International Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering  
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Seasonal Variability of Maize Yield on a Compacted Sandy Loam Soil in a Tropical Environment
International Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Vol.5 , No. 1, Publication Date: Jan. 11, 2021, Page: 1-8
2231 Views Since January 11, 2021, 569 Downloads Since Jan. 11, 2021
 
 
Authors
 
[1]    

Asinyetogha Hilkiah Igoni, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

[2]    

Raphael Butler Jumbo, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

[3]    

Davidson Dimabo Davis, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 
Abstract
 

The effect of weather changes on the yield of maize on a compacted sandy loam soil was investigated. The experiment was conducted in the teaching /research farm of the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The research started during the wet (rainy) season in October, through the dry season in February. Five experimental field plots were used in the study. The plots were subjected to different levels of compaction by routine tillage operations and wheel traffic, using a Massey Ferguson (MF) 260 tractor and an MF90 disc plough, before the maize seeds were planted. Field data of crop emergence, growth rate and crop yield were taken at regular intervals within the different seasons. Analysis of the results showed an inverse-proportional relationship between maize yield and compaction during the wet season and a direct-proportional relationship during the dry season up to a certain optimal compaction level, when a shift was noticed. It was, therefore, found that different optimum levels of compaction for increased maize yield exist for the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Furthermore, the compacted soil within the optimum limit had better yield during the dry season. On the whole, although the fields with lower bulk densities performed better at the beginning of the study, they were out-performed by those of higher bulk densities by the end of the experiment. Thus, while the plots of bulk densities of 1.17 and 1.23 g/mm3 had better yield during the wet season, they were out-performed by the plots of bulk densities of 1.28 and 1.35 g/mm3 during the dry season.


Keywords
 

Maize Yield, Seasonal Variability, Soil Compaction, Sandy-Loam, Tillage


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