INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT WEEDING REGIME ON THE GROWTH OF SOYBEAN (Glycine max L.) IN DAMATURU, SUDAN SAVANNAH, YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

Weed infestation remains one of the major challenges of soybean (Glycine max L.) production in Nigeria, especially in the Sudan Savanna agro-ecological zone. This study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Department of Agricultural Technology, Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State, in the year 2024 wet season in order to determine the growth of soybean to different weeding regimes. The experiment was Laid out on Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and Three treatments: T1 (no weeding), T2 (weeding at 2 and 4 WAT), and T3 (weeding at 2, 4, and 6 WAT). The growth parameter measured include; plant height, number of leaves per plant, and number of branches per plant. Results showed Treatment 3 surpassed others in all the growth parameters at all stages, producing the tallest plant (15.13 cm), highest number of leaves per plant (28.0), and number of branches per plant (8.46) at 6 WAT. Treatment 2 was moderately recovered, whereas T1 (free of weeds) performed well during early stages of growth but declined later. The findings revealed the significance of weeding at appropriate times and in regular intervals in order to support soybean vegetative growth and suggest farmers to adopt a three-stage weeding regime as optimal to reduce competition for growth resources from weeds and increase crop yield. This research provides practical recommendations for pheasant farmers and extension personnel to enhance soybean vegetative growth in weed-challenged environments.