Response of Maize (Zea mays L.) Varieties to Nitrogen Application in the Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecology of Ghana

Alhassan Bawa

Background and Objective: Maize is one of the oldest cultivated crops and, globally, it is the third most important cereal after wheat and rice in the area and total production. Compared to all other cereals, maize has the highest average yield per unit area. The objective of the research was to evaluate maize varietal response to different nitrogen fertilizer rates. Materials and Methods: The treatment consisted of 2 factors, namely, 6 varieties of maize and 4 levels of nitrogen application rates. These were arranged in 6×4 factorial combinations and laid out using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Data collected were subjected to combined analysis for variation in factorial experiments in RCBD using Genstat statistical package edition 18. Means were separated using Duncan’s multiple range test at a 5% probability level. Results: The study revealed that varieties such as IWD-C3-SYN-F2 and OBATAMPA produced the highest grain yield and growth parameters (agronomic traits) relative to other varieties. Maximum grain yield and biomass production also occurred at nitrogen application rates of 90 and 120 kg N ha^–1. Conclusion: Varieties such as IWD-C3-SYN-F2 and OBATAMPA and N rate of 90 kg N ha^–1 are therefore, recommended to be used for maize production by the resource-poor farmers in the Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecology of Ghana.

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