Abstract
Grain yield production of maize is greatly affected by varieties and fertilizer levels. This study was conducted to determine the effects of different rates of fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers and farmyard manures) on grain yield and yield attributing traits of different maize varieties during winter seasons of 2009/10 and 2010/011 at the research farm of National Maize Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Six levels of fertilizers [Control (Zero fertilizer), FYM @ 10 t/ha, FYM@ 10 t/ha plus 60:30 20 kg NPK/ha, FYM@ 10 t/ha plus 120: 60: 40 kg NPK/ha, FYM@ 10 t/ha plus 180: 90: 60 kg NPK/ha, and 120: 60: 40 kg NPK/ha] and four maize varieties (Rampur Composite, Manakamana-4, Across9942 × Across 9944 and S99TLYQ-B) were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that grain yield was non-significant for maize genotypes but the fertilizers levels were highly significant for grain yield. Rampur Composite produced the highest grain yield (5195 kg/ha), followed by Manakamana-4 (5074 kg/ha), Across9942 × Across9944 (5052 kg/ha) and S99TLYQ-B (4789 kg/ha) with the application of NPK 180: 90: 60 kg/ha plus FYM 10 t/ha. This information is useful in generating suitable fertilization packages for obtaining higher grain yield of maize varieties.
Highlights
Maize (Zea mays L.) has the highest productivity per unit area as compared to other cereal crops
Entire dose of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and murate of potash (MoP) were applied at the time of sowing while half of the urea was first top-dressed at the knee-high stage and second top-dressed at tasseling stage
The interaction between different fertilizer levels and varieties on grain yield showed that the highest grain yield (5195 kg/ha) was obtained in Rampur Composite followed by Manakamana-4 (5074 kg/ha) and Across9942 × Across9944 (5052 kg/ha) under treatment of application of NPK 180: 90: 60 kg/ha plus FYM 10 t/ha
Summary
Maize (Zea mays L.) has the highest productivity per unit area as compared to other cereal crops. Maize being the heavy feeder crop, a balanced dose of organic and inorganic application of fertilizer is needed for increased productivity. It has a beneficial effect on root growth and plant health This nutrient should be applied initially at the early stage because of its low solubility in water. Adhikary et al (2001) reported that the highest maize grain yield (4.65 t/ha) could be obtained when the crop is fertilized by 20 t of compost plus 100: 75: 40 kg/ha of N, P2O5, and K2O in the acidic soils of Malepatan, Pokhara. Balanced dose of fertilizers is needed to increase the crop yield of maize in acid soils. The number of fertilizers to be applied in maize depends largely on the genotypic makeup of plants
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