ABSTRACT

This study investigated the response of two okra variety to different fertilizer rates. The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture Teaching and Research Farm, university of Benin, using a 2 x 4 factorial design in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The  treatments included two okra varieties (Clemson spineless and Local) and four levels of fertilizer rates (control 0 t ha⁻¹, poultry manure 20 t ha⁻¹, NPK 15:15:15  300kg ha⁻¹ and a combination of poultry manure 10 t ha⁻¹ and NPK 15:15:15 at 150 kg ha⁻¹ ).Vegetative growth parameters measured were; plant height(cm),leaf area (cm²), stem diameter (cm), number of leaves and plant establishment at 4 and 6 weeks after sowing (WAS),  while Reproductive growth parameters measured were number of flowers, number of pods, pod length (cm), pod diameter (cm), harvest index (%), and yield (kg ha⁻¹).  Results showed that variety did not significantly influence the vegetative characters measured however, the Local variety had a positive influence on the pod diameter and plant establishment compared to Clemson spineless, while combine application of poultry manure at 10 t ha⁻¹ and NPK 15:15:15 at 150kg ha⁻¹ significantly influenced the plant height, leaf area and stem diameter above all other fertilizer rates. The yield and yield components were not influenced by the variety and fertilizer application therefore, in terms of pod diameter, the Local variety can be used in this University of Benin environment with the combine application rate of poultry manure at 10 t ha⁻¹ and NPK 15:15:15 at 150 kg ha⁻¹.