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The use of organic addition has been found to be an environmentally beneficial method for enhancing quality of crops with good soil quality. Similarly, selection of suitable irrigation period is an important factor for optimum crop production. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of chicken manure and irrigation interval on the development and production of okra in a greenhouse. The poultry manure was applied to 5 kg soil at three different rates, namely: 20 t ha-1 (T1), 40 t ha-1 (T2), and 60 t ha-1 (T3), and the fourth group without poultry manure treatment were set up as the control. Four levels of irrigation intervals (3, 6, 9 and 12 days) were selected for the study. Plant height, number of leaves, leaf area (cm2), and stem diameter were all assessed as growth metrics. Leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight, root dry weight, and total plant dry weight were the yield characteristics that were measured. The findings indicated that increasing poultry manure rates enhanced the examined growth and yield parameters, but increasing irrigation intervals decreased the studied growth and yield characteristics of Abelmoschus esculentus. The interplay between chicken manure and irrigation intervals, on the other hand, had no significant effect on leaf area and stem diameter. Finally, the application of 60 t ha-1 poultry manure and a three-day watering interval boosted the development of Abelmoschus esculentus. Keywords: Abelmoschus esculentus, irrigation, okra, poultry manure, yield

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the relative effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). The experiment consisted of four treatments. Cow dung and poultry droppings were applied at the rates of 2.5 kg per 10 kg of soil one week before sowing, while NPK fertilizer (15:15:15) was applied at the rate of 6 g per 10 kg of soil three weeks after sowing. The treatments were laid in a completely randomized design with three replications. Plant growth was assessed using plant height, fresh weight, leaf area and dry weight. The application of cow dung, poultry droppings and NPK fertilizer had significant effects on all the parameters assessed. The application of poultry droppings gave plants with the greatest plant height, leaf area and fresh weight, while cow dung application gave the greatest dry weight. The data obtained from these treatments were significantly higher than the data obtained from the control. It was, therefore, concluded that the use of organic manure in the production of vegetables like okra should be encouraged.

Okra is a commercial vegetable crop with considerable area under cultivation in Africa and Asia. Okra belongs to the family Malvaceae. It probably originated in Ethiopia and is widely spread all over tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Okra plays an important role in the human diet by supplying fats, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Moreover, its mucilage is suitable for certain medical and industrial applications. Therefore, young fruits of okra have reawakened beneficial interest in bringing this crop into commercial production. The optimum yield of okra is approximately 6.6 t ha-1. Okra requires warm temperatures. The optimum temperatures are in the range of 20-30°C, with minimum temperatures of 18°C and maximum of 35°C. Okra needs rather high quantity of water despite having considerable drought resistance. The plant forms a deeply penetrating tap root with dense shallow feeder roots reaching out in all directions in the upper 45 cm of soil. Soil clamminess is essential during the continuation of growing period.