Performance Evaluation of Different Tillage Systems on Soil Properties and Maize Yield in Benue State

This study evaluates the effect of different tillage systems on soil physical properties and maize grain yield in Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Tillage is a fundamental soil management operation that significantly affects soil structure, moisture retention, weed control, and crop productivity. The dominance of conventional deep ploughing in Benue State's mechanised farming areas has raised concerns about soil structural degradation, erosion risk, and fuel cost, prompting interest in minimum and zero tillage alternatives. This study establishes a randomised complete block design field experiment at the National Root Crops Research Institute farm in Umudike's affiliated station in Benue, comparing four tillage treatments: conventional ploughing and harrowing, subsoil ploughing, minimum tillage with ridge formation, and zero tillage with herbicide. Soil bulk density, porosity, water infiltration rate, and maize grain yield are measured over two growing seasons. Findings reveal that zero tillage and minimum tillage plots maintain significantly lower bulk density and higher infiltration rates than conventional ploughing. Maize yield under minimum tillage is 4.8 tonnes per hectare, statistically equivalent to conventional ploughing at 5.1 tonnes per hectare and significantly higher than zero tillage at 4.1 tonnes per hectare in the first season. The study concludes that minimum tillage offers a practical balance between soil conservation and yield maintenance in Benue State conditions. It recommends minimum tillage as the preferred alternative to conventional ploughing in Benue State farms.

Keywords: tillage systems, soil properties, maize yield, Benue State, conservation agriculture.