Effect of nickel and Azospirillum on growth and yield of maize grown on loamy sand soil

Abstract

The microplot experiment was conducted at the Micronutrient Research Project (ICAR) experimental site, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand (Gujarat) during kharif 2015 to study the “Effect of Nickel and Azospirillum on Growth and Yield of Kharif Maize Grown on Loamy Sand Soil”. The experiments were laid out in a Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD), main study comprising of ten treatment combinations with five levels each of Ni (0, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg Ni kg-1) and Azospirillum lipoferum (ASA-1) with two levels (0 and 10 mL kg-1 seed). The soil used for the experiment was low in available N, medium in available P205 and K20 and low in NH4+ N and NO3- N content. The Ni status was 0.40 mg Ni kg-1 soil and alkaline (pH 7.86) in reaction. The observations on plant height (at 30 DAS and harvest), seed index, grain yield, stover yield and total yield were recorded. The nickel @ 2.5 mg kg-1 soil registered significantly the highest plant height at harvest stage, while its effect at 30 DAS was non-significant. The grain, stover and total yield were significantly improved due to nickel levels, wherein 5.0 mg Ni kg-1 soil and 10 mg Ni kg-1 soil registered maximum yield of grain and stover, respectively. The grain yield was on par with 2.5 mg Ni kg-1 soil, while stover and total yields were on par with 5 and 20 mg Ni kg-1 soil.