Effect of nutrient omission on growth and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.)

Maize is one of the important cereal crops in India as well as the world. The crop responds well to added nutrients and the application of optimum nutrients is essential to improve the productivity of maize. Hence, to find out the effect of different macronutrients on maize, a field experiment was carried out nutrient omission plot technique during the rabi season of 2021 at the Experimental Farm of M. S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha (23ᵒ39’ N latitude and 87ᵒ42’ E longitude). The experiment was designed in a completely randomized block design with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments of the experiment were as follows T₁: N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₁₀₀ (Ample dose), T₂: N₀P₁₀₀K₁₀₀, T₃: N₁₀₀P₀K₁₀₀, T₄: N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₀, T₅: N₁₀₀P₀K₀, T₆: N₀P₁₀₀K₀, T₇: N₀P₀K₁₀₀ and T₈: N₀P₀K₀ (Control). The seeds of maize hybrid ‘Suphala Seeds Sharp’ were sown in a row x plant spacing of 60cm x 25cm. The results showed that the impact of nutrient omission in maize was reflected on both the growth and yield parameters of maize. The treatment N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₁₀₀ (T₁) resulted in highest plant height (204.3 cm), dry matter accumulation (1648 g/m2), leaf area Index of (5.2), number of grains per cob (327) and highest grain yield (6.4 t/ha) with maximum harvest index (42.03). The treatments consisting of N₁₀₀P₀K₁₀₀ (T₂) and N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₀ (T₃) were also statistically at par with the previous treatment. Further, the treatments with omission of two or more major nutrients, namely, T₅: N₁₀₀P₀K₀, T₆: N₀P₁₀₀K₀ and T₇: N₀P₀K₁₀₀ were significantly inferior in expression of all growth and yield attributes of maize to N₁₀₀P₁₀₀K₁₀₀. The results concluded that application of ample doses of three primary nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were essential to achieve optimum growth and productivity of maize.