Effect of variety and cutting height on seed yield in Corchorus olitorius.

Abstract

The effect of variety and cutting height on seed yield and quality of Chorchorus olitorius was studied during 2006 cropping season. Seeds of variety 'Oniyaya' and 'Amugbadu' were steeped in water at about 97C for 5 seconds to break dormancy and sown in the nursery. Seedlings were in the nursery for four weeks before they were transplanted on ridges 75 cm apart: inter plant spacing was 40 cm. The lay out was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The five cutting heights used were uncut (Control). 50 cm, 40 cm and 20 cm. Harvesting was done when about 85% of the fruits on plants had turned brown. Stem-cutting significantly hasten flowering and enhanced branching. 'Oniyaya' variety produce significantly more branches than 'Amugbadu'. Stem-cutting significantly reduce the number of fruits on the main-stem. There was no significant interaction effect of variety and cutting height on number of fruits and seed weight. Whereas cutting height of 50 cm and 40 cm might be optimum for 'Oniyaya': It is not advisable to cut below 50 cm in 'Amugbadu': Seeds were tested to determine their viability at 0, 3, 6 and 9 months. When germination was tested following hot-water steeping, a percentage of about 95% was recorded in both varieties. Test carried out without hot-water treatment revealed germination percentage of about 30% which showed that the seeds were dormant. The value however, increased to about 72% to 62 in both 'Oniyaya' and 'Amugbadu' respectively over the storage period.