EFFECT OF NITROGEN ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF SWEET CORN IN SAVANNA REGIONS OF NIGERIA

Nitrogen is one of the important nutrients affecting vegetable production in Nigeria.
Soil was low in organic matter and continuous cropping has resulted in soil nutrient mining.
Supplemental N supply is important to maximize yield and productivity.
An experiment was conducted in 2004 and 2005 in the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Nigeria, to evaluate the effect of N on yield and yield components of three sweet corn cultivars.
The experimental design was factorial combinations of N (0, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha^-1) and three cultivars (KNU Sh.
Composite (Comp.) KNU Sugar corn, and sweet corn Open Pollinated (OP)). Nitrogen significantly increased yield and yield components in both years.
Higher values were obtained from the highest N rate.
Sweet corn yielded 3611 and 4387 kg ha^-1 in 2004 and 2005, respectively at 120 kg ha^-1 compared to 1049 and 1264 kg ha^-1 in 2004 and 2005 at 0 kg ha^-1, respectively.
These results suggest that sweet corn yield could be enhanced by the application of nitrogen fertilizer.
The sweet corn OP cultivar appears to be better adapted to savanna ecologies of Nigeria.

I All Africa Horticultural Congress

H.A. Akintoye, A.A. Kintomo

cultivar, derived savanna, N rates, sweet corn, yield and yield components

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.911.16