Effect of Tillage Practices and Organic Fertilizer use on Soil Properties,Erodibility rate and Yield of Maize in an Alfisol Soil

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Date
2019
Journal Title
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Obafemi Awolowo University
Abstract
This study determined the chemical properties of compost and biochar, and their effects on the growth of maize under different rates of application. It also assessed different tillage practices on soil properties, mineralization rates of the applied soil amendments and soil erodibility rates across seasons. These were with a view to providing information on the effects of these soil amendments on soil quality, grain yield and proximate composition of maize. This study involved the screenhouse and field experiments. Maize cobs and cowdung were obtained from the Teaching and Research Farm, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. Composted cowdung and maize cobs were charred separately to produce biochar and analysed for their nutrient compositions using standard methods. The screenhouse experiment comprised seven treatments; namely cowdung compost (CDC), cowdung biochar (CDB) and maize cob biochar (MCB) which were applied singly (CDC100, CDB100, MCB100) and in equal combinations(CDC50CDB50,CDC50MCB50, CDB50MCB50,CDC33.33CDB33.33MCB33.33). All the treatments were applied at different rates (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 tonnes/ha), each on a 10 kg air-dried and sieved exhaustively cropped soil in a polythene pot and replicated thrice to give a total of 105 experimental units. Three maize seeds (ART 98/SW1) were sown per pot and thinned to two seedlings two weeks after sowing (WAS). Field experiment conducted in the early and late cropping seasons of 2018 consisted of minimum and conventional tillage plots in two separate sites. The minimum tillage was ploughed once, while the conventional tillage was ploughed twice and harrowed once. The field experiment comprised of four best treatments (CDC100, CDB100, CDC50CDB50, CDC33.33CDB33.33MCB33.33) from the screenhouse experiment, including zero treatment as control. Each plot measuring 3 m x 2.5 m was replicated thrice in a Randomized Complete Block Design to give a total of 15 plots. Three maize seeds were sown per stand and thinned to two, 2 WAS. Data on growth response, grain yield and proximate composition of maize grain, pre-and post-cropped soil properties were analysed using one-way ANOVA. Soil erodibility and mineralization rates of the applied treatments were analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that soil amendments applied during the screenhouse experiment increased the soil pH from 7.10 to 8.04. Pots treated with CDC100% had the highest stem girth of 3.0 ± 0.12 cm at 6 WAS. Similar results were obtained for plant height and number of leaves. For the field experiment, soil amendments increased the soil pH from 6.50 to 7.67. In the early cropping season, highest grain yield of maize obtained was 1.80 t ha-1 for CDC100% which was significantly (p < 0.05) different from other values under conventional tillage practice. However, during the late cropping season, 1.74 t ha-1 grain yield of maize obtained was signficantly (p < 0.05) different from other values under minimum tillage. Nutritional value was highest under CDC100% with 1.72 and 4.72% for crude fibre and vitamin C, respectively under minimum tillage. Soil erodibility rate under CDC33.33% + CDB33.33% + MCB33.33% had lowest values of 0.35 and 0.39 for minimum and conventional tillage, respectively. Soils amended with CDC100% had highest nitrogen mineralization rates 25%, and 5.7% for CDB100% in the early cropping season. Lower values were obtainred in the late cropping season. This study concluded that biochar from cowdung when used singly at 4 t ha-1 under a minimum tillage released nitrogen slowly, but when combined with compost from cowdung, erodibility of soil was low. Also, compost cowdung improved the grain yield of maize only at single cultivation
Description
xv,203 pages
Keywords
Erodibility, Maize, Tillage Practices, Soil Properties, Alfisol Soil
Citation
Komolafe, O.O. (2019). Effect of tillage Practices and organic fertilizer use on soil properties,erodibility rate and yield of maize in an alfisol soil. Obafemi Awolowo University.
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