1 Agriculture

2 Article Type: Research Article

3 Effect of different levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on the growth and yield of

4 cucumber in the coastal region of Bangladesh

5 ABSTRACT

6 The experiment was carried out at Agricultural Research Field, Noakhali Science and

7 Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh during the period of March to June 2021, to

8 evaluate the growth and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L CV: MOHABIR) as influenced

9 by different levels of NPK fertilizer. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete

10 Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments were T0 (no NPK), T1 (Urea 150

11 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1) T2 (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and MoP

12 150 kg ha-1), T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1), respectively. Data

13 were recorded from different stages of plant growth on the number of leaves per plant, number of

14 fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, individual fruit weight, yield per plant and yield per

15 plot. All the recorded parameters were statistically significant (p<0.01) among the treatments.

16 The maximum number of leaves per plant (37.83) was recorded from T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP

17 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1) whereas the minimum number of leaves per plant (27.92) was

18 obtained from the control T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1). Highest number

19 of fruit per plant (11.92), fruit length (16.00 cm), fruit diameter ((4.10 cm), individual fruit

20 weight (167.17 g), weight of fruits per plant (2.00 kg), and yield per hectare (68.35 t/ha) was

21 found in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1) whereas lowest

22 data recorded from control T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha -1). Observing the

1
23 results, it can be stated that application of NPK fertilizer rate @ Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-

24 1
and MoP 175 kg ha-1 for cucumber cultivation gave better growth and yield in the coastal region

25 of Bangladesh.

26 Keywords: Cucumber, Urea, TSP, MoP, Growth, Yield.

27 INTRODUCTION

28 Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a popular vegetable belongs to the family cucurbitaceae.

29 Cucumber is native to the tropics and is one of the oldest cultivated vegetable crops (Yawalkar,

30 1985). Cucumber is one of the important fresh fruit vegetables grown commonly throughout the

31 world. In Bangladesh, it is available in all the year round. It is generally used as salad and pickle.

32 In our country, young cucumber fruit is mainly used as Salad and fresh vegetables. It is also used

33 as cooked vegetables like other cucurbits particularly in this country. In general, it is an excellent

34 source of water (96.3%), carbohydrates (2.7%), proteins (0.4%), minerals (0.4%), and lipids (0.1

35 %). It is also a good source of dietary fiber and vitamins (B and C) in different quantities (Singh

36 et al., 2004; Sumathi et al.,2008; Rajasree et al., 2016; Rolnik and Olas, 2020). Its production is

37 gradually rising in fields and greenhouses due to its excellent nutritional benefits (Zarei et al.,

38 2019).

39 High nutrient treatment during the past part of the century has significantly improved crop yields

40 (Salim and Raza, 2020). Cucumber requires large amounts of both macro and micro nutrients for

41 the requirement of economic yields of cucumber. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are

42 important nutrients for cultivation of cucumber. Cucumber plants should be fertilized with

43 adequate dose of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which are the main elements and they have

44 significant effect on growth of plants.

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45 Nitrogen (N) is perceived as one of the principal macronutrients which is necessary for plants

46 (Ali et al., 2017) However, improper nitrogenous fertilizer use led to major problems with both

47 environmental and human health (Ahmed et al., 2017; Nieder et al., 2018). Effective nutrient

48 management is essential to achieve sustainable crop yield and sustainable development goals,

49 which will not only reduce the cost of production but also help in minimizing the environmental

50 concerns (Zhang et al., 2015; Ye et al., 2019; Oldroyd and Leyser, 2020).

51 Nitrogen is a component of all living cells and is required for the synthesis and transfer of energy

52 by all proteins, enzymes and metabolic activities (Ohyama, 2010). Nitrogen is a component of

53 chlorophyll, the green pigment of plants that stimulates photosynthesis. Deficiency of nitrogen

54 significantly reduces growth and yield of cucumber.

55 The element phosphorus (P) is a must for photosynthesis. High level of available phosphorus

56 throughout the root zone is essential for root development and good utilization of water and other

57 nutrients by the plants (Schachtman et al., 1998). Potassium is absorbed in greater amounts by

58 plants than any other mineral element with the exception of nitrogen and, in some cases, calcium

59 as well. Potassium helps in some essential functions in plants like protein building,

60 photosynthesis, maintaining fruit quality and diseases reduction (Ramezani et al., 2017).

61 Cucumber plants need potassium in a much greater amount than any other nutrient element. It

62 has been observed that potassium has the capability to improve the quality of cucumber fruits.

63 Potassium is supplied to plants by various means like soil minerals, organic materials and

64 fertilizer as well. The osmatic potential of cells and tissues in glycophytic plant species is

65 significantly increased by K+ and its accompanying anions (Marshaner, 1995).

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66 Various biotic and abiotic stress factors have a significant impact on cucumber production. One

67 of the reasons that affects cucumber productivity and the spread of its cultivation in many parts

68 of the world is soil salinity. Soil Salinity has a negative impact on crop quality, yield, and growth

69 (Razzouk and Whittington, 1991; Dong, 2008). Cucumber is very sensitive to soil salinity (Maas,

70 1977), particularly in the growth stages. High salt contents reduce the growth and production of

71 cucumber by affecting physiological processes, including modification of ion balance, water

72 movements, stomata behavior and chlorophyll content. The suitable cucumber growing

73 conditions are decreasing due to the salinity in many coastal areas of Bangladesh. In coastal

74 region of Bangladesh, most of the farmers lacking knowledge about the appropriate levels of

75 nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer for cucumber cultivation. These facts suggest that

76 there is a large scope of increasing cucumber production with the appropriate use of nitrogen,

77 phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. The present experiment was conducted with the aim to

78 investigate the effects of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on the growth and yield quality of

79 cucumber in coastal regions of Bangladesh.

80 MATERIALS AND METHODS

81 Experimental Site

82 The experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Field, Noakhali Science and

83 Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh, during the period of March to June, 2021 in the

84 agro-ecological zone Young Meghna Estuarine Floodplain (AEZ 18). The proportions of the

85 particle size of the soil of that site is Sand: Silt: Clay = 40%: 40%: 20%. The soil type is loamy

86 with organic matter (0.68%), with total nitrogen of 0.04 g/kg, available P in the soil 27.79 µg/g,

87 and available K in the soil 0.18 meq/100 g soil with soil is pH value 7.5 and the soils become

88 saline in dry season.

4
 89 Experimental Methodology

90 Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv.cultivar MOHABIR was used as test variety. The experiment

91 was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) comprising four treatments with

92 three replications. The treatments were T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1 No

93 NPK), T1 (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1) T2 (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP

94 125 kg ha-1 and MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

95 The unit plot size was 1.6 m × 1.1 m. The land properly loosened with spade and big clods were

96 broken into small clods and properly prepared for seedling transplantation. Seeds of cucumber

97 cv. MOHABIR, obtained from local market, sown in Poly bag and at two-leaf stage, seedlings

98 were transplanted in the main field. In field, 6 seedlings were planted in each plot having 50 cm

99 plant-to-plant distance and 70 cm row-to-row distance. A uniform basal of 5 tons per hectare

100 well rotten farm yard manure was applied per plot before transplantation of seedlings. Nitrogen

101 was applied in the form of urea. Application of urea was done in three uniform splits, i.e. first

102 dose was applied at transplanting stage, second after transplanting (one month later) and third at

103 fruiting stage. Phosphorus and potassium were applied in the form of triple super phosphate and

104 muriate of potash, respectively at the time of transplantation of seedlings (Okoli and Nweke,

105 2015). Irrigations were given by hand sprayer when needed. Weeding was done two times in

106 plots to keep plots free from weeds. Imidacloprid and mancozeb was applied at 2 times for the

107 control of insect and fungicide.

108 Data Collection

109 Data on number of leaves, fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, yield per plant

110 and yield per hectare of cucumber were recorded from six plants being randomly selected from

111 each plot.

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112 Statistical Analysis

113 The mean values for all the parameters were calculated and the analysis of variances for the

114 characters was accomplished by F variance test. The significance of difference between pair of

115 means was tested by the least significant difference (LSD) test at 1% levels of probability

116 (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).

117 Results and Discussion

118 Leaf number

119 Application of different levels of NPK fertilizer showed statistically significant (p<0.01)

120 variation on the number of leaves per plant (Figure 1). The maximum number of leaves per plant

121 (37.83) was recorded in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1)

122 followed by treatment T2 (35.42), T1 (32.17) and T0 (27.92), respectively. Generally, more

123 number of leaves per plant, more is the yield in cucumber. Diaz et al. (1973), Kmiecik (1976),

124 Yuasa (1981), El- Badawi (1994), Lawal (2000) and Agba and Enya (2005) had alsol reported

125 increase in growth and yield components of cucumber to applied chemical fertilizer.

126 Number of fruit per plant

127 Application of different doses of NPK fertilizer showed statistically significant (p<0.01)

128 variation on the number of fruit per of cucumber (Figure 2). The maximum number of fruits per

129 plant (11.92) was recorded in T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1)

130 followed by T2 (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and MoP 150 kg ha-1) which was (9.83). While

131 the minimum number of fruits per plant was recorded in T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and

132 MOP 0 kg ha-1no fertilizer), which was (4.92). This result shows that the rate of Urea 200 kg ha-1,

133 TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1 chemical fertilizer has the highest mean number of fruit per

6
134 plant. Similar results have been reported by Choudhari and More (2002) and Jilani et al. (2009).

135 Ravikumar et al. (2003) recorded highest number of fruits per plant of cucumber with the

136 application of NPK 120:80:50 kg ha-1.

137 Fruit length

138 Statistically significant (p<0.01) variation was recorded on fruit diameter of cucumber for

139 different levels of NPK fertilizer management practices (Figure 3). The longest fruit length

140 (16.00 cm) of cucumber was measured in T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg

141 ha-1), and the lowest fruit (12.20 cm) was recorded in the treatment T0 (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1,

142 TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1) followed by the treatment T1 (14.07 cm), and T2 (15.10 cm),

143 respectively. Jilani et al. (2009) observed highest fruit length with NPK at 100-50-50 kg ha-1.

144 Fruit diameter

145 Fruit diameter of the plants were recorded from all of T0, T1, T2 and T3 the treatments. Fruit

146 diameter of cucumber was significantly (p<0.01) influenced by the application of different levels

147 of NPK fertilizer (Figure 4). The highest fruit diameter of cucumber (4.10 cm) was recorded in

148 treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1) followed by treatment T2

149 (3.90 cm), T1 (3.67 cm) and T0 (3.03 cm), respectively. Zahid et al. (2021) observed similar

150 average fruit diameter of cucumber with application of urea at 120 kg ha-1.

151 Fruit weight

152 Weight of single individual fruit of cucumber was significantly (p<0.01) varied by the

153 application of different levels of NPK fertilizer (Figure 1). The maximum weight of fruit

154 (168.17 g) was observed in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-

155 1
) followed by treatment T2 (154.33 g), T1 (134.58 g) where the lowest weight of single

7
156 individual fruit (113.85 g) was obtained from the treatment T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and

157 MoP 0 kg ha-1no fertilizer). Similar results have also been reported by Choudhari and More

158 (2002) and Jilani et al. (2009). Mohammed et al. (2021) observed similar average fruit weight of

159 cucumber with application of NPK at 150:120:120 NPK kg ha-1.

160 Weight of fruits per plant

161 Application of different levels of NPK fertilizer showed a statistically significant (p<0.01)

162 variation on the weight of fruits per plant (Figure 6). The highest weight of fruits per plant (2.00

163 kg) was observed in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1)

164 followed by treatment T2 (1.52 kg), T1 (0.95 kg) where the lowest weight of fruits per plant (0.56

165 kg) was obtained from the treatment T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1no

166 fertilizer). The significant response of parameters evaluated (number of leaves, number of fruits

167 per plant, weight of fruits per plant, fruit length and fruit diameter and yield) to applied NPK

168 fertilizer may be an indication that the nutrients taken up by the plant was well utilized in cell

169 multiplication, amino acid synthesis and energy formation hence increase in photosynthesis. The

170 products of photosynthesis were then translocated to the sinks. El-Badawi (1994) and Lawal

171 (2000) who reported significant response of cucumber fruit weight per plant and total yield to

172 applied chemical fertilizer.

173 Yield per hectare

174 Application of different levels of NPK fertilizer showed a statistically significant (p<0.01)

175 variation on the yield per hectare (Figure 7). The maximum yield per hectare (68.35 ton) was

176 observed in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1) followed by

177 treatment T2 (51.75 ton), T1 (32.49 ton) where the lowest yield per plant (19.09 ton) was obtained

8
178 from the treatment T0 (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1no fertilizer). Mohammed

179 et al. (2021) observed average 56.76 t ha -1 yield of cucumber with application of NPK at

180 150:120:120 kg ha-1. Jassal et al. (1970) has been reported that increase in the yield of

181 muskmelon due to higher levels of NPK application. Arora and Siyag (1988) reported that in

182 both the season N and P gave maximum fruit yield per hectare.

183 CONCLUSION

184 The results indicated that nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer doses had a positive

185 impact on the growth and yield parameters of cucumber like leaf number, fruit per plant, fruit

186 length, fruit diameter, individual fruit weight, weight of fruits per plant and yield per hectare.

187 Comparative results of various parameters studied in the present investigation suggested that T3

188 was the best treatment because weight of fruits per plant was highest (2.0 kg) in treatment T3 and

189 also the highest yield (68.35 t/ha) was found in treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1

190 and MoP 175 kg ha-1). However, the present study was conducted in summer season of 2021 at

191 NSTU research field and need to be study in another season. Therefore, recommendation of

192 treatment T3 (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MOP 175 kg ha-1) as fertilizer dose

193 necessitates both regional and multi-location trials.

194 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

195 We would like to thank our family for their financial support towards the successful completion

196 of this study and also thank the other teachers and students of the Department of Agriculture,

197 Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.

198 CONFLICT OF INTEREST

199 The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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285

286

287

288

289

40.00 37.83
35.42
35.00 32.17
30.00 27.92
Leaf number

25.00
20.00
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3

Treatment
290
291 Figure 1. Effects of NPK fertilizer on leaf number of cucumber.

14
292 Legends, T0 = (Urea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1no fertilizer), T1 = (Urea 150
293 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
294 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

14.00
Number of fruit per plant

11.92
12.00
9.83
10.00

8.00 7.08
6.00 4.92
4.00

2.00

0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3

Treatment
295
296 Figure 2. Effects of NPK fertilizer on number of fruit per plant of cucumber.
297 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
298 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
299 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

18.00
16.00
16.00 15.10
14.07
14.00
12.20
Fruit length (cm)

12.00
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3
Treatment
300
301 Figure 3. Effects of NPK fertilizer on fruit length of cucumber.
302 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
303 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
304 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

15
305

306

4.50 4.10
3.90
4.00 3.67
3.50
Fruit diameter (cm)

3.03
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3

Treatment
307
308 Figure 4. Effects of NPK fertilizer on fruit diameter of cucumber.
309 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
310 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
311 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

180.00 168.17
160.00 154.33

140.00 134.58

113.85
Fruit weight (g)

120.00
100.00
80.00
60.00
40.00
20.00
0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3

Treatment
312
313 Figure 5. Effects of NPK fertilizer on fruit weight of cucumber.
314 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
315 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
316 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

16
 weight of fruits per plant (kg)
2.50

2.00
2.00

1.52
1.50

0.95
1.00
0.56
0.50

0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3
Treatment
317
318 Figure 6. Effects of NPK fertilizer on weight of fruits per plant of cucumber.
319 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
320 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
321 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).

80.00
68.35
70.00
60.00
Yield per hectare

51.75
50.00
40.00
32.49
30.00
19.09
20.00
10.00
0.00
T0 T1 T2 T3

Treatment
322
323 Figure 7. Effects of NPK fertilizer on yield of cucumber.
324 Legends, T0 = (no fertilizerUrea 0 kg ha-1, TSP 0 kg ha-1 and MoP 0 kg ha-1), T1 = (Urea 150
325 kg ha-1, TSP 100 kg ha-1 and MoP 125 kg ha-1), T2 = (Urea 150 kg ha-1, TSP 125 kg ha-1 and
326 MoP 150 kg ha-1), T3 = (Urea 200 kg ha-1, TSP 150 kg ha-1 and MoP 175 kg ha-1).
327

328

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