Response of Tomato to Nitrogen and Potassium Fertilization in Wetland Soils in Akwa Ibom State

The response of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) to Nitrogen and potassium application in two wetland soils in Akwa Ibom State was studied. The studies included comparative pot trial and field experiment using tomato, general characterization of the soils at the locations (Odiok Itam and Ayadehe), determination of the nutrient content of both locations. The main objective of the study was to determin the growth rate of tomato in these soils and assessing the response of tomato to nitrogen and potassium fertilizer application. The physical parameters of the soils showed slight textural variation between Odiok Itam and Ayadehe locations. The soils in Odiok Itam were loamy sand while that of Ayadehe was sandy clay loam. The chemical parameters showed that these soils were generally acidic with a mean pH (H2O) value of 5.68 and a mean content of total N was 0.14%, while available K was 0.16 Cmol kg 1. The mean available P content was 61.6 mg kg 1. The response of tomato to nitrogen and potassium fertilizers application was quite appreciable in both pot trial and on the field. Results obtained from pot trials indicate that fertilizer combinations of 60 kg N, 60 kg K2O ha 1 resulted in higher growth rates, flower production and fruit sets. Similarly, results obtained from field experiment gave the same trend with 60 kg N and 60 kg K fertilizer combination