Effects of Nitrogen and Micronutrient on Biomass Accumulation of Maize Varieties

Abstract

The experiment was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2009 at the Institute for Agricultural Research farm in Samaru (11o 11’ N, 7o 38’E), Nigeria. The study was conducted with the objectives of testing the effects of nitrogen levels and micronutrients on stover yield of maize varieties (Quality Protein Maize QPM and normal maize). The treatments consisted of four rates of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 50, 100 and 150kgNha-1), two rates of micronutrients (0, cocktail mixtures of Cu, Fe, Zn, B and Mo) and four maize varieties SAMMAZ 14, SUSUMA (QPM), SAMMAZ 11 and SAMMAZ 12 (normal maize) which gave a total of thirty-two (32) treatments with basal application of 60kgha-1P as P2O5 and 60kgha-1K as K2O. This was tested in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications with a total of 96 plots respectively. The fertilizer treatments were factorially combined. The Stover yield increased as the nitrogen rate increased. The Stover yield trend was in this order: SAMMAZ 11 > SUSUMA > SAMMAZ 14 > SAMMAZ 12. Farmers can therefore adopt the QPM varieties (SUSUMA and SAMMAZ 11) since it is easy to cultivate like the normal maize in the same environment and climatic conditions with higher biomass yield.