Maize (Zea mays) is a member of the grass family Graminae. It originated from South and Central America. It was introduced to West Africa by the Portuguese in the 10th century. It arrived Nigeria in the 16th century (FAO, 2012). It is one of the most important grains in Nigeria, not only on the basis of the number of farmers that are engaged in its cultivation, but also in its economic value (Adeniyan, 2014; Olaniyi and Adewale, 2012). Maize has been in the diet of Nigerians for centuries. It started as a subsistence crop and has gradually become an important commercial crop on which many agro-based industries depend on for raw material (Ike and Amusa, 2004). In Nigeria, maize is prepared and used for different types of foods and it also has some medicinal values.  

Khawar et al. (2007) described maize as one of the most valuable cereal grains because of its high net energy content. Due to the important uses of maize, the effort towards increasing its production has grown and the study of the agronomic practices that will enable farmers adapt to the effective early and late production is important for increased productivity in West Africa (Drechsel et al., 2004). Studies have shown that maize farm of 1.2 ha can overcome hunger in the household and the aggregate effect can double food production in Africa (Ogunsumi et al., 2005). According to Ogunsumi et al. (2005), about 561397.24 ha of Nigerian lands are planted with maize yearly. This constitutes about 61% of total cultivable land in Nigeria. Maize cultivation in Nigeria, unlike temperate regions, is mainly done in intercropping system. Intercropping has long been recognized as a common practice among subsistence farmers in the traditional semi-intensive system of agriculture due to the flexibility of labor used (Ighalo and Alabi, 2005). One of the cultural practices in a sustainable maize cultivation is irrigation (Anyadike and Obeta, 2013). Irrigation in Nigeria has become an issue of vital importance considering present population growth rate. Virk et al. (2004) noted that Asia’s food security depended largely on irrigated rice fields. In the United Kingdom and America, there have been well articulated institutional frameworks for irrigation and water supply since the past 150 years or thereabout (Anyadike and Obeta, 2013). Enujeke (2013) stated that the decline in maize production over the years were based on the following:

1. Rapid reduction in soil fertility

2. Failure to identify and plant high yielding maize varieties

3. Use of inappropriate plant spacing which determine the plant population and the final yield. 

Hence, Mureithi et al. (2005) asserted that raising the yield per unit area of individual crops was the way forward. Yield potentials have usually been represented in parts under the most favorable combination of soils, climate and crop management in certain places without considering spacing which is a major factor in increased yield potential of maize. With the statistics and records available on maize production in Nigeria, there is no doubt it is one of the three most useful crops in the nation. Exploiting all avenues to increase its production under any condition to meet the demands of the teeming population would not be out of order, thus the need for a good choice of spacing. Reports of inconsistent yield effects of plant spacing uniformity could be the consequence of plant density difference and the method through which plant spacing variability was measured (Fowler 2012; Thompson, 2013). Yield increases are dependent on many factors ranging from water availability and distribution, nutrient supply as well as spacing which is a major determinant of yield  addition  or subtraction (TLC, 2009). Increasing population density remains the most effective way to increase whole-plant yield in short-season corn with 13% advantage. Narrow row spacing was found not to have a negative effect on whole-plant yield and nutritive value (Baron et al., 2006; Boloyi, 2014). Wider spacing encourages growth of weed and thus more labor and increase in cost of production. Sharifi et al. (2009) concluded that plant population density influenced maize dry matter yield. Moderate densities were seen as good, and significant reduction occurred only at very high densities. Grains (maize) seem to respond to population densities and spacing. Boloyi (2014), therefore showed 75 x 25 cm as the best spacing for mechanized farming. Tri (2009) observed that the best spacing was 20 to 25 cm along rows and 70 to 80 cm between rows, but the popular spacing was 75 x 25 cm at one plant per stand and 75 x 50 cm at two plants per stand. Anyanwu (2013) was of the opinion that maize should be sown at 90 x 45 cm spacing on ridges and 90 x 30 cm when staggered, and that maize spacing should actually be determined by the soil fertility of an area. Rui et al. (2011) recommended a spacing distance of 30 cm along the row and 90 cm between rows, while Leebass (2012) recommended 90 x 60 cm along and between rows at two seeds per hole. Futlless et al. (2010) compared four spacing (75 x 25, 75 x 20, 75 x 15 and 75 x 10 cm) in Mubi, Nigeria and found out that maize planted at 75 x 25 cm gave the highest grain yield of 1900 kg/ha. They therefore recommended that farmers in Mubi should adopt the spacing of 75 x 25 cm for maximum productivity. Zamir et al. (2011) recommended 60 x 20 cm for farmers in Faisalabad in Pakistan as it gave the highest average yield of 7.6 kg/ha. They observed further that the yield was determined by the agro-climatic condition of the area after comparing the spacing of 60 x 20 cm, 60 x 25 and 60 x 30 cm. Boloyi (2014) recommended a spacing of 90 x 25 cm for farmers in Ibadan, Nigeria since it gave the highest average yield of 232.3 kg/ha in comparison with the other spacing of 75 x 50 and 75 x 25 cm that produced lower yields.

However, in Etche, farmers plant maize indiscriminately without due consideration of appropriate spacing, thus, the need for this study on comparative analysis of three different spacing (80 x 20, 70 x 30 and 60 x 40 cm) on the performance and yield of late maize cultivation in Etche. 

Spacing significantly affected the performance of late maize production in Etche in terms of yield components. The 80 x 20 cm seemed to present a much viable agricultural and economic future for local farmers in Etche. However, further comparative analysis study on spacing of late maize cultivation in Etche is hereby suggested

The authors have not declared any conflict of interests.

The authors acknowledge the contributions of the Head of Department of Vocational Teachers Education and all the technical staff of the department for their useful contributions towards the success of this work.