Nutrient management in maize (Zea mays) under shifting cultivation for higher productivity and sustainability in North-East India

Abstract

A participatory field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2015 and 2016 at farmer’s land of Meghalaya, to identify suitable maize (Zea mays L.) varieties and nutrient-management practices for higher maize productivity under shifting cultivation (jhum). The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with treatment combination of 3 maize cultivars, viz. ‘JKMH 502’ (Hybrid), ‘RCM 61A’ (Composite) and ‘Saru Bhoi’ (Local), and 5 nutrient-management practices, viz. N1, farmers’ practice (no manure or fertilizer application); N2 , 50% of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2 O5 and K2 O/ha) + FYM 2 t/ha + 500 kg lime/ha in furrow; N3 , fertilizer + FYM (50% N from each source to supply 40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2 O5 and K2 O/ha) + 500 kg lime/ha in furrow; N4 , maize + groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropping (4 : 2 ratio) with N3 ; and N5, foliar spray of diammonium phosphate (DAP) @ 2% at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS) with N1 . Among the cultivars, the composite cultivar ‘RCM 61A’ produced higher number of rows/cob (13), seeds/cob (271.2), seed weight/cob (67.2 g) and test weight (247.4 g) than hybrid and local cultivars. However, among the nutrient-management practices, N2 treatment resulted in significantly higher grain yield, straw yield and harvest index than N1. The soil fertility in terms of SOC, available N, P2 O5 and K2 O were significantly higher under treatment N4 . Thus, cultivation of maize composite (‘RCM 61A’) and adoption of maize + groundnut intercropping (4 : 2 ratio) along with application of fertilizer + FYM (50% N from each for total supply of 40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2 O5 and K2 O/ha + 500 kg lime) is a profitable practices for improving maize productivity in jhum lands and sustaining soil health.