Response of Maize to Application of Sulfurea

Abstract

To find out the effect of sulfurea on maize crop, an experiment was conducted at ARI Tarnab during Kharif, 2011. The experiment consisted of six treatments with three replications in RCB design. N, P and K were applied in the form of urea, Diammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP), respectively. The recommended dose of the sulfurea at the rate of 16L per hectare was applied in the first irrigation (half of the recommended i.e. 8L) and on the fourth irrigation (another half of the recommended i.e. 8L) when crop was at silking stage. The application of sulfur in the form of sulfurea significantly increased the yield of maize crop. The highest grain yield of 6090 kg ha^-1 was obtained by the treatment where sulfurea was applied along with NPK fertilizers; whereas lowest grain yield was recorded in plots where no fertilizer was applied. Maximum dry matter yield was obtained when sulfurea was applied with NPK while minimum was obtained in control plots. The effect of sulfurea on the chemical properties of the soil was not very obvious and non-significant effect was observed. No effect on soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter and lime was observed which revealed that sulfurea has no effect on these chemical properties of soil. The post harvest soil analysis showed that nitrogen content was not significantly affected while phosphorus and sulfur content was significantly affected by the application of sulfur as sulfurea. Leaf analysis indicated the sulfur content was increased significantly also the uptake was increased significantly. These results indicated that the application of sulfur in the form of sulfurea should be encouraged to apply to the crops like maize, because it increased the yield and improved the soil nutrient content.