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USING RESULT DEMONSTRATION TO INTRODUCE TO FARMERS THE EFFECT OF COMPOST PREPARED FROM CHROMOLAENA ODORAT ON THE GROWTH AND YIELD OF MAIZE

 

By GIFTY YVONNE JONAH , Ministry of Food and Agriculture, P. O. Box 53, Ejisu, Ashanti region,Ghana.

 

 

Introduction

 

Chromolaena Odorata, popularly known as “ Acheampong” in Ghana is so wide spread in Echem community and is usually regarded as weed on many farm lands. Their control is very expensive and this increases production cost of farmers. Farmers in Echem in the Ejisu Juaben District of the Ashanti region of Ghana always have to contend with the problem of soil organic matter and nutrient depletion which is major contributing factor to low soil fertility and productivity. An alternate way of making good use of Chromolaena odorata was to prepare compost for the improvement of organic matter and nutrient content of soils for higher crop yields. It is within this context that this result demonstration was carried out.

 

 

Objectives

 

The objectives of this demonstration was to:

• Introduce compost to farmers in the Echem community
• Assist farmers to determine the uses and benefits of Chromolaena for composting.
• Increase income of farmers by reducing expenditure on use of chemical fertilizer

 

 

Approach

 

To stimulate awareness and keen interest of farmers in composting and compost application, a training session was organized for 22 farmers in the Echem community. The participants were made up of 13 females and 9 males. The crops grown by the farmers are predominantly maize, cowpea, pepper, garden eggs, okro, tomatoes and plantain, and cassava.

 

 

The training highlighted on the following:

• The importance of composting
• Compost making
• Compost application
• Result demonstration

 

A result demonstration on the benefits of composting using Chromolaena was carried out with four selected farmer groups. Each farmer group had an average of 11 members.  A total of 4 plots were established on the fields of all the four farmer groups. Each farmer group plot had a size of 1 acre.  Half of each acre plot (0.5 acre) was planted with maize with compost application and the other 0.5 acre was planted with maize without compost application. 

The compost was established six months before the application was down. With the knowledge and skill acquired at the training session each of the four farmer groups were supervised to build the compost.

 

 

Materials used for the composting:

• Chromlaena Odorata
• Maize stalk
• Kitchen waste
• Animal manure from poultry, cattle and goats
• Cassava peelings
• Wood ash
• Water
• Top soil

 

The pile method of compost building was used.

 

 

Planting of maize

 

All the maize fields were planted with obaatanpa which is an improved variety. The maize was planted at a distance of 80cm by 40cm.

 

 

Compost application

 

The compost application was done two weeks after planting the maize. The method of compost application was spot placement.

 

 

Harvesting

 

Harvesting was done 120 days after planting. Yields on the plots with compost application were higher than the plots without compost application. The yields of the plots are presented below: