Predicting maize yield from plant characters in the savanna belt of Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Yield of the FARZ 34 variety of maize was reliably predicted from some plant growth parameters in a part of the savanna belt of Nigeria. Using multiple regression analysis, it was discovered that cover alone, represented by the number of leaves and leaf area, accounts for 94% of the total variation in the maize yield. In addition, the study compared the mean values of the plant parameters measured at different stages of the crop's life cycle. The study was carried out using 50 secondary school farms, uniform in terms of climate, lithology, management-input and land-use practices.