Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Inter Row Spacing on Leave Length and Width of Rhodes Grass (Chloris gayana) Tan in the Dry Sub Humid Zone of Sokoto Nigeria
M. Mabu Isa *
Desert Research Monitoring and Control Centre, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria.
Abubakar Yusuf Kakagida
Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Abuja Head Office, Nigeria.
J. Ibrahim
Umar Suleiman College of Education Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted during the 2016 and 2017 rainy seasons at Centre for Agriculture and Pastoral Research (CAPAR) of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria to study the effect of nitrogen fertilizer and inter-row spacing on Leave length and Leave width of Rhodes grass as indices of growth. A factorial combination of five fertilizer levels (0, 100, 120, 140 and 160 kgNha-1) and three inter row spacing (30, 50 and 70 cm) were used, making fifteen treatments combinations, which were laid out in a RCBD replicated four times. Determination of leave length and leave width was done at 3, 6, 9 and 12WAS using a meter rule. The data obtained were statistically analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA), using the GenStat 64-bit Release 17.1 (software) to elucidate the valid information from the data. The result revealed that, application of 160 KgNha-1 generally produced plants with longer and broader (P<0.05) leaves compared to the rest of the treatments, however there was generally significant (P>0.05) effect of inter row spacing in both 2016, 2017 and the years combined, inter-row spacing of 70 cm showed superiority amongst the treatments in the leaves length and leave width parameters investigated as compared to 50 and 30 cm spacings.
Keywords: Leave length, leave width, centre for agricultural and pastoral research, nitrogen fertilizer, inter row spacing, rhodes grass.