Effect of Integrated Nitrogen Management on Growth and Yield of Okra at Sundarbazar, Lamjung, Nepal

Abstract

Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) is a crucial approach to improving the sustainable yield of crops in an environmentally friendly manner. In this study, a field experiment was conducted at Lamjung Campus, Sundarbazar, Lamjung, from March 2022 to June 2022 to evaluate the effect of integrated nitrogen management on the growth and yield parameters of okra and to find out the suitable nitrogen management system in okra. A randomized full-block design was utilized in the investigation, with seven treatments and three replications. The treatments consisted of a control (T1) and six other combinations of nitrogen sources, with each treatment receiving 50% of its nitrogen from chemical fertilizers and 50% from organic sources. The amount of organic manure was calculated based on the nitrogen content of the manures. Farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure, vermicompost, mustard cake, and goat manure were tested as organic sources. The effect of treatment combinations was evaluated in terms of plant height, stem diameter, leaf numbers, days to first flower opening, days to first fruit maturity, number of pods per plant, length, and diameter of pods, and yield ha-1. The findings revealed that integrated nitrogen management strategies had a substantial impact on okra growth and output. Among all the treatments, 50% recommended N through chemical fertilizer + 50% N through poultry manure (T4), which gave the highest number of pods per plant (19.87), yield per ha (13.59 t/ha), and shortest days taken to first flowering (46.54 days) and plant height (54.80 cm), followed by T2, while the control treatment (T1) yielded the lowest. These findings suggest that the application of 50% recommended N through chemical fertilizer + 50% N through poultry manure is an effective strategy for obtaining a high yield of okra in the study area.