Assessing the Role of Irrigation Intervals on Vegetative Growth of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in Makurdi, Benue State

Background: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a very popular vegetable in the world due to its acceptability in most markets. The effect of water stress on Okra plants under different water treatment conditions was investigated. Among various abiotic stresses, water stress is one of the most dynamic and worst stresses that hinder plant growth and development, and limit crop productivity more than any other ecological component depending on the genotype, duration, intensity, and developmental stage of the plants.

Aim: The present study assesses the Role of Irrigation Intervals on the Vegetative Growth of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in Makurdi, Benue State.

Materials and Methods: The study was carried out at Benue State University, Makurdi. Horticultural pots were filled with about 6000 grams of soil. Two varieties of okra namely rainy season and Clemson spineless were sown in the soils and were watered constantly for 14 days after which watering intervals of 3, 5, and 7 days were imposed. The experiment was arranged in a 2x4 factorial scheme fitted into a completely randomized design. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance and Fisher’s least significant difference was used to separate means at a 5% level of significance. Results: Significantly higher height for Clemson spineless variety (15.48) compared to rainy season variety (12.89).

Results and Discussion: The higher number of leaves, the number of shed leaves, and days to flowering were recorded for rainy season variety (8.60, 0.48, and 16.83) compared to Clemson spineless (8.52, 0.46, and 16.50). Significantly higher height, number of leaves, and fewer days to first flowering were recorded for control (16.50, 9.38, and 16.46) compared to 3 days (14.47, 9.04, and 16.50), 5 days (13.35, 8.67, and 16.75) and 7 days (12.44, 7.17 and 16.96) respectively. The higher number of shed leaves was recorded for 7 days (0.92) compared to 3 days (0.29) 5 days (0.46) and control (0.21). Interaction between Clemson spineless variety and control produced significantly higher height (18.22) compared to all other interactions except interaction between Clemson spineless variety and 3-day watering interval (16.02). The number of leaves was significantly higher for interactions between the rainy season variety and control (9.58) compared to the other interactions. Interaction between the rainy season variety at a 3-day watering interval and interaction of Clemson spineless and control each produced a significantly lower number of shed leaves (0.25) than the other treatment interactions. Interaction between Clemson spineless and the control produced a significantly lower number of days to flowering (16.33) compared to other treatment combinations. Watering interval significantly influenced the growth of the Okra plant on all weeks examined. The photosynthetic capacity of plants is usually enhanced by the presence of leaves. The lowered number of leaves due to water stress on Okra plants caused poor development of the crops and hence their reduced growth.

Conclusion: Crops watered daily resulted in better growth than those subjected to water stress. Okra plants should be provided with an adequate water supply to ensure their effective growth and development. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effect of water stress on other crops so as to provide wider literature to be reviewed for water stress effects on crops.