Assessment of integrated soil nutrient sources on growth and yield parameters on sorghum in the soil of Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

Research was carried out at University Commercial Crop Farm, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, to evaluate the effects of different soil nutrient sources on the growth and yield of sorghum in the 2016 and 2017 cropping season under rain-fed condition. The experiment consisted of fourteen treatments; (I) Control, (II) Soybean intercrop, (III) 2.0 t/ha-1 of PM, (IV) 2.0 t/ha-1 of PM + Soybean, (V) 3.5 t/ha-1 of PM, (VI) 3.5 t/ha-1 of PM + Soybean, (VII) 0.2 t/ha-1 of CP, (VIII) 0.2 t/ha-1 of CP + Soybean, (IX) 0.4 t/ha-1 of CP, (X) 0.4 t/ha-1 of CP + Soybean, (XI) 30 kg N/ha-1, (XII) 30 kg N/ha-1 + Soybean, (XIII) 60 kg N/ha-1, and (XIV) 60 kg N/ha-1 + Soybean. The experiment was laid in Randomised Complete Block Design in three (3) replications. Sole applications of compost manure at 0.4 t/ha-1 had significant difference on leaf area. Soybean as nutrient source did not have significant difference on crop parameters. Poultry manure, NPK fertilizer and compost manure significantly affected growth and yield parameters in the two cropping seasons. The highest yield were obtained from application of NPK fertilizer at 60 kg N/ha-1 in plots where sorghum was intercropped with soybeans, this was not however significant when compared with plots where NPK fertilizer was applied without soybean mixture.