To study the effect of sulphur and zinc on yield of maize crop under maize-wheat cropping system

Abstract

The present field was carried out during 2018-19 and 2019-20 at Student Instructional Farm, Department of Agronomy, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur with main objective to find out the technically feasible, qualitative, productive and economically viable effect of Sulphur and Zinc maize-wheat cropping rotation and to evaluate the response of these treatments on maize-wheat cropping system. The soil of university research farm is an Entisol with sandy loam texture, deficient in organic carbon available N and available Zn but medium in case of available P, K and available S. The pH and EC of soil are in normal range and responsive to macro and micro nutrients applied in balanced manner in view of the deficiency of these nutrients and vital metabolic role of the above nutrients in maize-wheat cropping system and studied in respective manners. 9 treatments comprises of viz., T1 - Control, T2- 50 % NPK, T3- 100 % NPK, T4- 50 % NPK + S, T5- 100 % NPK + S, T6- 50 % NPK + Zn, T7 -100 % NPK + Zn, T8 - 50 % NPK + S + Zn and T9 - 100 % NPK + S + Zn. Results recorded significantly maximum grain, stover and biological yield, and harvest index in treatments comprising S and/or Zn with 50 or 100 % RDF both the year, however, it was highly significant over control. The highest grain and stover yield was registered with the application of T9 (100% RDF+S+Zn) which remained at par with T5 and significantly superior over rest of the treatments on both the years and pooled mean basis. The application of T8 (50%RDF+S+Zn) recorded significantly higher yield over all the treatments of 50% RDF but found at par with T4 (50%RDF+S) during course of investigation.