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© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved. 

Growth and yield responses of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis hook F.) to mulching 
and varying seed sizes in Nsukka Enugu State Nigeria   

                                                                                                                                      

 
Dimokwu Anthony 
Chidera1 
Osadebe, Vivian 
Ogechi2 
Amuji, Chinedu Felix3+ 
 

1,2,3Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. 
1Email: chideraanthony246@gmail.com  
2Email: Vivian.ugwuaneke@unn.edu.ng  
3Email: felix.amuji@gmail.com  

 
(+ Corresponding author) 

 ABSTRACT 
 
Article History 
Received: 28 October 2024 
Revised: 5 December 2024 
Accepted: 17 December 2024 
Published: 31 December 2024 
 

Keywords 
Fluted pumpkin 
Growth parameters 
Mulching 
Seeds 
Yield. 

 
This experiment studied the effects of seed weight and mulching material on the 
growth and productivity of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis), an important leafy 
vegetable crop widely cultivated in southern Nigeria. The study aimed to optimize the 
conditions for improved fluted pumpkin cultivation in Nsukka area of Enugu State, 
Nigeria. A field experiment with a 2 x 3 factorial in randomized complete block design 
(RCBD) was conducted to evaluating two factors: seed weight (1-9.9g vs >10g) and 
mulching material (dry grass, black polyethylene sheet, and no mulch). Parameters 
measured included vine length, number of nodes and leaves, vine girth, survival count, 
and above-ground biomass at 5, 7, and 9 weeks after planting. The results showed that 
while mulch type did not significantly influence the measured agronomic parameters, 
seed size had a considerable impact. Larger seeds (>10g) consistently outperformed 
smaller seeds across all growth parameters, with significant differences observed in 
survival count and vegetative traits. The interaction effects revealed synergistic 
benefits when combining larger seeds with polyethylene mulch, enhancing leaf 
production, node development, and vine extension. Additionally, the combination of 
larger seeds with shredded grass mulch boosted vine girth and biomass accumulation, 
likely due to improved soil moisture conditions.  The study recommends utilizing 
larger Telfairia seeds (>10g) in combination with shredded grass mulch to maximize 
vegetative growth development and yield. These findings provide practical 
recommendations to local farmers for optimizing seed quality and mulching practices in 
fluted pumpkin cultivation in Nsukka and regions with similar agro-ecological 
conditions.  
 

Contribution/Originality: There is paucity of information on how seed size and cultural practice of mulching 

interact to influence the growth and yield of Fluted pumpkin in tropical environment such as Nigeria. Therefore, 

this work is aimed at understanding how these factors influence the performance and yield of this important 

vegetable crop. 

 

1. INTRODUCTION 

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) is a popular vegetable grown among the Igbos of southern 

Nigeria. It is known as “Ugu”. It is believed to be native of tropical West Africa and belongs to the family 

Cucurbitaceae [1]. This vegetable crop is mostly propagated by its seeds and sometimes the young vines or shoots 

are used [2].  The fluted pumpkin grows in many nations of West Africa, but is mainly cultivated in south-eastern 

Nigeria. The plant’s tender shoots and succulent leaves are used primarily in soups and herbal medicines [3]. As a 

Current Research in Agricultural Sciences 
2024 Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 111-117 
ISSN(e): 2312-6418 
ISSN(p): 2313-3716 
DOI: 10.18488/cras.v11i2.4023 
© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved. 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

mailto:chideraanthony246@gmail.com
mailto:Vivian.ugwuaneke@unn.edu.ng
mailto:felix.amuji@gmail.com
https://www.doi.org/10.18488/cras.v11i2.4023


Current Research in Agricultural Sciences, 2024, 11(2): 111-117 

 

 
112 

© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved. 

vegetable crop in many households in the southern Nigeria, it is consumed as a prominent part of daily diet. It has 

been reported to be a rich source of proteins, minerals and vitamins in food [4].  

Mulching has been described as a technique employed to conserve soil water while at the same time improving 

the soil properties and features with its consequent higher plant growth and development resulting to an improved 

yield [5]. According to Kasirajan and Ngouajio [6] the word mulching is derived from a German word “Molsch” 

which literally means any material either organic or inorganic spread on the outmost cover of soil’s upper surface. 

Mulching technique can involve the use materials such as hay, straw, grasses, leaves, polyethylene even organic 

manure to cover outer layer of the soil surface were the crops are grown in order to help the crop in creating a 

favourable growth environment [7]. It has been reported by Nithisha, et al. [5] that mulches can function as a 

protective barrier by preventing the direct contact of sunlight with the soil thereby regulating the soil temperature. 

The ability of mulching to regulate soil temperature accelerates the crops beneficial physiological processes such as 

germination of the seeds which invariably increases yield [5].  

There are different types of mulch material that can be used for mulching, for example those that are classified 

as organic mulches and are always biodegradable mulches and the inorganic or synthetic mulches [5]. Organic 

mulches materials include crop residues, grasses, leaves mulch and all other materials from living things used for 

mulch. Inorganic mulches include those materials made up of non-living things which include plastic sheet mulches. 

Synthetic plastic mulch materials are of different types based on the quality of polymers used, for example the High-

Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) both having different qualities and features 

[5]. 

The effects of seed weight on various stages of plant growth, development and establishment have been 

reported by many researchers. A study that considered phylogenetic relationships (evolutionary relationships 

among different organisms, showing how they are related to each other through common ancestry) discovered that 

there was a negative correlation between seed size and seed dormancy. It also revealed that seedlings originating 

from larger seeds showed increased resilience to defoliation [8]. Researchers such as Krishna, et al. [9] conducted a 

research on the effect of seed mass on germination, seedling survival and growth in cherry. There is paucity of 

information on how seed size and cultural practise of mulching interact to influence the growth and yield of Fluted 

pumpkin in tropical environment such as Nigeria. Due to the high demand of Telfairia leaves in Nsukka, Enugu 

state, this research on the effect of seed weight and mulching material on the growth of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia 

occidentalis) in Nsukka is aimed at understanding how these factors influence the performance and yield of this 

important vegetable crop. Therefore, the specific objective of study is to evaluate the effect of seed weight of fluted 

pumpkin and different mulching material on the productivity of Telfairia occidentalis in Nsukka, Enugu state of the 

Southern eastern region of Nigeria. 

 

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 

This experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm in the Department of Crop Science, 

Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. It is located in the derived savanna zone at latitude 6°52' N, 

and longitude 7° 24' E, with the altitude of 447m above the sea level. 

The Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) seeds used were sourced from Ogige market in Nsukka Local 

Government Area, Enugu state. The well cured poultry manure used was sourced from Department of Animal 

Science Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Other materials used include: black 

polyethylene bag, permanent marker, measuring tape, masking tape, electronic digital weighing scale, imiforce® 

insecticide (Active Ingredient: Imidacloprid 200 g / l SL). 

The experiment was a 2×3 factorial experiment laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD), with 

four (4) replications. The experiment consists of two (2) factors. Factor A consisting of two range of seeds, one 



Current Research in Agricultural Sciences, 2024, 11(2): 111-117 

 

 
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© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved. 

weighing from 1g to 9.9g (1-9.9g) and the others are seeds greater than 10g (>10g). The factor B consisting of 

three mulching pattern (Dry grasses, black polyethylene sheet and No mulch). The treatments are: 

Shredded grass and big seed (>10 g). 

Shredded grass and small seed (1-9.9 g). 

Black Polyethylene sheet and big seed (>10 g). 

Black Polyethylene sheet and small seed (1-9.9 g). 

Control and Big seed (>10 g). 

Control and Small seed (1-9.9 g). 

An area of land measuring 12.5 m X 8.5 m was used for the experiments. The area mapped out were cleared, 

tilled and were prepared into beds. The beds were partitioned into four blocks and each block contains six plots for 

the treatments respectively.  The plot size was 1.5 m X 1.5 m, with inter and intra row spacing of 0.5 m X 0.5 m 

respectively. The planting distance was 0.3 m x 0.3 m. 

Organic manure of 4 kg weight was added to each bed in other to increase the fertility of the soil. The beds 

were levelled so that the whole nutrients will not be washed towards one end and to avoid water logging in the 

plots. 

The T. occidentalis seeds were sown on 19thAugust, 2023, during the rainy season. 

The seeds were planted in situ in the soil at the depth of about 3 cm at two seed per hole, but later thinned 

down to one per hole. A total of nine (9) seeds were planted per plot. 

Data were collected on the following parameter at 5, 7 and 9 weeks after planting (WAP). 

Vine length was recorded using a measuring tape. 

Number of nodes was recorded by counting the nodes on the sampling plant. 

Number of leaves was recorded by counting the number of leaves on the sampling plant.  

Vine girth was done using a measuring tape. 

Survival count was recorded by counting the number of plants per plot. 

Overall above ground biomass at 9 weeks after planting was recorded using an electronic digital weighing 

scale. 

All the data collected were analysed and the test of significance among treatments detected using the Two-

Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) according to the procedure outlined for Randomized Complete Block Design 

(RCBD). The computation was with Genstat 10.3 statistical package. The graphical presentation was done using 

Microsoft Excel. 

 

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

Table 1 is the main effects of mulch type which indicates that at 5th weeks after planting (WAP) there were no 

statistical differences among the mulch types for any of the parameters at 5% probability level while the main effects 

of seed size, the F-LSD (0.05) values show that seed size had a significant effect on all the measured parameters 

(Survival Count (SC), Number of Leaves (NL), Number of Nodes (NN), Vine Girth (VG), and Vine Length (VL) at 

the 5% probability level. For all the parameters, the Big Seed size performed better than the Small Seed size. Table 

2 shows the main effects of mulch type which indicates that at 6 WAP no statistical differences existed among the 

mulch types for any of the parameters at 5% probability level while the main effects of seed size, the F-LSD (0.05) 

values show that seed size had a significant effect on Survival Count (SC) and Vine Girth (VG) at 5% probability 

level. For Survival Count and Vine Girth, the Big Seed size performed better than the Small Seed size. However, 

seed size did not have a significant effect on the Number of Leaves (NL), Number of Nodes (NN), and Vine Length 

(VL). 

 

 



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Table 1. Effects of mulch type and seed size on the agronomic data at the 5th 
week after planting (WAP). 

Mulch type NL NN VG VL 

Control 97 32.8 2.288 129.1 

Polyethylene sheet 110.1 36.5 2.288 109.4 

Shredded grass 112.5 37.5 2.275 121.4 

LSD (0.05) NS NS NS NS 

Seed size 

Big seed 130.6 42.2 2.533 134.8 

Small seed 82.5 28.9 2.033 105.2 

LSD (0.05) 21.65 8.09 0.4166 24.87 

Note: LSD (0.05) = Least significant difference at 5% probability level, NS = Not 
significant, SC = Survival count, NL = No of leaves, NN= Number of 
nodes, VG= Vine girth (cm), VL= Vine length (cm). 

 

Table 2. Effects of mulch type and seed size on the agronomic data 
at the 7th week after planting (WAP). 

Mulch type NL NN VG VL 

Control 210 59.6 4.2 189.1 

Polyethylene sheet 204 63.9 4 167 

Shredded grass 186 60.1 3.9 168 

LSD (0.05) NS NS NS NS 

Seed size 

Big seed 220 67.2 4.43 189.4 

Small seed 180 55.2 3.64 160 

LSD (0.05) NS NS 0.571 NS 

Note: LSD (0.05) = Least significant difference at 5% probability level, 
NS = Not significant, SC = Survival count, NL = No of leaves, 
NN= Number of nodes, VG= Vine girth (cm), VL= Vine length 
(cm). 

 

Table 3 shows is the main effects of mulch type and indicates that there were no significant differences among 

the mulch types for any of the parameters at 5% probability level while the main effects of seed size, The LSD 

values show that seed size had a significant effect on Number of Nodes (NN) and Vine Girth (VG) at the specified 

probability level. Considering the Number of Nodes and Vine Girth, the Big Seed size performed better than the 

Small Seed size. However, seed size did not have a significant effect on Survival Count (SC), Number of Leaves 

(NL), Vine Length (VL), and Above Ground Biomass (AGB). Table 4 shows the effect of mulch types and seed size 

on the growth of fluted pumpkin at 5, 7, and 9 weeks after planting. The table shows that the survival count was the 

same for big seeds across all mulch types, with 9 plants surviving. For small seeds, the survival count was slightly 

lower (6.08-6.75) compared to big seeds, with minor differences across mulch types. 

 
Table 3. Effects of mulch type and seed size on the agronomic data at the 9th week 
after planting (WAP). 

Mulch type NL NN VG VL 

Control 263 81.1 5.3 237.9 
Polyethylene sheet 250 85.6 5.14 202.5 
Shredded grass 225 81.4 5.43 203.4 
LSD NS NS NS NS 
Seed size 
Big seed 266 92 5.85 223.8 
Small seed 226 73.4 4.73 205.4 
LSD NS 14.73 0.549 NS 

Note: LSD (0.05) = Least significant difference at 5% probability level, NS = 
Not significant, SC = Survival count, NL = No of leaves, NN= Number 
of nodes, VG= Vine girth (cm), VL= Vine length (cm). 

 

 

 



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Table 4. Interaction effects of seed size and mulch type on survival count per plot. 

 
Mulch type 

 
Seed size 

Weeks after planting (WAP) 
5 7 9 

Control Big 90 90 70 
Control Small 68 68 60 
Polyethylene sheet Big 90 80 80 
Polyethylene sheet Small 50 45 45 
 Shredded grass Big 90 90 90 
 Shredded grass Small 65 60 60 
LSD (0.05)  17.49 30.8 34.3 

Note: LSD (0.05) = Least significant difference at 5% probability level. 

 

Figure 1 shows the effect of mulch types and seed size on the growth of fluted pumpkin at 5, 7, and 9 weeks 

after planting on the above ground biomass. The table further showed that the interaction of big seed size and 

control recorded significantly (0 < 0.05) higher at 9 WAP with a value of 1239g. The small seed and polythene 

sheets had the lowest values at 439g, but were similar to small seeds in the control treatment. This study aligns 

with findings from Rashid, et al. [10] in cucumber, where bigger seeds produced more vigorous seedlings. The 

interaction effects revealed advantages of polyethylene mulch combined with larger seeds for enhancing leaf 

production, nodes, and vine extension. This agrees with report made by Ibarra-Jimenez, et al. [11] that the use of 

plastic mulch is associated with a higher increase in yield of cucumber productivity. 

 

 
Figure 1. Effects of seed size and mulch type on average above ground biomass (g) per plant at 9th week after planting. 

 

Data from this experiment showed that big seed continually had an advantage over the small seeds with a 

significant difference in survival count and vine girth. However, the effects on leaf number, nodes, and vine length 

were less pronounced. The interaction data showed that polyethylene mulch retained its benefits for leaf production, 

nodes, and vine elongation when combined with larger seeds, this was in accordance with Zhang, et al. [12] who 

reported that black polythene mulches increase soil temperature when compared to bare soil, aiding early crop 



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116 

© 2024 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved. 

establishment of rice growth in non-flooded condition. Overall, the data across the three time points consistently 

demonstrated the growth-promoting effects of larger seeds, which became more pronounced as the crop progressed 

towards the reproductive phase. The benefits of mulching, especially with polyethylene, were also evident 

throughout the vegetative growth stages when combined with larger seeds. 

 

4. CONCLUSION 

Utilizing larger Telfairia seeds consistently performed better throughout the crop cycle due to their inherent 

bigger vigour and growth advantages over smaller seeds. Employing the use of shredded grass as a mulch type in 

combination with larger telfairia seeds is the best way to maximize leaf development, node formation, vine 

extension, and overall biomass accumulation. This combination can accelerate vegetative growth and provide a head 

start for subsequent reproductive development. Shredded grass is also recommended due to its biodegradable 

organic nature. It is also readily available and inexpensive for local farmers. It is environmentally friendly, using 

shredded grass mulch reduces waste rather than the need for the comparative synthetic mulches. Based on the 

findings from the experiment, fluted pumpkin seeds that are greater than 10 g mulched with shredded grasses are 

hereby recommended to farmers for a better yield in a similar environment to that of Nsukka area, of Enugu State 

Nigeria. 

 

Funding: This study received no specific financial support.    
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. 
Transparency: The authors state that the manuscript is honest, truthful, and transparent, that no key 
aspects of the investigation have been omitted, and that any differences from the study as planned have been 
clarified. This study followed all writing ethics. 
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 
Authors’ Contributions: Conceptualized and designed the research, A.C.F. and D.A.C.; wrote the thesis 
that formed the basis for the research, D.A.C.; supervised the research, A.C.F.; worked on the methodology, 
interpretation and visualization, D.A.C., A.C.F. and O.V.O. All authors have read and agreed to the 
published version of the manuscript. 

 

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