URE CAMPUS

GRADUATE PROGRAM
 Review on: Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates on
Growth and Yield Components of Maize (Zea mays)
• B.Sc. Graduate Senior Seminar
• By
• Dessie Getnet
• Department: Plant Science
• Program: B.Sc. In Plant Science
• Submitted to: Mulugeta S. (M.Sc.)

• April, 2021
• Bure, Ethiopia
 SEMINAR POWERPOINT OUTLINE
• 1.INTRODUCTION
• 1.1BACKGROND OF THE STUDY
• 1.2 Objective
• 2.LITERATUR REVIW
• 2.1 Soil conditions and nitrogen availability for maize
• 2.2Effect of nitrogen fertilizer rates on phenological growth parameters of maize
• 2.3 EFFECTS OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER ON GROWTH PARAMETERS
• 2.4 EFFECT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER ON MAIZE YIELD COMPONENTS AND GRAIN
YIELD
• 2.4.1Kernel number per ear
• 2.5Yield Related Traits
• 2.6Grain Yield
• 2.7Response of Maize to Nitrogen rate
• 3.CONCLUSIONS
  1.INTRODUCTION
 1.1BACKGROND OF THE STUDY
 Maize (Zea mays L.) is the world’s widely grown highland cereal and primary staple food crop
in many developing countries (Kandil, 2013).
 It was originated in America and first cultivated in the area of Mexico more than 7,000 years
ago, and spread throughout North and South America (Hailare, 2000).

 In the world production, maize is ranked as the third major cereal crop after wheat and rice
(Zamiret al., 2013). World
 production of white maize is estimated to be around 65 to 70 million tons (Statista, 2015).
Maize is an important
crop in Ethiopia.
 It is grown in the mid highland areas of the country.
 There are huge tracts of land in all regions suitable for maize farming. Maize is mainly
produced in SNNPR and Oromia regions where there are about 1.77 million hectares under
cultivation. (Ethiopian Investment Agency (WWW.eia.gov.et)).
 1.2 Objective
• •To review the effect of nitrogen fertilizer
rates on growth and yield components of
maize
 2.LITERATUR REVIW
• 2.1 Soil conditions and nitrogen availability for
maize
 cont’d
• Enhancing crop production by maintaining a
proper synchrony between soil nitrogen (N)
and crop N demand remains a challenge,
especially in under-studied tropical soils of
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Because there is high
leaching and runoff and poor soil fertility
 cont’d
 Site-specific application of nitrogen (N) to maize (Zea mays L.) may provide economic and environmental benefits.

 Variations in soil drainage and texture within fields are often believed to cause localized differences in soil N availability and
therefore are a potential basis for site-specific N fertilizer application.
 Maize was grown for three years following conversion from sod.
 Two soil drainage regimes and three N rates (22, 100 and 134 kg ha−1) were experimentally imposed on plots on two soil types, a
clay loam and a loamy sand.
 Soil water potential and soil nitrate content were intensively monitored for the 0–150 and 150–300 mm soil layers during the
early growing season.
 Early season soil water potentials showed small effects of drainage variability at the 75 and 225 mm depths. However, the clay
loam soil experienced prolonged periods of saturation after significant precipitation, while the loamy sand never experienced
such conditions.
 Soil nitrate levels were strongly affected by cropping history, but were also subjected to losses as a result of precipitation and
short-term soil saturation.
 Maize N response was minimally affected by differences in soil drainage conditions in all 3 years. In years with a wet spring,
justification exists for higher N fertilizer rates on finer-textured soils.
 This study therefore showed only moderate potential for varying N application within fields based on soil type and drainage
conditions, but suggests that seasonal differences in N dynamics greatly affect maize N response.(L.D GEOHRING ,JUNE 2005)
 2.2Effect of nitrogen fertilizer rates on
phenological growth parameters of maize
 Foliar N application time had significant effects on
tasseling, silking and maturity of maize, while N source
had only significant effects on days to silking and maturity
(Table 1).
 Tasseling was delayed with late (45 and 60 DAE)
application of foliar N (Table 1), while early (15 and 30
DAE) application of foliar N enhanced tasseling in maize
by one day (56 days).
 These results are in close conformity with the findings of
Karim et al. (1983),
 Table 1: Summary of analysis of variance (ANOVA) for various
parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) studied during the experiment

Parameters unit N-source(s)

Days to number ns
tasseling
Days to number *
silking
Days to number *
maturity
Plant height cm *
Mean leaf Cm2 ns
area
Bomass yield Kg/ha *
Grains yied Kg/ha *
Grain /ear number *
Parameters unit N-source(s)
Days to tasseling number ns
Days to silking number *
Days to maturity number *
Plant height cm *
Mean leaf area Cm2 ns
Bomass yield Kg/ha *
Grains yied Kg/ha *
Grain /ear number *
2.3 EFFECTS OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER
ON GROWTH PARAMETERS
 The result indicated that there is significant difference among
treatments (P<0.05).

 It was observed that, there is an increase in number of leaves with

an increase in N level.

 The data showed that the minimum number of leaves per plant
(15.8) was obtained from no N application and the maximum
numbers of leaves per plant (17.4) were obtained from the
application of 69 and 92 kg N ha-1.

 This result is supported by Badr and Authman (2006) who reported

that increasing nitrogen fertilizer rate from zero up to 250 kg N/ha
significantly increased the number of leaves/plant of maize.
 CONT’D
• Table 1: The effect of N fertilizer on number of
leaves per plant, plant height and ear lengt
 CONT’D
N rate (kg/ ha Number of leaves/plant Plant height(cm) Ear length(cm)
0 15.8 347.33 22.63
23 16.3 351.73 22.8
46 17 353.00 23.16
69 17.4 360.40 23.43
92 17.4 360.66 23.63
LSD(%) 0.23 307.9 0.14
CV(%) 2.5 5.0 2.71
 CONT’D
 The result also shows that there is an increase in plant
height with an increase in nitrogen level.

 The tallest plant (360.66 cm) was recorded from the

application of 92 kg N ha-1 and the shortest (347.33
cm) from no N
application (Table1).
 Similarly, Kandil (2013) reported that plant height of
maize increased with increased level of nitrogen from
214 to 429 kg N/ ha.
• 2.4 EFFECT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER ON
MAIZE YIELD COMPONENTS AND GRAIN YIELD
• Table 2: The effect of N fertilizer on number of
kernel per plant, number of rows per ear and
grain yield
Nitrogen rate(kg/ha) Number kernels/plant Number of rows/ear Grain yield(kg/ha)
0 497.86 12.8 72.2
23 524.66 13.06 72.1
46 574.13 13.33 73.15
69 587.20 13.33 75.5
92 588.00 13.3 73.3
CV(%) 5.8 0.4 2.04
LSD(%) 1123 0.04 2.42
 The result showed that the application of different
levels of nitrogen (46 kg ha-1 , 69 kg ha-1 and 92 kg
ha-1 ) is non-significant on number of rows per ear.

 This result is similar to Arif et al. (2010) who found

non-significant result by applying 80 kg N ha-1 , 120 kg
N ha-1 and 160 kg N ha-1 . Moraditochaee et al.

 (2012) also showed that the application of N fertilizer

was non-significant on number of rows per ear
 2.4.1Kernel number per ear
 Ear and grain development is severely inhibited by N deficiency.

 It was found that yield reduction at low N stress is largely due to increased
kernel abortion and formation of fewer kernels per ear (Below, 2002).

 It appears that N metabolism in kernels has a direct effect on kernel

development and productivity since the provision of N to developing maize
kernels can increase their capacity to synthesize protein and to utilize
sugars for the biosynthesis of starch
(Singletary and Below 1990).
 In comparison with N-inefficient hybrids, N-efficient maize hybrids have a
higher net
 photosynthetic rate at the kernel filling stage, although their N
concentrations in the vegetative organs are similar (Chen et al., 2006).
 cont’d
 In N-efficient maize hybrids, the number of kernels per ear
is much higher than inefficient hybrids (Chun et al., 2005),
even when their above-ground vegetative biomass is
similar (Chen et al., 2006).
 Ovule abortion can also cause the limited product of
photosynthesis that affect, in turn growth at vegetative
and after flowering (McCullough et al., 1994). Such
abortion could be the result of a limitation in the source of
photosynthetic products, which also affects post-anthesis
growth (29% reduction) much more than vegetative
development (14% reduction).