Yield and Yield Components of Maize Response Tocompost and Fertilizer-Nitrogen

Abstract

An experiment on yield and yield components of maize response to compost and fertilizer nitrogen rate as well as timing of application was conducted at New Developmental Farm Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agricultural University Peshawar during Kharif 2011. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design with split plot arrangement. Compost (0) and 5 kg ha^-1) and nitrogen (65 and 130 tons ha^-1)were allotted to main plots while Methods (M) of nitrogen application(full at sowing, full at knee stage, and half at sowing and half at knee stages) to sub-plots. Plants at harvest, number of ears per plant, number of grains per row, no. of rows per earwere studied. Higher number of plants at harvest (62102), ear per plant(1.50), grains per row(31), grains per ear (436), rows per ear(13) were produced by compost when applied at the rate of 5 ton ha^-1 compared to control plots. Higher no. of plant at harvest(62913), grains per row (31),grains per ear(425 ),rows per ear(13) were produced by 130 kg N ha^-1 compared to 65 kg N ha^-1. Higher number of plants at harvest  (61599) ,grains per row (31), grains per ear (432), rows per ear (13), were produced when nitrogen was applied as 1/2 at sowing and half 1/2 at knee stage compared to  N application as full dose either at sowing or knee stage. So it is concluded from the experiment that compost at the rate of 5 tons per ha^-1 along with 130 kg N ha^-1 applied as nitrogen at the rate 130 kg per ha^-1 and methods of nitrogen application 1/2 at sowing and 1/2 at knee stage improved yield and yield component of maize and is therefore recommended for general cultivation in agro-climatic condition of Peshawar.

Keywords: Maize, Compost, Nitrogen, Method of Nitrogen Application