Influence of Integrated Levels of Potassium and Zinc on the Green Fodder Yield of Miaze (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

A field study to evaluate the Influence of integrated levels of Potassium and Zinc on the green fodder yield of Miaze (Zea mays L.) was carried out at Agronomy Section, Agriculture Research Institute, Tandojam during Kharif, 2013. The experiment was laid out in a three replicated randomized complete block design (RCBD), having net plot size 5 x 4m (20 m2). The treatments consisted of No Potassium + No Zinc (Control), Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1, Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1, Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1 and Potassium @ 60.0 kg  ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1. The analysis of variance showed that various levels of potassium and zinc either sole or integrated influenced positively and significantly (P<0.05) growth and fodder yield traits of maize as compared to No Potassium + No Zinc (Control). The integrated application of Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1 produced maximum plant population (9.00 m-2), plant height (180.67 cm), nodes plant-1 (5.91),  green leaves plant-1 (15.89), leaf length (48.55 cm), stem girth (4.10 cm), biomass weight plant-1 (520.79 g) and green fodder yield (41.53 t ha-1), closely followed  by integration of Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1 with 8.67 m-2 plant population, 179.52 cm plant height, 5.80 nodes plant-1, 15.68 green leaves plant-1, 47.96 cm leaf length, 4.04 cm stem girth, 517.90 g biomass weight plant-1 and 38.90 t ha-1 green fodder yield as well as  Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1  almost in all the growth and yield traits, particularly green fodder yield (38.12 t ha-1) showing the non-significant (P>0.05) differences of above treatments with each other. Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1, Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1, Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1 and Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1 ranked 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th in all the attributes, particularly green fodder yield (34.54, 24.39, 20.69, 15.76 and 14.79 t ha-1), respectively. However, minimum plant population (5.00 m-2), plant height (117.80 cm), nodes plant-1 ( 2.34), green leaves plant-1 ( 7.09), leaf length (23.66 cm), stem girth (2.51 cm), biomass weight plant-1 (209.12 g) and green fodder yield (11.85 t ha-1) were recorded in No Potassium + No Zinc (Control). Hence, the integration of Potassium @ 40.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1 was found most suitable and economical for obtaining an optimum green fodder yield of maize because non-significant (P>0.05) differences with Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 10.0 kg ha-1 and Potassium @ 60.0 kg ha-1 + Zinc @ 5.0 kg ha-1 for almost all the traits, particularly green fodder yield (t ha-1).

Keywords: Maize, green fodder, Integrated Levels, Potassium and Zinc.