M. A. HOSSAIN
Senior Scientific Officer
Pulses Research Centre, BARI, Gazipur
M. JAHIRUDDIN
Professor
Dept. of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Maymensingh
F. KHATUN
Senior Scientific Officer
Regional Agricultural Research Station, BARI, Jessore, Bangladesh.
Maize varieties, Zinc fertilization
Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Jessore
Crop-Soil-Water Management
Maize varieties may differ in their sensitivity to zinc deficiency. With this idea in view, eight maize varieties, of which four composites (Mohor, Barnali, Khoibhutta, and BARI Maize-6) and four hybrids (BARI Hybrid Maize-1, BARI Hybrid Maize-3, BARI Hybrid Maize top-1, and Pacific 984), were evaluated on their agronomic response to added Zn, except Pacific 984. All these varieties have been developed by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). The variety Pacific 984 is of Thailand origin. The field trial was conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Jessore, Bangladesh for consecutive 3 years from 2003-2004 to 2005-2006. The land belongs to High Ganges River Floodplain in the agroecological zone, (AEZ 11) and Gopalpur soil series (Soil taxonomy: Aquic Eutrochrepts). The soil had high pH value (8.2) with low Zn content (0.58 mg/kg). The critical level of DTPA extractable Zn for maize in calcareous soils, as determined by Lindsay and Norvell (1978), is 0.78 mg/kg. The other soil properties were 1.44% organic matter, 7.32 mg/kg Olsen-P, 0.29 c mol/kg exchangeable K, 20 c mol/kg Ca, 1.25 c mol/kg Mg, 7.51 mg/kg CaCl2-S and 0.21 mg/kg Ca (H2PO4)-B. Soil pH was determined by glass electrode pH meter (1:2.5 soil-water ratio) and organic matter by wet oxidation method (Nelson and Sommers, 1982). The K, Ca, and Mg contents of soil were determined by IM NH40Ac (pH 7.0) extraction method. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications, each plot size being 5m x 4.5m. Zinc was applied at 3 kg/ha, where other one was control. This layout was kept undisturbed for the second and third year of the study. Zinc was applied as ZnO (78% Zn). Every year, 260 kg N, 63 kg P, 80 kg K, 47 kg S, and 1 kg B/ha were applied for high yield on the basis of soil nutrient status. The source of nutrients were urea, triple super phosphate (TSP), muriate of potash (MoP), gypsum, and boric acid for N, P, K, S, and B, respectively. Intercultural operations viz. weeding, irrigation, and insecticide spray were done as and when required. Every year, the maize varieties were sown in the first week of November and harvested in the first week of April. At maturity, data on yield components were recorded from 10 randomly selected plants from each plot. Yield data were recorded from whole plot and were expressed as t/ha on 12% moisture level. The data were statistically analyzed following the principle of F statistics and the mean values were separated by Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).
Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 36(3) : 437-447, September 2011, ISSN 0258-7122
Journal