Maize yield in different systems of soil tillage and regime of fertilizer application
Abstract
Appropriate soil tillage and fertilizer application are two prerequisites for
successful maize production, especially in dry years. Research of different tillage
systems on the chernozem soil type in Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia was initiated
in 1978. The effects of three tillage systems: no-tillage, rotary tillage and
conventional tillage, and three levels of fertilization: F1- control, F2 - 330 kg ha–1
NPK and F3- 660 kg ha–1 NPK, on the maize yield and quality of grains were
analyzed. The experiment was conducted under rain-feed and irrigated conditions
as split-plot design with four replicates, during 2017 and 2018. In the no-tillage
treatment, planting was performed by direct maize planting, John Deere 7200. In
the reduced tillage treatment, tillage was performed with a rotovator in the autumn
and planting with a conventional drill. The conventional tillage treatment consisted
shallow plowing, immediately after wheat harvesting, primary tillage in the autumn ...
and seedbed preparation in the spring. The plant density of ZP606 hybrid was
64.935 plants ha-1
. After the harvest, protein, starch and oil content in maize grains
were analyzed. In 2017 in Zemun Polje the drought period was present (June September) while 2018 was favorable for maize production and irrigation was not
applied. The highest yields were obtained within conventional system of soil tillage
and with application of mineral fertilizers. In 2017 the most effective was F2 under
rain-feed (5.98 t ha-1
) and irrigation conditions (9.02 t ha-1
). During 2018, as a year
with adequate amount and distribution of precipitation, more effective was F3
under rain-feed (10.50 t ha-1
) and F2 under irrigation conditions (10.43 t ha-1
). In
both years, parallel with amount of fertilizer increasing, the protein content in
maize grains increased, while starch and oil content showed opposite trend. The
medium and high macronutrient supply to the soil, together with conventional
tillage, are optimal for high yield achievement.
Keywords:
soil tillage / fertilization / maize grain / protein contentSource:
8. International symposium on agricultural sciences "AgroReS 2019", Trebinje, 16-18.05.2019. - Book of abstracts, 2019, 38-38Publisher:
- Banja Luka : University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Agriculture