Abstract
Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in vegetable production have negatively impacted the soils, water quality, food security and health of farmers and consumers. Hence, sustainable, economically feasible, environmentally friendly soil fertility, pests and disease management options are needed to improve vegetable production. This study evaluated the growth and yield of okra due to varying rates of different sources of organic soil amendments to promote its productivity and tolerance in Sierra Leone. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three (3) replicates and ten (10) treatments was used. The treatments included; Gliricidia sepium, chicken manure and cow dung applied as sole treatments and in combination with papaya leaf and neem leaf as biopesticides. Data was collected on the growth, yield and percentage leaf damage of okra. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in treatment means. The application of poultry manure in combination with papaya leaf gave the most satisfactory performance in all parameters compared to chicken manure, G. sepium, and cow dung in sole application, and their combined applications with paw-paw leaf and neem leaf. Incidence of pest (Podagrica spp) was minimal with the application of poultry manure in combination with papaya leaf, resulting in less severity leaf damage on okra. Key words: Okra, Organic, Biopesticides, Pest, Productivity, Tolerance.
Highlights
Poor fertility status of soils combined with pest and disease problems are the major constrains facing okra productivity and other vegetables in Sierra Leone
A wide range of goals set by organic crop producers mainly is increasing the productivity of crops through the use of organic soil fertility enhancement and organic pest’s control methods
The efficacy of two different pesticides from plant origin - neem leaf and pawpaw leaf in combination with selected known organic fertilizers – chicken manure, cow dung and G. sepium green manure to increase okra productivity were evaluated during the 2019 cropping season
Summary
Poor fertility status of soils combined with pest and disease problems are the major constrains facing okra productivity and other vegetables in Sierra Leone. The West and Central Africa region accounts for more than 75% of okra produced in Africa but the average productivity in the region is very low (2.5 t/ha) compared to East Africa (6.2 t/ha) and North Africa (8.8 t/ha) (FAOSTAT, 2006). Okra cultivation requires nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na) and Sulphur (S) for fertility maintenance and crop production. Lack of sufficient amounts of these nutrients results in poor performance and low yields of okra (Chauhan, 1972; Shukla and Naik, 1993). There is increase in the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides by vegetable growers and agriculturist with the aim of promoting the growth of the plant and to protect the growing plants from pests
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