Carbon balance in Maize (Zea mays L.) with various combinations of organic and inorganic fertilizers

Abstract

Fertilization in agricultural cultivation has an important role in the carbon cycle. This study aims to evaluate using organic fertilizers with inorganic fertilizers that can produce high carbon sequestration with low CO2 emission levels in maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation. There were seven combinations of NPK and organic fertilizers, namely ¼ NPK + 1 OF (C), ½ NPK + 1 OF (D), ¾ NPK + 1 OF (E), 1 NPK + 1 OF (F), ¾ NPK + ¼ OF (G), ¾ NPK + ½ OF (H), ¾ NPK + ¾ OF (I), and two controls, namely no fertilizer (A) and standard NPK (350 kg/ha, SP36 150 kg/ha, KCl 75 kg/ha) (B). Organic fertilizer was applied one week before planting, SP-36 and KCl fertilizer at planting, and urea fertilizer at 0, 14, and 28 HST. Maize was planted with a spacing of 20 x 70 cm. Parameters observed included CO2 emissions, soil pH, C-Organic, C-microbial, and plant growth parameters. The combined use of NPK and organic fertilizer significantly increased soil carbon stocks (33.25-64.04 Mg/ha) and carbon sequestration by plants (3.76-5.98 Mg/ha). Therefore, using organic and inorganic fertilizer can be considered more environmentally friendly and effective in managing carbon balance on farmland and has great potential to contribute to climate change mitigation through increased soil and plant carbon sequestration.