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The Effect Rate Of Fertilizer Application On Vegetable (telfairia Occidentalis)
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
In Africa indigenous vegetables
remain popular in rural areas where they are often considered to be more
nutritive than exotic vegetables.Telfairiaoccidentalis commonly called
fluted pumpkin is an important leaf and seed vegetable indigenous to
Southern Nigeria and grown in the forest zone of west and central Africa
(Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone being the major producers). It
probably originated in south east Nigeria and distributed by Igbos who
have been cultivated this crop since time immemorial.
The leaf is of
high nutritional, medicinal and industrial values rich in protein (29%),
fat (18%) and minerals and vitamins (20%).The nutritional value of
pumpkin seeds is different from that of leaves. The protein contents of
seeds and leaves are 20.5g and 2.9g, respectively [5]. Seeds have high
nutritive and calorific values which make it necessary in diets. Fluted
pumpkin is of local ethnobotanical importance in the folklore, dietary
and cropping systems of Igbos. The level of iron is the factor for use
of the leaf extraction as blood tonic which can be administered to weak
patient.
Nitrogen is usually ascribed with the building up of leaf
tissues. This is one of the essential elements most commonly used to
increase crop yield. It is a constituent of all protein and chlorophyll.
Plant tissue, usually contains more nitrogen than any other nutrients.
Nitrogen application is used to produce rapid vegetative growth of
vegetables. It promotes luxuriant growth, and increases number of
leaves. These encourage photosynthesis and partitioning of
photosynthesis rate into the economic parts of the plant. It is also
necessary for reproduction andpromotes the uptake of phosphorus and
potassium by plants. However, nitrogen requirement for vegetable is 50kg
N/ha or more in savannah zone of Nigeria [8]. It has been reported that
100kg N/ha is suitable for vegetable based on dual purposes (leaf+
fruit). The recommended rate for the production of fluted pumpkin is
16okgN/ha.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Field trials were conducted at the Imopoly farmFarm, Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo in 2014 to determine the effect rate of fertilizer application on vegetable (telfairiaoccidentalis). The treatments involved nine fertilizer types namely; Aleshinloye grade A, Aleshinloye grade B, Sunshine grade A, Sunshine grade B, Pace setter grade A, Pace setter grade B, Neem compost,. Fluted pumpkin served as the test crop. The fertilizer types were applied at two levels each (0 and 60 kg. N ha-1). The treatme ... Continue reading---
