%0 Journal Article %T ORGANIC AND MINERAL FERTILIZERS EFFECTS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SWEET MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L. SACCHARATA STRUT.) IN SOUTH EASTERN RAINFOREST ZONE OF NIGERIA %A UWAH DF %A ENEJI AE %A ESHIET UJ %J International Journal of Agriculture Sciences %D 2011 %I Bioinfo Publications %X Growth and yield response of sweet maize (Zea mays L. saccharata Strut.) to rates of poultry manure(PM) and NPK 20-10-10 fertilizer was studied under field condition in 2010 late growing season in Calabar, ahumid forest agro ecology of south eastern Nigeria. Treatments comprised of three rates of PM (0, 5 and 10t/ha),factorially combined with four rates of NPK (0, 200, 400 and 600 kg/ha) and arranged into a randomized completeblock design with three replications. Application of PM at the highest rate significantly increased plant height,number of leaves/plant, number of cobs/plant, unhusked and dehusked green cob yields and also hastened daysto 50% tasselling. The highest rates of PM and NPK maximized leaf area index (LAI), number of grains/cob andharvest index (HI) whereas total dry matter (TDM), weight of grains/cob, cob yield/ha and total grain yield peakedat 10t/ha PM and 400kg/ha NPK fertilizer. The 10t/ha PM rate and 400kg/ha NPK increased TDM by 43 and 91%and total grain yield by 101 and 34% respectively, compared with the control. Poultry manure at 10t/ha incombination with 400kg/ha NPK fertilizer out-yielded other treatments in terms of biomass yield, cob yield/ha,harvest index and total grain yield. %K Sweet maize %K NPK 20-10-10 fertilizer %K poultry manure %K biomass yield %K green cob yield %K grain yield %U http://www.bioinfo.in/uploadfiles/13266401993_1_4_IJAS.pdf