Adapting Carrot (Daucus carota L.) Production to the Environment of Abakaliki Agro Ecological Zone, South East Nigeria

A Study was conducted between 2005 and 2006 rainy seasons at four different locations (Abakaliki, Ezzamgbo, Ikwo and Okposi) within Abakaliki agro-ecological zone of Southeastern Nigeria, to determine the suitability or otherwise of producing Carrot in the study area. The design of the experiment was a simple Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) replicated three times at each location. The measurement included weather parameters, soil physical and chemical characteristics and crop and yield attributes. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation analysis. The result of the study showed that the yield range of 11.01 - 33.48 t/ha obtained in the study area compared favourably with the yield from other African countries that produce Carrot, but is below the world average potential yield, specifically Carrot root yield at Ezzamgbo was 5.91 and 5.58 t/ha significantly (p<0.05) higher than at Okposi and Ikwo, whereas the Carrot root yield at Abakaliki was also 5.75 and 5.42 t/ha significantly (p<0.05) higher than at Okposi and Ikwo. The significantly higher Carrot root yield at Ezzamgbo and Abakaliki was ascribed to superior growth performance of the crop at the two locations, and also the ability of the plants at the two locations to adapt to the inherent adverse soil physical and chemical properties of the study area. It was concluded that it is possible to produce Carrot in the Abakaliki agro-ecological zone, specifically best at Ezzamgbo and Abakaliki