Abstract:
A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of reduced tillage methods on soil properties and maize performance on ultisol and glysol of Kogi State. The site of the experiment were on ultsol at the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Ejiba anda glysol at Ahmadu Bello University /Division of Agricultural College, College of Agriculture Kabba. Treatment consisted of five tillage methods namely; Zero Tillage (ZT), Mannual Tillage (MT), Plough Alone (PA), Plough +Harrow (PH), and Plough +Harrow + Rigde (PHR). The treatments were replicated three times. Soil physical (bulk density, porosity, moisture content, temperature, macro and micro porosity) and chemical (pH, Organic matter, N, P,K,Ca,Mg, CEC and BS) properties were examined before and at the end of the experiment. Maize growth parameters (stem girth, leaf area and plant height) were collected at two weeks interval.Days to 50% tasseling were taken. Yield parameter (seed weight, 100 seed weight, number of seed per cob and seed yield t/ha) were collected at harvest. Leaf tissue analysis was carried out on leaves collected at maturity to determine leaf nutrient. The result showed that tillage significantly (P<0.05) influence soil physical properties, soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, stem girth, leaf area, plant height, days to 50% tasselling and on maize yield and leaf nutrient content in both the ultisol and gleysol. Plot treated with manual tillage recorded better performance in soil physical condition. However growth and yield of maize were better in plots treated with conventional tillage i.e. plough+Harrow and Plough+Harrow+Ridge. The result obtained from this study indicated that plot treated manually recorded better performance in soil physical condition in BD=1.42 to 1.53 , MC=11.23 to 14.06 Soil Temp.= 30.2 to 30.9 in Ejiba ultisol and BD =1.32 to 1.44 MC =9.96 to 13.08 and Soil Temp.= 32.3 to 32.7 in Kabba gleysol . However growth and yield of maize were better in plot treated with conventional tillage (Plough+Harrow and Plough + Harrow +Ridge).Plant height
in Ejiba ultisol are 112.4, 173.3, 168.1 , 206.1 and 199.5 for ZT, MT, PA, PH and PHR respectively. For Kabba gleysol, value for plant heights are 143.8,176.2, 192.6, 200.0 and 191.6. Yield in t/ha for Ejiba are 2.42 , 3.58, 3.49, 3.76, 3.92,and for Kabba are 2.22, 3.06, 3.88, 3.92 and 3.58 for ZT, MT, PA, PH and PHR respectively.
