PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) AS INFLUENCED BY FERTILIZER RATES AND INTRA-ROW SPACING IN SAMARU NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/jaat.2024.1002.05Keywords:
Productivity,, Zea mays,, fertilizer rates,, plant densities, and Northern Guinea SavannaAbstract
Field trials were carried out in 2017 and 2018 wet seasons at Institute for Agricultural Research Farm, Ahmadu Bello University to examine the impact of intra-row spacings and NPK fertilizer rates. Three intra-row spacings (30, 40 and 50 cm) and three NPK fertilizer rates (60-30-30, 90-45-45, and 120-60-60 kg/ha) were used. The treatments were arranged and replicated three times in a Randomized Completely Block Design. All recommended agronomic practices were followed. Plant and ear height, days to 50% tasseling, grain yield, and 100-grain weight were among the variables measured. According to the results, every increase in NPK fertilizer resulted in a notable improvement in the crop's growth and yield metrics. Increased inter-row distance increased the 100-grain weight. However, lower intra-row spacing resulted in much taller plants, but took longer days to reach 50% tasseling. Based on the outcomes in this study, it could be concluded that utilizing a 30 cm intra-row spacing and application of 120-60-60 NPK fertilizer rate resulted in good maize growth and output in the research location and is hereby recommended.
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