PRODUCTIVITY OF MAIZE/SORGHUM MIXTURE AS AFFECTED BY CROP PROPORTION, STAND ARRANGEMENT AND MAIZE VARIETY

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Date
1987-12
Authors
SANI, MOHAMMED CHOBE
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Abstract
A field experiment was conducted at Samaru farm of the Institute for Agricultural Research in the 1984 and 1985 wet seasons with the objective of studying the effect of different proportions of component crops, stand arrangement and maize variety on the productivity of maize/sorghum mixture. Factorial combinations of three proportions (50:50; 67:33 and 95:25 of maize and sorghum respectively), two stand arrangements (alternate and within ridge) and two maize varieties of different maturity (TZB and TZE-SR-W) were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. Increasing maize proportion in the mixture from 50:50 to 75:25 significantly increased the grain yield of maize, while that of sorghum reduced significantly. The effect of stand arrangement on the grain yield of maize was not consistent. Maize in the within ridge arrangement outyielded those in alternate ridges in the 1985 wet season but not in 1984. The performance of sorghum in alternate ridges appeared better than in the within ridge arrangement. Although, there was no significant difference in yield between TZB and TZE-SR-W either in mixture or sole crops, crop proportion 67:33 with TZE-SR-W as maize component gave the highest yield advantage of 25% in 1984. In 1985, TZE-SR-W at crop proportion 67:33 again produced the highest yield advantage of 39%. Generally row arrangement did not seem to affect yield advantage. In monetary terms only maize/sorghum mixture at crop proportion 67:33 and 75:25 produced gross returns that were consistently good as for sole maize but superior to that of sole sorghum.
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A thesis submitted to the Postgraduate School Ahmadu Bello University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Agronomy DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, NIGERIA DECEMBER, 1987
Keywords
PRODUCTIVITY,, MAIZE/SORGHUM MIXTURE,, AFFECTED,, PROPORTION,, MAIZE VARIETY
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