Open Access Research Article

The Effect of Fabric Covering on the Emergence and Yield of Container Grown Egyptian Spinach (Corchorus olitorius L.)

Eric Obeng, Peter AY Ampim*, Andrew C Nwachukwu, Faith Isabelle, Aruna Weerasooriya and Godson Osuji

College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Prairie View A&M University, USA

Corresponding Author

Received Date: January 04, 2021;  Published Date: March 11, 2021

Abstract

Egyptian spinach is a nutritious leafy vegetable consumed in many parts of the world. Seed dormancy is a common problem associated with the germination of Egyptian spinach seeds. As a result, this study investigated the effect of fabric covering on the emergence and yield of Egyptian spinach. The treatments comprised pots covered with Dewitt ultra-web 3000 landscape fabric and, pots without covering. Each treatment was replicated three times with twenty Egyptian spinach seeds planted in each pot. Each pot received 500 ml of water every other day, from planting to harvesting. The covering was removed 10 days after planting. Data collected included stand count, SPAD reading, total number of leaves per pot, number of leaves per plant, leaf fresh weight per pot, total harvest weight per pot, and harvest weight per plant. The results showed significant increase in total number of leaves per pot and number of leaves per plant, when Egyptian spinach was covered compared to uncovered (P<0.1). Though insignificant, harvest weight was greater for the uncovered treatment compared to the covered.

Keywords: Egyptian spinach; Germination; Fabric covering; Dormancy; Yield

Citation
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