aDepartment of Crop Production, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. E-mail: ladangiconsult@yahoo.com
bDepartment of Crop Production, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria. E-mail: asigud@yahoo.com
cDepartment of Agricultural Economics, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. E-mail: nwosucharity@gmail.com
1Corresponding author
Online published on 9 August, 2013.
A field trial was carried out in the 2006 and 2007 rainy seasons at the Teaching and Research farm of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State to carry out an economic assessment of some weeding methods in the production of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) at Lapai in the Southern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria. Treatments consisted of three weeding methods (chemical, hoe, and no -weeding) in a randomized complete block design. Paraquat (N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride) was used for the chemical weeding and the hoe-weeding was done two times (at 3 and 5 weeks after sowing (WAS) and three times (at 3, 5 and 7 WAS). In 2006 and 2007 as well as the combined analysis, hoe weeding three times at 3, 5 and 7 WAS produced the highest grain yields, and, on the average, the highest net benefit and marginal rate of return. It is recommended that soybean farmers at Lapai should employ hoe-weeding at 3, 5 and 7 WAS.
Glycine max, Weeding Method, Nigeria
