Influence of Integrated Nutrient Sources on Agronomic Traits of Maize

Abstract

Modern agricultural technologies have created a wide range of issues in agriculture. Recently, it has been realized that application of chemical fertilizers in conjunction with organic manures will sustain and maintain the productivity of soil. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient sources on the agronomic traits of maize. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. Two source of organic manures, viz., seriwaste compost at 5 t ha-1 and vermicompost 5 t ha-1 were imposed along with Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K) levels (150:75:75 kg ha-1) viz., 100% of Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF), 75% of RDF + 25% seriwaste compost, 50% of RDF+50% seriwaste compost, 25% of RDF + 75% seriwaste compost, seriwaste compost 100%, vermicompost 100%, seriwaste compost 50% +vermicompost 50% and absolute control. Seriwaste compost at 50 per cent with 50 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer increased the plant height, number of leaves, leaf area index and dry matter production, followed by seriwaste compost at 25 per cent with 75 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer. The results also indicated that the novel seriwaste compost tried in the present study can be recommended as an alternative source of nutrient to improve the crop yield.