Comparative Effects of Two Types of Solid Mineral Fertilizers and Foliar Organic Fertilizer on the Production of LG336 Maize Variety (Zea mays L.), Cultivated in Korhogo Region, Northern of Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Maize productivity in northern Côte d’Ivoire is constrained by low soil fertility. The effects of mineral and foliar organic fertilisers on growth and yield of the LG 336 maize variety were assessed under Korhogo conditions. A completely randomised Fisher block experiment comprised four treatments with four replicates: an unfertilised control (T0), foliar Biodeposit Elixir (BDE; T1), NPK (15-15-15; T2), and NPK combined with urea (46-0-0; T3). Growth variables included plant height, root-collar diameter, and leaf number, whereas yield assessment covered ear number per plant, ear length, ear weight, grain weight, and estimated yield. Mineral fertilisation generally produced greater vegetative growth than the control and BDE. NPK and Urea+NPK produced the highest numbers of ears per plant and the longest ears, and both mineral treatments gave the highest overall yield responses. Reported yields were approximately 18.6–18.7 t/ha for the mineral treatments, whereas BDE yielded 6.728 t/ha and the unfertilised control 5.94 t/ha. BDE generally produced intermediate growth responses but lower yield than the mineral treatments. Under the conditions of this experiment, mineral fertilisers were more effective than BDE in improving maize growth and production parameters. The findings support careful fertiliser selection for maize production in the Korhogo region.