Response of maize productivity to nitrogen fertilizer and spraying with blue green algae extract | IJAAR

By: Rasha SA El-Moursy, Abido WAE, Badawi MA

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Abstract

The main purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the impact of nitrogen fertilizer and spraying with blue green algae extract levels on the productivity of maize. Two field experiments were conducted at private farm at Algraydh Village, Bialla district, Kafrelshiekh Governorate, Egypt during 2017 and 2018 seasons. The treatments were allocated in a strip-plot design with four replications.

The vertical-plots were devoted to nitrogen fertilizer levels (60, 80, 100 and 120kgN fed^-1). While, the horizontal-plots were assigned to spraying with blue green algae levels (without as control, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0g L^-1). Increasing fertilizer levels up to 120kg N fed^-1 significantly exceeded other levels of nitrogen fertilizer and produced the highest averages of growth characters, yield and grain quality, followed by using 100kg N fed^-1 and there is no significant differences between them in most studied growth characters and yields in both seasons. Foliar spraying with 6.0g L^-1 significantly surpassed other treatments and recorded the maximum averages of growth, yield and its components and grains quality of maize, followed by spraying plants with 4.5g L^-1 and without significant differences between them in all studied characters in both seasons. Generally, mineral fertilizing maize with 100kgN fed^‑1 (saved 20kgN fed^‑1) beside spraying with algae extract at 4.5g L^-1 were recommended for enhancing productivity and seed quality of maize moreover, reducing the pollution resulted from high levels of mineral nitrogen fertilizer under the environmental conditions of Kafrelshiekh Governorate Egypt. 

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays L) is consider one of the major cereal worldwide crops, it is use mainly as human consumption, livestock feed, for industrial purposes as a source of oil, starch extraction and production as well as ethanol production. Its grains contain about 10% protein, 4.8% oil, 8.5% fiber, 66.7% starch, and 7% ash (Khan et al., 2008 and Pavão and Filho, 2011). The allocated area harvested in Egypt reached about 1.08 million hectare with total production 8.00 million tons. But, in the world the total harvested area reached about 187.95 million hectare, with total production 1.06 milliard tons according to (FAO, 2018). Increasing maize production became one of the most important goals of the world to face human and animal demands. Undoubtedly, mineral nitrogen composites i.e. NH4+ and NO3‒ range about 5% of the total nitrogen in soil, although they are consider the useful form of the nutrient absorbed by plants, also mineral nitrogen fertilizer is applied in large quantities to maintain the nutritional condition of different cereal crops life systems (Brady and Weil, 2008). 

 

Mineral nitrogen fertilizer is an important factor of aggro technical practices and essential for increasing growth, production and quality of plants. Nitrogen availability plays a vital role during plant growth stages, due to it is a major component of many composites necessary for plant growth processes such as the component of protoplasm, chlorophyll formation, increase the activity of meristematic, cell division, increases cell size, increase internodes length, proteins content, nucleic acids content such as DNA and component of ATP as energy-transfer composites (Haque et al., 2001 and Iqbal et al., 2006), organize the availability utilization of phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients in plants (Brady and Weil, 2002), increase the accumulation of dry matter due to increase in leaf area and thus absorb more solar radiation (Purcell et al., 2002 and Shanahan et al., 2008). Many researchers noticed that apply of nitrogen at an adequate quantity is always vital for produce well growth and development of maize plants. In this connection, nitrogen fertilizer significantly influenced plant height, leaf area, stalk diameter, ear height, weight of ear plant-1, 100-grain weight, grains and straw yield ha-1 as well as grain quality (Almodares et al., 2009 and Gruzska et al., 2016). Raising nitrogen fertilizer levels from 90 to 126kgN fed-1 produced the highest grains and straw yields per unit area (Karasu, 2012; Seadh et al., 2013; Gruzska et al., 2016; Abebe and Feyisa, 2017 and Abera et al., 2017). While, application of 150 or 180kg N ha-1 produced the maximum averages of plant height, leaf area, number of seed row-1, grains and straw yield ha-1, protein, oil and carbohydrate contents in maize plants (Cheema et al., 2010; Aghdam et al., 2014; Ali and Anjum, 2017 and Zeleke et al., 2018).

Nowadays, a foliar fertilizers becomes directly available in the plant because it makes them perfect for correcting nutrient deficiencies and they are 100% water soluble. In addition, the prices of agrochemicals became more expensive especially mineral nitrogen, these make farmers with low income from the production of field crops. Foliar spraying is considering one of important technique of fertilization, which may help plants partially compensate the deficient of nutrients uptake by the roots (Ling and Moshe, 2002). So, the use of blue green algae extracts as a source of nitrogen save and moderately the requires of mineral nitrogen in most crop production. 

 

In recent times, there is a great consideration of creating novel relationship between agronomically vital plants, such as wheat, maize and N2 -fixing microorganisms including cyanobacteria (Chen, 2006). Blue green algae extract can use for sustainable agriculture, which, it contains macro and micro elements, natural enzymes, auxins and cytokinins in numerous amounts, also plays vital role in stimulate root establishment, root elongation and enhance vegetative growth of plants (Shaaban, 2001; Zhang and Ervin, 2004 and Raupp and Oltmanns, 2006). Foliar application of algae extract has been noticed to increase photosynthetic pigments, crop growth, total biomass, yield and yield components as well as quality, increase nutrient uptake, resistance to stress conditions and growth promoting hormones (Ghalab and Salem, 2001). It can use as bio-fertilizers which enhanced the vegetative growth of main cereal crops i.e. wheat, rice and maize (Aziz and Hashem, 2004 and Arora et al., 2010).

In addition, it increases the functional activity of photosynthetic apparatus through raised chlorophyll content, total carbohydrates content, starch, amino acids and protein (Yassen et al., 2007). Algae extracts also, are important source of potassium and contains considerable amounts of P, Cu, Ca, Fe, Mg, Zn and Mn (Abd El-Mawgoud et al., 2010 and Marrez et al., 2014). Moreover, spraying algae extracts at the rate of 3.5 or 4.5g L-1 caused an increase in productivity and quality of sugar beet plants (Enan et al., 2016).
Thus, the present study has been undertaken to assess the role of mineral nitrogen fertilizer, blue green algae extract levels and its combination on the productivity of maize plants under the ecological studies of the experiments site.

Articles Source:  Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res. 14(2), 10-20.

International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research - IJAAR is an open-access scholarly research journal, published by International Network for Natural Sciences. IJAAR publishes original scientific research articles in the field of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences. IJAAR published 2 Volume and 12 issue per the calendar year.

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Citation Sample

Rasha SA El-Moursy, Abido WAE, Badawi MA.
Response of maize productivity to nitrogen fertilizer and spraying with blue green algae extract. Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res. 14(2), 10-20.
https://innspub.net/ijaar/response-maize-productivity-nitrogen-fertilizer-spraying-blue-green-algae-extract/

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