Effect of three different rates of application of cattle dung on quality of two traditional leafy vegetables (Amaranthus Cruentus And Corchorus Olitorius)

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2015-07-12
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Traditional leafy vegetables have been noted to supply abundant amounts of minerals and to some extent calories and proteins which are vital to the alleviation of problems of malnutrition in developing countries. Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius are among such vegetables that could be widely cultivated but information on their fertility requirements is scanty. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of three different rates of application of cattle dung on growth parameters, proximate and mineral composition, weight loss and shelf life on Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius on the experimental field of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The treatments were cattle dung manure at rates of 0, 0.5. 0.8 and 1.1 t/ha. Application of (1.1 t/ha) in Amaranthus cruentus resulted in the highest plant height on the 20th day after transplanting. The 0.8 t/ha rate of application gave the highest number of leaves and shoots of Amaranthus cruentus. Higher rates of application produced biggest stem girth which varied significantly from those without manure application. On the effect of the different rates of application on Corchorus olitorius, the results showed that, generally, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) from those without manure application. Increased rates of application resulted in a decline in the growth parameters. The proximate and mineral composition was not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by the different application rates in both Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius. Increase in the application rates resulted in a decrease in the moisture content in Amaranthus cruentus but in Corchorus olitorius, there was an increase in the moisture content, even though, this was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in vii weight loss after the storage period (48hr) for both Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius. However, Corchorus olitorius had higher weight loss than Amaranthus cruentus. The results on shelf life for both Amaranthus cruentus and Corchorus olitorius showed that both wilted and dried on the 24th hour and 48th hour after harvesting respectively. In conclusion, the study showed that increased application of cattle dung produced positive outcomes on the growth parameter for Amaranthus cruentus. There were no significant (P > 0.05) changes in the proximate, mineral composition and shelf life of the two vegetables
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A thesis submitted to the Department of Horticulture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of MASTERS Of PHILOSOPHY DEGREE in Post Harvest Technology. 2015
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