Effect of planting date on the growth, fibre and seed yield of Kenaf (<i>Hibiscus cannabinus</i> L) in Ibadan, South Western Nigeria

Abstract

Planting of kenaf usually commences from March - April as these months mark the onset of the rainy season in Nigeria. On the contrary, it is now difficult for anyone to predict when rain start due to climatic variation. Hence, field experiments was conducted between 2015 and 2016 to determine the appropriate time of sowing kenaf that will optimize its yield potential in South Western Nigeria. As a result of delay in the commencement of rain, planting did not start until May. Hence, kenaf seeds were sown in May, June, July and August at 30 days interval in each year. The experiment was a 4 × 2 factorial laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The result indicated that the highest fibre yield (1.00 t/ha) was from the kenaf sown in June irrespective of the year, but not significantly different from the one sown in July (0.98 t/ha). On the other hand, kenaf sown in July had the highest seed yield (2.28 t/ha) with the lowest seed yield (1.04 t/ha) obtained in May followed by August (1.19 t/ha). The experiment conclusively affirm June for sowing of kenaf for fibre cultivation and July for seed production.

Keywords: Planting date, kenaf, fibre and seed yield