PERFORMANCE OF LABLAB (Lablab purpureus L.) AS INFLUENCED BY PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER RATES AND INTER-ROW SPACING IN THE NORTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA, NIGERIA.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the forage yield of Lablab (Lablab purpureus L) during the 2018 cropping season at the Teaching and research farm of the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Mando Road, Kaduna. Treatments consisted of three phosphorus fertilizer rates (0, 20, and 30 kg/ha) and three plant spacing (20cm x 30cm, 25cm x 30cm, and 30cm x 30cm), laid out in a 3x3 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results of the experiment showed that phosphorus fertilizer rates significantly (p<0.05) affected plant height, number of leaves/plant and dry forage yield at 6 and 9 weeks after sowing. However, number of leaves was not affected by phosphorus fertilizer application rates across the sampling periods. Plant spacing at (25cm x 30cm and 30cm x 30cm) have significantly increased (p<0.05) plant height and total dry forage yield. It can be concluded that 30kg /ha of phosphorus fertilizer application rate and plant inter-row spacing at 30cm x 30cm, produced the highest dry forage yield of Lablab. Famers in Northern ecological zone of Nigeria can adopt the application of phosphorus fertilizer at 30kg/ha and using wider spacing of 30cm x 30cm for better yield of Lablab, thereby increasing farm output and animal performance.