Combination Effects of Organic and Mineral Fertilization on Corn (Zea mays) Macronutrient Concentrations and Yield

Mahdy, A.M.

doi:10.21608/asejaiqjsae.2009.2366

Combination Effects of Organic and Mineral Fertilization on Corn (Zea mays) Macronutrient Concentrations and Yield

Document Type : Original Article

Author

A.M. Mahdy

Department of Soil and Water, College of Agriculture (Elshatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21545, Egypt.

10.21608/asejaiqjsae.2009.2366

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted at the experimental farm of the soil salinity and alkalinity laboratory at Alexandria, Egypt during the growing season (May-September) in two consecutive years, i.e., 2007-2008 to assess the agronomic potential of the organic compost thus obtained for growing maize, and comparing the effect of this compost supplemented with mineral fertilizer with the conventional mineral fertilization on maize yield and on macronutrients concentrations and uptake in the plant tissues. The results of this study revealed that in all fertilizers treatments, significant increases in available macronutrients concentrations in soil were observed in the minerally and organically amended plots, and there was no significant difference between mineral and organic plots. However, the combination between mineral and organic fertilizers (T10, 25% mineral fertilizer + 75% organic fertilizer) had the highest value of available macronutrients concentrations compared to the other fertilizers treatments. It is interesting to emphasize that the highest values of macronutrients concentrations were observed with combination fertilization (T10) followed by T11(50% mineral fertilizer+ 50% organic fertilizer) and T12(75% mineral fertilizer + 25% organic fertilizer). Similarly, the highest grain and stover dry matter yields were obtained at the combination of mineral fertilizer by the rate of 25% and organic fertilizer by the rate of 75%. The increased values of grain and stover yields at the organic plots and the plots fertilized with both mineral and organic fertilizers may be associated with beneficial changes in soil N, P, K and organic matter dependent soil properties. There were significant positive relationships between N uptake, kg.ha^-1[R² (1^st season) = 0.94, R² (2^ndseason) = 0.95], P uptake, kg.ha^-1[R² (1^st season) = 0.95, R² (2^nd season) = 0.97] and K uptake, kg.ha^-1[R² (1^st season) = 0.96, R² (2^nd season) = 0.95] and maize grain yield in the two years. This study demonstrated that use of combination of organic and mineral fertilizers in field experiment improved soil fertility, yields and nutrient concentration in the crops compared to mineral fertilization.