Productivity response of garden egg (Solanum melongena L.) to plant population and fertilizer

A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of plant population and fertilizer type on the growth, yield and economic benefit of garden egg (Solanum melongena). at the Teaching and Research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, between April to September, in 2014 and 2015. The experiment was a 3×4 split plot arrangement fitted into randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The main plots were three plant populations (216,666 plants ha^-1 (pph), 307,692 pph and 444,444 pph). The subplots were four fertilizer types (control, poultry manure, swine manure and NPK 15:15:15). The economic analysis of the trial was carried out by partial farm budgeting. The soil was a sandy loam textural class with moderately acidic, low nutrient content (total N and available P) and low effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC). Plant population of 444,444 pph had the highest yield. Highest yields occurred on plots treated with NPK but they were statistically at par with yield of plots fertilized with poultry manure. There was no interaction between plant population and fertilizer type. Plant population of 444,444 pph gave the highest gross margin (N 657,147.00), net farm income (N 636,225.00), rate of return on investment (407) and benefit:cost ratio (4.93). Poultry manure had the highest rate of return on investment (403) and benefit:cost ratio (4.26) among the fertilizer types. Thus, garden egg in the humid ultisol environment is most profitable using a population of 444,444 plants ha^-1 fertilized with poultry manure.