Effects of Different Rates of NPK 15:15:15 and Pruning Methods on the Growth and Yield of Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.) in Unwana-Afikpo

An experiment was conducted at the experimental field of the Department of Agricultural Technology, Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Unwana-Afikpo, Ebonyi State during 2013 rainy season to evaluate the effect of different rates of NPK 151515 and pruning methods on the growth and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. ). The experiment was conducted as 6 x 2 factorial laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Vine length, number of vines, number of days to 50 % anthesis, number of flowers, number of fruits per plant, and number of marketable fruits were observed. The result of the experiment on NPK 151515 fertilizer showed a significant difference (P = 0.05) on vine length, number of flowers, number of fruits and number of marketable fruits as compared to the control. Similarly, the result on pruning showed significant difference (P = 0.05) on vine length, number of days to 50 % anthesis and number of fruits. The interactions between the treatments indicated that 60kg/ha NPK and pruning gave the highest number of fruits and marketable fruits.