Growth and yield responses of sweet potato (ipomoea batatas) to time of potassium fertilzer application

Two field experiments were conducted at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike research farm in 2005 and 2006 wet seasons to determine the growth and yield responses of two sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) varieties viz TIS 87/0087 and TIS 8164 to time of potassium (K) fertilizer application in a humid forest zone of south eastern Nigeria. In 2005 cropping season, the experiment was a 2 x 4 factorial laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Potassium (K) treatments comprised no K application, 100 kg K ha-1 at 4 weeks after planting (WAP), 100 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP, 50 K ha-1 at 4 WAP + 50 K ha-1 at 8 WAP. Time of K application had no significant effect on the growth attributes of the varieties, except in tuber dry weight and total dry matter plant-1 at 16 WAP where it was higher with split K application at 4 and 8 WAP in TIS 87/0087. TIS 87/0087 was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in total tuber yield when 100 kg K ha-1 was applied at 4 WAP and also with split application at 50 kg K ha-1 at 4 WAP + 50 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP. In 2006 cropping season, a 2 x 8 factorial in randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted at the same location as in 2005. The treatments comprised of no K application, 100 kg K ha-1 at 2 WAP, 100 kg K ha-1 at 4WAP, 100 kg K ha-1 at 6 WAP, 100 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP, 50 at 2 WAP + 50 kg K ha-1 at 6 WAP, 50 kg K ha-1 at 2 WAP + 50 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP and 50 kg K ha-1 at 4 WAP + 50 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP. Tuber and total dry weights were highest when K was split applied at 4 + 8 WAP but lowest when it was applied whole at 8 WAP. TIS 87/0087 was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in tuber yield ha-1 when K was split applied at 2 WAP + 6 WAP or 50 kg K ha-1 at 4 WAP + 50 kg K ha-1 at 8 WAP. TIS 87/0087 which is a higher yielding variety is recommended for the study area with split application of K at 2 WAP + 6 WAP or at 4 WAP + 8 WAP.KEY WORDS: Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, K, time of K application

ORGANIC/INORGANIC LEAF AMARANTH PRODUCTION: THE CASE OF POULTRY MANURE, FISH EFFLUENT AND NPK FERTILISER

The work evaluated the responses of two Amaranthus species to poultry manure, fish effluent, NPK fertiliser and control in randomised complete block design. A. hybridus was taller, thicker and had more leaves per plant than A. viridis. For each Amaranthus variety, poultry manure produced highest number of leaves and tallest plants with thickest stem followed by fish effluent and NPK fertiliser. A. hybridus had higher leaf and marketable yields/ha than A. viridis. Leaf and marketable yields/ha were highest with poultry manure followed by fish effluent and NPK fertiliser. Leaf yield/ha increased by 105, 34 and 34% for poultry manure, fish effluent and NPK fertiliser, respectively compared with the control in A. hybridus and by 284, 132 and 146% in A. viridis. Similarly, marketable yield/ha increased by 116, 45 and 45% for poultry manure, fish effluent and NPK, respectively in A. hybridus and by 176, 16 and 43% in A. viridis over the control

Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the postharvest fruit qualities of four "musa" (AAB sub-group) genotypes in sub-humid zone of Nigeria

The postharvest fruit quality responses of four plantain genotypes (‘29525’, ‘30456-3’, ‘PITA 14’ and Agbagba) to fertilizer types (inorganic fertilizer, organic fertilizer and control (no fertilizer) were evaluated in 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 cropping seasons. The experimental design was a 4 x 3 factorial in randomized block design with three replications. There were significant differences (

EGGPLANT (Solanum sp) PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIC AND INORGANIC SYSTEMS IN SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

The problem of rural-urban migration in Nigeria has resulted in very dense urban populations. The location of poultry and aquaculture enterprises in urban and peri-urban areas of the country has exacerbated the problem of pollution. However, these wastes can be a valuable resource for use in agriculture, thereby offering a solution to pollution arising from intensive peri-urban aquaculture, thereby offering a solution to pollution arising from intensive peri-urban aquaculture and poultry enterprises. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of fibre glass fish tank effluent,poultry manure, NPK and control on two eggplant varieties and weeds. The response of eggplant fruit yield to poultry manure was significant and greater than the response to fish effluent, which also gave higher yield than NPK fertilizer or control. The fruit yield obtained from poultry manure was higher than the yield from fish effluent, NPK and control by 61%, 177% and 148%, respectively. Fish effluent gave fruit yield that was higher than that from NPK by 72% and control by 55%. Kaduna variety produced yield that was superior by 71% and had lower weed density compared to Ngwa loca

EVALUATION OF CASSAVA/SOYBEAN INTERCROPPING SYSTEM AS INFLUENCED BY CASSAVA GENOTYPES

The effects of three cassava genotypes (NR 8212, TMS 91934 and TMS 30572) grown sole or intercropped with soybean were investigated in two field experiments in 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 cropping seasons at Umudike in the lowland humid forest zone of south-eastern Nigeria. The plant height, canopy diameter, number of leaves per plant and leaf area index (LAI) of soybean and cassava were significantly (

Productivity of Roselle/cowpea intercropping system in a semi-arid agroecology

The effects of three planting densities (27,700; 37,000 and 55,500 plants ha-1) of roselle grown sole or intercropped with cowpea were investigated in two field trials in the 1997 and 1998 wet seasons at Sokoto. The leaf area index (LAI) of roselle was highest with the highest roselle planting density in the sole or intercropping cultures in 1997, but in 1998 cropping season, planting density did not influence the LAI. Cowpea LAIs were similar, except the lowest value obtained with cowpea intercropped with the lowest roselle planting density. Intercropping did not affect the number of roselle pods per plant but reduced dry calyx yield by 39% and 36% (1997) and 33% and 38% (1998) when the lowest and the highest roselle populations were grown with cowpea. Yield reduction which was more for cowpea ranged from 34-46% (1997) and 41-57% (1998) and from 38- 47% (1997) and 27-49% (1998) for number of pods/plant and grain yield/ha, respectively. The productivity of the roselle/cowpea culture showed yield advantage of 13%-70% (1997) and 38%- 49% (1998) when the two crops were intercropped at higher roselle populations. Keywords: Roselle, Cowpea, intercropping, productivity [Global Jnl Agric Res Vol.1(2) 2002: 111-118

Responses of growth, yield and disease assessment indices of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott to integrated nutrient management in Umudike, Southeastern Nigeria

A three – year field study was carried out in 2015, 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Eastern Research Station, Okwuta in Umuahia South Local Government of Abia State to evaluate the responses of growth, yield and disease assessment indices of taro (NCe 003) leaf blight to various combinations of poultry manure and NPK fertilizer. The experiment was factorial laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. Factor A was poultry manure which consisted of three levels of 0, 5 and 10 t ha-1 while factor B was NPK 20: 10: 10 fertilizer and comprised also three levels of 0, 300 and 600 kg ha-1 to get nine treatment combinations. Data were taken on the following crop attributes: Leaf area/plant, leaf area index/plant, dry matter yield, harvest index/plot and assessment of cocoyam disease/plot. Results obtained showed that response to integrated nutrient management was statistically the same for most of the measured attributes. However, the interaction between 600 kg ha-1 fertilizer x 5 t ha-1 PM gave the highest significant difference (p≤0.05) on the leaf area (261.80 m2) at 16th week after planting (WAP) in 2017 cropping season. In 2016, the residual effect of poultry manure significantly (p≤0.05) increased the corm dry matter production (26.89 g) and harvest index (77 %) from the plots that received 10 t ha-1 poultry manure in 2015.Conclusively, this study shows that application of 10 t ha-1 poultry manure which significantly affected leaf area index (LAI), increased dry matter yield (DMY) and harvest index (HI) of taro which are good descriptors for assessing crop yield

Genetic characterization of some water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) in West Africa with simple sequence repeats

A collection of 89 water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) accessions from Benin, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo was assessed for genetic diversity using thirteen microsatellite loci. These 89 are some of the D. alata accessions conserved by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria. A total of 97 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 7.46 per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) mean value of 0.65 showed existence of variability among the accessions. Accessions from Nigeria showed highest gene diversity of 0.678 while those from Côte d’Ivoire had lowest diversity with 0.596. Observed mean heterozygosity value of 0.469 was observed. Cluster and principal coordinate analysis showed 8 major cluster groups. There was no relationship between relatedness of the accessions and their geographical area of collection. SSR markers proved to be effective to characterise studied D. alata germplasm

SSR markers reveal diversity in Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis/D. rotundata) core set

The genetic diversity of 219 accessions of Guinea yam germplasm from Benin, Congo, Côte d’ Ivoire,Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo was accessed using 15 microsatelliteloci. High diversity of 0.677 was found among the accessions. An allelic average of 8.06 andpolymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.65 was observed for the markers. The observedheterozygosity value of 0.563 suggests that spontaneous hybridization must have contributed to theancestry of some of the accessions and improvement by farmers must have been far more often byselection of somatic mutants. The twenty distinct cluster groups generated by the radial phylogramshows that Dioscorea cayenensis and D. rotundata are distinct species with intermediate hybrid forms.There was no relationship between relatedness of the accessions and their geographical area of origin.This study contributes to an increased understanding of the genetic organisation of the coregermplasm