Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
J. Anim. Plant Sci. [ISSN 2071 - 7024]
Volume 5 (1): 437 - 442. Published November 23, 2009.
Effects of organo-mineral fertilizers on growth, yield and mineral nutrients uptake in cucumber
Olaniyi, J.O*; Ogunbiyi, E. M. and Alagbe, D. D.
*Department of Agronomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria.
* Correspondence author E- mail: Olaniyikunle2005@yahoo.com
SUMMARY
Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of organomineral fertilizers on the growth, yield and mineral nutrients uptake of cucumber. The treatments involved three varieties of cucumber (Ashley, Poinsett and Royal F1) subjected to four levels of organomineral fertilizer (0, 2, 3 and 4 t. ha-l). The twelve treatment combinations were laid out in a factorial experiment and fitted into a complete randomized block design with three replications. Growth parameters, nutrient uptake and yield attributes were assessed. Organomineral fertilizer significantly (P≤0.05) improved the growth and yield of cucumber varieties. The growth parameters (vine length and number of leaves), yield and yield components showed increasing response as the rate of organomineral fertilizer increased from 0 to 4 t. The yield and yield components of cucumber varied significantly (P≤0.05) among the varieties. Although Poinsett recorded the highest fruit weight, Royal F1 gave highest number of fruits, which is more preferred in cucumber production. The yield of cucumber could significantly be improved by the application of organomineral fertilizer at the optimum rate of 3 t. ha-l considering the cost and the poor economic standard of local farmers in Nigeria. Variety Royal F1 and Poinsett performed well in term of fruit yield and can be recommended for the southwestern region of Nigeria.
Key words
Cucumber, cultivars, organo-mineral fertilizers
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