Nitrogen response of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) grown sole or intercropped with banana

In the 1994 and 1995 cropping seasons, fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook. F) was intercropped with banana (Musa AAA) or grown alone. The fluted pumpkin, whether intercropped or grown alone, received 30 to 120 kg N ha(-1) in the first cropping season and 80 to 320 kg N ha(-1) in the following season. Fluted pumpkin plants grown alone or which did not receive N served as controls. The objective of the study was to determine the N requirement of fluted pumpkin when grown alone or as an intercrop. Intercropping significantly decreased vine yield and number of fruits set in the 1994 cropping season, but it did not significantly influence number of fruits set in the 1995 cropping season. In both cropping seasons, intercropping had no significant effect on fruit yield. In the 1994 cropping season, linear trends were significant for the response of vine yield to N fertilization. In the 1995 cropping season, quadratic trends were significant for the response of fruit set and fruit yield to N fertilization. There was no interaction between cropping systems and N fertilization. Based on cash advantage due to fertilizer application values, 160 kg N ha(-1) was considered optimal for dual purpose (vegetable + seed) production of fluted pumpkin.