Effect of Compost Coated and Blended Phosphatic Fertilizers on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Uptake by Maize under Alfisols in India

Abstract

During kharif 2020 a field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, V. C. Farm, Mandya, India to study the effect of compost coated and blended phosphatic fertilizers on growth, yield and nutrient uptake of maize. There were eight treatments that include 100, 75 and 50 per cent of compost coated DAP (T3, T4 and T5, respectively) and compo blended rock phosphate (T6, T7 and T8, respectively) along with recommended dose of nitrogen and potassium, keeping 100% recommended dose of fertilizers (using uncoated DAP) as check. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The results revealed higher growth parameters viz., plant height (222.75 cm), no. of leaves plant-1 (12.98 plant-1), leaf area (6387.55 cm2 plant-1) and total dry matter accumulation plant-1 (167.20 g plant-1) were recorded with application of 75 per cent RDP through compost coated DAP with recommended dose of N and K (T4) which was on par with T7, T3 and T6, respectively. Similarly, significantly higher yield parameters like cob length (21.87 cm), cob girth (20.76 cm), no. of rows cob-1 (16.56 cob-1), no. of kernels row-1 (36.03 row-1) and test weight (35.73 g) were recorded in T4 when compared to T2, T5 and T8, respectively. Kernel and stover yield (82.19 and 91.44 q ha-1, respectively) was observed to be higher in T4 coupled with higher uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn which clearly indicated that application of 75% RDP through compost coated DAP is optimum for obtaining higher growth, yield and nutrient uptake by maize.