Evaluation of Maxicrop foliar fertilizer on the performance of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Badeggi North Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Sesame is an important annual plant belonging to padaliceae family. The crop species has a long history of cultivation, mostly for its yield of oil. In Nigeria, it is cultivated mostly by small holder farmers and not considered as an important crop until recently when its economic benefits were realized and the demand for the crop increased worldwide. A field study was therefore carried out at the experimental upland site of the National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi, Nigeria (0903’56"N and 0605’57”E) during the wet cropping season. Treatments used for the experiment were application of maxicrop foliar fertilizer nutrients at the rate of 1ha-1, applied in four split doses at an interval of 2 weeks each in combination with various rates of NPK fertilizer applied at 3 weeks after planting. The test crop for the experiment was sesame varieties NCRIBEN 01M, NCRIBEN 04E and E8. The experimental design used was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated 3 times. The plot size used for the experiment was 3 m x 5 m. The result of this study indicated that the productivity of sesame was enhanced when maxicrop was applied in combination with NPK fertilizer, hence the use of maxicrop on sesame, can be recommended as complimentary to the application of NPK fertilizer.