EFFECT OF STARTER DOSE OF NITROGENOUS FERTILIZER ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT LAKE CHAD RESEARCH INSTITUTE MAIDUGURI

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Lake Chad Research Institute Demonstration farm Maiduguri, Borno State experimental farm during the rainy season of 2021, to determine the effect of 3 level of starter dose of nitrogenous fertilizer on two leguminous crops Vigna unguiculata and Arachis hypogea. In this research, the application of starter dose of nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of 25kg/ha resulted in high rate of nodulation and root weight, compared with other treatments i.e 20kg/ha and 30kg/ha which had lower rate of nodulation and root weight, the nodulation were highly correlation with of Groundnut like-wise the root weight of the cowpea. In this research, the field layout was designed in randomized blocks design (RBD) contain two plots with three replicates each for the three treatments of nitrogen fertilizer used, that is 20kgNlha, 25kgNlha, and 30kgNlha, the length of each replicate is 2m by 1.5m, the distance between one replicate with another is 0.5m, therefore a total length of 14m and the breath 9.5m giving a total area of 1440 square meters. Recommendation constitutes sandy – loam soil requirement up to 25kg/ha of starter dose of Nitrogen fertilizer applied immediately after planting and with optimum, rainfall; the rate applied count adequately, result in higher, rate of nodulation of both Vigna unguiculata and Arachis hypogea. Government should provide adequate facilcities to agricultural science and curriculum planners should make sure that practical work made compulsory and relevant to agricultural science.