EFFECT OF SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS AND SPACING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during April 2007 to July 2007 to study the effects of spacing and source of nutrients on the growth and yield of okra. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The unit plot size was (3.0 m x 2.4m). There were 12 treatments combination in the experiment comprising 3 different spacing viz.S. (60 X 20cm); S2 ( 60 X 30cm) & S3 (60 X 40cm) and 4 levels of sources of nutrients, F0: no fertilizer (control); F2 : cow dung( 14 t/ha) : F3: compost (14 t/ha) and F4: inorganic fertilizer (urea 150 kg/ha+ TSP 100 kg/ha +MP 150 kg/ha). The individual and combined effect of spacing and sources of nutrients on the growth and yield of okra were significant. The results showed that plant height, plant diameter, number of leaves per plant, leaf length, leaf width and number of branches per plant were significantly affected by different spacing and source of nutrients at 40 days after sowing (DAS) and 60 DAS except 20 DAS. Pod length, pod diameter, number of pod per plant, pod weight per plot and pod yield per hectare was also influenced significantly by different spacing and sources of nutrients. The wider spacing (60 X 40cm) produced higher yield (7.38 t/ha) and lowest yield (5.51 t/ha) was produced by higher spacing (60 X 20cm). Again inorganic fertilizer (Urea 150 kg/ha, TSP I 00 kg/ha and MP 150 kg/ha) gave the highest yield (7 .36 t/ha), while control treatment gave the lowest yield ( 5.69 t/ha). The combined effect of spacing and inorganic fertilizer was highly significant on all parameters at 40 DAS and 60 DAS. The combination of spacing (60 X 40cm) and inorganic fertilizer (Urea 150 kg/ha, TSP I 00 kg/ha and MP 150 kg/ha) produced maximum pod yield (7.70 t/ha) and minimum pod yield of okra (4.5 t/ha) was found from the treatment combination of 60 X 20 cm spacing and where the plots were not received any fertilizer.