Effect of partial substitution of bulk urea by nanoparticle urea fertilizer on productivity and nutritive value of teosinte varieties
2020
Salama, H.S.A. | Badry, H.H.
The integration of nanoparticle urea (NPU) in the fertilization scheme of forage cropswith high nutrients’ requirements, like teosinte (Zea mexicana L.), would help avoiding theenvironmental implications associated with the application of high rates of conventional bulkurea (BU), while not depriving the plant from its benefits. The effects of fertilization treatmentscomposed of different percentages of NPU and/or BU, on yield, agronomic characteristics andquality attributes of three cuts of two teosinte local varieties were investigated in a split-split plotdesign during summers of 2018 and 2019. In general, the application of 50% NPU + 50% BUwas similar to 100% BU in the production of highest amount of fresh yield, with the highestvalues for plant height and stem diameter, in addition to appreciable nutritive value, in terms ofhigh crude protein (66.10 g kg-1) and non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC), and low acid-detergent fiber(284.09 g kg-1) and crude fat (36.97 g kg-1) contents. While the 1st cut was characterized by thehighest plant height (58.74 cm in average), stem diameter (7.64 mm in average) and leaf area(130.07 m2in average), the 3rd cut produced the highest amount of fresh yield (39.68 t ha-1inaverage). Variations in quality measures among the three cuts were almost non-significant.Variations in yield and quality were detected between the two tested local varieties. In conclusion,the combined application of 50% NPU with 50% BU is recommended for the production offodder teosinte in similar environments.
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