Comparative Efficacy of Different Zinc Sources for Fertilization of Maize (Zea mays L.) on Alkaline Calcareous Soil
Comparative Efficacy of Different Zinc Sources for Fertilization of Maize (Zea mays L.) on Alkaline Calcareous Soil
Munazza Yousra1*, Sair Sarwar1, Muhammad Mahmood Ul Hassan1, Muhammad Zameer khan1, Abdul khaliq2, Shahbaz Ahmad1 and Shamim Ul Sibtain Shah3
ABSTRACT
The incubation and greenhouse experiments were conducted at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad during 2015-2016 to evaluate the response of maize to different rates of ZnSO4.7H2O and Zn-EDTA in sandy loam soil. Treatments included Zn @ 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 mg kg-1 as ZnSO4.7H2O and Zn-EDTA, arranged in completely randomized design with three replications. In Incubation study, the soil was incubated at 29ºC and field capacity was maintained to compare the release pattern of Zn from both sources. Zn release pattern from both Zn sources showed that Zn concentration was maximum on the first day in all treatments except control. Zinc release from Zn-EDTA was much higher as compared to ZnSO4. Similarly, the pot experiment conducted with the same set of treatments and crop responded well to Zn fertilizer application. The results showed a consistent increase in Zn concentration with the increasing Zn doses in both varieties. The maximum Zn concentration recorded was 67.6 and 79.5 mg kg-1 @ 8 mg Zn kg-1 by using both Zn sources, respectively. The highest dry matter production of 65 and 76 g plant-1 was recorded using Zn treatment @ 8 mg Zn kg-1 by ZnSO4.H2O and Zn-EDTA in both varieties, respectively. Similarly, the Zn uptake was also shown significant increase over control at the Zn rate applied @ 8 mg kg-1 with ZnSO4.H2O (3.97) and Zn-EDTA (5.03 mg plant-1) source in both varieties. The results indicated that Zn-EDTA is the most effective source of Zn as compared to ZnSO4.7H2O to meet plant requirements.
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