Optimizing Growth and Yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) through Irrigation and Organic Soil Management Strategies

Abstract

To enhance global food security, sustainable food production is a must-practice. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), a valuable and widely cultivated vegetable in tropical regions, plays a crucial role in food and income security. It is a multi-use vegetable grown for its edible parts and functional properties. It has a broad range of applications due to the utilisation of its leaves, buds, pods, seeds, flowers, and stems. This study investigated the effects of different irrigation regimes and organic fertilisers on the growth and yield of okra under field conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies, Ghana, during both dry and wet seasons. A 3 × 4 factorial pot experiments was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with treatments including three irrigation regimes (50%, 75%, and 100% of crop water requirement, CWR) and four organic fertilizers: compost (CMT), sheep droppings (SHD), cow dung (CWD), all applied at 60 tons/ha that tranced to 0.5 kg per pot, and a control (CTR), each replicated three times. The crop water requirement (CWR) for Okra was estimated using CROPWAT 8.0 software. Data were arranged using Microsoft Excel (2019) and subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using Minitab 21 at a 5% significance level. The physicochemical properties of the soil and organic fertiliser used were analysed before and after the experiment. Drip irrigation has proven to be an efficient agricultural water management practice that optimises both water and nutrient use while maximising output. The crop water requirement of okra was estimated to be 257.2 mm/dec. The study revealed that cow dung applied at 75% CWR significantly enhanced plant height (27.5–30.5 cm), while SHD at 100% CWR resulted in a high number of leaves (23.2–27.5 leaves). The highest fruit weight (12.5–13.6 g) was observed in pots treated with CWD at 100% CWR. Notably, SHD also improved pod diameter, length, and fruit number across all irrigation levels, with the highest pod count (13 fruits/plant) recorded at 50% CWR. The study shows that organic fertiliser use, especially cow dung and sheep droppings, improves okra growth and yield, and that combining this with deficit irrigation can help conserve water while maintaining high productivity. This approach is especially useful for okra farming in water-scarce areas.