Browsing by Author "Ogbe, V.B."

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    ASSESSMENT OF SOIL CARBON AND TOTAL NITROGEN UNDER SHORT TERM AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN AN ALFISOL OF GUINEA SAVANNAH
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2022-06-12) Amana, Sani Mathew; Jayeoba, O.J.; Ogbe, V.B.; Ahamefule, Henry Emeka; Agber, P.I.
    Field experiments were conducted in the two consecutive rainy seasons of the year 2015 and 2016 at the Agronomy Research Farm, North core of the University of Agriculture Makurdi, in the Southern Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria. The soils are generally coarse textured and are well drained to moderately well drained. The experiment consisted of five management practices, which served as the treatments: Bare plot, Soybean, Maize, Mucuna and Grass Fallow. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design and replicated four times. The treatments generally increased total organic carbon content (27.02 and 27.78g/kg), particulate organic carbon (POC) (14.39 and 18.63g/kg), soil organic matter (44.83 and 47.76g/kg), and carbon stock (2663 and 2191kg/ha) compared with the bare fallow (20.13 and 13.32g/kg). There were highly significant differences at both depth and years except for POC at the second depth (18.63g/kg) in the first year. Total nitrogen was not significant in the first year but was significant in the second year at 0-10cm soil layer. The particulate organic nitrogen (PON) was significantly affected by the management practices in the first year at both soil depths while in the second year PON was significantly different at soil both depths. The carbon to nitrogen ratio was significantly different in both years and depth except at the depth 10-20cm of the first year. Humic acid was not significantly different among the treatments in both depths and years. The management practices possibly influenced the changes observed in both carbon and nitrogen in the short term. Thus, Mucuna and Grass Fallow may be recommended as best practices in this area.
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    Effect of Rice Husk as an Amendment On The Physico-Chemical Properties of Sandy-Loam Soil In Lafia, Southern-Guinea Savannah, Nigeria
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2015-06-17) Ogbe, V.B.; Jayeoba, O.J.; Amana, Sani Mathew
    Soil physical and chemical properties are important phenomena in agriculture, hydrological, ecological and environmental processes that affect the productive capacity of the soil. This study was conducted at the Nasarawa State University, Faculty of Agriculture Demonstration Farm, Shabu-Lafia, Nasrawa State, Nigeria to determine the effect of rice husk on physiochemical properties of sandy-loam soil. Four treatments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The treatment were RH0 (Control), RH2 (2 t/ha), RH4 (4 t/ha) and RH6 (6 t/ha). Soil samples were collected from the top soil depth (0 - 30 cm) before and after treatments for the determination of selected soil physical properties (particle size, bulk density and total porosity) and chemical properties (soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable bases and cation exchange capacity). The results indicated that increasing rice husk from 0 to 6 t/ha significantly increased soil pH, total porosity, organic matter, exchangeable bases (Mg2+, K+ and Na+) and cation exchange capacity between treatments in both seasons while bulk density and electrical conductivity decreased between treatments. Available P and exchange base, Ca2+ were not significant in the first season, however, became significant in the second season. Total nitrogen was not significant in both seasons. All physical and chemical properties showed improvement when the second season was compared to the first season. It can therefore, be concluded that application rate of 6 t/ha performed best with the highest improvement of the physical and chemical properties of the soil.
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    EFFECT OF SOIL WATER CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L) IN LAFIA, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2020-09-09) Ogbe, V.B.; Amana, Sani Mathew; Oiganji, E.
    Water conservation practices are used in crop production for enhancing soil water storage especially when there are fluctuations in rainfall under rain-fed cropping. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of soil moisture conservation techniques on the growth and yield of maize under rain-fed condition. Four treatments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The treatments were; conventional ridge, tied ridge, soil bund and film mulch. Data on growth parameters and yield were collected and tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Gen-stat Edition 3. The differences among the treatments were determined using least significant difference (LSD). The results showed that tied ridge recorded the highest plant heights (56.80 and 150.00 cm) at 6 and 8 WAS, number of leaves (6.73 and 12.47) at 4 and 8 WAS, and highest value (9000.00 kg) of yield as compared to the other treatments with soil bund performing least averagely. It can be concluded that tied ridge performed better with highest values of the growth parameters.
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    EFFECTS OF BIOCHAR PARTICLE SIZE ON PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL AND MAIZE (Zea mays L.) PERFORMANCE
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2022-06-06) Joel, M.F.; Ogbe, V.B.; Amana, Sani Mathew; Jayeoba, O.J.
    Reducing particle size is an easily adoptable strategy to reduce loss of nutrients due to more adsorption with correspondingly increased surface area compared to areas without biochar or soil treated with larger biochar particle sizes. Field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of biochar particle size on the physico-chemical properties of soil, growth and yield of maize. The treatments were biochar particle size of 5.3mm, 2mm, 1mm, 0.5mm and control. Soil samples were collected for the determination of physicochemical properties of the soil before and after sowing. Data were also collected on growth and yield parameters and were analysed using Gen-stat. The results showed that biochar particle size of 0.5mm had the highest value in plant height (121.11cm), plant girth (2.177cm), number of leaves(14.80), leaf area (784.70cm2) and yield parameters (cob length, cob girth, seed weight per cob and yield with values of 10.883cm, 3.640cm, 117.90g and 7094.17kg/ha respectively).Also, biochar particle size of 0.5mmhad the best in the physico-chemical properties in organic carbon (1.80), organic matter (3.10),Nitrogen (0.21), pH (6.7), CEC (4.81) and had the least value in EA (0.50) of the soil as compare to other treatments with the control having the least value of 1.72, 2.96, 0.12,6.3, 4.35 for O.C, OM, N, pH, CEC and the highest for EA(0.83). It can be concluded that biochar particle size of 0.5mm performed best with the highest improvement in the physicochemical properties of the soil, growth and yield parameters of maize.
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    EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT HERBICIDES ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF MAIZE (Zea mays L) IN LAFIA, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University Keffi, 2022-06-06) Amana, Sani Mathew; Joel, M.F.; Ogbe, V.B.; Jayeoba, O.J.
    Weed is a man-made problem and therefore herbicide use is significant in optimizing agricultural resources to satisfy human needs. It is therefore important to study the effect of herbicide on maize performance, for proper management and long-time productivity. The field experiment was conducted in the rainy season of the year 2021. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with five treatments and replicated three times given a total of 15 plots. The treatments were represented as T1 (Atrazine), T2 (Diuron), T3 (Metolachlor), T4 (Butachlor) and T5 (Control), respectively. Treatments were applied at the same experimental plots equally. Data was also collected on growth and yield parameters and were subjected to analysis of variance The results of the experiment showed that butachlor (T4) recorded the highest value in leaf area (286.00 cm3), plant height (121.27 cm), numbers of leaves (13.70), stem girth (28 cm) and yield parameters (weight of dry maize, weight of dry maize/plot, weight dry seed, weight of wet maize, weight of wet maize/plot with values of 188.67g, 2873.50g, 44.00g, 207.17g and 3033.67g), respectively While Diuron (T2) had the lowest values on all yield parameters (0.00 g).There was statistically high significant difference among treatments means. It can be concluded that butachlor application performed best with the highest improvement in the growth and yield of maize.
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    Improving Weather Information Systems for Climate Change Assessment in Nigeria: The Role of AutomaticWeather Stations (AWSs)
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2013-01-27) Jayeoba, O.J.; Amana, Sani Mathew; Ogbe, V.B.
    Climate change is happening on a global scale, but the ecological impacts are often local and vary from place to place. The pertinent question is how can a country like Nigeria empirically assess, formulate mitigation measures or adapt to the enormous negative impact of climate change on livelihood of people living in rural and remote places in the country without systematic, reliable and consistent weather information. Detailed weather observations on local and regional levels are essential to a range of needs from forecasting to making decisions that affect energy security, public health and safety, transportation, agriculture and all of our economic interests. Reliable weather information allows farmers to maximize their productivity and governments to implement preventative disaster management and effective public health measures. The paper highlighted benefits of the use and implementation of Automatic weather stations (AWS) in gradual replacement of conventional weather stations in Nigeria.
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    Spatial Variation of Soil Moisture Content and Total Porosity As Influenced by Land Use Types in Lafia, North Central Nigeria
    (Department of Agronomy, Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2014-06-11) Jayeoba, O.J.; Amana, Sani Mathew; Ogbe, V.B.
    The study was carried out to evaluate the spatial variaility of soil moisture content and total porosity as influenced by land use, in Faculty of Agriculture, teaching and Research farm, Shabu, Lafia. A total of 81observations and samples were collected at every 10m along the Xaxis and 10m apart along the Y-axis and soil moisture content of the samples was determined gravimetrically, while total porosity was calculated using bulk density from gravimetric measurement. Spatial analyses of the physical properties were done in a GIS environment. Geo-statistical procedure (Mvariogram) of Genstat Package was used to determine and select appropriate spatial models for all the data set. Win- Surfer Version 7.0 (Golden Software Inc, Golden, Colorado) was used for interpolation technique called “Ordinary Kriging“ to produce the spatial distribution of soil moisture content and total porosity. The results showed that soil moisture content was negatively skewed but positive kurtosis, while kurtosis and skewness values in soil total porosity were both positive . This implies that both, tested parameters were highly variable and were not normally distributed. Anisotropy was not evident in the directional semivariograms for any of the properties. Therefore, isotropic models were fitted. Relative Nugget Effect (RNE) (The nugget-to-sill ratio (Co/Co + C)) of total porosity was 50% and 2.3% for moisture content. Contour Isoline mapping showed that the surface soil physical properties varied between the experimental plots as determined by land use type and management practices, plots with soil amendments having higher but highly varied surface soil moisture and better porosity. The results of this study demonstrated the need for Site-specific management as required in Precision Agriculture.