Volume 11, Issue 24, July - December 2025

Effect of Urea Fertilizer Application on Proximate Composition of Waterleaf (Talinun traingulare L.) in Umudike

Orji KO^♦, Oji EO

Department of Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, P. M. B. 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding author
Orji KO, Department of Crop and Horticultural Sciences, College of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, P. M. B. 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The research investigated the effect of urea fertilizer rates on the proximate compositions of waterleaf in Umudike. The experiment design was a 3 x 6 factorial arrangement fitted into a completely randomized design (CRD) in which factor A consisted of plant fractions of 3 levels, namely: stem, leaf, and inflorescence, while factor B consisted of 6 levels of urea fertilizer, among which were – 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 kgha-1. At 10 weeks after planting, one plant was uprooted from fertilized and unfertilized plots and partitioned into stem, leaf, and inflorescence fractions. They were washed and air-dried. The air-dried samples were ground in mill into powder which was analyzed in the laboratory. The results showed that application rates of urea fertilizer differed significantly on the proximate composition of waterleaf, although moisture content was not significantly affected. There were also significant interactions between fertilizer application and plant fractions. The results also showed that substantial percent concentration of carbohydrates and caloric value was observed in the stem of waterleaf; whereas crude protein was significantly concentrated in the leaf part. However, crude fats, fibre and dry matter significantly concentrated in the inflorescence.

Keywords: Plant fractions, stem, leaf, inflorescence, interaction

Discovery Agriculture, 2025, 11, e13da3147

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Published: 01 September 2025