EFFECTS OF PLANT POPULATION AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PHOSPHOROUS ON SEED YIELD OF SPIDER PLANTS (CLEOME GYNANDRA) IN VIHIGA COUNTY

Cleome gynandra has common names as African cabbage, spider flower, spider wisp, cat's whiskers. It is an erect herbaceous biannual herb with hairy, often stems color ranging from purple to cream and many branches growing to a height of about one meter. It is propagated by seeds through sowing directly and thinning done four weeks after planting. It's an African leafy vegetable and a medicinal plant. It's known to play a key role in providing necessary nutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, iodine, and Magnesium for human development. It requires well-drained loamy soils with an average rainfall of 1700 mm per year; the mean monthly maximum and minimum temperature requirement are 23.80C and 12.40C respectively. Farmers producing it, often face the challenge of spacing, fertilizer use, land fragmentation and declining soil fertility. There are various recommendations on spacing and phosphorous nutrients required; thus, prompting the need to study the effects of spacing/ P levels on seed yield of spider plant in Vihiga County. From the results obtained, the two parameters affect plant height, number of branches, number of pods and seed yield significantly.