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Effect Of Introducing Garden Egg To Fluted Pumpkin In A Relay Intercrop On Sole And Combined Growth Of The Crop Mixtures
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Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia Occidentalis)
This leafy
vegetable belongs to family Cucurbitaceae. The term fluted is used in
description of the female flower which has a flute like appearance. It
is believed to be indigenous to East, central and west Africa between
latitude 7oS and 5oN and longitude 2oE and 38oN (Howes 1950). In
Nigeria, it is referred to as Ugu by Igbos, Iroko by the Yorubas, Ubon
by the Efiks. Its largest diversity in plant population can currently be
found in Imo State and other surrounding areas in South-East Nigeria.
Pumpkins are largely grown for their leaves which are used as vegetables
and its fruit which is boiled and eaten as desert (Attere 1984).
The
fluted pumpkin is a perennial dioecious crop although monoecious forms
also exist. The female plants have distinctly stronger shoots and
stronger shoots and larger leaves than male plants. The male plants
however, flowers about 5 months from sowing while it takes the female
plants another 3 weeks before its first flower is open ( Chigwe and Saka
1994).
Pumpkin seeds contain 20-55% oil rich in unsaturated fatty
acid oleic and linoleic acid and 23-25% protein, rich in arginine,
aspartate and glutamine but they are deficient in lysine and sulphur
containing amino acids. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten in the dry season as
snack after roasting or grinding into butter (Gwanan and Nitcherlein
1995).
Pumpkin also contains high levels of copper, Iron and Vitamin A
Chandarasckhar et al (2000) reported that pumpkin leaves had the
highest amount of beta-carotene in a form that promoted its absorption
in adults, among selected green vegetables. Despite the importance of
pumpkin in the small holder sector in Southern Africa, little research
has been done on this crop (Chigwe and Saka 1994).
According to a
research carried out by Ehigiator (1994) and Edo ADP crops grown in
mixture by farmers in Edo State were in the order
Maize + cassava
Maize + egusi
Maize + egusi + cassava
Yam + maize + mellon
Yam + maize + egusi mellon + vegetable
Maize + cassava + cowpea
Despite
the growing of these crop mixtures by farmers, little is understood on
the effect of various crop components in an intercrop. Due to the
importance of okro as a staple food crop and of fluted pumpkin in the
diet of people in Nigeria, hence this study on the intercropping effect
of both crops on their productivity in an ultisol in Benin City,
Nigeria.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The effect of introducing garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) to fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) in a relay intercrop on the growth of crop mixture under rainfed conditions (September to November, 2014) was investigated at the Faculty of Agriculture University of Benin, Benin City Nigeria.Garden egg and a local variety of fluted pumpkin were sown sole and intercrop. Garden egg and fluted pumpkin were planted sole and intercropped to evaluate their interaction effect on growth parameters suc ... Continue reading---
