ABSTRACT
The effects of five weed
management techniques and a weed free control on weed infestation and on the
growth and yield of a plantain landrace (Musa spp. AAB Agbagba) were
evaluated during the two cropping seasons of 2005 and 2006 at Nsukka, Nigeria.
The experiment was laid out in randomised complete block design (RCBD) with six
treatments and replicated four times. The treatments comprised six weed
management techniques, which consisted of slashing at 8-weekly intervals,
mulching with sawdust alone, use of glyphosate + intermittent slashing, use of
sawdust mulching + glyphosate, use of glyphosate alone and a weed-free (by hoeing)
control. Results of the study showed that there was a significant (P<0 .05="" 36="" 4.2="" a="" ability="" alone="" also="" and="" area="" as="" at="" compared="" control.="" control="" difference="" effect.="" effective="" effectiveness="" fruit="" glyphosate="" heights="" highest="" i="" in="" l.7="" leaf="" least="" leaves="" management="" mean="" most="" mulched="" mulching="" number="" of="" on="" other="" plant="" plots="" produced="" result="" showed="" significant="" significantly="" such="" suckering="" suckers="" technique="" techniques="" that="" the="" this="" to="" treated="" treatment="" treatments.="" value="" various="" was="" wat.="" weed="" were="" with="" yield="">(P
<0 .05="" i=""> affected by the treatments. The result showed that mulching +
glyphosate weed management strategy supported the best plant growth with mean
values of 139.7 cm, 4.3 and 12348.8 cm2 for plant height, number of
leaves and leaf area respectively without any lodging. The treatment also
supported the best fruit yield of 12.1t/ha with the highest benefit/cost ratio
of 3.87 and gross margin of 74.2 as compared to the rest of the other
treatments.0>0>
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title Page
Table of Content
List of Tables
Abstract
Introduction
Objective of the Study
Literature Review
Materials and Method
Experimental Location
Materials
Routine Soil Analysis
Weed Population Studies
Experimental Design and Layout
Cultural Practices
Land Preparation
Planting of Suckers
Poultry Manure and Fertilizer
Application
Application of Treatments
Data Collection
Statistical Analysis
Results and Discussion
Budgetary Analysis
Discussion
Summary and Conclusion
REFERENCE
APPENDICES
INTRODUCTION
Bananas and plantains belong to
the genus Musa and the family Musaceae (Stover and Simmonds,
1987), and are fast growing herbaceous perennials arising from underground
rhizomes or corms. They originated from South-East Asia (Onwueme, 1984) and
Western Pacific regions where the inedible, seed-bearing diploid ancestors can
still be found in the natural forest vegetations (Robinson, 1996). The flesh
stalks or pseudo stems formed by upright concentric layers of leaf sheaths
constitute the functional trunks (Simmonds, 1966). Suckers spring up around the
main plant forming a mat, the oldest suckers replacing the main plant when it
fruits and dies (Lee, 2000).
According to
Robinson (1996), the root system in banana plants is fleshy and adventitious
from the beginning. A banana adventitious root system spreads profusely.
Horizontal extension of the primary roots can go as far as 5 metres; although
commonly it can reach up to 2 metres. The vertical root zone is very shallow
with about 40% of the root volume in the top 100 mm and 85% in the top 300 mm.
Occasionally primary root penetrates up to 600 mm below the soil. Swennen et
al (1986) reported that the proportion of secondary and tertiary roots in
plantains are 53% and 46%, compared with 22% and 77% respectively for bananas.
They proposed that the relative shortage of tertiary roots which produce most
of the root hairs, was the contributing factor towards poor productivity and
rapid yield decline in the plantain group.
Plantains require a hot humid
environment. Ideally, the average air temperature should be about 30°C and
rainfall of at least 100 mm per month. According to Robinson (1996), an average
annual rainfall of 2000 to 2500 mm evenly distributed throughout the year is
considered satisfactory. Plantain is a shallow rooting crop and like all
herbaceous perennials, it is highly susceptible to weed competition (Ndubizu
and Manufor, 1988).
Plantains are starchy bananas
which make up one-quarter of the total world population of bananas (Musa
spp). Unlike the sweet desert bananas, plantains are a staple food which is
fried, baked, boiled (and then sometimes pounded) or roasted and
consumed alone or together with other food (Swennen, 1990). They are a major
food in developing countries and in Western and Central Africa, about 70
million people are estimated to depend on Musa fruits for a large
proportion of their daily carbohydrates intake (Rowe, 1998). Bananas and
plantains represent the world's second largest fruit crop with an annual
production of 74 million tons (FAO, 1991). They rank as the fourth most
important global food commodity after rice, wheat and maize in terms of the
gross value of production (INIBAP, 1992). They are of great importance in
tropical agriculture, where they have attracted a great deal of research
(Simmonds and Weatherup, 1990).
In the humid
rain forest of lowland and upland Africa, the genus Musa provides one of
the most important basic staple food for large populations (Vuylsteke and
Swennen, 1992). African countries account for 35% of world's plantain and
banana production (INIBAP, 1989). In Nigeria, plantain is an important
traditional staple food for both rural and urban dwellers and serves as a
source of revenue for small holders who produce them both at the compound
farms, mixed crop farms and small-scale sole plantain farms (Baiyeri, 1998).
Over the years, there has been
a compendium of problems that tend to impede crop production generally and
plantain production in particular. Some of these problems are draught and
organic matter status of the soil (Awodoyin, 2003), pests and diseases, labour
shortage, poor agronomic practices and post harvest constraints (Robinson,
1996) and weed menace. Of these problems, weed menace happens to be the most
detrimental and its control cost is highly prohibitive. Weed control is the
single most important component accounting for 30 - 40 percent of the overall
cost of plantain production in Nigeria (Ndubizu and Obiefuna, 1979). Bananas
and plantains have become more difficult to produce and more expensive for
consumers to buy in recent decades due to these problems (IITA Annual Report,
1994).
Although Nigeria produces about
1 million tonnes of plantain annually, the fruits are under supplied probably
because most of the fruits are supplied from small scale plantation growers or
home gardens (Awodoyin, 2003). According to him, this shortfall in supply
indicates that there is a potential for increased production to supply the
domestic and international market and to exploit this potential, plantain
production must shift from small-scale production to medium — large scale
production systems.
Plantains are the fourth most
important global food commodity. They also play a role in feeding the ever
rising world population in general and Africa in particular. Plantains serve as
a source of revenue for small holders. Of all the problems militating against
plantain production, weed menace serves as one of the most serious impediments
or stumbling blocks to its production. The acquisition therefore, of a weed
management technique, which will effectively suppress weed menace and enhance
plantain productivity to meet the demand by the teeming world population
becomes paramount. It is against this background that the initiative of the
researcher to undertake this painstaking and cost intensive study stands justified.....
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