EFFECTS OF PLANT SPACING AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OKRA (ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (‘L.) MOENCH) IN MUBI, NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNAH, NIGERIA

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Food and Agricultural
Organization / Tree Crop Plantation (FAO/TCP) Faculty of Agriculture, Adamawa State University
Mubi, during the 2024 rain fed cropping season to determine the effects of plant spacing and
different levels of nitrogen fertilizer on the growth and yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus ‘L’
Moench) in Mubi Northern Guinea Savannah. State. The main treatment (plant spacing) consisted
of 4 intervals viz: S1 (30 × 60), S2 (40 × 60), S3 (50 × 60) and S4 (60 × 60), 4 rates of: the subtreatment (nitrogen fertilizer) equally had 4 application rates: 0 kg N ha
-1
(N1), 50 kg N ha
-1
(N2),
100 kg N ha
-1
(N3) and 150 kg N ha
-1
(N4) factorial combined and arranged in Split Plot Design
replicated 3 times. Data collected on plant height, number of branches, days to 1
st and 50%
flowering, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant (g). Other parameters studied are
average fruit weight (g), hundred seeds weight (g) and fresh fruit yield per hectare. These data
were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 2010)
package and means separated by F test using Duncan Multiple range Test (DMRT). The results
revealed is that plant spaced 50 × 60 and fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer at 100 kg ha
-1
(S3 N3)
Significantly (P ≥ 0.05) improved plant height at 6 WAS (27.40 cm), number of branches at harvest
(22.11), number of fruits per plant (29.80). Significant influence of spacing and rate of nitrogen at
P ≥ 0.05 level under S3 N3 treatment also observed on number of seeds per fruit, average fruit
weight, 100 seeds weight, and fresh fruit yield ton per hectare with highest mean values of (356.33,
29.80 g; 15.67 g and 1.87 t ha
-1
) accordingly. The study observed that plant spacing of 50 × 60
and fertilized with nitrogen at 100 kg ha
-1
(S3 N3) treatment was the best among all the treatments
in this trial. Therefore, this study suggested the adoption and cultivation of okra under S3 N3
treatment to farmers in Mubi and its environs for optimum fruit yield.