Growth and production of purple waxy corn (Zea mays ceratina Kulesh) on the application of NPK fertilizers and humic acid

Abstract

The research aims to study the effect of various doses of NPK fertilizer and humic acid on the growth and production of purple waxy corn. The study was conducted in Bilonga Village, Bontonompo District, Gowa Regency, from September to December 2018. The method used was a two-factor factorial experiment and a randomized block design as the environmental design. The first factor was NPK fertilization consisting of four levels, namely Control, 250, 300, and 350 kg ha−1. Meanwhile, the second factor was humic acid which consists of three levels, namely 0, 15, and 20 kg ha−1 resulted in total of 12 treatment combinations that are repeated three times. The results show that NPK fertilization of 350 kg ha−1 resulted in the highest production of the purple waxy corn of 2.95 ton ha−1. The application of humic acid had no significant effect on the growth and production of the purple waxy corn, but the humic acid affected the increase in soil pH and cation exchanges capacity.