Studies on the Growth and Yield Response of Guinea Corn (Sorghum bicolor L.) to Organo-Mineral Fertilizer application in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria.
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Date
2015
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The Department of Chemistry, University of Benin, Benin City - Nigeria.
Abstract
Farmers in southern guinea savanna zone of Nigeria cultivate crops such as yam, cassava, vegetables and cereal crops. However, the soils of the region are inherently infertile due to low vegetation cover, soil erosion and low organic matter content occasioned by constant bush fire. However, the zone is highly endowed with potentials for the cultivation of cereals such as maize, rice and guinea corn using low external inputs for fertility maintenance. Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria, during the 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons to evaluate the effects of organo-mineral fertilizer on the performance of guinea corn. The organo-mineral fertilizer was incorporated into the soil two weeks before sowing of the guinea corn seeds at the rate of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 t/ha. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Data were collected on growth parameters (plant height, number of leaves and number of tillers) and yield parameters (weight of seeds per plant and seed weight per hectare). The result of the experiments indicated that applying organo-mineral fertilizer significantly affected the growth and yield parameters that were evaluated in the two years of study. Applying organo-mineral fertilizer at 4tha gave highest growth and yield attributes which was similar to the 3t/ha application but significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) from the other treatments. Percentage mean yield for the two years combined was 71.1 more than the control.
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Keywords
organomineral fertilizer, soil properties, growth, sorghum
Citation
Eifediyi E.K., Ahamefule, H.E., & Remison, S. U. (2015): Studies on the Growth and Yield Response of Guinea Corn (Sorghum bicolor L.) to Organo-Mineral Fertilizer application in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria. Nigeria Journal of Applied Science 33 : 208 – 218.