scholarly journals Studies on the Effects of Soil Physical Conditions on the Growth and Yield of Crop Plants : VII. Effects of soil air composition and soil bulk density and their interaction on the growth of sweet potato

1968 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuyuki WATANABE ◽  
Kaoru OZAKI ◽  
Takashi YASHIKI
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Sweet Potato ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Soil Air ◽  
Physical Conditions

scholarly journals SOIL PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND COCOYAM YIELD UNDER DIFFERENT TILLAGE SYSTEMS IN A TROPICAL ALFISOL

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. O. ADEKIYA ◽  
S. O. OJENIYI ◽  
T. M. AGBEDE
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Density ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Chemical Properties ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Physical And Chemical Properties ◽  
Southwest Nigeria ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Tillage Methods ◽  
And Chemical Properties

SUMMARYExperimental data on tillage requirement of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) are needed to identify the most suitable tillage methods for managing the fragile Alfisols of the humid tropics to ensure sustained productivity. Hence, five tillage methods were compared as to their effects on soil physical and chemical properties, and growth and yield of cocoyam on an Alfisol at Owo in the forest-savanna transition zone of southwest Nigeria. The experiment consisted of five tillage methods: manual clearing (MC), manual ridging (MR), manual mounding (MM), ploughing + harrowing (P + H) and ploughing + harrowing twice (P + 2 H) were used for three years at two sites in a randomized complete block design with three replications. In the first two years (2007 and 2008), P + H produced the least soil bulk density and highest growth and yield, whereas in the third year (2009), MC produced the lowest soil bulk density and best performance of cocoyam. Manual clearing produced the best values of soil chemical properties in 2008 and 2009. Averaged over the three years, P + H, MR and MM had lower soil bulk density hence better growth and yield compared with P + 2 H and MC. Over the three years MC, MM, MR and P + H increased cocoyam cormel yield by 10, 21, 23 and 32%, respectively, over P + 2 H.The corresponding increases in corm yield were 7, 15, 13 and 21%, respectively. The multiple regressions revealed that bulk density and moisture content significantly influenced the yield of cocoyam. Soil chemical properties were not significant. Bulk density rather than soil chemical properties dictated the performance of cocoyam in an Alfisol of southwest Nigeria. Soil quality was degraded by P + 2H. For small farms, either MR or MM is recommended while P + H is recommended for large-scale farming of cocoyam.

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