YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.) FERTILIZED WITH BUTTERFLY PEA (Centrosema brasilianum L.) PLANT RESIDUES

Abstract

Maize is an important cereal crop in Nigeria, rich in various nutrients such as carbohydrates, vitamins and phytochemicals. NPK and Urea are common inorganic fertilizer sources of however persistent usage has caused higher damage to the physical composition of the soil texture, destroy the soil microorganisms and results soil acidity which affects soil fertility. This has resulted to the use of organic source of fertilizers such as plant residues as they has the capacity to improve soil fertility without causing adverse effects to the soil. Centrosema brasilianum has potential to enhance and improve plant nutrient levels when used as mulch. Therefore, this study was carried out to evaluate the yield of maize fertilized with C. brasilianum. The experiment was carried out at the Faculty of Agriculture Teaching and Research Farm, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. The treatments comprised four rates of freshly cut C. brasilianum plant residues (0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 kg m−2) applied as a fertilizer. Parameters studied were plant height (cm), cob yield, grain yield and stover yield (kg/ha). Plant height, cob yield, grain yield and stover yield of maize increased as the level of treatment of C. brasilianum plant residues applied as fertilizer increased, with 5 kg m−2 which gave the highest yield performance. Therefore, based on the findings of the study, C.brasilianum residues are capable of being utilised as fertilizer source for improved agronomic yield performance of maize alongside soil quality for small scale farmers.