ABSTRACT

Three field experiments were conducted at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Research Farm, Umudike, Abia State, southeastern Nigeria in 2018 and 2019 cropping seasons. The investigations were designed to evaluate manure sources for growth and yield of two varieties of cucumber; determine the effects of stake height on growth and yield of two varieties of cucumber; and examine the effects of cucumber varieties and NPK fertilizer on cucumber and maize intercropping. The design of the experiments was a factorial in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results indicated that poultry manure consistently produced longer vines, more leaves in both years, greater number of branches in 2018, longer fruits, higher total number of fruits and higher total fruit yield in 2018 than other manure sources. Cucumber variety, did not affect vine length, total number of fruits per plant and fruit yield in both cropping seasons but CUM 971 had significantly more leaves than CUM 100 variety in 2018. Similarly, the residual effects of the manures did not significantly affect fruit yield. Poultry manure application had the highest gross margin and return per naira invested. The use of 3m stake produced longest vines and number of leaves at 9WAP in 2018 but staking had no significant effect on number of branches, fruit length, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and total fruit yield. However, cucumber variety CUM 999 had significantly longer vines and greater number of leaves per plant at 9WAP in both years and higher total fruit weight and higher total fruit yield than CUM 986 in 2018. Although total fruit yields of cucumber variety Market More under intercropping were significantly higher than those of Bende local in both seasons, each variety maintained statistically similar yields in both cropping systems. Intercropping did not significantly affect number of seeds per cob, 100-seed weight and seed yield in maize. LER and LEC showed that yield advantages were obtained in all crop combinations but ATER indicated yield disadvantages in Bende Local intercrop that received NPK fertilizer in both years or no fertilizer in 2019. However, profit was maximized in Market More and maize intercrop that received NPK fertilizer followed by Market More monocrop with fertilizer applied.