Growth and yield performance of Corchorus olitorius varieties as affected by nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers application

Growth and yield performance of Corchorus olitorius varieties as affected by nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers application

2008

E01715

A Pot experiments were conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso (8 degrees 10/N and 4 degrees 10/E) in the first cropping season of 1999, to determine the optimum rates of each of Nitrogen and Phosphorus fertilizers application for the maximum growth and seed yield of Corchorus olitorius plant. Two varieties of corchorus viz, Oniyaya and Amugbadu were subjected separately to five rates each of nitrogen (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 kg N ha-1) and phosphorus (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) fertilizers. The 2x5 factorial experiments was fitted into a completely randomized design with six replications. The results showed that the sole application of each of N and P significantly increased the plant height, number of leaves, fresh shoots, dry matter and seed yields of corchorus above the control (in which no fertilizer was used) in the two varieties. These growth and yield attributes increased as N and P rates increased from 0 up to 45 kg N ha-1 and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1 respectively, then remained unchanged or declined at higher N and P rates. The best performance in term of shoot and seed yields was recorded for Oniyaya as compared with Amugbadu variety. It is therefore concluded that yields of corchorus in the Guinea Savanna of the South Western Nigeria could significantly be improved by the sole application of N and P fertilizers at the optimum rate of 45 kg N ha-1 and 30 kg P2O5 ha-1, respectively.

v.2(3):235-241, AMERICAN-EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

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