Effect of Different Mulching Materials on Weed Control and Yam Tuber Yield in Taraba State

This study evaluates the effectiveness of different mulching materials for weed control and their influence on yam tuber yield in Taraba State, North East Nigeria. Yam production in Taraba State is labour-intensive, with weed control accounting for up to 40 percent of total production costs. Mulching can simultaneously suppress weeds, conserve soil moisture, and moderate soil temperature, potentially reducing manual weeding labour while improving tuber yield. Locally available mulching materials offer a cost-effective weed management approach for resource-limited farmers. This study establishes a randomised complete block design experiment at Taraba State University research farm using five mulch treatments: no mulch control, dry elephant grass at 8 tonnes per hectare, rice straw at 8 tonnes per hectare, black polythene film, and sawdust at 8 tonnes per hectare. Weed density, weed dry weight at 8 and 16 weeks, tuber yield at harvest, and sprouting percentage are measured using TDr 89/02537 white yam variety. Findings reveal that black polythene film achieves the highest weed suppression and the highest tuber yield of 22.8 tonnes per hectare, compared to 13.4 tonnes per hectare for the no-mulch control. Rice straw mulch achieves the second highest tuber yield while being more affordable and locally available than polythene. Sawdust mulch shows the weakest weed control, attributed to faster decomposition under high rainfall. The study concludes that rice straw mulch offers the best balance of weed control effectiveness and cost for Taraba State yam farmers.

Keywords: mulching, weed control, yam tuber yield, Taraba State, mulch materials.