NITROGEN ASSESSMENT OF SOIL AND MAIZE FERTILIZED WITH Centrosema brasilianum (L) BENTH. PLANT RESIDUES

ABSTRACT

Maize is an efficient nutrient consumer hence to obtain quality maize grains from any planting operation, it is important to make sure that the soil contains and can release all the nutrients it requires. Supplementing soil nutrients for can be done by the use of various organic or inorganic fertilizers, for example plant residues. Hence, this study was carried out to assess the nutrient concentration of Maize fertilized with Centrosema brasilianum residues at the University of Benin Teaching and Research Farm, Benin City, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with 4 replications. The C. brasilianum residues used include the leaves and stem of the plant. 0 kg, 1kg, 3 kg, and 5 kg of C. brasilianum kg/m were used as the treatment for the study. The N uptake and Nitrogen concentrations in the soil, leaves, grain, stem and husk were studied. The results obtained show that C. brasilianum residues did have an impact on maize plant growth and crop quality. The quality of cob and grains increased as the plant residues increased. There was also an increase in Total organic carbon, total nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil. In conclusion, the study proves that C. brasilianum plant residues can be used for maize production to improve yield and crop quality.