Influence of Organic Manures and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Fodder Maize (Zea mays L.) Grown in North Eastern Zone of Tamil Nadu

Experiments were conducted during rabi season of 2019 and 2020 at the Department of Agronomy, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai to assess the performance of fodder maize (Zea mays L.) under varying combinations of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers. An experiment was laid out in split plot design with four organic treatments in main-plots viz., No manure, farm yard manure (25 t/ha), vermicompost (12 t/ ha), poultry manure (12 t /ha) and four fertilizer treatments in subplots with levels of No fertilizer, 125% RDF, 100% RDF, 75% RDF. Recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) for fodder maize crop is 60 kg N ha-1: 40 kg P2O5 ha-1: 20 kg K2O ha-1. The organic manures were applied as per the N equivalent basis to inorganic nutrient recommendation. The results revealed that all the maize growth parameters, green and dry fodder yield were significantly affected with the application of organic manures and fertilizer levels. Growth parameters viz., taller plants, more number of leaves per plant, higher leaf area index, stem girth, leaf stem ratio were observed under the combined application of poultry manure @ 12 t/ha and fertilizer level of 75% RDF. The highest green matter yield and dry fodder yield were recorded with the integrated application of poultry manure @ 12 t/ ha along with the fertilizer level of 75 % RDF.