EFFECT OF MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION ON THE GROWTH OF CASSAVA UNDER DRIP FERTIGATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

An attempt was made to determine the effect of moisture content (MC) on the growth and yield of cassava under four different treatment methods. Two varieties of cassava was used which are TMS 0581 and TME 419. The four treatment methods include; fertigation (TRT A), NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer (TRT B), Farmyard manure (TRT C) and control (TRT D) with three replicate each. Agronomic measurement such as number of leaves, Plant height, stem girth, Number of branch and leaf area were taken and soil properties which includes bulk density, particle density, and pH were measured. Soil moisture content at depths 10, 20 and 30 cm were also measured in all the four treatments using standard methods. From the result, the agronomic responses to water use was highest in the fertigation (TRT A) with values 10.1%, 10.7%, 10.5% and was lowest in the control (TRT D) with values 7.9%, 8.1%, 10.2% in all the three soils depths considered. Similarly, all the soil properties determined were within the minimum permissible limits as specified by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) values. Using United State Department of Agricultural (USDA) textural triangle, soil in the first two treatments, TRT A and TRT B were clay loamy (38% silt, 31.76% clay, 30.24% sand and 40.21% silt, 27.27% clay, 32.52% sand respectively) while the last two treatment, TRT C and TRT D had a predominantly loamy soil (41.47% silt, 25.36% clay, 33.18% sand and 41.22% silt, 26.43% clay, 32.35% sand respectively). From the soil moisture analysis performed, the same sinusoidal pattern of MC in all the treatments with values ranging from 3% through 15% which indicated a considerable effect on the growth and yield parameters of the two varieties of the cassava considered for the study. Most impressive agronomic responses obtained in TRT A as compared with other treatments suggested that parameters other than MC was responsible for the behavior. This could be as a result of fertilizer applied, the type of soil and other weather parameters