Agrotechnology

Influence of Soil Amendment Practices on Soil Physicochemical Properties, Growths and Edible Leaf Yield of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia ocidentalis) in Enugu South Eastern Area of Nigeria

Ngwu O. E^* and V. N. Edeh Department of Agronomy and Ecological Management, University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria
^*Correspondence: Ngwu O. E, Department of Agronomy and Ecological Management, University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria, Email:

Received: 09-Sep-2019, Manuscript No. AGT-24-2214; Editor assigned: 12-Sep-2019, Pre QC No. AGT-24-2214 (PQ); Reviewed: 26-Sep-2019, QC No. AGT-24-2214; Revised: 01-Jul-2024, Manuscript No. AGT-24-2214 (R); Published: 29-Jul-2024, DOI: 10.35248/2168-9891.24.13.375

Introduction

Fluted pumpkin Telfairia occidentalis is a warm season vinous vegetable crop belonging to the family of Curcurbitacea. It is a native of tropical Africa, particularly West Africa. Fluted pumpkin is one of the most important vegetables grown in south eastern Nigeria. It is a member of the family with separate male and female plants always evident in the field. It is tolerant to drought and wider ranges of soil fertility condition. The soil amendment practices such as mulching materials, lime (CaCo₃). Inorganic fertilizer and poultry droppings help in seed yield and it is higher as it can yield up to 2.8 tons of sees per hectare [1]. It is a leafy vegetable that has been widely accepted as a dietary constituent among peasants in Nigeria. The leaves and young shoot are edible and are used as pot herbs. The leaf has a high nutritional, medicinal and industrial value being rich in protein (29%), fat (18%), mineral and vitamin (20%). Apart from the leaves, the seed which can be cooked, roasted, eaten or ground and added in soup contains 20.5 g protein, 45 g fat, 23 g carbohydrates, 2.2 g fibre and 4.8 total ash respectively. The oil in the seeds is non-drying and is useful in soup and for cooking.

It has been discovered to be blood purifiers and could therefore be useful in maintenance of good health, most especially among poor resource rural areas in the developing countries. Despite all these economic potentials of the crop, it is among the neglected vegetable of the tropics, commonly grown under subsistence farming system and usually mixed with other food crop or grown in the background along fences. Soil amendment is any material added to the soil to improve its physical properties such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better environment or roots to absorb nutrients easily. Organic matter also is an important energy source for bacteria like earthworm and fungi that live in the soil, these soil conditioners added, depend on the current soils composition, climate and type of plant growth, some soils lack nutrients necessary for proper plant growth and others hold too much or little. In soil amendments, we have mulching materials, poultry droppings; lime (CaCo₃) and inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) which help in the restoration of the soil from both physical and chemical degradation.

Inorganic fertilizer and organic manure have been found to be a very good way of nourishing the soils and amendment materials for the soil are organic and inorganic compounds or materials which when added to the soil enhances the availability of nutrients and soil structural stability [2].

Objective of the study

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of lime (CaCo₃), inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15), mulching materials (plant residues), poultry manure on soil physicochemical properties, growth and edible leaf yield of fluted pumpkin (Telfairias occidentalis), in Enugu south eastern Nigerian.

Materials and Methods

Experimental site

The research was carried out at the teaching and research farm of faculty of agriculture and natural resources management, Enugu state university of science and technology, during the 2019 planting season. The area is characterized by an annual rainfall between 1700 mm to 1800 mm and a humid tropical climate with wet season between (April-October) and dry season between November-March). The experimental site is located between latitude 06°17’ 58°6’ and longitude 7°32’ 58°6’ East in the derived zone of the south east agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. The soil is typic paleustult.

Materials and sources

The pods of the fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) were bought from seed section of the market from where the seeds were got and other treatments were added using the following rates:-Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15), 250 kg/ha, mulching materials (plant residue). 250 kg/ha, lime (CaCo₃), 250 kg/ha and poultry manure (poultry droppings) 250 kg/ha.

Soil analysis

Soil sampling and analysis were carried out. Soil samples were collected at 15 cm depth with the aid of soil auger at random from different parts of the experimental site to determine the physicochemical properties of the soil [3]. The physicochemical properties were determined before and after planting and these were particles size using Bouyoucos hydrometer method, pH were determined by using both distilled water and O.1 NKCI solution and organic carbon were determined using Walkley and Black method the cation exchange capacity of the soil were obtained using ammonium acetate method. Exchangeable bases were determined using complexiometric titration method described by, available phosphorus were determined using Bray Il solution. Total nitrogen was determined using Microkjeldahl distillation method.

Field method design

Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used in carrying out this experiment. A total land area of 180 m² (15 m × 12 m) was used. The land was divided into four blocks with each having five experimental units, making a total of twenty experimental units, each having an alley of 1 m × 1 m between rows and 0.5 m × 0.5 m between columns two seeds were planted per hole [4]. To increase the chance of survival and later thinned to one (1) stand with a spacing distance of 0.5 m × 0.5 m and there were eight stands on each experimental unit. The entire land consists of 160 plants of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis). Fluted pumpkin seeds were planted on July and harvested on December, 2019 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Field layout.

Total land area cover 15 m × 12 m 180m² Key T₀-Treatments T₁-Control T₂-Lime (CaCo₃) 250 kg/ha T₃Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 151515) 250 kg/ha T₄Mulching materials (plant residues) 250 kg/ha Poultry manure (Poultry droppings) 250 kg/ha

Cultural practices

Weeding of the farm was carried out at interval after planting with hoes, to enhance growth and good performance of the plant [4]. Applying pesticide helped in checking disease incidence, harvesting of the crop was carried out using knife to cut the vine and the leaves.

Data collection

Some agronomic measurements were taken on the vine length, number of branches, Leaf Area Index (LAI), fresh weight yield of vegetables were used to assess the crop productivity using sensitive weighing balance while some physicochemical properties of the soil before and after planting like cation exchange capacity, exchangeable bases, exchangeable acidity, soil porosity, soil colour, soil particles size, bulk density, total phosphorus available and total nitrogen were determined [5].

Data analysis

Data collected from the experiment were analyzed using analysis of variance for an RCBD at P=(0.5) (Table 1).

Table 1: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) table.

Results and Discussion

The result presented in Table 2 shows the physicochemical properties of the soil before and after planting.

The results of the pre-planting and post-planting soil analysis conducted as shown in Table 3 showed that soil textural class is sandy loam [6]. In the pre-planting analysis, percentage clay was 10.6%, silt, 13.4% and sand 76.0% but in the post planting analysis the plot treated with poultry manure had clay 15.3%, silt 20.7%, sand 64.02%; NPK, clay 13.7%, silt 24.4%, sand 62.0%; mulching materials, clay 12.8%, silt 30.2%, sand 57.0% and for lime, clay 12.8%, silt 30.3%, sand 56.9%.

Table 2: Soil pre-analysis planting.

Table 3: Soil post-analysis planting.

The soil samples were collected at a depth of 15 cm. From the analysis, the pH (1-12) was 6.07 before planting and where the plot was treated with poultry manure the pH was 6.00, with NPK treatments, pH was 6.10, in mulching materials, pH was

6.03 while in lime pH was 6.23. The pH (KCI) was 5.92, 5.84, 6.00 and 5.89 for plots treated with poultry manure, NPK, mulching and lime in post planting analysis, respectively [7]. %Organic Carbon (%OC) was 0.06 before planting and 0.3, 0.28, 0.03 and 0.4 for poultry, NPR, mulching and lime after planting respectively. The percentage of organic matter before planting was 0.09 and 0.31, 0.2, 0.29 and 0.18 for poultry, NPK, mulching and lime after planting respectively. The pre-analysis% of nitrogen was 0.003 and post analysis was 0.09, 0.9, 0.054 and 0.06 for plots treated with poultry manure, NPK, mulching and lime respectively.

Total phosphorus showed the level of phosphorus before the experiment was 27.8 and after planting, poultry 30.92, NPK 26.78, mulching 23.00 and lime 24.02 Calcium (Ca) was 2.08 Cmol kg^-1 before planting and after was 2.24, 2,00, 1.68 and 2.00 Cmol kg^-1 For plots treated with poultry droppings, NPK, mulching and lime respectively. Also the value of magnesium before planting was 0.18 Cmol kg^-1 and after planting, plots treated with poultry manure had 0.56 (Cmol kg^-1) NPK 0.48. mulching 0.36 and lime 0.49 Cmol kg^-1 [8]. Sodium value was 0.55 Cmol kg^-1 before planting and with poultry manure, 0.84, NPk 0.80, mulching 0.74 and lime 0.78 Cmol kg^-1 while potassium (k) was 0.57 before the planting and plot treated with poultry manure had 0.80, NPK 0.69, mulching 0.54 and lime 0.65 after the experiment.

Vine length and number of branches

Table 4 shows the effect of lime (CaCo₃), NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer, mulching materials (plant residue) and poultry manure on vine length and average number of branches of Telfairia occidentalis.

Table 4: Depressive symptom prevalence by sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors before and during the pandemic.

The result in Table 4 showed that these soil amendment practices significantly affected the vine length of the fluted pumpkin. The result further showed that inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) significantly produced the longest vine length (328 cm), followed by poultry manure the vine length of 286 cm and lime with a vine length 252 cm followed by control with a vine length of 209 cm and the least vine was mulching material (plant residues) with a vine length (167 cm) [9]. The great variations of vine length among soil amendment practices showed that vine length is significantly affected on different soil amendment practices.

Number of branches

In Table 4 above, result that different amendment practices significantly affected the number of branches of fluted pumpkin. Control, lime (CaCo₃), mulching materials (plant residue) and poultry manure are statistically the same in terms of number of branches of fluted pumpkin but significantly differ from inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) which gave the highest number of branches six.

This is in agreement with the report made by Russel that the level of vegetable responses to soil is related to the sufficiency of fertilizer to the soil [10]. Enyi also reported proliferation of branches Telfairia occidentalis, with NPK 15-15-15 at the rate of 625 kg/ha.

Leaf area index

Table 5 showed the effect of lime (plant residue) and poultry manure on Leaf Area Index (LAI).

Table 5: Different soil amendment practices on fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis).

From Table 5 above, the result indicated that different soil amendment practices on fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) are significantly at (P=0.05) on leaf area index of fluted pumpkin.

Inorganic fertilizer significantly produce the highest leaf area index of (7.7118) followed by poultry droppings that produce (4.54580), lime (CaCo₃), mulching materials and control are statistically the same in leaf area index of fluted pumpkin and this showed that there was no much difference between control, lime and mulching material [11]. The highest leaf area index which occurred in inorganic fertilizer is in accordance with the result of Donald which that available high nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil produces vegetable crop with large leaf area index and increases the Net Assimilation Rate (NAR) of the vegetable crop. This is also in line with the assertion that nitrogen fertilization affects yields, predominantly through its effect on Leaf Area Index (LAI).

Fresh weight yield of edible leaf of fluted pumpkin

Table 6 showed the effect of lime (CaCo₃), inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15), mulching materials (plant residue) and poultry manure (poultry droppings) on fresh weight edible leaf yield of fluted pumpkin Telfairia occidentalis.

Table 6: The effect of lime (CaCo₃).

The result in Table 6 above shows that different soil amendment practices significantly affected the fresh weight yield of edible leaf of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis). In organic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) significantly produced the highest fresh weight yield of edible leaf of (11.75), poultry droppings also produced significantly fresh weight yield of edible leaf of (10.68 kg) followed by lime (CaCo₃) that produced (9.15 kg) and mulching materials that produced (4.95 kg) while control or zero application produced the least fresh weight yield of edible leaf of (4.51 kg). Mulching materials (plant residue) and control are statistically the same, even though that mulching produced highest fresh weight yield of edible leaf yield than the control but poultry manure, inorganic fertilizer and lime are different on fresh weight yield of edible leaf of fluted pumpkin [12]. The significant highest fresh yield by inorganic fertilizer is in accordance with the result of Adetunji that NPK fertilizer at the rate of 500 kg/ha promotes cell division and carbohydrate utilization which encourages vegetative yield of fluted pumpkin Telfairia occidentalis.

Conclusion

The result of this research showed significant difference at (P=0.05) of different soil amendment practices on vine length, average number of branches per plot, leaf area index and fresh weight yield of edible leaf. Cultivated fluted pumpkin with Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 1515-15) for edible leaf gave longer vine length, higher fresh weight yield, increased number of branches and higher Leaf Area Index (LAI) than using lime (CaCo₃) poultry dropping and mulching materials (plant residue) in the production of fluted pumpkin for marketable vegetable yield.

Production of fluted pumpkin using Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15-15-15) as a soil amendment practice was preferable and also recommendable for leafy production as it gave optimum fresh weight yield of edible leaf (marketable vegetable yield) of fluted pumpkin Telfairia occidentalis.

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