ABSTRACT

This field work experiment was conducted to study the effect of organic and inorganic manure on the growth, development, yield and nutritional composition of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench). The experiment consisted of three treatments, consisting of organic manure (pig and goat droppings) applied at the rates of 100kg per bed (50kg goat manure and 50kg pig manure), NPK fertilizer (15:15:15) applied at the rate of 10g per plant two weeks after sowing, and the control. The treatments were laid in a completely randomized block design with three replications. Plant growth and development was assessed using plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, plant girth, root length, fresh weight of leaves, fresh weight of stem, fresh weight of root, leaves dry weight, stem dry weight, and root dry weight. Plant yield was assessed using pod length, pod girth, number of pod per treatment, fresh weight of pod, and dry weight of pod. Nutritional composition was assessed using the proximate analysis and the mineral content. The analysis of the data collected revealed that organic manure treatment gave the best performance for both growth and yield parameters whereas that collected for nutritional composition showed that Zero treatment performed better than the other treatments in many of the parameters tested.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page i

Certification ii

Declaration iii

Dedication iv

Acknowledgement       v

Table of contents vi List of Figures       viii List of Tables      ix

List of Plates       x

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1   JUSTIFICATION 4

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 4

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT 5

2.2 BIOLOGY OF OKRA 7

2.3 SOIL AND CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS OF OKRA 8

2.4 ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF OKRA 8

2.5 CLASSIFICATION OF OKRA 9

2.6 OKRA REPRODUCTION 9

2.6.1 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 9

2.6.2 OKRA FLORAL 10

2.6.3 POLLINATION AND FERTILIZATION 11

2.6.4 SEED DISPERSAL 12

2.7 NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF OKRA 12

2.8 HEALTH BENEFIT OF OKRA 14

2.9 NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF OKRA 14

2. 10 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF OKRA 16

2.11 FERTILIZER RATE AND APPLICATION 16

2.12 WEED CONTROL 17

2.13 DISEASE AND PESTS OF OKRA 17

2.13.1 PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL 18

2.13.2 CULTURAL CONTROL 18

2.13.3 CHEMICAL CONTROL 18

2 .14 HARVESTING AND HANDLING 18

2.15 USES OF OKRA 19

2.15.1 OKRA SEED AS POTENTIAL EDIBLE OIL AND FLOUR SOURCE 20

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 22

3.1 SEED COLLECTION 22

3.2 STUDY AREA 22

3.3 SOIL COLLECTION /ANALYSIS 22

3.4 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN / LAYOUT 23

3.5 TREATMENT APPLICATION 23

3.6 DATA COLLECTION 24

3.6.1 PLANT HEIGHT 24

3.6.2 NUMBER OF LEAVES 24

3.6.3 NUMBER OF PODS PER REPLICATE 24

3.6.4 LENGTH OF PODS 24

3.6.5 POD GIRTH 24

3.6.6 POD FRESH WEIGHT PER REPLICATE 25

3.6.7 POD DRY WEIGHT 25

3.6.8 SEED YIELD PER TREATMENT 25

3.6.9 ROOT LENGTH 25

3.6.10 FRESH WEIGHT OF LEAVES 25

3.6.11 FRESH WEIGHT OF STEM 25

3.6.12 FRESH WEIGHT OF ROOT 26

3.6.13 STEM DRY WEIGHT 26

3.6.14 ROOT DRY WEIGHT 26

3.6.15 LEAF DRY WEIGHT 26

3.6.16 POD FRESH WEIGHT 26

3.6.17 POD DRY WEIGHT 26

3.6.18 LEAF AREA 27

3.7 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 27

3.8 NUTRITIONAL DETERMINATION 27

3.8.1 PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF OKRA TREATED WITH NPK, ORGANIC AND ZERO MANURE (CONTROL) 27 

3.8.2 MOISTURE AND DRY MATTER DETERMINATION 28

3.8.3 ASH DETERMINATION 28

3.8.4 CRUDE PROTEIN DETERMINATION 28

3.8.5 ETHER EXTRACT (FAT DETERMINATION) 29

3.8.6 CRUDE FIBER DETERMINATION 30

3.8.7 NITROGEN FREE EXTRACT DETERMINATION 30

3.8.8 VITAMIN C DETERMINATION 30

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS 31

4.1 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS31

4.1.1 PLANT HEIGHT 31

4.1.2 NUMBER OF LEAVES 32

4.1.3 LEAF AREA 33

4.1.4 PLANT GIRTH 34

4.1.5 ROOT LENGTH 35

4.1.6 FRESH WEIGHT OF LEAVES 36

4.1.7 FRESH WEIGHT OF STEM 37

4.1.8 FRESH WEIGHT OF ROOT 38

4.1.9 LEAVES DRY WEIGHT 39

4.1.10 STEM DRY WEIGHT 40

4.1.11 ROOT DRY WEIGHT 41

4. 2 YIELD PARAMETERS 42

4.2.1 LENGTH OF POD 42

4.2.2 POD GIRTH 43

4.2.3 NUMBER OF POD PER TREATMENT 44

4.2.4 FRESH WEIGHT OF POD 45

4.2.5 DRY WEIGHT OF POD 46

4.3 PROXIMATE PARAMETERS 46

4.3.1 DRY MATTER 46

4.3.2 MOISTURE 47

4.3.3 ASH 47

4.3.4 CRUDE PROTEIN 47

4.3.5 ETHER EXTRACT 47

4.3.6 CRUDE FIBER 47

4.3.7 NITROGEN FREE EXTRACT 47

4.3.8 METABOLIZABLE ENERGY 48

4.3.9 VITAMIN C 48

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION 49

5.1 DISCUSSION 49

5.2     CONCLUSION 51

5.3    RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

 APPENDIX