Plant Spacing, Dry Matter Accumulation and Yield of Local and Improved Maize Cultivars

Abstract: Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria to determine the influence of plant spacing on the yield and dry matter accumulation of local and improved maize varieties. The experiments were laid out as a split plot in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications consisting sixteen (16) treatments per replicate. The results obtained showed that maize growth and yield was significantly (P = 0.05) affected by the different plant spacing used. The highest dry maize grain yield was obtained in the hybrid varieties using plant spacing of 25 x 75cm while the lowest yield was obtained in the local maize type with plant spacing of 100 x 100cm. The trend observed in the other plant attributes measured such as the Mean Leaf Area (MLA)(cm 2 ), the plant height and the Dry Matter Accumulation (DMA) showed that the hybrid maize varieties performed significantly better than the local ones and had higher nutrient efficiency and conversion rate than the local cultivars although the yield was predicated on plant population. Based on the research findings, growing maize sole using plant spacing of 25 x 75cm remains the best recommendation for optimum maize grain yield in the field and an improvement of the local maize cultivars genetically for sustainability and food security purposes