Efficacy of Organic Matter Briquette Combined with Nitrogen Fertilizer towards Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth on Coastal Sandy Soil

Abstract

Application of organic briquettes has promising potency to optimize the efficacy of nitrogen fertilization for maize cultivation (Zea mays L.) under sub-optimal condition. This present study was aimed to select the type of organic briquette to be combined with N fertilizer as well as determine the ratio of the mixture to promote higher growth performance of maize on coastal sandy soil. This study was designated using completely randomized design (CRD) with 2 factors, namely doses of organic briquettes and doses of N fertilizer. As the control for the treatment, the non-briquette forms were also applied. Five replicates were prepared for each treatment. The results showed that organic briquettes application improved the efficacy of N fertilization. Specifically, briquette made from chicken manure significantly enhanced the maize growth on coastal sandy soil with the dose of 10 tons per hectare. This result was marked by the highest yield, namely corn cobs per plant (159.82 g).