Yield Response of Maize to Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

Background: A field experiment was conducted during November, 2018 to April, 2019 to evaluate the response of maize to irrigation and nitrogenous fertilizer in shallow red brown terrace soil of Madhupur Tract under AEZ-28 in Bangladesh. Methods: The irrigation was provided as factor A at four distinct rates (irrigation at 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% available water) and nitrogenous fertilizer as factor B at three dosages (75%, 100% and 125% of recommended dose) when each factor was repeated three times. Data relevant to soil and plant parameters were analyzed for variance (ANOVA) using Statistix 10. Result: The yield and yield contributing characters of maize responded significantly to varying degrees of irrigation and N fertilizer, with the treatment I4N2 having the highest cob per plant (1.17), cob yield (16.89 t ha-1), grain yield (9.19 t ha-1), dry matter yield (10.15 t ha-1) and the treatment I3N3 provided statistically identical results as I4N2. The treatment I4N2 also resulted in maximum content of grain N (0.87%), P (0.20%) and K (0.26%). The treatment, irrigation at 80% available water with application of 100% N on recommended dose (I4N2) appeared as the most suitable package for maize cultivation in the stated region.