EFFECT OF ORGANIC MANURE AND SEEDLING AGE ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF CHINESE CABBAGE (Brassica campestris var. pekinensis)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the Horticulture farm of Shcr-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from October 2006 to January 2007 to study the effect of different organic manure and seedling age on growth and yield of Chinese cabbage. The experiment considered of two factors e.g. three level of organic manure (cowdung, poultry manure and mustard oil cake) and three seedling age (25, 30 and 35 days of seedling). The experiment was laid out in two factors Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Data on different yield components and yield of Chinese cabbage were recorded. Statistically significant variation was recorded from all recorded characters due to the different organic manure. Considerable highest values were recorded in plant height (27.10 cm), plant spread ( 43.96 cm), number of folded leaves per plant (30.21 ), head weight (1.63 kg), gross yield (95.02 t/ha) and marketable yield (81.30 t/ha) from mustard oil cake followed by cowdung as organic manure and the lowest value was recorded from poultry manure. Seedling age showed significant differences in all recorded characters. Considerable highest values was recorded in plant height (26.80 cm), plant spread (43.48 cm), number of folded leaves per plant (29.90), head weight (1.60 kg), gross yield (93.73 t/ha) and marketable yield (80.15 t/ha) from 30 days of seedling and the lowest value was recorded from 25 and 35 days of seedling. Interaction effect between different organic manure and seedling age also showed significant differences and the considerable yield and yield contributing characters was recorded from the treatment combination of mustard oil cake and 30 days of seedlings, while the treatment combination of poultry manure and 25 days of seedling gave the lowest value. The highest gross return (Tk. 52 I ,640), net return (Tk. 329,834) and benefit cost ratio (2.72) was obtained from the treatment combination of mustard oil cake and 30 days of seedling and the lowest (Tk. 390.000, 190,366 and l.95, respectively) was obtained from the treatment combination of poultry manure and 25 days of seedling.