EFFECT OF CULTURAL WEED CONTROL PRACTICES ON MAIZE GRAIN YIELD, FODDER PRODUCTIVITY AND BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF CROPPED STYLOSANTHES PASTURES
EFFECT OF CULTURAL WEED CONTROL PRACTICES ON MAIZE GRAIN YIELD, FODDER PRODUCTIVITY AND BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF CROPPED STYLOSANTHES PASTURES
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Date
1993-09
Authors
TISEER, FIDELIS AWEVER
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Abstract
Investigations were carried out on the effect of cultural weed
control paractices on grain yield, fodder productivity and
botanical compositon of cropped Stylosanthes pastures in four sites
within the subhumid zone of Nigeria. These sites were, Abet, Lat.
9° 40'N and Long. 8° 10'E; Kurmin Biri, Lat. 10° 10'N and Long. 7°
55'E; Mazuga, 21km east of Kurmin Biri and Ganawuri, Lat. 8° 35' and
Long. 9° 6'E. These legume pastures were established between 1987
and 1988. The first two are researcher-owned and managed while the
latter two are farmer-owned researcher managed.
Exploiting the advantage of cropping old annual legume pastures
had generated questions of sustainability related to the legumes'
resilience. This was therefore investigated in this study which
involved cropping maize in Stylosanthes pastures and instituting
routine weed management practices of these localities in a
modified fashion to give nine treatments. Weeding in this region is
done at least twice consecutively from germination to harvest of
any crop either with the big or small hoe 'galma' orxfartanya'
respectively in hausa. Apart from this convention, the crop was
either not weeded or weeding was done in the first thirty days or
second thirty days of planting with either of these hoes. Selective
weeding was also done with the small hoe (hand hoe), the sown
legume spared as mulch in either two consecutive times or only at
the second of the two times. Also investigated was the
cereal/legume (weed) interaction, the quality of the potential
fodder after the maize harvest in light of its composition as
vi
percentage forbs, grass and sown legume. Herbaceous flora was also
evaluated before cropping, after each weeding, immediately after
maize harrvest and one year subsequently.
Prior to cropping, grasses observedly took dominance from
the sown legume which constituted less than 3 0% by density and
biomass in the pastures. Brachiaria Stigmatissata was ubiquitous.
Varying the frequency and time of weeding during the growth of the
cereal revealed that herbaceous flora succession disfavoured
grasses with increased weedind frequency while forbs appeared
boosted. Consequently, forbs dominated other species in the
pastures immediately after maize harvest, Oldenlandia herbaceae
being ubiquitous. Weeding cleanly throughout the growth of the
maize crop was shown to be unnecessary. Grains resulting from these
were similar to those from weeding once at a critical time. Sparing
the legume at weeding resulted in increased legume production,
subsequent regeneration and increased maize yield. Precropping
herbaceous flora neither related to the post harvest flora nor to
that two years after. Stylosanthes however re-established dominance
after crop harvest. Not weeding at all gave the highest total
forage yield while maize grain yield was lowest. Since both high
fodder and grain yields are desired by the agropastoralist, weeding
once as well as sparing the legume at weeding treatments appeared
to best suit the objective
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.Sc) IN
BOTANY
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
SEPTEMBER, 1993
Keywords
EFFECT,, CULTURAL,, WEED,, CONTROL,, PRACTICES,, MAIZE GRAIN,, YIELD,, FODDER,, PRODUCTIVITY,, BOTANICAL,, COMPOSITION,, CROPPED,, STYLOSANTHES,, PASTURES