Abstract
A field study was conducted to investigate the effect of farm yard manure and planting densities (P x P 10, 15, 20 and 25 cm and R x R 60 cm) under natural farming condition at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad during 2016. The land was incorporated with well rotten farm yard manure (FYM) @ 25 t ha-1 in respective plots (4 x 8 meter) one week before bed preparation and mixed thoroughly in the soil. Seeds of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L., var. Pusa Green) were sown according to the plan following split plot design with four replications. The crop was allowed to stand till maturity and data on growth traits were recorded. Among plant densities, 10 and 15 cm P x P and FYM incorporation @ 25 t ha-1 produced comparable fresh pod yield (11.22 and 10.97 t ha-1, respectively) which was 25 and 24 % higher than that of without FYM application. Dense populated crop i.e., 10 and 15 cm P x P performed better than rest of planting densities through improved fresh pod yield with comparatively improved quality. Dense populated treatment (P x P 10 cm) and FYM application @ 25 t ha-1 produced better quality fruits with less crude fiber content (9.89 %) and higher moisture content (79.14%) as compared to without FYM application (10.93 and 77.49 %) respectively that indicates more accumulation of dry matter content in fruits.
Highlights
Among rapidly consumed vegetables, okra is one popular green crop in Pakistan grown during spring summer season
Similar findings were reported by Premsekhar and Rajashree [16] in response to the farm yard manure (FYM) application in okra farming
Less fresh pod yield under no FYM application might be due to lack of nutrients resulting in reduced growth and yield
Summary
Okra is one popular green crop in Pakistan grown during spring summer season. As the plant life cycle falls in short duration crops, proper plant nutrition for high yielding varieties influence greatly on the production and quality traits of okra. Organic manure is one of the best choices to full fill the needs of plant essential mineral nutrition for enhanced quality and crop yielding, along with properties of improving soil structure, texture and moisture holding capacity [1]. The effect of organic amendments in okra [6,7,8,9,10,11] are documented with respect to various parameters Keeping in mind these facts, a field experiment was planned to assess the effects of farm yard manure and plant density on yield and quality of okra to determine the optimum population for maximum fruit yield production with better quality attributes of okra var.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
