Performance of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) as Influenced by Row Spacing and Fertilizer Application in a Nigerian Rain Forest

Tiger-nut (Cyperus esculentus L) serves as a source of income and nutrition for billions of people globally. Despite the economic importance of this crop, cultivation is not common in Edo rain forest of Nigeria and efforts to cultivate it require fertile soils and appropriate plant spacing. Field and laboratory trials were conducted to investigate the effect of row spacing and fertilizer application on the growth, yield and quality of Tiger-nut (Cyperus esculentus L) in the University of Benin, Nigeria. The experimental design was a 3 x 4 factorial arrangement fitted into a randomised complete block design (RCBD), replicated three times. The treatments consisted of three plant spacing (S1= 15 cm x 20 cm, S2= 15 cm x 25 cm and S3= 15 cm x 30 cm) and four fertilizer application rates: F0: Control, F1: 400 kg ha -1 NPK 15:15:15, F2: 20 t ha -1 poultry manure F3: 10 t ha -1 poultry manure + 200 kg ha -1 NPK 15:15:15. The effect of plant spacing was not significant on the vegetative characters of tiger nuts but significant on the nut yield. N concentration and uptake increased at S2 F3 (15 cm x 25 cm spacing at 10 t ha -1 poultry manure + 200 kg ha -1 NPK 15:15:15) and the protein at S2 F2 (15 cm x 25 cm spacing at 20 t ha -1 poultry manure) and carbohydrate content was highest at S3F3 (15 cm x 30 cm spacing with 10 t ha -1 poultry manure + 200 kg ha -1 NPK 15:15:15). The application of 20 t ha -1 poultry manure increased most of the yield components and produced significantly (p < 0.05) more number of nuts (31.61), fresh weight of nuts (22.87g) per plant and the nut tuber yield by 12.38% above the unfertilized plots at S1 (15 cm x 20 cm). Fertilizer application rate of 20 t ha -1 poultry manure at a spacing of either, 15 cm x 20 cm or 15 cm x 25 cm should be adopted for higher nut yield and quality of C. esculentus.