Flowering, Pod Formation And Abscission And Seed Yield Of African Yam Bean (Sphenostylis Stenocarpa) Under Varied Npk Application

Flowering, pod formation and abscission and seed yield following application of NPK (20-10-10) fertilizer at the rate of 0 Kg ha-1, 30 Kg ha-1, 60 Kg ha-1, 90, and 120 Kg ha-1 respectively were studied in variety of African yam bean (AYB), Benue Brown (BB) in a field trial at the Research Farm, University of Ibadan Ibadan, Nigeria. AYB cultivars produce 100 to 300 flower buds per plant of which forty to sixty percent form pods. About forty to fifty-five percent more of the immature pods are shed leaving only twenty to thirty percent forming mature pods. The excessive rate of flower and fruit abscission limits grain yield of AYB. Agronomic practices such as the application of fertilizers has been found to improve flower production, pod formation and seed yield in most grain legumes. Application of fertilizer to AYB may therefore constitute a way of reducing flower abscission, enhanced fruit production and increased seed yield in the legume