Growth and yield of cucumber as influenced by poultry manure in Asaba area of Delta State, Nigeria

E C Enujeke

doi:10.4038/tare.v17i2.5308

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted in 2011 and 2012 cropping seasons in the Teaching and Research Farm of Delta State University, Asaba Campus, Nigeria to evaluate the growth and yield responses of cucumber to five different rates of poultry manure. The study was carried out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Rates of poultry manure in tons per hectare were 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20, while the parameters investigated were vine length, number of leaves per plant, fruit diameter (cm), fruit length (cm), and fruit weight of ‘Marketmore’ variety of cucumber. The results of the study showed that parameters assessed were significantly influenced by the application of poultry manure. At 4, 6 and 8 weeks after planting, plants that received highest rate of poultry manure (20 tha-1) showed greatest performances. Based on the findings of the study, it was recom-mended that farmers in the study area can apply 20 tha-1 of poultry manure to increase growth and yield of cu-cumber.

Highlights

Cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) is one of the monoecious annual crops
By nature of its geomorphological settings, the study area falls within the classification of Ancient metamorphiccrystalline basement complex formation which are more acid than base (Egbuchua, 2007)
The result of the study showed that plants that received 20 tha-1 of poultry manure were superior in the parameters tested

Summary

Introduction

Cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) is one of the monoecious annual crops. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family that has been cultivated by man for over 3, 000 years (Adetula and Denton, 2003; Okonmah, 2011). Due to limited use, its place has not been ranked in tropical Africa. Cucumber is a soft and succulentvegetable crop and is cherished by man, and eaten in salads or sliced into stew in tropical regions. It’s juice is often recommended as source of silicon to improve the health and complexion of the skin (Duke, 1997). The ascorbic acid and caffeic acid contained in cucumber help to reduce skin irritation and swollen (Okonmah, 2011)

Methods

Results

Conclusion