EFFECTS OF SOIL SOLARIZATION AND FARMYARD MANURE ON IRRIGATED RICE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SAHEL SAVANNA OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the effects of soil solarization and farm yard manure (FYM) on the growth and productivity of irrigated rice during the 2019 and 2020 dry seasons at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. The main plots consisted of three soil solarization treatments (uncovered soil, single-layer polyethylene, and double-layer polyethylene), while the subplots received FYM at 0, 15, and 30 t ha^-1. The study revealed that, soil solarization and FYM significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved soil temperature, plant height, tiller production, dry matter accumulation, panicle length, effective tillers, and grain yield. The result further indicated that, combination of double-layer polyethylene solarization and 15 t ha^-1 FYM produced the tallest plants, the highest tiller number, and the greatest grain yield (5.53 t ha^-1). The study demonstrated that integrating double-layer soil solarization with 15 t ha^-1 FYM provides an effective and sustainable management strategy for improving irrigated rice productivity in the Sahel Savanna of Nigeria.