Abstract
An experiment was conducted at Akure, rainforest zone of Nigeria to evaluate theeffectiveness of neem leaf, wood ash extracts, modified neem leaf extract, Apron star 42WS andKarate 720EC as seed treatment and pest control in maize. The organic treatment extracts namelyneem leaf extract, wood ash extract applied at 1200ml per hectare and modified neem leaf extract(1:1 ratio 600ml wood ash + 600ml neem leaf extract) were compared with Apron star 42WS (seedtreatment), Karate 720EC and control treatment (no neem leaf, wood ash extracts nor Karate),replicated four times and arranged in randomized complete block design. The results showed thatthere were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the germination counts, insect population, numberof damaged leaves, growth and yield parameters of maize under different treatments compared tothe control treatment. The modified neem leaf extract performed better in germination counts,reduction of damaged leaves, insect population and yield of maize than the sole application ofneem leaf and wood ash. For percentage germination counts, Apron star 42WS had 65% followedby modified neem leaf extract (57%), wood ash extract (51%), neem leaf extract (47%)respectively. Modified neem leaf extract increased the leaf area, plant height and stem girth ofmaize by 8%, 5% and 7% respectively compared to the neem leaf (sole) extract. Generally,modified neem leaf extract had the best values of maize growth parameters followed by Karate,neem leaf and wood ash extracts respectively. Modified neem leaf extract decreased significantlythe insect population, number of damaged leaves and number of holes per plant in maize by 33%,70% and 30% respectively compared to the neem leaf extract (sole). When compared to modifiedneem extract, Karate decreased the number of damaged leaves per sample plot by 33%. However,there was no significant difference between karate and modified neem extract for insectpopulation. For yield parameters, modified neem leaf extract significantly increased the maizeyield gains by 15%, 14% and 2% compared to neem leaf, wood ash extracts and karate treatmentsrespectively. However, wood ash and neem leaf extracts did not affect significantly the maizeyield. Therefore, the modified neem leaf extract applied at 1200L/ha (3L/25m2) was mosteffective for pest control and seed treatment in maize crop.
Highlights
Maize, Zea mays L. (Liliidae: Poaceae) is used as forage and in the manufacture of livestock feed, food stuffs, sweeteners, beverage and industrial alcohol, and oil (Du Plessis, 2003)
Average production per hectare worldwide is 3.5 metric tons per hectare and this varies considerable between countries of the world from 1.5 metric tons/hectare in Nigeria to 8.8 metric tons/hectare in the U.S Among African countries, Nigeria is the leading maize producer with 27.5 million metric tons produced on 18.3 million hectares of land (USDA-FAS 2009)
The use of neem leaf, wood ash extracts, modified neem leaf extract and Apron star 42 WS as seed treatment gave the maize germination percentage after 5days of planting 47%, 51%, 55.1% and 65% respectively compared to 44% of the control treatment
Summary
Zea mays L. (Liliidae: Poaceae) is used as forage and in the manufacture of livestock feed, food stuffs, sweeteners, beverage and industrial alcohol, and oil (Du Plessis, 2003). Maize is widely grown worldwide with a total world production of approximately 1 billion metric tons. Average production per hectare worldwide is 3.5 metric tons per hectare and this varies considerable between countries of the world from 1.5 metric tons/hectare in Nigeria to 8.8 metric tons/hectare in the U.S Among African countries, Nigeria is the leading maize producer with 27.5 million metric tons produced on 18.3 million hectares of land (USDA-FAS 2009). Lizards, crickets, rats and squirrels eat the sown maize seeds and caterpillars and armyworms feed on the growing maize plants. These problems discourage many small farmers from engaging in large scale maize production due to the increased cost of seeds. Pesticides are often associated with environmental pollution and health hazards (Iyagba, 2001)
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