Effect Of Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer On Maize Yield

Maize is the third most important cereal crop after wheat and rice in Pakistan. It is grown on 950 thousand ha with annual production of 3487 thousand tons with productivity of 3670 kg ha-1 which is far below the world average yield. This low yield is attributed to numerous factors, among which plant nutrition emerged the major one. Supplementing synthetic fertilizer with organic fertilizer can enhance productivity. Worldwide, there is an increasing trend of using organic fertilizers as fertility of soil drastically suffered due to the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers. Similarly, cost of fertilizer and growing public concerns about fertility issues further aggravated the problem. Farm yard manure need to be applied in large quantity, which is difficult to be produced by the farmers. Humic acid is the active constituent of the organic humus which can play a vital role in soil conditioning and plant growth enhancement. The book in hand provides baseline information on organic and inorganic fertilizers use for the agriculture students, researchers, planners and allied stalk holders.