TITLE:
Growth of Telfairia occidentalis Leaf Grown in NPK 20-10-10 Hydroponic Solution
AUTHORS:
Kalu Okonwu, Love A. Akonye, Stephen I. Mensah, Josephine U. Agogbua
KEYWORDS:
Growth, Growth Media, Optimization, Telfairia occidentalis
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.13 No.5,
May
31,
2022
ABSTRACT: Optimization of nutrient
conditions and growth of Telfairia
occidentalis Hooker fil in a hydroponic system was the focus of this study.
The study evaluated the growth of T.
occidentalis under varying growth media subject to the amount of NPK
20-10-10 granules (25 g, 50 g, 75 g, 100 g, 125 g, and 150 g, respectively)
dissolved in water containing micronutrients. The growth media were M25NPK,
M50NPK, M75NPK, M100NPK, M125NPK, M150NPK,
and Control. Two-week-old
seedlings of T. occidentalis raised
using River-sand were transferred into the growth media; in four replicates.
The growth indices [vine main length (VML), number of leaves (NL), stem girth
(SG), petiole length (PL), internode (LI), leaf area (LA), and total leaf area
(TLA)] of T. occidentalis were measured weekly. The root
length (RL), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), and pigment components were
determined 5 weeks after planting (WAP) following standard procedures. The
results recorded indicated that the average pH value (6.74) and sulphate
content (0.047 ppm) of the growth media increased while the electrical
conductivity (94.443 μS) reduced after 28 days. The proportion of the minerals
varied in the hydroponic solutions. Across the growth media, the Control medium
had the highest VML, NL, LA, TLA, PL, and pigment composition of T. occidentalis. However, among the NPK
growth media, the M25NPK
medium effectively enhanced VML, NL, LA, TLA, carotenoid content, RL, RFW, and RDW. The study showed that the
mineral composition of the growth media enhanced the growth of T. occidentalis. Hence, M25NPK
growth media are recommended for growing T.
occidentalis.