Project Abstract

Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops globally, providing a staple food source for a significant portion of the world's population. Maximizing wheat production is crucial for food security and agricultural sustainability. Sowing method and fertilizer treatments are key factors that can significantly influence wheat growth, development, and yield. This research project aimed to investigate the response of different wheat varieties to various sowing methods and fertilizer treatments. The study was conducted over two consecutive growing seasons in a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement. Four wheat varieties commonly grown in the region were selected for the experiment. The sowing methods included broadcasting and line sowing, while the fertilizer treatments comprised different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers. The data collected included plant height, tiller number, spike length, grain weight per spike, and ultimately grain yield. Results indicated that the choice of wheat variety had a significant impact on all measured parameters. Varietal differences were observed in terms of growth characteristics, yield components, and overall grain yield. Certain varieties performed better under specific sowing methods and fertilizer treatments, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate varieties based on the intended cultivation practices. Regarding sowing methods, line sowing generally outperformed broadcasting in terms of plant height, tiller number, and grain yield. The precision and spacing offered by line sowing seemed to benefit the overall growth and development of the wheat plants. Additionally, the interaction between sowing method and fertilizer treatments was found to influence the response of the wheat varieties significantly. Specific fertilizer combinations resulted in varying responses depending on the sowing method employed. Fertilizer treatments played a crucial role in determining wheat productivity. The application of balanced nutrient combinations led to improved plant growth, higher grain weight per spike, and increased overall grain yield. However, excessive fertilizer application resulted in diminishing returns, emphasizing the importance of optimal nutrient management practices. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the complex interactions between wheat varieties, sowing methods, and fertilizer treatments in influencing wheat productivity. Understanding these relationships is essential for maximizing crop yield and ensuring sustainable wheat production systems. Further research is warranted to explore additional factors that may impact wheat cultivation and to refine management practices for enhanced productivity and food security.

Project Overview

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) belongs to the family Poaceae and ranks first in both area cultivated and production among cereal crops. It contributes more calories and proteins to the world‟s human diet than any other cereals. Globally, production is estimated at 749 million metric tonnes from about 220.4 million hectares (FAO, 2016). The highest average yields are obtained in Western Europe, with more than 8 t ha-1, in contrast to about 1 t ha-1 in countries of Central and West Asia and West Africa (Rajaram and
Braun, 2009). In Nigeria, it is a major crop as it is eaten as bread and other wheat-based products such as cakes, biscuits, macaroni, spaghetti, pasta, etc. (Falaki and Mohammed, 2011). Wheat possesses several health benefits (Heshe et al., 2016) against diseases such as constipation, ischaemic, heart disease, diverticulum, appendicitis, diabetes, and obesity especially when utilized as a whole-grain product (Kumar et al., 2011).

Wheat production in Nigeria is presently restricted (because of high temperature and humidity) to areas between latitudes 10-140N (covering the Sudan and Sahel Savanna zones), during the cold harmattan period between the months of November and February, under irrigation (Olugbemi, 1994). Currently, Nigeria‟s production stands at 60,000 tonnes from about 51,000 hectares (Anon., 2016). Cereal yield is generally low in soils of West Africa because of low soil phosphorus and nitrogen (Okpara and Igwe, 2014). Nigeria‟s Savanna soils are generally low in organic matter (Abdulkadir and Abu, 2013; Lawal and Girei, 2013), nitrogen and phosphorus
(Adeosun, 2008; Lawan and Girei, 2013). Wheat in Nigeria is produced in the Savanna zone, and continuous cultivation which had replaced the traditional shifting cultivation causes soil nutrient and fertility depletion, structure degradation, reduced water  infiltration, increased run off and erosion (Odunze, 2003; Lawal, 2012). Excessive use of chemical fertilizers causes soil and water pollution (Elhassan et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2010; Lawal and Girei 2013). In recent times, attention has been directed towards organic fertilizers owing to hazardous environmental consequences and high cost of inorganic fertilizers (Jilani et al., 2007; Chaudhry et al., 2009; Shiyam and Binang, 2011 Oyedeji et al., 2014).

Integrated plant nutrient management enhances soil productivity and sustains crop production (Dilshad et al., 2010; Aslam et al., 2011a). Farmyard manure (FYM) significantly influenced the soil organic matter concentration (%) in soil as compared to application of recommended NPK (Aslam et al., 2011b; Abbas and Fadul 2013).
Generally, combined application of organic manure and chemical fertilizer improves soil fertility, soil physical and chemical properties and increases crop yields (Ezekiel, 2010; Liu et al., 2010). FYM is one of the organic fertilizers used by Nigeria‟s peasant farmers. Benefits of FYM and in combination with inorganic fertilizer have been reported in wheat (Ali et al. 2011; Jibrin and Fagam, 2012; Khan et al., 2013a, Zahoor, 2014) and other crops such as maize (Shah et al., 2009; Achieng et al., 2013, Adesoji., 2013; Zehirun et al., 2013), millet (Sadiq et al., 2012; Bakhashwain et al., 2013) sorghum (Ahmad et al.,
2007) soybean (Bhattacharyya et al., 2008) etc. Traditionally wheat is planted using broadcast method (Abbass et al., 2009) and recently there is a shift from the broadcast to drilling (Soomro et al., 2009; Amin et al., 2013a; Naresh et al., 2014). However, there are still conflicting results on the various
methods owing to relative advantages and ultimate yield as broadcasting is easy to do, while drilling is easy to weed. Carver (2005) investigated the impact of different crop establishment methods in winter wheat. Broadcasting method produced the most effective spatial arrangements. However, there was no consistent relationship between
any of the spatial arrangement and subsequent yield performance. Singh et al. (2005) reported in India, that in wheat, strip drilling resulted in higher growth and grain yield than the broadcasting. However, Ahuja et al. (1996) recorded highergrain yield in broadcasting compared to drilling. In a recent study in india Abbass et al. (2009) also
reported higher yield in broadcast than drilling at 15, 22.5 and 30 cm spaced rows. More recent studies indicated higher yield in drill method over broadcasting (Amin et al., 2013a; Naresh et al., 2014) Performance of different varieties of wheat under different management and
environmental condition is of interest to the agronomist. Over the years, several wheat varieties have been developed and released in Nigeria (Miko, 2012). These varieties vary in their response to management and environmental condition. Significant differences in grain yield among wheat varieties were reported in various wheat growing areas of Nigeria; Bauchi (Jibrin and Fagam, 2012), Borno (Bibinu et al., 2016), Kano (Falaki and Mohammed 2011) and Sokoto (Sokoto and Singh, 2013). Similarly, variation in yield and yield components of wheat varieties under organic (Jibrin and Fagam, 2012; Abbas and Fadul 2013), inorganic (Asargew et al. 2014;Farrokh and Farrokh 2014) and their combinations (Akhtar et al., 2011; Zahoor, 2014) were also reported in Asia and other parts of the globe.