EFFECT OF CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL AND INTRA-ROW SPACING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF POPCORN ( Zea mays L. Var. everta) IN THE NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA OF NIGERIA

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dc.contributor.authorGANA, ANDREW KOLO
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-07T07:29:41Z
dc.date.available2014-07-07T07:29:41Z
dc.date.issued1997-11
dc.descriptionA thesis submitted to the Post-graduate school Ahmadu Bello University in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Agronomy DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, NIGERIA NOVEMBER, 1997en_US
dc.description.abstractField trials were conducted at the Institute for Agricultural Research Farm, Samaru (11° 11 N.07° 38'E) in the northern Guinea Savanna Ecological Zone of Nigeria to study the effect of chemical weed control and intra-row spacing on the growth and yield of popcorn (Zea. mays L. Var. everta) in 1995 and 1996 wet seasons. The treatments tested consisted of eight pre-mergence herbicides supplemented with one hoe-weeding at 7 weeks after sowing (WAS). These were compared with three hoeweedings at 3, 6 and 9 WAS and a weedy check. These were tested under spacings of 15, 30 and 45cm. The treatments were laid out in a split plot design with three replications . In both years of experimentation, the use of herbicides (except metolachlor + metobromuron at 1.0 + 1.0kg a.i./ha) and hoe-weeding consistently resulted in significantly lower weed cover score, weed dry matter production and higher popcorn grain yield than the weedy check. However, the most promising herbicide treatments were pro-emergence app]ication of metolachlor at 2.0 kg a. i./ha and its combination with atrazine at 1.0 + 1.0 kg a.i./ha and 1.2 5 + 1.25 kg a.i./ha each followed by supplementary hoe-weeding at 7 WAS. These treatments resulted in effective weed control and higher popcorn grain yields than other herbicide treatments. In both years, crop planted at intra-row spacing of 15cm on 75 cm ridges resulted in significantly lower weed cover score than those of 30 and 45cm spacings at 6 and 9 WAS. Crop vigour and number of leaves per plant at 6 WAS, plant height and leaf area index at 6 and 9 WAS, total dry matter production per plant at harvest, cob weight, number of cobs per plot, cob yield and grain yield (kg/ha) in both years also increased with decrease in intra-row spacing. The Interaction between weed control treatments and intra-row spacing on weed cover score at 9 WAS, weed dry matter production, cob yield and grain yield in both years were significant. In this, interaction mixture of metolachlor plus atrazine at 1.0 + 1.0 kg a.i./ha applied pre-emergonce under the intra-row spacing of 30cm combined effective weed control with high pop-corn grain yield comparable to the hoe-weeded control. Unrestricted weed growth throughout the crop life cycle resulted in 83.8 and 72.9% reduction in popcorn grain yield compared to the maximum obtained in each trial in 1995 and 1996 wet. seasons, respectively.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/5048
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectCHEMICAL WEED CONTROL,en_US
dc.subjectINTRA-ROW SPACING,en_US
dc.subjectPOPCORN,en_US
dc.subject( Zea mays L. Var. everta),en_US
dc.subjectNORTHERN GUINEA,en_US
dc.subjectSAVANNA OF NIGERIAen_US
dc.titleEFFECT OF CHEMICAL WEED CONTROL AND INTRA-ROW SPACING ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF POPCORN ( Zea mays L. Var. everta) IN THE NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA OF NIGERIAen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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