Soil Properties and Yam Performance in Differently Tilled Soils in Auchi Area, Edo State of Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of study is to investigate soil properties and tillage requirement for yam on silty loam soils of derived savanna zone of Edo State, Nigeria and determine soil properties influencing yam performance Zero tillage (ZT), manual clearing (MC), mound (MD) and ridge (RG) were compared. The ZT gave highest values of soil organic matter, N, P, exchangeable K, Ca and Mg, at Auchi and Iyekhe, while MC had least values The ZT and MC had higher soil bulk density, moisture content, lower total porosity and temperature compared with MD and RG The MD and RG gave highest leaf N, P, K, Ca and Mg concentrations, sprouting percentage, number of leaves, leaf area, tuber weight and length. Differences in bulk density caused by tillage and non-tillage induced variation in yam growth, yield and nutrient status. The latter parameters were higher on MD and RG with lower bulk density values Mean tuber weights for ZT, MC, MD and RG were 23. 20, 112 and 12 3kg respectively Zero tillage and manual clearing cannot be substituted for mound and ridge in the study area.