Maize Response to Compost, Nitrogen and its Method of Application at Peshawar, Pakistan

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. Biological yield,1000 grain weight, grain yield, shelling percentage, and harvest index(%) were studied. Higher biological yield(9832 kg ha-1), 1000 grain weight(251gm), grain yield (3449 kg ha-1) and shelling (55%),were produced by compost when applied at the rate of 5 ton ha-1 compared to control plots. Higher biological yield(9707 kg ha-1), 1000 grain weight (249g), grain yield (3391 kg ha-1), and shelling  (54%) were produced by 130 kg N ha-1 compared to 65 kg N ha-1. Higher biological yield (9180 kg ha-1) and 1000 grain weight (244g)  were produced when nitrogen was applied as 1/2 at sowing and half 1/2 at knee stage compared toan 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 hectare 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