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Effect Of Different Rates Of Cattle Dung On Soil Physiochemical Properties And Growth And Yield Of Cucumber (cucumis Sativus)
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Cucumber are available
in dozens of varieties which includes for slicing straight and Poinsett,
Dasher 11, salad, country fair, pioneer while that of slicing cucumber
includes Dasher 11, Bush crop, cobra, Indio Pamela, Benett, (2001).The
use of resistant varieties can be used to avoid or prevent disease in
cucumber plant .The flesh of cucumber is primary composed of water but
also contains ascorbic acid and caffeic Appel,(1997).Both of which helps
in smoothing skin irritation and reduce swelling. Cucumber hard skin is
also rich in fibre and contains a variety of beneficial mineral like
silica potassium and magnesium silica in cucumber is an essential
component of healthy connective tissue which includes muscle, tendons,
ligaments cartilage and bone. Cucumber juice is a source of silica which
improves complexion and health of the skin; it also reduces high blood
pressure to normal in human system Urbanext (2006).
More so, cucumber
have moderately deep root like many of the other cucurbits, the
cucumber has a long taproot as well as a shallow fibrous root system,
but it does not seem to be as extensive as others in this family Wood,
Rebecca (1988).The deep taproot will grown 36-48 inches (3-4feet) but
will not branch out much below 2 feet deep. Most of the fibrous feeders
are in the top 2 feet and the active roots are concentrated between 8-12
inches Levin (1999). Most of the absorption of minerals lakes place in
the 6-12 inches range. The taproot produces many rootlets that branch
off about 1-13 inches from it. As the cucumber slows down in producing
fruit, the deeper root being to senesce cucumber have vinning stems
which can be trained on trellises to save space and improve yield and
fruit quality Sea borna (2002).the leave of cucumber produces bristly
hairs on them. They are simple, alternate and lobed the leaves are
triangular, palmate and located at the base of the mains exits. The
petioles are long (5-4inch) and leavesss
Are usually, 4-8 inch long
Firbank, and Air (1990). Perfect flowers are rare in cucumber, many old
cultivars are monoecious that is produce separate male and female flower
on the same plant. Most of the current cultivars are gynoecious which
have mostly female flowers (only about 5% are male). The production of
male flowers in these plants is promoted by long days and high
temperatures. Male flowering can be stimulated by the application of
gibberellins’, which alters the plant auxin level. Cucumber produces
female flowers during short days with cool temperatures and low light
Ngouajio and Mennaily (2005).Cucumber seeds do not germinate in soil
where directly temperature are below 52%. The seeds are directly plant
into the field. Seeds of slicing cucumber are drilled in row the optimum
daily temperature ranges from 65-75%. Cooler temperatures slow down
growth and slow growing seeding are susceptible to flea beetles which
chew on the leaf and reduce leaf area mass. Young plants are susceptible
to cool weather, cold soil and wind after germination for maximum
production of cucumber. Warm temperatures, irrigation weed control, and
disease and insect management are required. Cucumber is a quick growing
crop that produces a lot of succulent growth. The crop must be supplied
with plenty of moisture for it vigorous growth, cucumber plant
especially need water during blossoming and fruiting any stress during
blossoming could cause the blossoming to abort. The major problem
cucumber face in the field includes problem of water irrigation, problem
of pest and disease which hinder growing of cucumber in Nigeria. Many
of the cucumber grown are limited to the Northern part of the country
due to the warm and dry weather.
1.1 OBJECTIVE
1 To evaluate the effect of cattle dung on the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
2 To evaluate the effect of different rate of cattle dung on the growth and yield of cucumber (Cucumis satisvus).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different rates of cattle dung on soil physiochemical properties and growth and yield of cucumber during the 2010 planting season. The experiment was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five rates (0kg/ha, 50kg/ha, 100kg/ha, 150kg/ha, 200kg/ha) of cattle dung replicated four time. The parameters measured were physiochemical properties of the soil which includes bulk density, total porosity, moisture content, exchangeable bas ... Continue reading---
