Studies on Nutrient and Mineral Contents of Fluted Pumpkin Grown in NPK Solution

Abstract

Studies on nutrient and mineral contents of fluted pumpkin, Telfairia occidentalis Hooker fil. leaves grown in different NPK 20-10-10 solutions. The solutions varied in the amount of NPK (20-10-10) and granules (25 g, 50 g, 75 g, 100 g, 125 g and 150 g, respectively) dissolved in water containing micronutrients. The growth media were M25NPK, M50NPK, M75NPK, M100NPK, M125NPK, M150NPK, and Control. Two-week old seedlings of fluted pumpkin raised using River-sand were transferred into the growth media; in four replicates. The nutrient (proximate composition, vitamins, and amino acids) and minerals were determined 5 weeks after planting (WAP) following standard procedures. Among the growth media, fluted pumpkin grown in M125NPK medium had the highest energy level (1622.12 KJ/100 g) while the lowest energy content (1437.43 KJ/100g) was recorded at M25NPK medium. Fluted pumpkin grown in M25NPK medium had the lowest percentage crude fibre content, crude fat, fatty acid when compared with other growth media. The leaves grown in M75NPK medium had the highest value for total vitamins (water-soluble and fat-soluble). The percentage ratio of EAA to NEAA for the growth media was Control (42.33:57.67), M25NPK (38.88:61.12), M50NPK (40.45:59.55), M75NPK (42.06:57.94), M100NPK (41.04:58.96), M125NPK (45.97:54.03) and M150NPK (41.54:58.46). The results recorded indicated that the proportion of the minerals varied in the hydroponic solutions. The nutrient contents of fluted pumpkin leaves grown in the NPK 20-10-10 media varied at P ≤ 0.05. The proportion of mineral elements in fluted pumpkin leaves grown under different concentrations of NPK media at 5 WAP varies in their concentrations.