Abstract
A field experiment was carried out to assess the effects of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM), Organo-mineral fertilizer (OMF) and NPK (15:15:15), on the performance and post-harvest quality of sweet corn. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with mycorrhiza as main plot and fertilizer combinations as treatments. VAM inocula were applied at a rate of 888.88 kg ha-1, OMF at 2000 kg ha-1 and NPK (15:15:15) at 400kg ha-1. Storability of the sweet corn was evaluated at open shelf (25-27°C), normal refrigeration (40°C) and deep freezing conditions (0°C). Results showed that there were significant differences (p <0.05) between mycorrhiza and non mycorrhiza. Across mycorrhiza treatment, the highest yields of free corn ears were obtained with the complementary use of OMF and NPK (15:15:15). Fertilizer application had significant effect on the storage life of sweet corn, however, sweet corn stored by freezing at 0°C had the best storage properties in terms of firmness, weight loss and disease incidence. Key words: Vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza; sweetcorn yield; Organo-mineral fertilizer.
Highlights
Sweet corn (Zea Mays, L.) is gradually becoming an important vegetable crop in Nigeria, since it forms a useful ingredient in the preparation of salad and other food both at home and in hotels (Akintoye and Olaniyan, 2012)
This is due to the decline in soil fertility, which prevents optimum yield, and the short shelf life of sweet corn
Fertilizer application was done in two splits, at 14 and 42 days after planting (DAP)
Summary
Sweet corn (Zea Mays, L.) is gradually becoming an important vegetable crop in Nigeria, since it forms a useful ingredient in the preparation of salad and other food both at home and in hotels (Akintoye and Olaniyan, 2012). It is one of the few vegetables that originated in. In Nigeria, sweetcorn production and utilizations have not been a viable option to farmers despite the numerous benefits and economic importance This is due to the decline in soil fertility, which prevents optimum yield, and the short shelf life of sweet corn. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of mycorrhiza, organo-mineral fertilizer (OMF) and inorganic fertilizer on the performance and storability of sweetcorn under an open shelf, normal and freezer conditions
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