COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE GROWTH OF BUSH OKRA (Corchorus olitorius) ON THE INFLUENCE OF Jatropha curcas SEED CAKE, CHICKEN DROPPINGS AND NPK FERTILIZER

A comparative study on the influence of Jatropha curcas seed cake, chicken dropping and NPK fertilizer on the growth and nutrient composition of Corchorus olitorius was investigated. Soil samples were homogenized with 1, 2, 4 and 8 g/bag of Jatropha seed cake, chicken dropping and NPK fertilizer in a completely randomized design consisting of three fertilizer treatment at four levels. Growth parameters were evaluated progressively and at harvest. Results obtained from the analysis of variance of the growth parameters evaluated indicated a significant effect (P< .05) of fertilizer types on all the parameters except number of branches. Similarly, the levels of fertilizer showed significant effect (P< .05) in the parameters except plant height. The result obtained in this study, suggest that application of Jatropha seed cake enhance the growth of Corchorus olitorius which is comparable to NPK fertilizer and chicken dropping at 8 g/bag. The results strongly recommend the use of Jatropha seed cake as a source of organic fertilizer which could be helpful in the current organically produced food. Conclusively, it was observed that Jatropha seed cake could be a good source of organic fertilizer which is comparable with chicken dropping and NPK.