Adetayo, Adewale.O, Balogun, Ahmed, A, Balogun, Ifeoluwa, A. and Akinseye, Folorunso, M
Climate change impacts such as delayed onset, early cessation and shortened length of growing season threatens food security in Nigeria. This study investigates the adaptation strategies to climate change impacts on maize production in forest-savannah agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Determination of the optimum plating date(s) for maize production was used as an appropriate adaptation strategy to climate change impacts. This research was conducted during the growing season of 2021 at the Laboratory for Geoecology and sustainable food systems (GeoLab), Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria (715’N, 515’E) and project farm of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (I.A.R&T.) Ibadan, Nigeria (722‘N; 3.30‘E). Both stations are within the forest-Savannah eco-climatic zone of Nigeria. Three planting dates were selected at two weeks interval. The planting dates selected for are 28th June (d1), 12th of July (d2) and 26th of July (d3) in both locations. The three varieties of maize used are Oba Super 4 (V1), ART98/SW1 (V2) and Ife Maize hyb-07 (V3). The planting spacing used was 25cm x 75cm. The experiment was laid out as split plot design with varieties of maize as main plot and planting dates as subplot treatments. Variables measured are plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, cob length, cob diameter, 100 seed weight and yield per hectare. Generally, the plant growth and yield parameters decreased with delayed planting irrespective of variety of maize planted and location of planting. Although cob weight and 100-grain weight were not affected by planting dates, maize planted at the onset recorded the highest yield and the minimum yield was found with maize planted late. For optimum grain yield of maize, planting is better done at the onset of rains and should not be delayed beyond mid-July for late planting in forest-savannah agro-ecology of Nigeria. Through this adaptation strategy, sustainable maize crop production may be enhanced and fight against food insecurity in the face of climate change and variability in forest savannah eco-climatic region of Nigeria will be achieved.