Growth and yield of corn (Zea mays L.) and nitrogen level in soil fertilized with nitrogen stabilizer-treated urea

Date

6-2015

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Major Course

Major in Soil Science

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Jocelyn D. Labios

Abstract

The study was undertaken to determine and compare the effects of urea treated with nitrogen stabilizer, in the dry and liquid formulations, and urea fertilizer alone on the soil nitrogen level and on the growth and yield of yellow corn (Zea mays L.) grown in Lipa soil. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with nine treatments consisting of different fertilizer amendment mixtures of urea and nitrogen stabilizer in the Central Experiment Station-University of the Philippines Los Baños. Application of nitrogen stabilizer-treated urea (whether at full or half recommended rate) resulted to higher soil N level (%) than with untreated urea and with just the stabilizer applied to the soil at three, five, and seven days after fertilizer amendment application. Soil N level in most of the treatments, except urea at full recommendation treated with N-stabilizer in dry and liquid formulations, was also observed to decrease from the initial level at the start of the experiments but gradually increased through time,as observed from days three to seven. At 60 DAP, plants fertilized with N stabilizer-treated urea at half recommended rate in dry formulation were measured to have the tallest plants which was significantly different from the other treatments. The leaf area and cob lengths of corn plants grown under N stabilizer-treated urea at half recommended rate were also observed to be comparable to those plants receiving full urea application. Nitrogen stabilizer-treated urea at half recommended rate also resulted to higher 1000-kernel weight in corn compared to half recommended rate of urea fertilizer only. Nitrogen stabilizer-treated urea may have also enhanced the grain yield of corn by increasing nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Although not statistically significant, grain yield was found to be highest in those plots with N stabilizer-treated urea at full recommended rate compared to full recommended rate of untreated urea fertilizer. The results of this study showed that N stabilizer-treated urea can have the potential to improve the growth and yield performances of yellow corn (Zea mays L.) grown in the dry season on a soil that belongs to Eutropepts-Tropudalfs Association. As a nitrogen stabilizer, Agrotain? can enhance nitrogen use efficiency in plants by improving nutrient absorption through subsequent plant uptake. Thus, coating urea with nitrogen stabilizer may result to less ammonia volatilization losses and more nitrogen absorption by the plants.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2015 A3 /Z33

Document Type

Thesis

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