INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF SOWING METHODS AND TIMING OF HERBICIDE APPLICATION ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF FARO 44 RICE VARIETY IN BADEGGI, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at the National Cereals Research Institute during the 2021 and 2022 wet seasons, this study aims to investigate the influence of sowing methods and timing of herbicide application on the growth and yield of FARO-44 rice variety in Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria. The treatments consisted of five sowing methods (broadcasting dry, broadcasting wet, dibbling wet, dibbling dry, and transplanting) and two herbicide application timings (2 and 3 weeks after sowing) arranged in a factorial experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data collected included plant height, number of tillers, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of seeds per panicle, seed yield per panicle, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield per hectare. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were separated using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at 5% probability level. Results showed that transplanting significantly produced the highest values for growth and yield parameters, followed by dibbling wet and dibbling dry methods, while broadcasting methods recorded the lowest performance. Herbicide application at 2 weeks after sowing significantly enhanced crop performance compared to application at 3 weeks after sowing. The study concluded that transplanting combined with herbicide application at 2 weeks after sowing is the most effective strategy for improving the productivity of FARO 44 rice variety at Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria.