PJB-2023-51
EFFECT OF APPLIED SOIL ZINC AND FOLIAR IRON ON THE GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND MICRONUTRIENTS ACCUMULATION OF SPRING MAIZE
Mahboob Ali
Abstract
EFFECT OF APPLIED SOIL ZINC AND FOLIAR IRON ON THE GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND MICRONUTRIENTS ACCUMULATION OF SPRING MAIZE
Mahboob Ali and Muhammad Tariq
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Crop Production Sciences
The University of Agriculture, Peshawar-Pakistan
January, 2023
ABSTRACT
The present project based on the hypothesis that “excessive applied zinc cause iron chlorosis in the plants”. A field experiment entitled effect of applied soil zinc and foliar iron on the growth performance and micronutrients accumulation of spring maize was carried out at the Research Farm of The University of Agriculture, Peshawar in spring, 2022. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design having factorial arrangement with three replications. The maize variety “Azam” with the seed rate of 30 kg ha-1 was sown and the plot size was kept 3×2 m2. Zinc and iron were applied at the rate of 0, 5, 10 and 15 kg Zn ha-1 and 0, 0.5 and 1.0 % Fe as zinc sulphate and iron sulphate, respectively. A basal dose of NPK was applied to all the treatment plots at the rate of 120 kg N ha-1 as urea, 90 kg P2O5 ha-1 as diammonium phosphate and 60 kg K2O ha-1 as potassium sulphate, respectively. Results revealed that applied soil zinc and foliar iron had significantly affect the yield and yield components of maize such as plant height, cobs plant-1, biological yield, thousand grains weight, grain yield and harvest index. Higher grain yield was obtained in a treatment plot where both zinc and iron were applied at higher dose as compared to control. Micronutrients concentration of zinc and iron in soil were significantly and linearly increased with their application at harvesting stage of spring maize. Similarly, zinc and iron concentration in leaves and grains increased with respective levels of their application in a linear fashion and showed no deficiency or toxicity at all. The total uptake of zinc and iron increased with increasing levels of zinc and iron and run parallel to yield, indicated both were affected in a same way to applied zinc and iron. Zn/Fe Ratio increased the grain yield at the ratio of 1.0 indicating a narrow range of Zn/Fe ratio in grains; below or above this ratio reduced the yield of spring maize under the condition of the experiment. Zinc and iron use efficiency increased 5 kg Zn ha-1 and 0.5 % Fe, respectively with lower dose of applied zinc as soil dressing and iron as foliar spray; indicated that the applied soil zinc and foliar iron is a good strategy; which eliminate the interaction among these micronutrients in soil-plant system and getting the optimum production of maize. Based on the results, it is suggested that zinc and iron should be applied at the rate of 15 kg ha-1 and 1.0 % Fe for getting optimum yield and micronutrients accumulation of spring maize crop in Peshawar area. The present study suggest that soil zinc must be applied with iron to leaves as foliar spray in alkaline-calcareous soils to avoid interaction however, such field experiments should be repeated in different regions using different spring varieties of maize before making general recommendations.
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