EFFECT OF NITROGEN SOURCE AND RATE AS WELL AS SOME MICRO ELEMENTS TREATMENTS ON YIELD AND YIELD COMPENENTS OF MAIZE UNDER SALT AFFECTED SOILS CONDITIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Agron. Dept., Fac. Agric., Al-Azhar Univ., Cairo, Egypt.

2 Soil and water institute, Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out at Demo-El-Faiyoum ,Governorate in 2002 and 2003 seasons to study the effect of two nitrogen sources (Ammonia gas and Urea), three nitrogen rates (100,120 and 140 kg N/fad) and six micro element treatments (Zn, Fe and Zn+Fe as a soil and foliar application methods) on yield and yield components of maize. The experiment was laid out in split-split plot design. The obtained results showed clearly that plants received nitrogen fertilizer in the form of ammonia gas gave the highest values of ear length ,100 grain weight , grain yield per fad and protein percentage in grain as compared with those received nitrogen source of urea. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer rate from 100 to 140 kg N/fad significantly increased ear length , 100 grain weight , stover and grain yield per fad and protein percentage in grain. Sprayed maize plants with mixed from micro elements Zn+Fe as a foliar application surpassed all other treatments in all previously mentioned characters.  Applied ammonia gas as a source of nitrogen at the rate of 140 kg N/fad gave the highest ear length, grain yield per fad and grains protein percentage . Plants grown on soil injected by ammonia gas and sprayed with mixed from micro elements Zn+Fe gave higher grain yield per fad and protein percentage than other treatments. Plants fertilized with 140 kg N/fad and sprayed with micro element mixed Zn+Fe gave the highest ear length , grain yield / fad and protein % . Plants treated with ammonia gas at 140 kg N fad and sprayed with mixed from micro elements gave the highest ear length , grain yield per fad.
Generally, it could be recommended that applying nitrogen in the form of ammonia gas at the rate of 140 kg N /fad and sprayed with mixed from Fe+Zn micro elements  gave greatest grain yield of maize grown under salt affected soils at El-Faiyoum  Governorate conditions.