Corn possesses significances nutrients, minerals and vitamins, which provides nutrition in animal diet as well as man. Its health benefits have been countless since the prehistoric era. Maize has been revealed to have the potential to sustained human health-related cases, raise standard of living of farmers, served as a soil fertility indicator crop, generate income and increase food-crop production for the increasing human population. Industrial utilization of maize has been shown to include: wet milling, production of bio-fuel, ethanol and other sub-byproducts.
A survey on economics of Maize (Zea mays L.) production in Nigeria and its traditional utilization was conducted. Result of the survey presented maize having the potential of increasing the economy of the nation. Analyzed data presented maize been able to increase the income of the local people and foreign exchange earnings, as observed where price of the crop during 1980 (2500) stands below price at 1989 (14000). Increased in land utilization with increase in years was observed in data analyzed as 1980 (95600 hectares) of land area stands below (211740) in1989. Traditional utilization of maize has been found to include where the crop is been used as herbal medicine, as food, in traditional religion, in-addition to where the crop is been utilized in marital rituals.
The rapid increase in soil deterioration has been a drawback to global development, acting like a barrier to sustainability of Agriculture and the environment. Biodiversity in soil plays a crucial role in ecosystem sustainability, but yet there exist a rapid deterioration in soil biodiversity especially due to increase soil toxins, chemical spills, wind erosion including the rapid down-pour by rainfall which destroys soil structure and degrade soil biota. Soil compaction reduction manipulation through tillage and application of fertilizer plays a major role for food production, apart from being a part of environmental sustainability strategy. Field studies was conducted, where the status of soil compaction was examined, a replicate of four (4) soil sample were collected at a twenty (20) points sampling station using the proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Laboratory analysis output indicated high soil compaction. Laboratory analysis output was ranked with FAO standardize rate for compaction effect on soil biodiversity. Result of the finding indicated high soil compaction with bulk density value range of 1,56 gcm-3 – 2,71 gcm-3 which was found to be too compact for sustainable soil biota development. And porosity value range of 1% - 41% was obtained, which indicated tight soil spore that can imped soil biodiversity. Correlation analysis (R2) revealed a positive correlation between topography and soil compacting, with a ranking output of the soil been poor in biodiversity (biota load). Outcome of this investigation concluded that proper tillage, application of fertilizer including organic matter be carried out for the study area soils and soils of its environs.
Challenges facing humanity over the years include food insecurity, loss of soil and water resources and associated ecosystem disturbance. The rate of hungry people in developing world keeps on increasing and causing death and malnutrition. Food shortages, food insecurity or undernourishment has assumed a global dimension especially as climate change hits the globe with its negative impacts, with more severe cases recorded in the poor-resource African countries. Soil is the natural capital which drives the agricultural sector, being a strong-hole for crop/animal farming, apart-from being a medium for production of raw materials which powers industrial and domestic production. The inherent quality of soil is impaired by various factors including climate variability like excessive rainfall, which ends-up leaching nutrients downstream, thereby resulting in contamination of water bodies with fertilizer/agro-chemical residues. Like most tropical humid soils, the inherent quality of Nigerian soils is generally low, causing rapid degradation of applied nutrients and total crop failure in extreme cases. This has most often been exacerbated by most prevalent land use/agricultural systems, coupled with the problem of over-grazing and indiscriminate deforestation, alongside rapid population expansion with consequent urbanization and industrialization. For effective soil management, especially in the face of climate change, the need for Climate-Smart Strategy (CSS) towards agricultural production becomes imperative, inother to find a Sustainable Approach (SA) to man’s drive towards food production for effective survival. For efficient maize (Zea mays L.) production, application of mineral fertilizer becomes an important aspect for human/animal food production. Field experimentation was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Cross River University of Technology (Latitude 6° 06ꞌ N and Longitude 8° 18ꞌ E), to evaluate the potential of Nitrogen fertilizer as a Climate-Smart Approach (CSA) for sustainable maize production in the humid tropics. Maize seed variety: Ikom Local White were treated to one level of Nitrogen fertilizer at 0.078 kg ha-1. The treatment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The treatment were replicated four time to give a total of sixteen (16) field plots. Data collection on plant growth parameters (number of leaves and height of maize) were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), while significant means among treatments were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD) at 5% probability level. Result obtained showed that plots treated with 0.078 kg ha-1 of Nitrogen fertilizer (N-Fertilizer) significantly (p˂0.05) increase growth parameter of maize over the control. Outcome of the study concluded that 0.078 kg ha-1 of N-Fertilizer applied to Maize planted at 1m spacing between plants on bed increase crop growth, and acts as a CSA to remedy the rapid degradation of humid tropical soil productivity, and for environmental sustainability.
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