Effects of NPK 15:15:15 Fertilizer on the Growth and Yield of Two Landrace of Snake Tomatoes, (Trichosanthes cucumerina L.)

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer on the growth and yield of two landrace of Snake tomatoes, (Trichosanthes cucumerina L..), with the aim to determining the landrace of Trichosanthes cucumerina that best suit the environmental condition of South South ecological zone with special reference to Benin City and also the landrace that responds better to fertilizer application. The experiment was conducted twice in the early and late cropping seasons of 2010. Four fertilizer levels of 0, 80, 160 and 240kg/ha were paired with two landraces of Trichosanthes cucumerina, V1, V2,.The experimental layout was a 4 × 2 factorial experiment in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Number of leaves, vine length, and vine girth were taken at 4 and 8 Weeks after Transplanting (WAT), leaf area was determined at mid flowering, while number of days to flowering, fresh weight, dry weight, length of fruits and number of seeds were taken at harvest. The result of the study showed no significant difference in number of days to flowering, aborted flowers, rotted fruits, and leaf area among the landraces, but there was highly significant difference for vine length, vine girth, fruit girth, fruit length, number of seeds, fresh weight, and dry weight between the landraces. NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer levels were significant for all the parameters determined, except for number of leaves at 4 Weeks after Transplanting, and number of days to flowering. Interactions between NPK15:15:15 fertilizer levels and landraces was not significant across the parameters taken at 4 WAT, however it had significant effects on yield data taken