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Effect of
different crop residue management techniques on selected
soil properties and grain production of maize
C. N. Mbah1* and R. K.
Nneji2
1Department
of Soil Science and Environmental Management, Ebonyi State
University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
2Department
of Agronomy and Ecological Management, Enugu State
University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
cnmbah10@yahoo.com .
Accepted 6 August, 2010 |
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Residue addition into the soil environment and the changes
associated with their additions are important in planning
cultural operations and developing appropriate soil
management systems. The objective of this study was to
evaluate the effects of different residue management
techniques (surface mulch, burning and incorporation, slash
and incorporation as well as control) on soil properties and
grain yield of maize. In all treatments soil, pH, organic
matter (OM) (g/kg), CEC
(cmolkg-1), available Phosphorus (mgkg-1)
and exchangeable bases (cmolkg-1) improved
significantly (p < 0.05) relative to the control. Maize
grain yield was higher in residue treated plots relative to
the control in both cropping seasons irrespective of the
treatment. The correlation co-efficient between yield and
soil properties showed high values indicating that observed
improvements in soil properties in amended plots contributed
to higher maize grain yield.
Key words:
Residue management, soil environment, soil organic matter,
crop production, grain yield. |
