Abstract:
A study was conducted in the year 2009 and repeated in 2010 to determine the response of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) to date of planting and rates of poultry manure application in derived savannah ecology of south eastern Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a 3 x 3 factorial experiment in randomized complete block design in three replications. The factors considered are time of planting and manure rates. Three planting seasons (July, August and September) and three poultry manure rates (0.0, 5.0 and 10.0 tons/ha) were chosen. In the second year, times of planting were June, July and August, while manure application rates remained the same. The results show that early planting and poultry manure application in both years promoted the yield attributes measured. Seed yield/ha decreased by 41.6 and 91.1% as planting was delayed from July to August and to September in 2009, while in 2010, it decreased by 16.4 and 31.8% as planting was delayed from June to July and to August. Application of 5.0 and 10.0 tons/ha of poultry manure increased seed yield by 33.55 and 76.9%, respectively in 2009 season, while in 2010, it increased by 156.6 and197.4%, with the application of 5.0 and 10.0 tons/ha of poultry manure. The interaction of time of planting and manure rates showed a trend of increased seed yield as planting was done early with high manure rate, hence, the highest seed yield was obtained from July planting with 10.0 tons/ha manure in 2009 and from June with 10.0 tons/ha manure in 2010.
