Performance of Sweetcorn as Influence by Weeding Regime

ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted during the 2024 wet season at the Teaching and Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano, to evaluate the performance of sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata) under different weeding regimes. The study aimed to determine the effects of weeding frequency on weed suppression, growth, yield, and profitability of sweet corn in the Sudan Savannah agro-ecological zone. The treatments comprised of, no weeding (control), one-time weeding at 3 weeks after sowing (WAS), two-time weeding at 3 and 6 WAS, and three-time weedings at 3, 6, and 9 WAS, arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were collected on weed characteristics (weed density, dry weight, and control efficiency), growth parameters (plant height, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic efficiency), and yield components (number of stands, number of cobs, cobs per plant, cob yield, and cob yield per hectare). The results revealed that weeding significantly reduced weed density and dry weight, with the three-time weeding regime achieving the highest weed control efficiency (89.38%). While plant height and photosynthetic efficiency were not significantly influenced by weeding regimes. Chlorophyll content and yield parameters improved notably under the two and three-time weeding treatments. Profitability analysis showed that two-time weeding generated the highest net profit (₦6,763,056 per hectare) and cost-benefit ratio (4.215), making it the most economically viable option. Based on these findings, the study recommends a two-time weeding regime at 3 and 6 WAS for optimum sweet corn production in the Sudan Savannah, balancing both productivity and profitability.