Response of growth, yield and quality of maize to the fertilizer combi-nation of nitrogen and potassium and spraying with the potassium humate

Abstract

The split-plot experiment was carried out in one of the agricultural fields- Al-Hussainiya district in the holy city of Kerbala for the fall season 2022, by planting the maize, Sumer cultivar was planted in a soil with clay loam texture. The experiment comprising two factors, and the first factor was the combinations of different levels of nitrogen (0, 150 and 300 kg N ha-1) were identified with symbols, N0, N1, and N2, respectively, Three levels of potassium (0, 80 and 160 kg K ha-1) were symbolized as K0, K1, and K2, respectively, the second factor was spraying with the organic nutrient potassium humate at two concentrations (1 and 2) g L-1, the concentrations of potassium humate were occupied the main plots, while the fertilizer combinations of nitrogen and potassium filled the sub plots with three replications according to the randomized complete block design (RCBD).The results showed a significant effect of adding fertilizer combinations of nitrogen and potassium and spraying with the organic nutrient potassium humate (2 g L-1) individually and overlapping in most growth, yield and quality traits, as the overlapping showed a significant superiority in increasing of leaf area (cm2 plant-1), stem diameter (mm), leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD unit), ear weight (g), plant yield (g plant-1) and protein yield (g plant-1), the interaction between the two study factors contributed to reducing the amount of mineral fertilizer to 50%, as there was no significant difference between the fertilizer combinations of nitrogen and potassium (150N + 80K) and (300N + 160K) Kg ha-1, with a concentration of 2 gmL-1 of potassium humate.

Enhancing maize productivity under abiotic stresses through the combined use of nitrogen, potassium humate, and zinc

“…Furthermore, potassium humate can mitigate nutrient imbalances and deficiencies that may arise in the presence of N (Petrus et al, 2010; El-Naqma, 2020; Aljoubory and Al-Yasari, 2023). On the other hand, N plays a role in facilitating the efficient uptake of Zn by plants and utilizing potassium humate for improved growth and development (Nawaz et al, 2012;Kumar and Singh, 2017;Montoya et al, 2020;Aljoubory and Al-Yasari, 2023). This interplay between these elements underscores the importance of understanding their interactions for optimizing plant health and productivity.…”