ABSTRACT
An experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research
farm of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of
Nigeria, Nsukka in the 2006 cropping season, to assess the effects of planting
distance and organic manure rates on yield and nutrient composition of
waterleaf at Nsukka. in Southeastern Nigeria. Treatments comprised five
planting spacings and four manure rates. The planting spacings were 25cm x
10cm, 25cm x 15cm, 25cm x 20cm, 25cm x 25cm and 25cm x 30cm corresponding to 1,000,000;
444,444; 250,000; 160,000 and 111,111
plants per hectare, respectively. The manure rates were 0,10,20 and 30t/ha, and
the nutrients were nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca),
phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe).
Also vitamins A, B and C were investigated. All possible
combinations of spacing and manure rates were laid out in a
factorial arrangement using randomize complete block
design in twenty treatment combinations per
block, and there were three replications.
The closest spacing of 25cm x 10cm gave the highest waterleaf vegetable yield,
and
yields generally decreased with
progressive harvests. Yields tended to decrease with wider
spacings. Vegetable yield was significantly lowest with
where no manure was applied. Application of manure at 30t/ha significantly
Yield higher than application of either 10t/ha or 20t/ha.
Combination of organic manure at 30t/ha with 25cm x 10cm spacing gave the
highest yield while combining manure at 30t/ha with the spacing of 25cm
x 20cm followed in yield improvement. Marketable vegetable yield was
significantly increased with successive increment in the manure rate. Where no
manure was applied, yield was greatly depressed by over 58%. The dry matter
yield of waterleaf decreased as the spacing increased with 25cm x 30cm spacing
giving the lowest dry matter yield and the closest spacing of 25cm x 10cm
giving the highest dry matter yield. The moisture content of the leaf was high
all through the harvest periods being as high as 89% on the average. The ash content and fibre were low while fat was in
trace quantity in the stem and in the inflorescence. Studies on the elemental
content of the vegetable indicated that there are no significant effects of
manuring on the Mg, Ca Fe and on the N, P and K contents of the leaf. There
were no clear effects of manuring on the vitamins A, B and C in the leaf or in
the stem or in the inflorescence fractions of the waterleaf vegetable.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Waterleaf, Talinum
triangulare is one of the most widely consumed vegetables in southeastern
Nigeria (van Epenhuijesen, 1974). It is a dicotyledonous plant belonging to the
family of Hydrophyllaceae. In some places in Nigeria, it is often considered to
be a weed and only a few people in sub-Saharan Africa recognized it as a
potential vegetable (Schippers, 2000). Schippers (2000) stated that as the name
triangular implies, it is best recognizedby its triangulare peduncle. The
Yorubas call it ‘gbure’ whereas the Igbos call it ‘mgborodi’, in Sierra Leone,
it is referred to as ‘bologi’ while in Cameroon, it is called ‘elok-sup’
(Scippers,2000).
Waterleaf is a small glabrous
herbaceous plant in growth habit and is well adapted to areas close to rivers
and streams. In the Southern part of Nigeria, where it is abundant, it is found
growing in both wild and domesticated states (Williams et al., 1991).
Triangulare is regarded as a volunteer crop, which comes up immediately after
the first rains of the year, usually around March/April. The crop is mostly
grown b woman and children (Ekpe and Obiefuna, 1977).
The leaf is alternately
arranged on the stem. It is sessile, succulent and usually not longer than
7.5cm. In a light shade it can reach up to 11cm in height. The leaf is
oblanceolate with pointed tips, and usually falls soon after the start of the
dry season. The stem is thick, and bright green with numerous hairs. The
inflorescences are terminal, 7-15cm long, with three sided
stalks
carrying racemes of flowers.
According to van Epenhuijsen
(1974), waterleaf is also drought tolerant like some other vegetable crops such
as fluted pumpkin. It has the ability to ratoon in the following year with the
early rains. It thrives well under a wide range of soil conditions, but does
better in a well-drained sandy loam soil rich in organic matter (Thompson et
al., 1975).
Asiegbu (1984) who worked on Telfairia occidentalis
reported that with the need for fresh vegetables at all times, sequential
establishment over a period of time can be employed to extend the period of
availability and harvest of certain vegetables. Waterleaf may be established in
August or September so as to be available for profitable sale in the dry season
when vegetables are scarce. Propagation of the crop could be both by seeds and
by cuttings, and according to van Epenhuijsen (1974) propagation by cutting is
better.
Manures are substances, which
are obtained as decomposition products of plant and animal remains and capable
of supplying plant nutrients in readily available form that support good crop
growth (Yeqiang, 2006). They are bulky in nature, and have no definite
composition (Das, 1999). Organic manures contain nutrients in small quantities,
and therefore, large quantities will be needed to be applied per hectare.
Organic manure provides food for soil micro-organisms. It increases the
activities of soil microbes and in turn helps to convert unavailable plant
nutrients into available forms. It also increases the cation exchange capacity
(CEC) of the soil, thereby preventing the loss of nutrients through leaching as
it retains them in available forms (Das, 1999). Organic manure also improves
the water holding capacity of the soils, releases nutrient slowly, promotes
growth of earthworm and other beneficial organisms in the soil (Thompson et
al., 1975).
In the Sudan where an estimated
3,000 hectares of the crop were grown, yields of about 20t/ha of waterleaf can
be obtained, mainly under irrigation (Schippers, 2000). This yield was
considered to be low, and adoption of appropriate plant spacing especially
under varying soil fertility levels will aid in yield improvements. The present
low production status of waterleaf could also be attributed to low fertility of
soil and poor management (Ekpe and Obiefuna, 1977).
There is currently no production technology package
developed for waterleaf yield optimization. The manure recommendations at the
rates of 20t/ha, 30t/ha for waterleaf based on investigation conducted at Uyo
indicated that organic manure influenced the yield of waterleaf. It is
therefore, necessary that studies be carried out in various locations in
Nigeria for more data for optimum waterleaf production recommendation,
especially under varying plant spacings.
Therefore,
the objectives of the present study were:
1.
To optimize growth and vegetable
yields of waterleaf through choice of plant spacing and/or organic manure
rates.
2.
To determine the best combination of
plant spacing and organic manure rate for optimum vegetable yield under the
prevailing conditions at Nsukka.
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