Fertilizer Micro-dosing on Growth and Vegetative Yield of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. f)

Abstract

The study evaluated growth and vegetative response of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis ) to levels and time of micro-dosing Urea fertilizer. The experiment was conducted in two growing seasons of late and early cropping seasons of 2015 and 2016 respectively at the Teaching and Research Farm of Obafemi Awolowo University. The experiment was a factorial laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications involving seasons, levels of fertilizer (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg/ha micro-dose Urea each season and two times (at sowing and two weeks after emergence. Data were collected on the number of vines, average vine length (cm), number of leaves per plant, total chlorophyll content, biomass and fresh vegetative yield. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the effects of treatments on the parameters and significant means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 0.05 probability levels. The results indicated that seasons, levels and time of micro-dosing fertilizer significantly (p< 0.05) affected the parameters measured and particularly vegetative yield of fluted pumpkin. Significant higher vegetative yield (t/ha) was obtained during the late season but with lower total chlorophyll compared to what was obtained in the early season. Micro-dosing fertilizer at 40 kg/ha had a highly significant effect (p <0.05) on fluted pumpkin vegetative yield and was not significantly different from micro-dosing at 60 and 80 kg/ha respectively. Micro-dosing fertilizer at two weeks after emergence had a significant effect on growth and vegetative yield of fluted pumpkin. Hence, micro-dosing of Urea two weeks after emergence at 40 kg/ha was found to be adequate for the vegetative production of fluted pumpkin.