Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of hybrid maize (Zea mays. L)

A field trial was carried out at the Experimental Farm in the Department of Agronomy at Annamalai University, located in Chidambaram, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, during the kharif season of 2024, to investigate the effects of integrated nutrient management on the growth and yield improvement of hybrid maize. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) with nine treatments and replicated thrice. The treatments included of different combinations of recommended dose of fertilizers with organic amendments such as vermicompost, poultry manure, pressmud and azophos biofertilizer applied as soil application. From the results, revealed that the application of 100% RDF + 25% N through vermicompost + azophos @ 4 kg ha^-1 (T₅) was significantly influenced the higher growth parameters viz., plant height (236.7 cm), LAI (6.41), DMP (15634 kg ha^-1), CGR (17.83, 10.02 g m^-2 day^-1), AGR (2.67, 1.50 g plant^-1 day^-1) and yield attributes like cob length (24.3 cm), cob diameter (6.07 cm), No. of grains cob^-1 (515), grain yield (7508 kg ha^-1) and stover yield (10018 kg ha^-1). It was closely followed by the application of 100% RDF + 25% N through poultry manure + azophos @ 4 kg ha^-1. The research indicated that the combined use of inorganic fertilizers, vermicompost, and azophos greatly improves the growth and productivity of hybrid maize.