A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different levels of soil tillage on soil physical properties of Benue River flood plains in Makurdi zone. The field was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments and three replications. The treatments were ploughing and harrowing once (PH), ploughing and harrowing twice (PHH), Ploughing and Harrowing Thrice (PHHH) and No – Tillage (NT). A four – wheel drive Massey Ferguson tractor (MF 375 E), 3 – discs Massey Ferguson plough and 14 – discs offset Massey Ferguson harrow were used for the tillage operations. The parameters studied were soil texture, maize germination and root proliferation. The experiments were conducted during the cropping season from April to November, 2012. The total rainfall within the period was 928.7 mm. Atmospheric temperatures fluctuated between 32ºC and 39ºC and the relative humidity was between 70 % and 86 %. Results showed that the soil of the experimental plot is generally dark and is predominantly sandy. The best germination rates were recorded on sub – plots treated with ploughing and harrowing twice with sprouts of 25.6 % and 29.7 % sprouts/day. A no – tillage sub – plot with the highest percentage of clay yielded 27.6 % sprouts. The sub – plots treated with ploughing and harrowing thrice yielded the longest roots with 30 cm, 28 cm and 29 cm respectively. The shortest root of 1.5 cm was witnessed in the sub – plot treated with no – tillage.
