Title page
A MULTIVARIATE
ANALYSIS ON THE RESPONSE OF CROPS TO FERTILIZER AND SOIL TYPES. (A CASE STUDY
OF THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE UMUDIKE, ABIA STATE)
CHAPTER ONE
1.0.
INTRODUCTION
Crop
production is an integral part of agriculture, the other half is animal
production or husbandry. Crop production can either be on a subsistence or
commercial level. It is subsistence when the farmer produces for himself and
family with a little for sale but it can be commercial when the farmer produces
in a large scale for market consumption. Whichever type of production a farmer
wants to embark upon, the knowledge of fertilizer and the nature of the soil is
of utmost importance as this would go a long way in determining the farmers
output. Since the 90’s agriculture in Nigeria that use to be at the front
burner as the nation’s chief income earner as suddenly taken a back stage as a
result of over dependency on crude. Agriculture overtime as been a major
sustainer of Nigeria’s economy before the discovery of crude oil otherwise
known as black gold (okoro 2005). Since its relegation to the background in Nigeria,
it has been practiced at an alarming peasant level with most of the active
stakeholder been largely subsistence agriculturists. Soil and fertilizer type
are very significant factors in crop production. It is highly heterogeneous and
this is the cause of differential rates of growth and yield on a parcel of land
planted to the same crop at the same time and with the same management package
(Olalokun, 1998). This is a source of frustration to crop farming as farmers
cannot think of a particular management package suitable for their farmlands.
Intensive cultivation and fertilizer application have become the cardinal
aspect of soil management especially in the West African sub region. The Response to fertilizer application in
some cases is nothing to write home about; hence many farmers have been forced
to abandon their farmlands.
Types of fertilizers
Fertilizers
can broadly be grouped into two parts namely:
i.
Organic
fertilizers
As the name implies, these are fertilizers derived
from human excreta, animal and plant matter such as compost and manure. Organic
fertilizers generally have lower nutrient concentration than inorganic
fertilizers.
Advantages of
organic fertilizers
The following are the advantages of organic
fertilizers
·
They do not harm or
burn plants when excessively applied on crops.
·
They do not damage
ground water.
·
When applied on
farmlands, they have long term positive effects on farmlands.
·
Organic fertilizers
are renewable, biodegradable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
·
Although rather
expensive in packages, you can make your own organic fertilizer by composting
or find inexpensive sources—such as local dairy farms—that may sell composted
manure.
Disadvantages of
organic fertilizers
- Organic
fertilizers break down according to nature’s rules, so they may not
release nutrients as soon as you need them. You have to be patient – you
won’t see improvement overnight. In fact, you may actually see a
deficiency in your plants during the first couple of months until the
first application breaks down. Hang in there! You’ll most definitely be
rewarded. - Nutrient
ratios are often unknown, and the overall percentage is lower than
chemical fertilizers. However, some organic products are actually higher
in certain nutrients.
ii.
Inorganic
fertilizer
Inorganic
fertilizers are synthetic fertilizers that are produced from chemical or synthetic
materials with defined proportion of desired chemicals that are beneficial to
crops.
Advantages of inorganic fertilizers
- Since
nutrients are available to the plants immediately, improvement occurs in
days. - They
are highly analyzed to produce the exact ratio of nutrients desired. - Standardized
labeling makes ratios and chemical sources easy to understand. - They’re
inexpensive.
Disadvantages of
inorganic fertilizers
·
If excessively
applied, they can burn or harm plants.
·
When applied, it can
cause water or air pollution.
·
Chemical fertilizers
tend to leach, or filter away from the plants, requiring additional
applications.
·
Long-term use of
chemical fertilizer can change the soil pH, upset beneficial microbial
ecosystems, increase pests, and even contribute to the release of greenhouse
gases.
1.1.
STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM
In Nigeria today, crop production has been largely inconsistent
resulting to the lack of knowledge of the combination of soil type and
fertilizer. This has led to general under production of crops in Nigeria. An
adequate knowledge on the right combination would help to increase crop
production and maintain that for a long time. There is equally a concern by
farmers and researchers on the best type of fertilizer between organic and
inorganic fertilizers to be used to increase crop yield. Researchers are also
interested in knowing if inorganic or organic fertilizers performances are soil
based. Another problem of farmers is to know the relationship between soil type
and crop yield.
1.2.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This
study is aimed at the following:
1. To
know if there is a relationship and the nature of this relationship (if any)
between soil type, fertilizer type and crop yield.
2. To
know if there is a relationship between soil type and crop yield.
3. To
know if there is a relationship between fertilizer type and crop yield.
4. To
know the best combination of fertilizer and soil type that yields more crops.
1.3.
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
significance or importance of this study is mainly to know if there is any
relationship between fertilizer type, nature of soil and crop yield. Another
importance of this survey is to know the soil type that encourages more crop
yield. A major significance of this
study is to know if there is a relationship between the following:
Soil
type and crop yield, soil fertilizer type and crop yield. The nature of these
relationships (if any) is also of utmost importance to us.
1.4.
SCOPE
AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
For the purpose of this study as the topic
depicts, the scope of the study will be focused on how crops respond to the
types of fertilization in each of the different types of soils. Another scope
is to know if a relationship exists between fertilizer type, soil type and crop
yield. A major scope is to know the best combination of fertilizer type and
soil nature or type that enhances crop yield. In the earlier stage of the study there is a
detailed coverage of the techniques and methods used in judging whether crops
responded well or not to fertilization by looking at their performances.
LIMITATIONS OF
THE STUDY
It is necessary to mention some of the limitation
of this research work. The chief limitation is the difficulty in obtaining
relevant information in that a few of our values were missing but these missing
values were not statistically significant enough to be noticed.
Notwithstanding, in the highlighted limitation
above, it is hoped that this
research will be useful to agricultural researchers, farmers and other similar
organization that may want to know the general response of crops to the types
of fertilization on different soils.
1.5.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
i.
Organic: produced by or from living things.
ii.
Inorganic: not consisting of or coming from any living
substances.
iii.
Fertilizer: a substance
added to soil to make plants grow more successfully.
iv.
Crops: a plant that is grown in large quantities, especially as food.
v.
Synthetic: artificial; made by combining chemical substances
rather than being produced naturally by plants or animals.
vi.
Soil: the top layer of the earth, in which plants, trees etc grow.
1.6.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The
research hypotheses are as follows:
HYPOTHESIS
1
H0:
there is no
significant relationship between the fertilizer used and crop yield.
H1: there is a significant relationship between
the fertilizer used and crop yield.
Level of significance: 0.05
Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is
less than the level of significance. Accept H0 if otherwise.
HYPOTHESIS
2
H0:
there is no
significant relationship between the soil type and crop yield.
H1: there is a significant relationship
between the soil type and crop yield.
Level of significance: 0.05
Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is
less than the level of significance. Accept H0 if otherwise.
HYPOTHESIS
3
H0:
there is no
significant relationship between the soil type, fertilizer type and crop yield.
H1: there is a significant relationship
between the soil type, fertilizer type and crop yield.
Level of significance: 0.05
Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is
less than the level of significance. Accept H0 if otherwise.