Evaluating the Impact of Spent Mushroom Substrate on Growth and Yield of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)

The utilization of natural organic wastes is a significant environmentally safe application in crop production. Consequently, this study investigates the effect of spent mushroom substrate on the growth and yield of okra. Physico-chemical analysis was done on the soil and the pH level of the varied treatments was analyzed as well. The treatments of the SMS consisted of 0%, 5%, 10%, 25% and 50%. The study set out in a randomized complete block design (CRD) with four replications per treatment. The effect of the spent mushroom substrate showed non-significant differences for most growth and yield-related traits of okra, including germination time, number of leaves, number of branches, stem diameter, number of pod, weight of pod, length of pod and width of pod as compared with the control treatment. Significant differences were recorded for plant height and leaf area. Among all the treatments, the highest plant height (31.08 cm) resulted in the 0% treatment while the minimum plant height (14.2 cm) came from the 10% treatment. 0% has the highest leaf area (130.75 cm2) while 50% has the minimum (42.0 cm2). SMS prolonged the life span of the plant as compared with the control. Keywords: Organic wastes, spent mushrooms substrate, Okra, Physico-chemical analysis