RESIDUAL EFFECT OF CHITOSAN RAW MATERIAL POWDER ON YIELD PERFORMANCE OF OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) UNDER TOMATO-OKRA CROPPING SYSTEM

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the central farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh, during the kharif 1 season (May to September, 2019) to examine the residual effect of chitosan raw material powder on yield performance of okra under tomato-okra cropping system. BARI Dheros-1 was used as test crop. The experiment was carried out in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with the four replications. The experiments were consist of five treatments having four levels of CHT raw material powder. The treatments were T 1 = 0% CHT raw material powder (control), T 2 = 0.1% CHT raw material powder applied in the previous expt., T 3 = 0.2% CHT raw material powder applied in the previous expt., T 4 = 0.3% CHT raw material powder applied in the previous expt. and T 5 = 0.4% CHT raw material powder applied in the previous expt. .Yield and yield contributing characters positively responded with increasing rate of CHT raw material powder. The fruit yield significantly increased in T 4 treatment 7.31 t ha -1 (45.08% yield increased over the control) compared to T 1 control treatment 5.04 t ha -1 . But T 3 treatment shows statistically identical fruit yield 6.36 t ha -1 (26.19% yield increased over the control) compare to the T 1 control 5.04 t ha -1 . The residual effect of the chitosan raw material powder has a positive effect on the increase of total nitrogen, the highest N value 0.112 % was recorded in T 5 treatments and lowest value was observed in T 1 control treatment. From the three layer of soil the maximum value of the soil pH 6.74, 6.66 and 6.53 of 030 cm, 30-60 cm and 60-90 cm respectively, organic carbon content 0.70%, 0.66% and

0.60%

of 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm and 60-90 cm respectively, and organic matter content 1.21%, 1.14%, and 1.03% of 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm and 60-90 cm respectively in the postharvest

soils were found in the T 5 treatment and lowest values were observed in the control treatment. Above discussion revealed that the yield and yield contributing characters of okra and some chemical properties of soil were improved due to the residual effect of CHT raw material powder. Residual nitrogen value indicates that the CHT raw material powder has a slow releasing nitrogen supplementation, soil organic carbon and soil pH. These results suggest that the residual effect of CHT raw material powder could play an important role to improve the sustainable soil health.