Effects of soil nutrient amendments on growth and grain yield performances of quality protein maize grown under water deficit stress in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Drought and poor soil fertility are major limitations to crop production, globally. To investigate the impacts of water deficit stress (WS) and soil nutrient amendment (SA) on growth and yield performances of maize. A two years factorial field study was carried out, using a quality protein maize (QPM) (ILE-1-OB) and a non QPM–drought tolerant check (TZPBSR-W) varieties in Ibadan. Treatments include; six fertilizer application rates; 50 and 100 (kg N ha-1) ofNPK-20-10-10, 10.7 kg N ha-1of Tithonia Poultry Compost (TPC), 50 N + 10.7TPC and 100 N + 10.7TPC (kg N ha-1), three WS; the control (FW), WS at vegetative stage (STR1), and WS at reproductive stage (STR2). Leaf area (LA) and grain yield (GY) were measured using standard procedures. From the results, across WS, LA ranged from STR1 (458.90 ± 12.4) to FW (598.81 ± 13.1 cm2), GY varied from STR2 (2.94 ± 0.2 t ha-1) to FW (6.59 ± 0.2 t ha-1), across fertilizers, LA varied from 0 N (397.65 cm2) to 100N + 10.7TPC (622.71 cm2) and 50 N + 10.7TPC (611.03 cm2), respectively. The GY varied from 0 N (2.37 t ha-1) to 100 N + 10.7TPC (5.82 t ha-1) and 50N + 10.7TPC (5.26 t ha-1). Drought stress reduced growth and GY performances of QPM, while SA with 50 kg N ha-1 of inorganic fertilizer and 10.7 kg N ha-1 of TPC enhanced growth and grain yield of maize under WS.

Keywords

• fertilizer application rates
• grain yield
• growth and yield performances
• quality protein maize
• soil nutrient amendments
• water deficit stress