Effect of spacing and harvesting height on the performance of waterleaf [talinum triangulare (jacq.) willd] in Delta State

The experiment evaluated the effect of plant spacing and harvesting heights on growth and yield of Talinun triangulare in Delta State. The variables measured include sprout height, number of leaves, number of branches and number of inflorescence. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA)and significant treatment means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of significance. The results showed that plants grown with spacing of 15 cm x 15 cm grew taller than those grown using other spacings, while plants harvested at 25 cm harvesting height were significantly (p<0.05) taller compared to other harvesting heights. Plants that were grown at 25 cm x 25 cm and harvested at 25 cm resulted in significantly (p<0.05) in significantly higher number of leaves, branches and flowers. The interactions between plant spacing and harvesting heights showed that there was no significant differences in all the parameters measured. For higher productivity of waterleaf, the spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm and 25 cm harvesting height could be recommended to the farmers in Delta State.