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The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the production of maize in Minna, southern guinea savanna zone of Nigeria

Article

Last updated: 25 Dec 2024

Subjects

-

Tags

Agronomy sciences

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of sole organic and inorganic fertilizers and combinations of both on maize production under rain-fed farming conditions during the 2023 cropping season on four farmers' fields around Minna in Niger State, Nigeria. The treatments consisted of five (5) nutrient combinations: T1 = Control (No fertilizer Input), T2 = NPK (15:15:15) only, at the rate of 150 kg ha-1 representing farmers' usual practice in the area, T3 = Office Chérefien des phosphates (OCP) special blend NPK (20:10:5+1Zn +2Ca) fertilizer {OCP (NPK)}at the manufacturer's recommended rate of 600 kg ha-1, T4 = Cow dung (CD) at the rate of 5 t ha-1, T5 = CD (2.5 t ha-1)  + NPK (15:15:15) at the rate of 75 kg ha-1, T6 = CD (2.5 t ha-1)  + OCP (NPK) fertilizer at the rate of rate of 300 kg ha-1. The experiment was laid down in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with each of the 4 farmers' fields serving as a replicate. Soil analysis revealed moderately to slightly acidic pH levels with low levels of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Nitrogen (N), and Phosphorus (P) across all fields. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in plant height and Leaf Area Index (LAI) between each of the fertilizer treatments and the unfertilized (control) treatment at different weeks after planting. Though there were no statistically significant differences between the NPK (15:15:15), OCP (NPK) treatments and their combinations with CD, the OCP (NPK) sole treatment nevertheless consistently resulted in the tallest plants, largest LAI, heaviest average seed weight and the highest maize yield at full maturity (1.92 t ha-1), demonstrating a significant improvement over the untreated control and the sole cow dung treatments. These findings suggest that proper combinations of mineral fertilizers, such as OCP (NPK), and organic amendments, like cow dung, can lead to sustainable maize production under rain-fed farming conditions in the study area. Integrating organic and inorganic fertilizers in agricultural systems can contribute to sustainable crop production and ensure food.

DOI

10.21608/svuijas.2024.287749.1367

Keywords

Keywords: Fertilizer, Cowdung, NPK-Special-Blend, Maize, yield

Authors

First Name

R.

Last Name

Ederigbe

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Soil Science and Land Management, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Email

raymond.ederigbe@futminna.edu.ng

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

S.F.

Last Name

Eleojo

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Soil Science and Land Management, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

D.

Last Name

Ezekiel-Adewoyin

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Soil Science and Land Management, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

A.O.

Last Name

Osunde

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Department of Soil Science and Land Management, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria

Email

-

City

-

Orcid

-

Volume

6

Article Issue

3

Related Issue

45933

Issue Date

2024-07-01

Receive Date

2024-05-07

Publish Date

2024-08-26

Page Start

121

Page End

128

Print ISSN

2636-3801

Online ISSN

2636-381X

Link

https://svuijas.journals.ekb.eg/article_384429.html

Detail API

https://svuijas.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=384429

Order

384,429

Type

Original Article

Type Code

1,132

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

SVU-International Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Publication Link

https://svuijas.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the production of maize in Minna, southern guinea savanna zone of Nigeria

Details

Type

Article

Created At

25 Dec 2024