61.66 ± 2.88 %) of the control. The morphometric parameters measured showed a significant increase in the height of okra among the treated groups than the control groups. The highest plant height was (73.10 ± 12.12cm) among the treatment group with the application of NPK fertilizer. The lowest plant height (51.21 ± 3.21 cm) was recorded among the control group. There was an increase in leaf length (26.24 ± 4.03cm) of NPK fertilizer than chicken dropping and cow dung but the lowest leaf length was observed among the control group with mean value of (23.01 ± 1.10 cm). The girth of okra showed a significant increase with the okra treated with chicken dropping, cow dung and NPK fertilizer. Hence the highest girth of (6.87 ± 0.34 cm) was recorded among the okra treated with NPK fertilizer. While the girth of those treated with cow dung (5.26 ± 0.81 cm) was higher than the girth (4.98 ± 0.54 cm) measurement of the control groups. There was a gradual increase in the leaf area of okra moving from control to the treatments. The highest leaf area was (48.72 ± 4.31cm) among the okra plant treated with NPK fertilizer while lowest leaf area was (36.31 ± 1.21 cm) among the control. There was a significant difference among the fresh weight and dry weight moving from the control to treatments. The biomass of okra had the highest (137.54 ± 73.30 cm) among the group treated with NPK fertilizer while a lower value of (101.45 ± 25.51 cm) was observed among those treated with chicken dropping. The results indicate that the growth parameter of the okra treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest growth in height, girth, leaf area and biomass. This is because of the essential nutrients contained in NPK fertilizer which are released more quickly and readily available for plants growth. Therefore, NPK fertilizer is recommended to farmers since its application boosts the yield performance of crops
Citation
Okereke CN, Iroka CF, Doris CN, Mediatrix NE, Christiana NI and Ukpaka CG. Evaluation of the Differences in Morphometry and Biomass of Abelmoschus Esculentus (L.) Moench Cultivated under Three Conditions of Manuring in Abakaliki Peri-Urban Area, South-Eastern Nigeria. SM J Med Plant Stud. 2017; 1(1): 1003.