POTENTIALS OF IN SITU SOLARIZATION WITH POLYETHYLENE ON WEED SUPPRESSION AND CASSAVA (Manihot esculenta Crantz) GROWTH AND YIELD
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Abstract
Cassava is a major food security and cash crop in Nigeria, but yields remain low largely due to weed infestation. A field experiment was conducted during the 2019 and 2020 early cropping seasons at the University of Calabar Teaching and Research Farm, Calabar, to determine the potential of in situ solarization on weed suppression and cassava performance. Factorial combinations of two polyethylene film colours (black-B, transparent-W), and five in situ solarization durations {0 (no solarization/control), 8, 12, 16, and 48 weeks (coded S0, S1, S2, S3, S4, respectively), were laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data collected on weeds, growth and yield of cassava were analyzed using the GenStat Package Version 8.1. Means were compared using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5 % probability level. Results showed that polyethylene colour was not significant (p > 0.05) on weed and crop growth, except plant height at 12 weeks after planting (WAP). In situ solarization duration and the interaction were significant. On the two-year average, in solarizations reduced weed density by 92.86 % and weed dry matter by 95.02 %; and enhanced cassava fresh root tuber yield per hectare by 97.61 %, relative to no solarization. Interactively, maximum cassava root tuber yields (64.00 and 64.35 t ha⁻¹) were obtained from plots solarized for 48 weeks with white and black polyethylene sheets, respectively. These findings demonstrate that in situ solarization with black or white polyethylene sheet is highly effective in weed suppression and enhanced cassava yield.
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