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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Date
2015-07-12
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Abstract
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
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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
Description
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