ABSTRACT
Nitrogen is the most yield liming nutrient that can be highly soluble and lost through leaching, volatilization and denitrification. In this view an experiment was conducted to determine the effects of urea stable and convectional urea on crop performance of maize in Nitisols of Pawe district, north western Ethiopia. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were different rate of urea stable and convectional urea applied at planting and in split: (Control, 46 kg N ha-1 from urea stable applied once at planting, 46 kg N ha-1 from urea stable in split application, 46 kg N ha-1 from urea stable in split application, 92 kg N ha-1 from urea stable applied once at planting, 92 kg N ha-1 from urea in split application, 138 kg N ha-1 from urea stable in split application, 138 kg N ha-1 from urea in split application, 138 kg N ha-1 from urea stable applied once at planting). Mean grain yield, biomass yield, harvest index, plant height and cob length, cob number, cob weight and thousand seed weight of maize were significantly affected with application of urea stable and convectional urea. Mean grain yield and yield components of maize were significantly affected by nitrogen rate and increased with increasing of nitrogen rate applied from urea stable and conventional urea. Moreover, the mean of over years and over locations result show that the highest biomass yield (20771.6 kg ha-1) was obtained from 138 kg N ha-1 urea stable applied once at planting, whereas the lowest biomass yield (13831.0 kg ha-1) was in negative control treatment. Higher mean grain yield of (7119.7 kg ha-1) was obtained from application of 138 kg N ha-1 from urea stable fertilizer applied in split whereas the lowest grain yield (4763.1 kg ha-1) was in negative control treatment (without N). Application of 138 kg N ha-1 from urea stable fertilizer applied in split increased the grain yield by 49.5 % over the negative control, but statistically similar from application of 92 kg N ha-1 applied in split in the form of conventional urea (+ve control) and 138 kg N ha-1 from urea stable fertilizer applied at planting. Therefore, there was no evidence in our research that supports the advantage of urea stable over the conventional urea. Hence it is concluded that the application N fertilizers sources from both of urea and urea-stable are equal result obtained in improving of maize productivity.
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