You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a vital cereal crop that serves as food, feed, and raw materials directly impacting nutrition and food security. Nitrogen is highly limiting in growing healthy and quality maize. The world today is driving towards organic farming due to the detrimental effect of inorganic fertilizers on soil fertility and soil structure. P. maximum has the potential to enhance the nutrient level in the soil and promote the quality of maize plants. The objective of the study was to evaluate P. maximum residues as a fertilizer to improve the nitrogen concentration of maize and soil. Field experiment was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and was replicated four times. The treatment consisted of four rates of P. maximum residues (0, 1, 3, 5 kg ). The variables studied were the N concentrations of soil, stem, husk, leaf and grain. The findings of the trial show a clear correlation between the amount of residue applied and the resulting nitrogen concentration level of the soil after harvesting. Plant residue had significant effect on nitrogen concentrations of the maize plant: stem, leaf, husk and grain. Plant residue of 5 kg promoted higher nitrogen levels in the various parts of the plant as well as N uptake. In conclusion, the application of P. maximum plant residues to soil significantly boosts N concentration, with the greatest impact seen at 5 kg m-2 residue. This suggests enhanced soil fertility and maize crop quality.
