Growth and development of irrigated extra early maize (Zea mays L.) as influenced by Nicosulfuron and poultry manure rates

Abstract

In Nigeria, maize is a crop of both household and industrial importance, despite the versatility of the crop growing across a range of agro-ecological zones, high yield losses have been sustained in maize due to weed competition and lack of optimum fertilizer application. These trials were conducted during the dry season of 2014/2015 at the Research Farms of the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru Zaria in the Northern Guinea Savannah and at the Irrigation Research Station, Kadawa in the Sudan Savannah Agro- ecological zones of Nigeria. The research was conducted to determine the effects of weed control and poultry manure rates on extra-early maize production. The experiment consisted of five weed control treatments (Nicosulfuron at 5.5, 7.0 and 8.5 g a.i. ha^-1 , two hoe weedings at 3 and 6 WAS, and a weedy check) and three poultry manure rates (0, 3 and 6 t ha^-1
) and NPK at 90:45:45 kg ha-1 as control, laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in split plot arrangement, replicated three times. Plots treated with Nicosulfuron at all doses and those weeded twice at 3 and 6 WAS produced longer, bigger and heavier cobs than those of the weedy check. Plots weeded twice at 3 and 6 WAS produced heavier seed yield per cob and higher grain yield than other weed control treatments. Application of NPK at 90:45:45 kg.ha^-1 gave the best performance compared to manure rates (3 and 6 t ha^-1 ). Application of 6 t ha^-1 of poultry manure outperformed the other manure rates in all yield parameters. Based on the  results obtained from these trials, it can be concluded that hoe weeding twice at 3 and 6 WAS and application of NPK at 90:45:45 kg ha^-1
resulted in effective weed control and the produced higher grain yield of extra-early maize at both locations.

Keywords: Nicosulfuron, Poultry Manure, Rates,Growth, Irrigated, Maize