Enhancing Maize Productivity Through the Use of Split Application of Nitrogen and Irrigation at Critical Stages in Sandy Soils of Rampur, Chitwan. [printed text] / Adhikary, Bishnu H., Author ; Krishna B. Karki, Author . - 2008.
In: IAAS Plant Breeding Journal, 2008, vol 3:37-42.
Languages : English (eng)

Keywords:

Basal  and  split  application,  critical  stages,  irrigation,  topdressing,  nitrogen  use  efficiency  zea  mays.

Abstract:

Split application of Fertilizer-N and subsequent irrigation on maize field at critical stages could help increase urea-N use efficiency in sandy soils of Chitwan and thus crop productivity increased. To evaluate the effects of split application of urea-N and irrigation at critical stages of crop growth, an experiment was conducted in the acidic sandy soils of NMRP farmland during the year 2005. Ten t/ha of compost and 60 :40 kg P2O5 and K2O, respectively, were applied basally in all the experimental plots. Some plots received only 50 ky Fertilizer-N and in some 100 kg/ha, which were applied either basally or splitted 2 or 3 times and crop was irrigated 1 or 2 times at the critical stages of crop growth and some crops were not irrigated. Crop was planted at the plot size of 12 sq.m in February and harvested in June. Variety used in the experiment was Arun-4. Crop growth and yield parameters were taken into study and analysed statistically. The crop growth parameters such as plant height, stem girth, straw yield,leaf numbers and number of nodes per plant were observed to be significantly affected by the treatments. Similarly, their effects on test weight (100 grains wt.) and grain yield were also found significantly affected. The highest test wt (341.33 g) was recorded when the crop was supplied with 100 kg N which was applied half as basal and half as topdressing at knee-high stage, followed by 2 irrigations, one at topdressing time and anotherin tasseling stage.Maximum grain yield(4.04 t/ha) was recorded at this level of N application and frequencies of irrigation which produced approximately 134 % higher grain yields as compared to that of non-treated crop followed by 3 split application of fertilizer-N (half basal, ¼ at knee high stage and ¼ at tasseling stage) provided with 2 irrigation, one at 1st topdressing and 2nd in 2nd topdressing time (3.86t/ha0. It is concluded that 3 split application of fertilizer-N with 2 subsequent irrigation at critical stages could help increase the urea-N efficiency and increase the crop productivity of winter maize in sandy soil condition of Chitwan.