The growth and yield of Zea Mays. Effects of an integrated nutrient management

The growth and yield of Zea Mays. Effects of an integrated nutrient management
Author: Divya Jain
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2020-10-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3346280918

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: 8.5, , course: Agronomy, language: English, abstract: The aim of this study is to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on the growth and yield of kharif Maize and to work out the economics of different nutrient management treatments. As the chemical’s fertilizers play an important role in plants life so that these chemicals should not be avoided completely as they are the potential sources of the high amount of nutrients in easily available forms. These fertilizers greatly affect enzymatic activities in the soil profile but poor management of the chemical fertilizers has a key role in lowering the yield productivity and deteriorate the soil health also. So, to achieve optimum crop production, there is a need to use the combination of organic sources, inorganic sources, bio-fertilizers. Maize (Zea mays L.) requires the nutrients i.e., macronutrients as well as micronutrients for obtaining the higher crop growth and yield. The micronutrients content in organic manure may be sufficient to meet the crop requirement but the low soil fertility is the major problem to maintain sustainability in production. The application of organic manure do not produce optimum yield due to low nutrient status but they play a direct role in plant growth by the mineralization they provide the essential nutrients which furthermore improves the physical and biological properties of the soil. The use of organic plays an important role in maintaining soil health due to the build-up of soil organic matter, beneficial microbes. “Biofertilizer” is a substance that contains living organisms. It promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. These are not fertilizers because fertilizers directly increase soil fertility by adding nutrients. They add nutrients through the natural processes of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, solubilizing phosphorus, and stimulating plant growth through the synthesis of growth promoting substances. Azotobacter is dominant among the free-living forms of nitrogen fixers. It has been used extensively as a production technology in many countries and there were 20-29 percent increase in yield. Hence, the judicious application of these combinations can sustain soil fertility and productivity. In general, scheduling of fertilizers is based on the individual nutrient requirement of the crop and the carry-over effect of manure and fertilizer applied to precede crop is ignored.

Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes

Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes
Author: K.A. Malik
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401152322

Diazotrophic bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to plant-useable form and this input of nitrogen through biological fixation is of great agronomic importance. The contributions presented in this volume relate to free-living nitrogen fixers and the diazotrophs associated with plants. Symbiotic association of Frankia with non-legumes and cyanobacterial associations are also discussed. Research topics covered in this volume include the biochemistry and genetics of diazotrophs, recent developments in improvement of plant-microbe interactions and their molecular basis, the use of molecular probes in taxonomy and ecology of diazotrophs and reports on field applications, agronomic importance and improvement in methodologies for assessing their contribution to plants. This book provides valuable information not only for researchers working in the field of biological nitrogen fixation but also for biochemistry, molecular biologists, microbiologists and agronomists.

Assessment of Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Agricultural Management, and Aboveground and Belowground Biomass of Maize (Zea Mays L.) Landraces from Oaxaca, Mexico

Assessment of Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Agricultural Management, and Aboveground and Belowground Biomass of Maize (Zea Mays L.) Landraces from Oaxaca, Mexico
Author: Kevin Daniel Schwartz
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN: 9781109662191

Separate experiments were conducted in a native maize agroecosystem in Oaxaca, Mexico and in a greenhouse study at the University of California, Davis to assess biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), agricultural management, and aboveground and belowground biomass of maize (Zea mays L.) landraces from Oaxaca, Mexico. In 2004, the 15N enrichment and 15N natural abundance techniques were evaluated for their ability to estimate BNF in maize. The 15N natural abundance method demonstrated similar results to the 15N enrichment method yet had less variability and was cheaper and easier to use. Thus, subsequent experiments used the 15N natural abundance technique. In one field experiment, the effects of herbicide/zero-tillage, no-herbicide/tillage, and no-herbicide/zero-tillage agriculture on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) associated with maize, weed control, and maize plant growth in Oaxaca, Mexico were studied. In the greenhouse experiment, the shoot and root biomass production of 5 traditional Oaxacan maize varieties (landraces) and a US maize hybrid cultivar were compared. The 2004 field experiments showed BNF estimates associated with maize landraces ranging from values of -254.8 " 155.3 to 7.9 " 33.4 %N derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa). The greenhouse experiment showed BNF estimates of these landraces ranging from -20.5 " 14.0 to 14.9 " 10.2 %Ndfa. The large variation in %Ndfa estimates is similar to previous studies of BNF associated with grass species. In 2006, it was discovered that agricultural management had a significant effect on BNF. Under no-herbicide/tillage agriculture, maize landraces had received up to 39.7 " 5.5 %Ndfa regardless of which reference plant was used in estimating BNF. In a separate 2006 experiment, maize plants randomly sampled from the farmers fields yielded 84.6 " 28.2 %Ndfa or 95.7 " 24.1 %Ndfa depending on the species of reference plant used in making the estimation. The maize landraces were found to accumulate more biomass both in the roots and shoots and have greater dry root density (mg/cm3) of fine roots than the US maize. Agricultural management and the selection of reference plant in calculating BNF were shown to both affect the resulting %Ndfa of maize.