Effect of Soil Management Practices on Evaporanspiration of Sorghum Plot

Abstract

"The trial was conducted to quantify soil water loss under sorghum at Samaru (11o 11’N, 7o 36’E, 686m above mean sea level) on the Northern Guinea Savanna Ecological Zone of Nigeria during 2005/06 rainy seasons. The treatments, which consisted of two soil management practices, mulched soil and bared soil, were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Microlysimeters were installed at 8 weeks after sowing (WAS) for daily reading of potential evapotranspiration. Data were analyzed using the two way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis. Results from the two seasons indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between the yield, yield components and potential evapotranspiration under mulched soil. Under bare soil, water loss was not significantly correlated with the yield and yield components."