Decreased soil fertility, unbalanced use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, low adoption and adaptation of recommended dose of chemical fertilizers and less awareness of the application of fertilizers and management of soil fertility were the major problems in the mid hills of Nepal. A study on fertilizer management was carried out at mid altitude outreach research sites namely, Fakchamara and Belhara of Terhathum and Dhankuta districts respectively. The experiments were conducted in 2000 and 2001. The overall objective of these experiments was to identify the essential plant nutrients limiting maize yield and to determine the appropriate time of urea (nitrogen) application to achieve maximum maize production. Two trials were carried out. These were limiting plant nutrients on maize under maize/millet system and synchronizing nitrogen availability by split application on maize in the year 2000 and 2001. Two year's results indicated that nitrogen was the most crucial and essential nutrients among the major plant nutrients for better maize production. The application of agri-lime (5 t/ha) in acidic soils showed encouraging effect on grain yield of maize, both years, in both sites, there was significant (P<0.01) effect of treatments. Combined analysis of variance over locations and its interaction with locations showed a non-significant (P<0.01) effect on grain yield of maize. Results obtained from synchronizing nitrogen availability by split application on maize showed a significant (P<0.01) effect of split application of nitrogen on grain yield of maize at both Fakchamara and Belhara sites. Application of 60 N kg/ha split into three parts and applied each as basal, knee high and silking stages of maize was promising and economically beneficial for the farmers.

English

0501|AGRIS 0501|AL-Maize Program

Juan Carlos Mendieta

CIMMYT Publications Collection