Abstract

Despite the availability of numerous genetically improved maize cultivars, farmers in the Amahlathi Local Municipality (ALM) frequently grow locally available and inexpensive cultivars due to financial constraints and lack of agronomic skills and knowledge, resulting in low maize productivity. Consequently, an on-farm experiment was conducted in Donqaba village to evaluate the performance of three selected dryland maize cultivars under different agronomic practices in terms of yield. The experiment involved three dryland maize cultivars (PAN 5R590BR, PAN6R710BR, OKAVANGO) and two agronomic practices: farmer cropping practices (FP) (standard farmer practices) and recommended agronomic practices (RP) (application of fertilizers and lime based on soil analysis results and recommendations). The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that farming systems play a crucial role in improving maize yield. The recommended RP showed a positive improvement in maize yield. The PAN6R710BR maize hybrid performed better in numerous yield attributes compared to OKAVANGO. The interaction between PAN6R710BR and RP significantly improved maize yield. This indicates that concerted efforts by various actors in the agricultural industry can enhance the quality of advice provided by extension practitioners to farmers, thereby improving rural livelihoods and food security in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape. The study recommends adopting a synergetic approach to encourage the regular transfer of technical skills and dissemination of information to the farming community through organized workshops and field trainings. Extension practitioners should encourage resource-limited farmers to apply agro-production inputs based on recommended quantities from soil analysis to achieve optimum maize yield.

Key words: Cultivar, maize, yield, recommended, agronomic, practices, farmer, extension.