Effect of Different Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Growth and Yield of Okra

Abstract

Okra production is thought to be increased by applying inorganic fertilizers, however, continuous application of inorganic fertilizers might cause nutritional imbalance and soil acidity, considering these, a sustainable approaches of okra production would involve managing fertilizers more efficiently using both organic and inorganic fertilizers. With this objective an experiment was evaluated to understand the effectiveness of different types of organic and inorganic fertilizers in promoting the growth and development of Okra plants. The experiment comprised of three replications, six treatments, and one control (untreated). The treatments were: T0=Control, T1=recommended Inorganic fertilizers, T2=Poultry manure, T3=Tricho-compost, T4=Vermicompost, T5=Cowdung and T6=Cowdung + recommended Inorganic fertilizer. Among the effects of different treatment combinations, Poultry manure (T₂) showed the highest total fruit yield (14.6 tha^-1), plant height (99.2cm), individual fruit weight (15.39 g), and fruit length (11.68 cm) and diameter(1.82cm). While, minimum yield (7.65 tha^-1), plant height (80.93cm), individual fruit weight (10.67gm), and fruit length (8.47cm) were recorded in T₀. However, compared with other treatment combinations, poultry manure treatment performed better followed by vermicompost. Therefore, it can be concluded that poultry manure performed better for the growth and yield performance of okra.

IUBAT Review—A Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 7(2): 85-99