ABSTRACT:

This study analysed of the adoption of SAMMAZ 52 maize variety among farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. Objectives of the study were to: assess the rate of adoption SAMMAZ 52 variety among farmers in the study area; examine SAMMAZ 52 production practices adopted by farmers in the study area; and assess the reasons for adoption of SAMMAZ 52 in the study area. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to 360 respondents for the study. The average age of the farmers was 35.8 years. Most (92.0%) of them were male, while 92.6% were married. Majority (62.0%) of the farmers had primary education with an average farming experience of 6 years. Average farm size was 3.1 hectares. Most (69.0%) of the farmers had access to credit while 67.5% of farmers had extension contact. The study showed that 84.3% of the farmers adopted SAMMAZ 52 variety while majority (91.1%) of them used between 1-3 hectares to cultivate the crop. About 29.3% of the respondents tested their soil before cultivation, while 26.5% of them practiced zero tillage on their farms. Also, 33.5% of the farmers dressed their seed before planting, while 37.1% of them planted 1 seed per hole with a spacing of 75cm x 25cm. More than half (56.8%) of the respondents planted in early April, while 87.5% and 88.0% practiced chemical and manual weed control methods, respectively. About 55.8% applied NPK 2:1:1 on their farms while the majority (86.0%) of them used chemicals to control pests. The most dominant reason (28.5%) for adopting the variety among the farmers was its health benefits. It was recommended that agricultural extension workers should be equipped with adequate resources and training to provide continuous technical support to farmers on best practices for growing SAMMAZ 52 variety