International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume V, Issue IV, July 2020 | ISSN 2454-6194

 Growth and Yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) Under the Influence of Different Organic Fertilizers

  Matthew Aluko1, Abosede F. Kehinde-Fadare2*, Olufemi S. Oluwole3
1,2,3Department of Crop, Horticulture and Landscape Design
Ekiti State University, P.M.B. 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author

Abstract: The desire for organic food products by consumers is on the increase due to its health benefits despite the higher cost of such food products. Therefore at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of five organic fertilizers; Moringa compost (MC), Tithonia compost (TC), fresh moringa leaf (FM), poultry manure (PM), and fresh Tithonia leaf (FT) on the growth and yield of okra in a randomized complete block design in five replications. Data on growth and yield parameters collected were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means separated using Turkey post-hoc test at 5% level of probability.. Although MC and PM gave a higher number of leaves (5.3), plant height (22.6 and 21.9 cm), and stem girth (2.8 and 2.9 cm), they did not differ significantly from other treatments. PM produced higher leaf area (173.9 cm2) which did not differ significantly from 162.3 cm2 for MC. MC produced 1.3 number of flowers which was significantly higher than 0.9, 0.84, 0.8, 0.72, for PM, FT, FM and control respectively. Although MC produced higher number of fruit plant-1 (1.8), PM gave the higher okra fruit weight fruit-1 (0.19 kg) and fruit yield (1.20 t ha-1). The five organic fertilizers used for okra production in this study produced significantly higher fruit yield than the control. However, MC and PM are recommended due to the significant increase in growth and yield components.
Keywords: Organic fertilizers, Okra, Growth, Yield, Moringa.