Effectiveness of Inorganic Fertilizer and Biofertilizer Application on Maize Yield and Fertilizer Use Efficiency on Inceptisol from West Java

Jati Purwani,Nurjaya Nurjaya

doi:10.5400/jts.2020.v25i1.11-20

Abstract

The study about the effectiveness of inorganic fertilizer and bio-fertilizer application on maize yield and fertilizer use efficiency has been carried out in the greenhouse using Inceptisol from Dukuh Village, Cibungbulang District, Bogor Regency. Inorganic fertilizers used were Urea, SP36 and KCl, the biofertilizer used consisted of Azospirillum sp., Azotobacter sp., Bacillus sp., and Lactobacillus sp.. The study was arranged in a Randomized Block Design consisting of seven treatments and six replications. The treatments consisted of various dosages of inorganic fertilizers combined with bio-fertilizer, namely 1) Control (without fertilizer), 2) 100% recommended NPK level, 3) Biofertilizer, 4) 25% recommended NPK level+Biofertilizer, 5) 50% recommended NPK level+Biofertilizer, 6) 75% recommended NPK level + Biofertilizer, 7) 100% recommended NPK level + Biofertilizer. The results showed that the application of inorganic NPK ferttilizers and biofertilizer on maize cultivation on Inceptisol from Dukuh Village, Cibungbulang District, Bogor Regency resulted in an increase of maize yield compared to the recommended level of inorganic fertilizers (100% NPK). The treatment of NPK (50% recommended level)+Biofertilizer resulted in the highest biomass dry weight, yield of corn and value of RAE (Relative Agronomic Effectiveness). The shoot dry weight was 138.09 g pot-1, corn yield was 190.87 g pot-1, and RAE value was 113.44%. The optimum doses of NPK fertilizers were 200 kg Urea ha-1, 60 kg SP-36 ha-1 and 45 kg KCl ha-1 combined with 4 L ha-1 biofertilizer.

Highlights

Maize (Zea mays) is the second food commodity after rice for most of Indonesian people
To meet the needs on corn, it can be fulfilled through the development of maize plantation areas in upland agroecosystems that are generally dominated by Ultisols and Inceptisols
Biofertilizer contains several microbes that can improve plant nutritional status (Malusá & Vassilev 2014) and play an important role in the vegetative growth of plants (Wong et al 2015), while Bhardwaj et al (2014) indicate that biological fertilizers play an important role in plant tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress, reducing Al and Fe toxicity, and stimulating plant growth (Rahman et al 2018).)

Summary

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays) is the second food commodity after rice for most of Indonesian people. The main problems of maize plant growth on Ultisols and Inceptisols are low soil pH and CEC, high saturation of Al, high Al, Fe and Mn contents, low nutrient contents (N, P and K), very sensitive to erosion (Nursyamsi 2004; Kasno et al 2006), and low organic matter content (Simanungkalit 2001; Matsumoto et al 2003). Utilization of biological fertilizers can improve soil fertility, plant productivity, biological activities in the rhizosphere, and reduce excessive inorganic fertilizer use (Wu et al 2005). Organic substances in soil are mined by microbes through enzymatic processes and turned them into nutrients (N, P, and K) that are useful for plants (Rahmansyah et al 2009; Bais et al 2006)

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Conclusion