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The effect of five nutrient (fertilizer) sources on garlic (Allium sativum L.) grown under irrigation in Bauchi state was in vestigated. Irrigation was scheduled at 25% management allowable deficit, giving an irrigation interval of 4 days and gross application depth of 56 mm of water per application. The nutrient sources were NPK fertilizer (15:15:15), wood ash, poultry manure, and fermented cow dung slurry, while the control was zero fertilization. The composition of crop samples grown under application of the various fertilizers was assessed in the laboratory following recommended analytical procedures. Pungency level was taken as a measure of the bulb sulphur content. Results of the study indicate that NPK has the effect of significantly increasing (p ≤ 0.01) the bulb moisture content and crude protein level of irrigated garlic, while causing significant reduction (p ≤ 0.01) in the pungency of the crop relative to the control. The organic fertilizers (wood ash, poultry manure, and fermented slurry) yielded crops having relatively higher pungency with wood ash giving the highest pungency strength. The mineral contents of the crops grown with organic fertilization were equally higher than those from the control and those grown with NPK. Furthermore, the crops produced with organic fertilizers had relatively lower moisture content. Results of this study demonstrate that organic fertilizers would give better quality garlic with higher pungency than the widely used NPK fertilizer and no fertilizer application.

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Field experiments were conducted simultaneously at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching and Research Farm, Bauchi, and Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme experimental sites, Bauchi (Lat. 10 0 17'N 9 0 49 ' E, and 609m above sea level), in the Northern Guinea savannah ecological zone of Nigeria during the 2002 wet season to study the response of sesame/ cowpea mixture to weeding frequency and intra-row spacings. The treatments were laid out in a randomised complete block design with three replications. The result showed that the number of capsules per plant, 100-seed weight, capsules and grain yield per hectare of sesame were significantly (P<0.05) increased by one weeding frequency only at location I. The parameters were not significantly affected by weeding frequency in location II. The capsules length, number of capsules per plant, capsules and grain yield were significantly (P<0.05) affected by intra-row spacings. The capsules and grain yield of sesame increased significantly (P<0.05) with decreasing intra-row spacing and conversely capsules length and number decreased with decreasing intra-row spacing. The number of pods of cowpea significantly (P<0.05) increased by two weeding frequencies at location I and pod yield per hectare was also increased significantly by twice weeding at location II. All the other parameters such as pod lands, seeds per pod, 100-seed weight and grain yield per hectare were not significantly affected by the treatments. The interaction between the intra-row spacings and weeding frequency were significant in affecting number of seed per capsules and 100-seed weight of sesame at location I, and number of pods and seed per pod of cowpea at location II. Intra-row spacing of 30cm and twice weedings produced the highest number of seed per capsules (68.2) and 20cm intra-row spacings with twice weeding produced the highest 100seed weight. However, 30cm intra-row spacings with one weeding had highest number of pods (24.3) in cowpea plant and also 30cm intra-row spacing with twice weedings produced the highest seeds per pod in cowpea.

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