Effect of Tillage Practices and Staking Methods on the Performance and Nutritional Composition of Fluted Pumpkin

A field experiment was conducted during 2018 rainy season at the Teaching and Research Farm of Bayero University in Kano (11°58′ N, 8°25′ E), and Kano Institute of Horticulture in Bagauda, Kano (11°33′ N, 8°34′ E) to study the effects of tillage practices (no tillage, conservation tillage, and conventional tillage) and staking methods (individual stakes, no stakes, and pyramidal stakes) on the growth, yield, and seed quality of fluted pumpkin. A splitplot design with four replicates was employed, with tillage practices occupying the main plots and staking methods assigned to subplots. Findings revealed that leaf area was not significantly (P>0.05) affected by either tillage or staking methods. Minimum or zero tillage resulted in the highest leaf fresh weight (30.58 and 31.58) at later growth stages at Bagauda and BUK. Tillage and staking methods individually had minimal impact on the number of fruits per plant, fruit diameter, fruit length, and fruit weight at both locations. Furthermore, seed nutrient composition was minimally affected by tillage practices, except for protein content under conservation tillage. Staking methods, particularly individual staking, decreased the seed protein content. These findings suggest that the optimal combination of tillage and staking methods for fluted pumpkin production may vary depending on location and desired outcome. Further research is recommended to explore mechanisms behind the observed interaction effects and to investigate strategies for mitigating decrease in seed protein content associated with staking.