LEAF AREA INDEX AND DRY MATTER YIELD OF MEGATHYRSUS MAXIMUMS AS AFFECTED BY RATES OF GOAT MANURE APPLICATION AND HARVEST STAGE IN THE SUDAN SAVANNAH ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of varying rates of goat manure and cutting stages on Leaf Area Index-LAI and Dry Matter Yield-DMY of Megathyrsus maximums in the Sudan Savannah region of Nigeria. The experiment was laid in RCBD with three main plots; 3, 6 and and 9t/ha goat manure application rates and three subplots (6, 8, and 10 weeks after planting-WAP). The result showed that the varying rates of goat manure had a significant effect on the LAI but not on the DMY. The cutting stages had significant effect on the LAI and DMY. It was concluded that Megathyrsus maximums cultivated with 9t/ha goat manure and harvested at 10WAP produced the closest canopy and optimum dry matter yield. It was therefore recommended that farmers in this part of Nigeria should cultivate Megathyrsus maximums using goat manure at 9t/ha for higher LAI and DMY which is an indication of forage productivity.