Mineral Nitrogen Fertilizer and Compost Effects on Wheat and Maize Yields in Crop Sequences Including Intercropped Legumes

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract

THE EXPERIMENT was conducted at Mallawi Agric. Res. Stn.(Middle Egypt) during three years (2010/2011-2012/2013) to study mineral N fertilizer and compost effect on wheat and their residual effect on maize (second crop) in crop sequence. The
experimental design was a split plot in a randomized complete blocks arrangement with three replications. The main plots were devoted to the three fertilizer treatments of wheat (100% mineral N fertilizer, 50% compost + 50% mineral N fertilizer and 25% compost + 75% mineral N fertilizer)-9, while the sub plots were allocated to the three crop sequences, i.e. wheat/maize
(B1), wheat + faba bean/maize + cowpea/ fahl berseem (B2) and wheat + fahl berseem/maize+soybean (B3). The results showed that the grain yields of wheat and maize in the two fertilizer treatments that included compost were higher than the treatment receiving 100% mineral N. The crop sequence (wheat + fahl berseem/maize + soybean (B3)) produced the maximum value of weight of kernels/spike, weight of 1000 kernels and grain yield/fed of wheat. The crop sequence (wheat+ faba bean/maize + cowpea/clover (B2)) produced the maximum values of weight of 100 kernels and grain yield of maize. The yield and yield components of wheat or maize to which mineral N and compost were applied were lower in the first year than those
obtained with 100% mineral N, while in the second and third years the values were higher. The yield and yield components of wheat or maize were higher in the third year than in second year and also those in the second year was higher
than in the first year. The crop sequence (B2) and the application of mineral N combined with compost at both rates (A2 & A3)
had the highest values soil available N,P,K and organic matter (OM) with values before planting. The results also show that growing wheat and maize in crop sequence with inclusion of legume intercrops (B2 and B3) and fertilizing with mineral N fertilizer combined with compost (A2 or A3) produced the highest values of intensification index and net return.

Keywords

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 03 August 2014
  • Revise Date: 27 October 2014
  • Accept Date: 28 October 2014

Share

How to cite

Statistics