RELATIVE EFFECT OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS ON THE GROWTH OF OKRA [ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (L.) MOENCH]

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the relative effectof organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth of okra (abelmoschusesculentus). the experiment consisted of four treatments. cow dung and poultrydroppings were applied at the rates of 2.5 kg per 10 kg of soil one week beforesowing, while npk fertilizer (15:15:15) was applied at the rate of 6 g per 10 kg ofsoil three weeks after sowing. the treatments were laid in a completely randomizeddesign with three replications. plant growth was assessed using plant height, freshweight, leaf area and dry weight. the application of cow dung, poultry droppingsand npk fertilizer had significant effects on all the parameters assessed. theapplication of poultry droppings gave plants with the greatest plant height, leaf areaand fresh weight, while cow dung application gave the greatest dry weight. thedata obtained from these treatments were significantly higher than the dataobtained from the control. it was, therefore, concluded that the use of organicmanure in the production of vegetables like okra should be encouraged.