No abstract

Water has been identified as one of the scarce inputs, which can severely restrict agricultural production and productivity unless it is carefully conserved and managed. Increasing the adoption of irrigation technology is an important requirement for increasing Nigeria’s agricultural productivity. Farmers use the furrow irrigation method and fixed irrigation interval schedule for maize production in this region. The irrigation method used by the farmers has become unsustainable due to low yield, low water use efficiency, low quality of maize kernels and low net farm income. Thus, there is a growing gap between the demand for maize and its production to meet the food requirement for the growing population. The aim of this study was to determine the profitability of sprinkler irrigation method for maize production in semi-arid environment of Nigeria. Two field experiments were conducted in the 2014 and 2015 seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, Borno State which is located in the semi-arid region of Northern Nigeria. The sprinkler irrigation system used consisted of a reservoir, mainline and six laterals spaced 12 meters apart. Each treatment was irrigated using two laterals and each lateral has a control valve for regulating the flow of water.  Each lateral consisted of three double nozzle sprinklers spaced 6 meters apart along the lateral. The diameters of the mainline and the laterals were 101.6 and 31.75mm respectively. The area irrigated by the sprinkler system was cleared and marked out into plots of sizes 12m2. Scheduling was on the use of tensiometer, pan evaporation and fixed irrigation interval. Irrigation was conducted in the plots monitored by the tensiometer whenever the trigger level of 30cb is reached. The crops were irrigated at 1.0 IW/CPE ratio for optimum yield based on the evaporation pan method.  The profitability analysis result revealed that Sprinkler irrigation was found to be a profitable irrigation method for maize production with net farm income of $460.8 and benefit cost ratio of 1.99. Based on the results, it is recommended that farmers in the semi-arid region of Nigeria should use the sprinkler irrigation method for improved maize production.

No abstract

A pot experiment was carried out at screen house, Faculty of Agriculture University of Maiduguri to compare the effect of NPK, bio-fertilizers and manures applications on growth and nutrient uptake by maize. The experiment consisted of 9 treatments of combined application of NPK at half and full recommended rates for maize, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus megaterium and Pseudomonas fluorescence biofertilizers and cow dung and poultry manures and replicated three times in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Result of the treatment having half recommended dose of NPK, biofertilizers and poultry manure recorded the highest plant height at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after planting (95.19 cm, 148.63 cm, 149.63 cm, respectively) the highest total shoot and root fresh and dry weights (74.40 g, 196.93 g, 28.83 g, 46.93 g/plant, respectively). Higher nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents of the soil (2.76 g/kg N 0.13 mg/kg P2O5 and 1.41 Cmol/kg K2Osoil) were also recorded with the above treatments.

No abstract