EFFECT OF MULCH MATERIALS AND NITROGEN ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF SQUASH

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during the period from November 2017 to February 2018. The exper i- ment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Three mulching treatments viz. M 0 : No mulch, M 1 : Rice straw and M : Black polythene and four levels of nitrogen viz. N 0 : 0 kg N ha -1 , N 1 : 80 kg N ha -1 , N 2 2 : 130 kg N ha : 180 kg N ha -1 were considered for the present study. Different mulching treatments and nitrogen doses and also their combinations showed significant influence on different growth, yield contributing parameters and yield of squash. The treatment, M showed highest results in individual fruit weight (456.80 g), and fruit yield ha -1 (20.20 t ha 2 -1 ) compared to control. In case of nitrogen treatments, the highest results in individual fruit weight (512.54 g) and highest fruit yield ha -1 (26.79 t ha -1 ) were found from N compared to control. Likewise, the treatment combination of M 2 N 2 2 gave the highest individual fruit weight (522.00 g) and fruit yield ha -1 (28.95 t ha -1 ) where the lowest results were found from the treatment combination of M 0 N . The highest gross return (Tk 434250), net return (Tk 305430) and BCR (3.37) were obtained from the treatment combination of M 0 2 N where the lowest was obtained

from M 0 N 0 2 -1 and N . So, it can be concluded that black polythene mulch with 130 kg N ha is suitable for squash cultivation. 3 -1