Vol. 7, Issue 3 (2019)
Need based nitrogen management on growth attributes of Rabi maize (Zea mays L.) using leaf colour chart under varied plant density
Author(s): M Ramesh Naik, S Hemalatha, A Pratap Kumar Reddy, KV Naga Madhuri and V Umamahesh
Abstract: Fertilizer nitrogen application to maize crop is generally low or excess in quantity than required amount without assessing the crop demand for nitrogen. To obtain maximum possible yield in maize nitrogen fertilizer should be applied based on the requirement of the crop in different splits. A field experiment was conducted at Wet land farm of Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College, Tirupati during Rabi season of 2017-18 to calibrate leaf colour chart (LCC) for nitrogen management under varied plant density to establish threshold leaf colour greenness as a guide for right quantity of fertilizer N to be top dressed in maize. The experiment consisted of twenty seven treatment combinations comprising of three planting densities (66,666, 83,333 and 1,11,111 lakhs ha-1), three nitrogen levels (30, 35 and 40 kg N ha-1) and three LCC threshold values (LCC 4, 4.5 and 5). The results disclosed that the initial & final plant population, plant height, drymatter accrual and finally yield of maize increased significantly with increase in plant density, with application of fertilizer nitrogen at higher dose i.e. 40 kg ha-1 by using higher LCC threshold value (LCC-5) at different splits. Whereas, leaf area per plant and SPAD chlorophyll readings were lessened significantly with increase in plant densities, however it was increased with application of nitrogen at higher rate i.e. 40 kg ha-1 by using higher LCC threshold value (LCC-5) at various splits. Finally, experimental results manifested that, fine-tuning of N dose and time of application by number of splits which synchronize the crop demand and is the best management strategy for sustainable crop growth and yield.
Pages: 2591-2596 | 304 Views 63 Downloads
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How to cite this article:
M Ramesh Naik, S Hemalatha, A Pratap Kumar Reddy, KV Naga Madhuri, V Umamahesh. Need based nitrogen management on growth attributes of Rabi maize (Zea mays L.) using leaf colour chart under varied plant density. Int J Chem Stud 2019;7(3):2591-2596.
