Shoots Prunning and Giving NPK Fertilizers to Increased Production of Okra Plants (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) Plants

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of shoot pruning and the application of NPK fertilizer on the production of Okra plants (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench), conducted in the experimental fields of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of North Sumatra at an altitude of ± 30 meters above sea level. This study used a Factorial Randomized Block Design with two treatment factors and three replications. The first factor was shoot pruning (no shoot pruning of okra plants), (shoot pruning of okra plants 10 DAP), (shoot pruning of okra plants 15 DAP), (shoot pruning of okra plants 20 DAP) and the second factor was  the dosage of NPK fertilizer (400 Kg/ha), (440 Kg/ha), (480 Kg/ha). The results showed that the treatment of okra plant shoot pruning had a significant effect on plant height, branches number, leaves number, productive branches number, fruits number, fruit diameter, fresh fruit weight. The treatment of NPK fertilizer application had a significant effect on leaves number, fruit  diameter and fresh fruit weight. The interaction of both had no significant effect on all parameters.