Nutrient management in maize (Zea mays) under shifting cultivation for higher productivity and sustainability in North-East India Ramkrushna G.I.1, Layek Jayanta2,*, Das Anup3, Verma B.C.4, Das Santanu5, Mohapatra K.P.6, Ngachan S.V.7 1Senior Scientist (Agronomy), ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, Maharashtra440 010 2Senior Scientist (Agronomy), ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 3Principal Scientist (Agronomy), ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 4Senior Scientist (Soil Science), ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 5Senior Research Fellow, ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 6Principal Scientist and Head, Division of Crop Production, ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 7Former Director, ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hills Region, Umiam, Meghalaya, 793 103 *Corresponding author's Email: jayanta.icar@gmail.com
Online Published on 18 January, 2023. Abstract A participatory field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 2015 and 2016 at farmer's land of Meghalaya, to identify suitable maize (Zea mays L.) varieties and nutrient-management practices for higher maize productivity under shifting cultivation (jhum). The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with treatment combination of 3 maize cultivars, viz. ‘JKMH 502’ (Hybrid), ‘RCM 61A’ (Composite) and ‘Saru Bhoi’ (Local), and 5 nutrient-management practices, viz. N1 farmers’ practice (no manure or fertilizer application); N2, 50% of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) (40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2O5 and K2O/ha) + FYM 2 t/ha + 500 kg lime/ha in furrow; N3, fertilizer + FYM (50% N from each source to supply 40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2O5 and K2O/ha) + 500 kg lime/ha in furrow; N4, maize + groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) intercropping (4: 2 ratio) with N3; and N5, foliar spray of diammonium phosphate (DAP) @ 2% at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS) with N1. Among the cultivars, the composite cultivar ‘RCM 61A’ produced higher number of rows/cob (13), seeds/cob (271.2), seed weight/cob (67.2 g) and test weight (247.4 g) than hybrid and local cultivars. However, among the nutrient-management practices, N2 treatment resulted in significantly higher grain yield, straw yield and harvest index than N1. The soil fertility in terms of SOC, available N, P2O5 and K2O were significantly higher under treatment N4. Thus, cultivation of maize composite (‘RCM 61A’) and adoption of maize + groundnut intercropping (4: 2 ratio) along with application of fertilizer + FYM (50% N from each for total supply of 40, 20 and 20 kg N, P2O5 and K2O/ha + 500 kg lime) is a profitable practices for improving maize productivity in jhum lands and sustaining soil health. Top Keywords Intercropping, Jhum, Maize, Shifting cultivation, Soil organic carbon, Yield. Top |