Abstract
Apart from the Sahara desert, maize is produced in all agroclimatic zones of sub-Saharan Africa. Rainfall and, to a lesser extent, temperature are the primary climatic factors affecting the cultivation of maize in the sub-region. Intensity, distribution, and duration of rainfall decrease from the coastal areas in the south to the northern areas. High altitudes are absent in WCA, but there is a relatively small portion of the land mass occupied by mid-altitudes. Climate change seems to be negatively impacting maize growth and production in the sub-region. This chapter focuses on the changes in the weather pattern of the agroclimatic zones and how development and deployment of early and extra-early maize varieties have been well justified.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agboola, S.A. 1979. An agricultural atlas of Nigeria, 248 pp. London: Oxford University Press.
Ajani, O.T., A. Oluwaranti, and A.I. Awoniyi. 2016. Assessment of water-use efficiency of drought tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) varieties in a rainforest location. Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International 8 (3): 1–10.
Ajibade, S.R., B.A. Ogunbodede, and B.A. Oyejola, 2003. AMMI analysis of genotype x environment interaction of open pollinated maize varieties evaluated in the major agro-ecologies of Nigeria. In Maize revolution in West and Central Africa, ed. B. Badu-Apraku, M.A.B. Fakorede, M. Ouedraogo, R.J. Carsky, and A. Menkir, 130–141. Proceedings of a Regional Maize Workshop, IITA, Cotonou, 14–18 May 2001. WECAMAN/IITA.
Akinwale, R.O., M.A.B. Fakorede, A. Oluwaranti, B. Badu-Apraku, and I.I. Adejumobi. 2016. Selection criteria for drought tolerance at the vegetative phase in early maturing maize. African Journal of Biotechnology 15 (20): 816–822.
Alofe, C.O., and K.A. Okeleye. 1991. Effect of single or split nitrogen application on nitrate reductase activity of maize (Zea mays L.). Nigerian Journal of Science 27: 47–53.
Bache, B.W., and N.E. Rogers. 1970. Soil phosphate values in relation to phosphate supply to plants from some Nigerian soils. Journal of Agriculture Science (Cambridge) 74: 282–290.
Baker, E.F.I. 1980. Mixed cropping in northern Nigeria – 4. Extended trials with cereals and groundnuts. Experimental Agriculture 11: 195–204.
Edmeades G.O., M.Banziger, S.C.Chapman,J.M.Ribault, and J. Bolanos. 1995. Recent advances inbreeding for drought tolerance in maize, 63–72. Proceedings of the West and Central Africa Regional Maize and Cassava Workshop, Cotonou, 28 May–2 June 1995.
Fakorede, M.A.B. and O.A. Akinyemiju. 2003. Climatic change: Effects on maize production in a tropical rainforest location. In Maize revolution in West and Central Africa, ed. Badu-Apraku, M.A.B Fakorede, M. Ouedraogo, R.J. Carsky and A. Menkir, 272–282. Proceedings of Regional Maize Workshop, 14–18 May 2001, IITA, Cotonou. WECAMAN/IITA.
Fakorede M.A.B, J.E. Iken, S.K. Kim and J.H. Mareck. 1989. Empirical results from a study on maize yield potential indifferent ecologies of Nigeria. In Proceedings of maize towards production technologies in semi-arid west and central Africa, ed. J.M. Fajemisin, N. Muleba, A.M. Emechebe and C. Daire, 79–97. OAU-SAFGRAD, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Fakorede, M.A.B., J.M. Fajemisin, S.K Kim and J.E. Iken, 1993. Maize improvement in Nigeria—Past, Present, Future. pp 15-39 in M.A.B. Fakorede, C.O. Alofe and S.K. Kim (Editors) Maize Improvement, Production, and Utilization in Nigeria(ISBN987-32077-9-2) Maize Association of Nigeria, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Nigeria. 272 + x pages.
Fakorede, M.A.B., A. Saka, and S.A. Ajayi. 2004. Drought probability during the cropping season in a rainforest location: Implication for maize production. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Nigeria Society for Environmental Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, 13–14 May 2004.
IPCC. 2001. Climate change: Impacts, adaptation & vulnerability: Contribution of Working Group II to the Third Assessment Report of the IPCC, ed. J. J. McCarthy, O.F. Canziani, N.A. Leary, D.J. Dokken and K.S. White, 1000 p. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Jagtap, S.S. 1995. Environmental characterization of the moist lowland savanna of Africa. In Moist savannas of Africa. Potentials and constraints for crop production, ed. B.T. Kang et al. Ibadan: IITA/FAO.
Jones, M.J. 1973. The organic matter content of the savanna soils of West Africa. Journal of Soil Science 24: 42–53.
———. 1974. Changes in soil properties resulting from fertilizer use and their effects on crop yields. Samaru Conference Paper No. 2. IAR, Samaru, Zaria.
Jones, M.J. and A. Wild, 1975. Soils of West African savanna. Commonwealth Bureau of Soils Technical Communication No. 55, 25 p.
Kassam, A.H., and J. Kowal. 1973. Productivity of crops in the savanna and rain forest zones in Nigeria. Savanna 2 (1): 39–49.
Kassam, A.H., J. Kowal, M. Dagg, and M.N. Harrison. 1975. Maize in West Africa and its potential in savanna areas. World Crops 27: 73–78.
Klinkenberg, K., and G.M. Higgins. 1968. An outline of northern Nigerian soils. Nigerian Journal of Science 2: 91–111.
Kowal, J.M., and A.H. Kassam. 1978. Agricultural ecology of the savanna: A study of West Africa. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Menkir, A., 2003. The role of GIS in the development and targeting of maize to farmers’ needs in West and Central Africa. In Maize revolution in West and Central Africa, ed. B. Badu-Apraku, M.A.B. Fakorede, M. Ouedraogo, R.J. Carsky, and A. Menkir, 16–30. Proceedings of a Regional Maize Workshop, IITA-Cotonou, 14–18 May 2001. WECAMAN/IITA.
Menkir, A., J.G. Kling, S.S. Jagtap, and B.A. Aliu. 2000. GIS based classification of maize testing locations in West and Central Africa. Maydica 45: 143–150.
Mokwunye, A.U. 1974. Some reflections on the problem of “available” phosphorus in soils of tropical Africa. Samaru Conference Papers. 3: 1–11.
Mugo, S.N., M.E. Smith, M. Banziger, T.L. Setter, G.O. Edmeades, and A. Elings. 1998. Performance of early maturing Katumani and Kito maize composites under drought at seedlings and flowering stages. African Crop Science Journal 6: 329–344.
Norman, D.W., E.B. Simmons, and H.M. Hays. 1982. Farming systems in the Nigerian savanna. Boulder: Westview Press.
Shaw, R.H. 1988. Climatic requirement. Pp 591-623 In Corn and corn improvement, G.F. Sprague (ed) Agronomy 18, American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
WARDA. 2002. The African rice initiative: Taking the NERICAs to sub-Saharan Africa. In: WARDA Annual Report 2001–2002, 9–14. Bouaké: West Africa Rice Development Association.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Badu-Apraku, B., Fakorede, M.A.B. (2017). Climatology of Maize in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Advances in Genetic Enhancement of Early and Extra-Early Maize for Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64852-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64852-1_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-64851-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-64852-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)