Response of Corchorus olitorius L. to cocoa pod husk powder and urea fertilizer

Jute mallow is a crop with versatile applications in industries and as a food source. Low yield resulting from land degradation has necessitated the use of cocoa pod husk as a nutrient source, although it may require inorganic fertilizers to enhance its efficiency. The aim was to determine the effects of Cocoa Pod Husk Powder (CPHP) and urea fertilizer on Jute mallow performance. In a repeated 3x3 factorial pot experiment, CPHP [0 (C0), 30 (C30), and 60 (C60) kg N ha-1] and urea fertilizer [0 (U0), 30 (U30), and 60 (U60) kg N ha-1] were evaluated on Jute growth, fresh and dry biomasses using a randomized complete block design with five replicates. Applying CPHP increased the growth parameters but reduced fresh and dry biomass of Jute mallow in both plantings. The plants treated with U60 had significantly higher fresh biomass than the control during the first planting, but were similar in the second planting. The sole CPHP and urea treatments performed better for the parameters observed. However, C30U60 had similar fresh weights (11.14 and 11.40 g per plant) with C0U60 (12.76 and 15.07 g per plant) during the first and second plantings, respectively. Jute mallow dry biomass ranged from 1.64 (C60U30) to 2.12 (C30U60) g per plant and differed significantly between C0U30 (1.30 g per plant) and C0U60 (3.00 g per plant) during the first and second plantings, respectively. Cocoa pod husk powder at 30 kg N combined with urea at 60 kg N ha-1 is recommended for improving crop and soil quality.