Effect of Agronomic Biofortification of Iron on the Growth, Yield and Quality of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Managing nutrients is a crucial aspect of achieving optimal growth, yield, and quality characteristics. A field experiment was carried out to assess the impact of agronomic bio-fortification with iron on the growth, yield, and quality of maize. The experiment was laid out in RCBD with three replications. The maize variety Akbar was subjected to thirteen treatments alone and in combination of soil and foliar treatments. The present results showed that all growth, yield, and quality traits of the maize crop were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by different soils and foliar applications of iron. The maximum weight per cob (113.89 g) was achieved with the combination of soil and foliar iron at a rate of 4 kg ha-1 + 0.2%, statistically comparable to the treatment at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.1%, which yielded 112.87 g per cob. Similarly, the heaviest 1000 grain weights (277.17 g) were obtained with soil and foliar iron at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.2%, closely followed by the 4 kg ha-1 + 0.1% treatment, producing 276.43 g per 1000 grains. Both these iron application treatments at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.2% and 4 kg ha-1 + 0.1% resulted in higher biological yields (14400.11 and 13389.31 kg ha-1, respectively) of maize, with no significant difference observed compared to treatments at 3 kg ha-1 + 0.2% and 3 kg ha-1 + 0.1% yielding 12196.37 and 12164.55 kg ha-1, respectively. The maximum grain yield of 4596.26 kg ha-1 was attained with the application of soil and foliar iron nutrients at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.2%, a result statistically similar to the treatment at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.1%, which yielded 4574.13 kg ha-1 for maize. However, minimum results of all investigated traits of maize were observed in the control treatment. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that applying iron at 4 kg ha-1 + 0.2% and 4 kg ha-1 + 0.1% to maize crops yielded more beneficial outcomes in terms of both quantity and quality traits compared to other treatments.