EVALUATION OF FIVE MAIZE GENOTYPES (Zea mays L.) FOR MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND YIELD IN UYO, SOUTH EASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the University of Uyo Teaching and Research Farm in the early cropping season of 2021 to evaluate the morphological characteristics and yield of five maize genotypes in Uyo. The experiment was laid down in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three (3) replicates. The experimental materials were five (5) maize genotypes: SC-510, Oba Super – 4, Oba Super – 6, Honey King F₁ (sweetcorn) and Ikom White (local control). The parameters evaluated were, emergence percentage at 1 week after sowing (WAS), plant height (cm), number of leaves, leaf area (cm²), stem girth (cm), number of days to first tassel emergence, number of days to 50% tasselling, number of days to first silking, number of days to 50% silking, number of days to harvest maturity, cob weight (g), cob length (cm), cob circumference (cm), number of rows per cob, number of grains per row, weight of 1,000 grains (g) and grain yield (tha^-1). Results showed plant height, leaf area, number of leaves, stem girth varied significantly (p<0.05) at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after sowing. Similarly, significant differences (p<0.05) were obtained in yield components and grain yield such as days to harvest maturity, cob weight, cob length, cob circumference, weight of 1,000 grains and grain yield. This study concluded that Oba Super – 6 showed superior grain yield with SC-510 and Ikom White producing the least grain yield. Honey King F₁ was an early maturity hybrid, SC-510 was medium maturity and Oba Super - 4 and Oba Super - 6 were late maturity genotypes. Based on the result of this study, further evaluation involving Oba Super - 6 and Oba Super - 4 genotypes which performed significantly better compared with other varieties is recommended in the environment.