INFLUENCE OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAF EXTRACT ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHITE AND YELLOW MAIZE IN BALI, TARABA STATE

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L) is one of the major cereal crops grown in the humid tropics and Sub-Saharan Africa It is a versatile crop and ranks third following wheat and rice in world production as reported by Food and Agriculture Organization. Moringa is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Moringaceae made up of 13 species but the commonest one is Moringa oleifera. Moringa contains zeatin, a plant hormone derived from the purine adenine. It is a member of the plant growth hormone family known as cytokinins. These plant hormones help cell division, differentiation, and growth, protect against oxidation and help in nutrient assimilation The experiment was carried out in the data obtained were subjected to a soft wire called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for the analysis of variance (ANOVA). After the analysis, the following results were obtained. The result showed that moringa extract had a statistically significant effect on the growth of maize (P < 0.05). The result showed that growth of maize cultivars did not vary in their response to moringa extract (P > 0.05).  The result showed that different concentration of moringa extract had a statistically significant effect on the growth of maize (P < 0.05). The result showed that moringa extract had a statistically significant effect on the growth of maize (P < 0.05).