Effect of Plant Residues-Treated Urea on Growth and N-Uptake of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

A pot experiment was carried out to study the effect of the urea fertilizer treated with corn or conocarpus residues on growth and N uptake of wheat plant. Three kilograms of dry soil (Silt clay loam) were placed in a plastic pots and four levels of nitrogen (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha -1) were added as urea. Urea was treated with one of the following methods : mix with the conocarpus leaves powder at rate of 4% of dry soil weight, mix with the conocarpus roots powder at rate of 4% of dry soil weight dissolved in, aqueous extract of the corn root at rate of 1/4 of the field capacity ,or coated with dried aqueos extract of corn root at ratio of 10% of urea weight. Treatment included urea treated with the standard chemical inhibitor (PMA) was used. shoot dry weight, N conc., N-uptake and N recovery were obtained. The results showed that treatment of urea fertilizer with water extract or coated with corn root extract resulted in improved growth parameters as compared with a PMA and control treatments .However ,treating urea with leaves or root powders decreased plant growth parameters .Urea coated with 10 % dried extract of corn roots gave the highest dry matter of 3.06 g pot-1 and nitrogen uptake of 69.90 mg pot-1 resulting in saving of 60 kg N ha-1 to give the same results for control and PMA treatments.