S.U. Ewansiha

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a staple crop critical for global food security, yet its productivity is often constrained by soil nutrient deficiencies, pest infestations, and reliance on synthetic inputs. This study evaluated the agronomic response of maize to the application of neem leaf powder, an organic amendment derived from Azadirachta indica, as a sustainable alternative for enhancing soil fertility and plant performance. The study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated five times. The treatment comprised four rates of A. indica leaf powder (0.0, 60.0, 120.0, and 180.0 Kg ha -1). Percent emergence, Percent establishment, Days to tasseling, Plant height, Number of ears harvested and Stover yield were evaluated. The results showed that the leaf powder significantly improved maize growth. The best performance was obtained from the plots incorporated with 180kg of A. indica leaf powder. The study concludes that Azadirachta indica leaf powder, is a viable and eco-friendly organic fertilizer for maize cultivation and reducing chemical dependency

Uncontrolled weed reduce crop productivity by interfering with crop growth and yield. The reduction of weed growth by crop interference is a viable alternative to reduce the reliance on herbicide use in weed management. One of the strategies to reduce weed infestation is to grow crops as intercrops. A field trial was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2018 and 2019 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City (06 0 20’ 50’ N, 5 0 37’ 23 “E; 78 m asl) to assess weed suppression in maize-groundnut intercropping systems. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The experiment consisted of six treatments (weed-free intercrop, weed-free sole maize, weed-free sole groundnut, weedy intercrop, weedy sole maize and weedy sole groundnut. The attributes measured for weed were weed density per m2
, weed dry weight per m2 , weed smothering efficiency, and for the crops were days to flowering, plant height, ear and pod maturity, cob and pod yields, seed weight, yield and land equivalent ratio. Results showed that weed-free intercrop suppressed weeds relative to weed-free sole maize cropping system. Maize and groundnut plants grew taller in a weed-free cropping system(175cm and 61.5 cm). Number of cobs, 1000-seed weight and grain yield (maize), and pods and100-seed weight (groundnut), were higher in weed-free intercrop or sole cropping systems. This implies that weeds are major constraints limiting maize and groundnut production in Rain forest environment. For weed suppression, the weed density of broadleaves, narrow ROW leaves and their total (561.4 cm, 246.8 cm and 808.2 cm) were all higher in weed-free cropping systems. However, the dry weight of broadleaves, narrowleaves and their total (78.6cm, 250 cm, and 329.2 cm) were higher in weedy cropping systems. Weed smothering efficiencies for broadleaves, narrowleaves, and their total (72.9 % 626%and 68.0 %) were higher in the weed-free intercrop. Broadleaves were better controlled in both weed-free and weedy intercrops. Land equivalent ratios were generally above one, showing that it was more advantageous growing maize and groundnut together instead of the respective sole crops. Therefore, it may be recommended that farmers in the Rainforest agro-ecology should intercrop groundnut with maize and regularly control weeds

Uncontrolled weed reduce crop productivity by interfering with crop growth and yield. The reduction of weed growth by crop interference is a viable alternative to reduce the reliance on herbicide use in weed management. One of the strategies to reduce weed infestation is to grow crops as intercrops. A field trial was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2018 and 2019 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City (06 0 20’ 50’ N, 5 0 37’ 23 “E; 78 m asl) to assess weed suppression in maize-groundnut intercropping systems. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The experiment consisted of six treatments (weed-free intercrop, weed-free sole maize, weed-free sole groundnut, weedy intercrop, weedy sole maize and weedy sole groundnut. The attributes measured for weed were weed density per m2, weed dry weight per m2, weed smothering efficiency, and for the crops were days to flowering, plant height, ear and pod maturity, cob and pod yields, seed weight, yield and land equivalent ratio. Results showed that weed-free intercrop suppressed weeds relative to weed-free sole maize cropping system. Maize and groundnut plants grew taller in weed-free cropping system (175 cm and 61.5 cm). Number of cobs, 1000-seed weight and grain yield (maize), and pods and 100-seed weight (groundnut), were higher in weed-free intercrop or sole cropping systems. This implies that weeds are major constraints limiting maize and groundnut production in Rainforest environment. For weed suppression, weed density of broadleaves, narrowleaves and their total (561.4 cm, 246.8 cm and 808.2 cm) were all higher in weed-free cropping systems. However, weed dry weight of broadleaves, narrowleaves and their total (78.6 cm, 250 cm, and 329.2 cm) were higher in weedy cropping systems. Weed smothering efficiencies for broadleaves, narrowleaves and their total (72.9 % 626% and 68.0 %) were higher in weed-free intercrop. Broadleaves were better controlled in both weed-free and weedy intercrops. Land equivalent ratios were generally above one showing that it was more advantageous growing maize and groundnut together instead of the respective sole crops. Therefore, it may be recommended that farmers in the Rainforest agro-ecology should intercrop groundnut with maize and regularly control weeds.