Reporductive growth, yield and postharvest quality response of two garden eggs cultivars to application of biozyme bio-stimulant in the forest agro-eco zone
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Date
AUGUST 30, 2016
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Abstract
Garden egg (Solanum gilo) is an important food crop in most West African countries. Small holder farmers prefer growing garden egg both as vegetable and annual crop due it tolerance to all soil type. These poor farmers have suffered the effects of excessive use of chemical fertilizers which causes soil acidification and reducing soil biological activities resulting to poor yield quality and postharvest quality characteristics in fruits and vegetables. Biozyme (Biostimulant) is an acceptable plant growth regulator which contains macro and micro nutrients, vitamins, cytokinins, amino acids abscisic acid and auxins that promote cellular metabolism in treated plants to enhanced growth and yields qualities and postharvest quality characteristics. The properties Biozyme hydrolysis proteins that improve complex uptake of unavailable nutrients to be used by plants. This study determined Biozyme levels that was lower than the commercially recommended 500ml/ha to curb and misuse, but still enhance garden egg yields under the erratic rainfall pattern in the Forest Agro Eco-zone of Ghana. A factorial experiment pots were arranged in a randomized complete block design, replicated three times in the field while complete block design was adopted for the laboratory studies with a pair-wise mean separation at probability level of <0.05% for the field and <0.01% for the laboratory studies. Biozyme levels (0.09, 0.07 and 0.05ml) significantly affected the growth parameter of stem diameter, plant height, number of leave and branches, LAI and number of flower respectively. The yield also improved to 7.13 ton/ha compared to 6.06 ton/ha observed in the control pots. Significant differences were also observed in the postharvest quality parameters with the highest value recorded in the amendment of Biozyme compare to the control pots. The significant differences observed in the varieties might have been due their growth habit of their genotypes.
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A thesis submitted to the school of research and Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy (MPhil.) Postharvest Technology) Degree,