Comparative Evaluation of Effects of Organic and I...

Comparative Evaluation of Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on the Growth Rate and Adaptability of Asian Eggplant in Nsukka

Abstract

The study adopted experimental research design, specifically randomized complete block design with three replications. Experimental research design is appropriate for this study because it deals with observing phenomenon and taking record of the necessary parameters. The experiment was conducted at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka's research farm, within the Agricultural Education Department, Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education. Geographically, Nsukka while the second location of the experiment was located at Ohom Orba in Udenu LGA of Enugu State. The population for the study was 120 stands of Asian egg plants. There wo locations with control group and each of them was replicated three times. The sample size for the study was 90 seeds of Asian egg plants. Purposive sampling techniques were used to select 90 healthy Asian egg plants seeds used for the study. Recording templates was developed by the researcher to capture data on leaf size, plant height, and seed emergence, among other variables. The instrument for data collection was subjected to face validation by two experts. One expert from the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the other from the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, were reviewed the instrument to ensure that the items align with the study's purpose and research questions. The experts' feedback and suggestions were incorporated to produce the final draft of the instrument. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Findings indicated that Asian eggplant partially adapted to environment with organic manure enhancing more adaptability that the inorganic manure or the control group.

Introduction

Agriculture refers to the practice of cultivating soil, growing crops, and raising animals for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. It encompasses various activities such as planting, harvesting, livestock management, and food processing. Agriculture is fundamental to economies and societies, providing essential resources and employment. Agriculture is a broad term that consists an activity that involves farming, cultivation, animal rearing, and fish harvesting (Ali et al 2014). Agriculture is mostly made of animal husbandry and crop production (Datta et al 2023). The animal production involves the rearing of the livestock which comprises cattle farming, pigs farming or the mini livestock farming. Crop production is the process of cultivating and harvesting fields or vegetables crops for food, fiber, fuel, and other man uses. It comprises those various activities such as the preparation of the soil, planting of crops, nurturing, and harvesting crops. The major aim of crop production is to maximize yield and quality while considering resources and environmental impacts effectively (Smith, 2024). The aims of crop production are the provision of quality food for man's satisfaction, and maximum yield while considering resources and environmental impacts (Abbas et al 2021). Crop production is majorly classified