Validation of Blended Fertilizer for Maize Production Under Limed Condition of Acid Soil

Abstract

Maize is one of the important cereal crops in the world’s agricultural economy. In southwestern part of Ethiopian countries farmers have focused mainly on the use and application of N and P fertilizers and totally neglected the application of S and B, which is deficient in soils. For intensive and continuous crop production, these inputs should aim at balanced application of nutrients along with the efforts of maintaining the soil acidity pH at optimum level by liming. Soil acidity is a complex of numerous factors involving nutrient/element deficiencies and toxicities, low activity of beneficial microorganisms and reduced plant root growth that limit nutrient and water uptake...Therefore, objectives of validate blended fertilizer  under limed condition  and importance of lime on nutrient release of acid soil important for improving acid soil productivity. Field experiment was conducted on maize for three concicarive cropping seasons on acid Nitisols of Jima ( Kersa woreda) ,  altitude 1800  meters above sea level. mean annual temperature of the woreda ranges from 17.6-25ºC and the average annual rainfall is about 1300-2000 mm per year. Maize BH661 varieties were used. Split plot design with three replications main plot as lime and un lime, sub plot as blended fertilizer  ( control, NP, NPSB, NPSZnB, MNPSZB and NPSKZnB). Lime requirement based on exchangeable aluminum (Al) of exchangeable acidity of soil, full doses of lime(CaCO3) used kg ha-1 in the 2015 cropping season once. Analysis of variance using SAS  software packages and mean separation was done using LSD at 5% probability leve. Balanced blended fertilize and lime increase yield  significantly in all seasons and  yield difference observed compare to recommended  fertilizer and. no interaction between lime and  blended fertilizer in all seasons.. The result revealed that in first, second and third  cropping season, NPSZnB, NPSB,  NPSB gave significantly highest grain yield of Maize 7295Kg/ha,5439.5kg/ha and 6894kg/ha, respectively. In partial budget analysis   the highest net benefit was obtained from NPSZnB,  NPSB and  the highest marginal rate of  return (MRR) recommended NP treatments applied.. Grain yield was significantly affected by blended fertilizer and  lime. Maximum grain yield was scored for blended fertilizer compare to recommended NP fertilizer. More research needs to be approved out for more seasons to determine the recommended rate of the  balanced blended mineral fertilizer and evaluate the consistence of these result

Keywords: Nitosols, Maize, Lime, Blended fertilizer, soil pH, Exchangeable acidity