Climate-smart Agricultural Practices for Enhancing Fluted Pumpkin Yield and Food Security

Abstract

Vegetable cultivation contributes significantly to food production, providing a varied and nutritious food supply for human use and Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practice is recommended in recent times for agricultural practice. Fluted pumpkin is an essential food crop farmed by small-scale farmers, and it helps fight against malnutrition in Nigeria. This study assessed the growth performance of Fluted Pumpkin cultivation in mbaise, Imo State, for the period of 3 months, using organic manure, which includes cow dung, pig dung, and poultry droppings, as sources of soil nutrients.  Randomized Block Design was used for the experimental design and there were three treatments and a control (untreated pot), 1kg per pot of composted cow dung, pig dung, and poultry droppings, which were replicated three times, making it 12 pots.  Parameters measured were on the number and length of leaves at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks and presented in tables. The results show that these parameters have a growth increase by applying different organic manure (cow dung, pig dung, poultry dropping) to the pumpkin pot, in contrast to the control (Untreated pot). However, the treatment with poultry droppings and cow dung had the highest leaf counts compared with the control pot, and pig dung had the lowest performance rate among the three organic manure types used. The result of the growth parameter revealed a significant (P<0.05) difference in all the treatments used. The study recommends the use of organic manure for fluted pumpkin cultivation, especially poultry droppings. It suggests using different organic manure for maximum growth and yield, which are essential for soil amendment and productivity. Therefore, farmers are advised to adopt climate-smart agricultural techniques to help boost their food crop production, ensure food security, promote policy formation, and improve sustainable farming methods.