ABSTRACT
This field work experiment was conducted to study the effect of organic and inorganic manure on the growth, development, yield and nutritional composition of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench). The experiment consisted of three treatments, consisting of organic manure (pig and goat droppings) applied at the rates of 100kg per bed (50kg goat manure and 50kg pig manure), NPK fertilizer (15:15:15) applied at the rate of 10g per plant two weeks after sowing, and the control. The treatments were laid in a completely randomized block design with three replications. Plant growth and development was assessed using plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, plant girth, root length, fresh weight of leaves, fresh weight of stem, fresh weight of root, leaves dry weight, stem dry weight, and root dry weight. Plant yield was assessed using pod length, pod girth, number of pod per treatment, fresh weight of pod, and dry weight of pod. Nutritional composition was assessed using the proximate analysis and the mineral content. The analysis of the data collected revealed that organic manure treatment gave the best performance for both growth and yield parameters whereas that collected for nutritional composition showed that Zero treatment performed better than the other treatments in many of the parameters tested.
TABLE
OF CONTENT
Pages
Title
page i
Certification ii
Declaration iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of contents vi
List of Figures viii
List of Tables ix
List of Plates x
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1
JUSTIFICATION 4
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 4
CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 5
2.1 NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT 5
2.2
BIOLOGY OF OKRA 7
2.3 SOIL AND CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS OF OKRA 8
2.4
ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF OKRA 8
2.5
CLASSIFICATION OF OKRA 9
2.6 OKRA
REPRODUCTION 9
2.6.1
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 9
2.6.2
OKRA FLORAL 10
2.6.3
POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION 11
2.6.4
SEED DISPERSAL 12
2.7
NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF OKRA 12
2.8
HEALTH BENEFIT OF OKRA 14
2.9
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF OKRA 14
2. 10
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF OKRA 16
2.11 FERTILIZER RATE AND APPLICATION 16
2.12 WEED CONTROL 17
2.13 DISEASE AND PESTS OF OKRA 17
2.13.1 PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL 18
2.13.2 CULTURAL CONTROL 18
2.13.3 CHEMICAL CONTROL 18
2 .14 HARVESTING AND HANDLING 18
2.15 USES
OF OKRA 19
2.15.1
OKRA SEED AS POTENTIAL EDIBLE OIL AND FLOUR SOURCE 20
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 22
3.1 SEED COLLECTION 22
3.2 STUDY AREA 22
3.3
SOIL COLLECTION /ANALYSIS 22
3.4
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN / LAYOUT 23
3.5
TREATMENT APPLICATION 23
3.6
DATA COLLECTION 24
3.6.1
PLANT HEIGHT 24
3.6.2
NUMBER OF LEAVES 24
3.6.3
NUMBER OF PODS PER REPLICATE 24
3.6.4
LENGTH OF PODS 24
3.6.5 POD GIRTH 24
3.6.6 POD FRESH WEIGHT PER REPLICATE 25
3.6.7 POD DRY WEIGHT 25
3.6.8 SEED YIELD PER TREATMENT 25
3.6.9 ROOT LENGTH 25
3.6.10 FRESH WEIGHT OF LEAVES 25
3.6.11 FRESH WEIGHT OF STEM 25
3.6.12 FRESH WEIGHT OF ROOT 26
3.6.13 STEM DRY WEIGHT 26
3.6.14 ROOT DRY WEIGHT 26
3.6.15 LEAF DRY WEIGHT 26
3.6.16 POD FRESH WEIGHT 26
3.6.17 POD DRY WEIGHT 26
3.6.18 LEAF AREA 27
3.7 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 27
3.8 NUTRITIONAL DETERMINATION 27
3.8.1 PROXIMATE
COMPOSITION OF OKRA TREATED WITH NPK, ORGANIC AND ZERO MANURE (CONTROL) 27
3.8.2 MOISTURE AND DRY MATTER
DETERMINATION 28
3.8.3 ASH DETERMINATION 28
3.8.4 CRUDE PROTEIN DETERMINATION 28
3.8.5 ETHER EXTRACT (FAT DETERMINATION) 29
3.8.6 CRUDE FIBER DETERMINATION 30
3.8.7 NITROGEN FREE EXTRACT DETERMINATION 30
3.8.8 VITAMIN C DETERMINATION 30
CHAPTER
FOUR
4.0
RESULTS 31
4.1
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS31
4.1.1 PLANT HEIGHT 31
4.1.2 NUMBER OF LEAVES 32
4.1.3 LEAF AREA 33
4.1.4 PLANT GIRTH 34
4.1.5 ROOT LENGTH 35
4.1.6 FRESH WEIGHT OF
LEAVES 36
4.1.7 FRESH WEIGHT OF
STEM 37
4.1.8 FRESH WEIGHT OF
ROOT 38
4.1.9 LEAVES DRY WEIGHT 39
4.1.10 STEM DRY WEIGHT 40
4.1.11 ROOT DRY WEIGHT 41
4. 2 YIELD PARAMETERS 42
4.2.1 LENGTH OF POD 42
4.2.2 POD GIRTH 43
4.2.3
NUMBER OF POD PER TREATMENT 44
4.2.4 FRESH WEIGHT OF
POD 45
4.2.5 DRY WEIGHT OF POD 46
4.3
PROXIMATE PARAMETERS 46
4.3.1
DRY MATTER 46
4.3.2
MOISTURE 47
4.3.3
ASH 47
4.3.4
CRUDE PROTEIN 47
4.3.5
ETHER EXTRACT 47
4.3.6
CRUDE FIBER 47
4.3.7
NITROGEN FREE EXTRACT 47
4.3.8
METABOLIZABLE ENERGY 48
4.3.9
VITAMIN C 48
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0
DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 49
5.1
DISCUSSION 49
5.2 CONCLUSION 51
5.3 RECOMMENDATION 52
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig.
1: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure, and Zero treatments on plant
Height of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
2: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure, and Zero treatments on number of
leaves of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
3: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on leaf area of
early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
4: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatment on plant girth
of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
5: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on root length
of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
6: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on fresh weight
of leaves of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
7: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on fresh weight
of stem of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.8:
Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on fresh weight of
root of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
9: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatment on leaves dry
weight of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
10: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatment on stem dry
weight of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
11: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on root dry
weight of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
12: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on length of
pod of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig
.13: Effect of NPK, (15: 15:15, Organic manure and Zero treatments on pod girth
of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
14: Effect of NPK, (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on number of
pod per treatment of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
15: Effect of NPK, (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on fresh
weight of pod of early maturing okra grown in the field.
Fig.
16: Effect of NPK, (15:15:15), Organic manure and Zero treatments on pod dry
weight of early maturing okra grown in the field.
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1: Effect of organic and inorganic manure on the nutritional composition of
okra pods.
LIST
OF TABLES
APPENDIX
1
Table 1: Effect of NPK (15:15:15), Organic manure and
Zero treatments on plant growth and development attributes of early maturing
Okra grown in the field.
Table 2: Effect of time interval on early maturing
okra planted with Organic and Inorganic manure
Table 3: Correlation Table
LIST OF PLATES
Plate 1: Harvested
okra plants treated with organic manure
Plate 2: Harvested okra plants treated with NPK manure
Plate 3: Harvested okra plants planted without
treatment
Plate 4: Harvested okra pod treated with NPK manure
Plate 5: Harvested okra pod treated with organic
manure
Plate 6: Harvested okra pod planted without treatment
(control)
Plate 7: Picture
of the entire farm
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a fruit
vegetable crop belonging to the family Malvaceae
(Awurum and Okorie, 2011). It is an important vegetable, cultivated in the
tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world for its pod (Folorunso and
Ojeniyi, 2003). It is a member of the hibiscus family Malvaceae and has the typical floral characteristics of
that family. Originating from Africa, it is now widely distributed in the tropics
including Nigeria (National Research Council, 2006). It is an important
vegetable crop occupying a land area of 277,000 hectares with a production of
731,000 metric tons worldwide and productivity of 2.63 tha-1 in Nigeria
(FAO, 2006).
The use of organic
amendments applied to soil not only enhances its nutrient status but also
reduces the incidence of pest (Adilakshi et al., 2007). Improvement of
soil fertility through the application of fertilizers has become an essential
factor that enables the world to feed billions of people of its population
(Brady and Weil, 1999). Soil fertility is usually maintained by the application
of organic and inorganic fertilizers (Okigbo, 1985), and there is also an
improvement in the physical and biological properties of the soils (Okwuagwu et
al., 2003).
The
use of inorganic fertilizers can improve crop yields, soil pH, total nutrient
content and nutrient availability (Akande et al., 2010); most especially
in the tropics where soils are adversely affected by sub- optima soil fertility
and erosion causing deterioration of the nutrient status and changes in
population of soil organisms (Economic Commission for Africa, 2001). But its
use is constrained by acidity, scarcity, nutrient imbalance and it is no longer
within the reach of poor-resource farmers due to its high cost. When
excessively used, it also has a depressing effect on yield. These causes a
reduction in number of fruits, delays and reduce fruit setting (John et al.,
2004). It can be found in almost every market in Africa (Schippers, 2000). In
Nigeria, okra is usually grown in home gardens and fields both during the wet
and dry season, with the dry season production being carried out under
irrigation (Majanbu et al., 1985).
Okra production in
Nigeria is predominantly carried out by peasant farmers and it is either
cultivated as sole crop or in mixture with other crops. Production constraints of okra in Nigeria have
been relatively low (Ibrahim et al., 2012). Even in cases where high yield
cultivars have been grown, the inherently low fertility status of the soil,
coupled with inadequate application of fertilizers, remain principal limiting
factors to okra production, especially in the savannah regions of Nigeria. As a result of these constraints, yield of 2
to 3 tha-1 of green fruits have been reported (Anon, 1980). The
scarcity of inorganic manures associated with high cost has created a lot of
problems in arable crop production in Nigeria. Okra is valued for its edible
green pods (fruits). However, its leaves
are also eaten as a vegetable. Okra seeds are used as a non-caffeinated
substitute for -coffee and also as a source of seed oil (FAO, 2006).
Okra is said to be of economic importance because of its nutritional value that
has the potential to improve food security (FAO, 2006). In the past, farm yard
manure has been used to improve and supplement soil nutrients (Adeleye et
al., 2010), but the advent of
inorganic manure has reduced the use of organic manure by farmers as a source
of plant nutrient and soil improvement because of its relative ease of application
and quick results. A lot of these organic manure lies as wastes in rural and urban
centers (Adeoye and Agboola, 1985). They are occasionally dumped around
farmstead and sawmills. Periodically, they are burnt while others remain on the
ground surface, causing problems of environmental pollution and health hazards.
Many farmers in Nigeria rely on these inorganic manure, hence, their
productivity has not been so much profitable especially when these inorganic
sources are neither readily available nor affordable (Ogunwale, 2003).
Animal manures, if
properly handled, is one of the most valuable of all fertilizers available. It
has historically been used as a source of plant nutrient and as a soil
amendment. According to Senjobi (2010), when organic manures are used judiciously
they would improve both growth and yield parameters of crop. Other workers have
also reported that organic manures have beneficial effect on soil properties
such as bulk density, soil moisture content, water holding capacity and other
properties (Adeleye et al., 2010). Many materials which are
waste product from Agricultural enterprise and sawmill industries can be used
beneficially to produce crops and improve the soil for sustainable crop
production.
The use of organic manures as a means of
maintaining and increasing soil fertility has been advocated (Alasiri and
Ogunkeye, 1999). Some of these materials have also been found to control
pathogens (Muhammed et al., 2001). Animal manures, when efficiently and
effectively used, ensure sustainable crop productivity by immobilizing
nutrients that are susceptible to leaching. Nutrients contained in manures are
released more slowly and are stored for a longer time in the soil thus ensuring
longer residual effects; improve root development and higher crop yields
(Sharma and Mittra, 1991; Abou-Magel et al., 2006). Poultry manure’s
relative resistance to microbial degradation is essential for establishing and maintaining
optimum soil physical condition and is important for plant growth. It is also
very cheap and effective as a good source of nitrogen for sustainable crop
production (Dauda et al., 2004).
This research work investigated the effect
of organic manure and inorganic fertilizer on the growth, development, yield
and nutritional composition of okra in the tropical rain forest belt of Nigeria.
1.1 JUSTIFICATION
The improvement of soil fertility through the
application of organic and inorganic manures as a cheap and good source of
nitrogen for sustainable crop production, thus improves the crop yield,
nutrient content and soil PH which is important factor that enables
developing countries, feed billions of its populace. To this effect, the
present research work was carried to determine the beneficial effect of organic
and inorganic manure on the growth, yield, development and nutritional
composition of okra (Abelmoschus
esculentus L. Moench). Also, farmers
are being advised to practice combined mixture of organic and inorganic manure
which leads to longer residual effect on the growth of the crop, yield,
improvement and the physical and biological properties of the soil and but also
reduces the incidence of pest of okra.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE
STUDY
The
objectives of this research work are to:
· To
determine the effect of organic manure on the growth, development, yield and
nutritional composition of okra.
· To
determine the effect of inorganic manure (NPK 15.15.15) on the growth,
development, yield and nutritional composition of okra
· To
compare the effect of these organic and inorganic fertilizers on
growth/development, yield and nutritional composition of okra.
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