Relationships between chewing sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) stalk yield and some parameters affected by fertility and weed control treatments at Badeggi, Nigeria

Abstract

Field trials were conducted at the upland sugarcane experimental field of NCRI Badeggi in 2004 - 2005, 2005 - 2006 and 2006 - 2007 wet and dry seasons to determine the relationship with chewing sugarcane stalk yield with some soil chemical properties, weed and sugarcane agronomic characters as being affected by fertility and weed control treatments at Badeggi, in Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria.  From the results obtained in the three trials, stalk yield (ton/ha) was significantly and positively correlated with soil physico-chemical properties including cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic matter, total percent nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, percent sand, silt and clay.  With the sugarcane agronomic characters, stalk yield (ton/ha) was significantly and positively correlated with chewable stalks per plot at 10MAP, stalk girth (cm) at 10MAP, crop vigour score at 9MAP, tiller count per plot at 3MAP. While on the other hand, the stalk yield was significantly and negatively correlated with the weed cover score and weed dry matter production at 9MAP in the 2004 - 2005, 2005 - 2006 and 2006 - 2007.