EFFECTS OF INTEGRATED NUTRIENT AND WEED MANAGEMENT ON WEED DYNAMICS AND MAIZE PERFORMANCE IN MINNA, SOUTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA OF NIGERIA

Abstract

A field trial was conducted during the rainy season of 2023 at Minna, southern guinea savanna of Nigeria to determine the effects of inorganic NPK fertilizer and poultry manure as nutrient sources, and control of weeds using manual (hoe) weeding and chemical methods on weed dynamics and performance of maize. The treatments consisted of four nutrient sources (control, NPK fertilizer at the rate of 90-30-30 kg ha^-1; poultry manure (PM) at 10 Mg ha^-1; NPK fertilizer at the rate of 45-15-15 kg ha^-1 combined with PM at 5 Mg ha^-1) and four weed management (control; pre-emergence herbicide at planting and  post-emergence herbicide at 5 weeks after sowing (WAS); two hoe-weeding at 2 and 5 WAS; pre-emergence herbicide at planting and one hoe-weeding at 5 WAS). These were factorially combined and laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and means were separated using Student Newman Keuls (SNK). The results showed that integration of inorganic NPK fertilizer with manure and control of weeds using pre-emergence herbicide and one hoe-weeding at 5 WAS gave significant reduction in weed density and significantly higher weed control efficiency compared to control. The integration of inorganic NPK fertilizer with manure, and control of weeds using pre-emergence herbicide and one hoe-weeding at 5 WAS had significantly higher yield and yield attributes than control. The integration of inorganic fertilizer with manure and control of weeds using pre-emergence herbicide combined with one hoe-weeding at 5 WAS seems to enhance maize production and is recommended for farmers in the study area.