Soil - Plant Nutrient Correlation Analysis of Maize Varieties at the Guinea Savannah

Abstract

Field trials were conducted during the rainy season of 2008 and 2009 at the Institute for Agricultural Research farm in Samaru (110 11’ N, 70 38’E) within the northern Guinea savanna ecological zone of Nigeria to evaluate correlation relationships among soil, yield and yield quality of maize varieties. The objectives of the study are to correlate among soil, grain yield and grain composition. The treatments consisted of four rates of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 50, 100 and 150kgNha-1), two rates of micronutrients (0, cocktail mixtures) Cu, Fe, Zn, B and Mo and four maize varieties SAMMAZ 14, SUSUMA (QPM), SAMMAZ 11 and SAMMAZ 12 (normal maize) which gave a total of thirty-two (32) treatments. There was basal application of 60kgha-1P and 60kgha-1K. These treatments were tested in a randomized complete block design with three replications with a total of 96 plots respectively. The fertilizer treatments were factorially combined. Significant correlations were obtained between grain parameters and other yield parameters such as Stover (r= 0.669, P < 0.05); 1000grain weight (r= 0.617, P < 0.05); crude proteins (r= 0.364, P< 0.05) and total nitrogen in grain (r =0.993, P < 0.05). Grain yield also increased as soil pH (r =0.26, P < 0.01); TN (r =0.19, P < 0.01); Calcium (r =0.17, P <0.05); Zn (r =0.24, P < 0.01); Cu (r =0.31, P < 0.01) and B (r =0.49, P <0.05) increased while it decreased as crude protein ( -0.39, P<0.05) of the grain decreased.