Comparison of the Effectiveness of Local and Broadcast Application of NP-Fertilizer on Maize (Zea mays L.) Growing for Silage

Abstract

In field experiments over three years (2002–2004), the effect was compared of local and broadcast application of the mineral NP fertilizer Amofos (ammonium phosphate with 12% N and 52% P₂O₅) on the N and P content in plants in the stage of the 4th leaf (DC 22) and on yields of silage matter of the maize hybrid Romario. The experimental site was situated in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands in the Czech Republic, at an altitude of 520 m above sea level. The soil type was a cambisol, with good (P, Ca, Mg) or satisfactory (K) fertility status and slightly acid (Mehlich III). The fertilizer was applied to soil with a good supply of phosphorus at rates of 70 and 140 kg ha^-1. Locally, the fertilizer granules were placed at a soil depth of 70-80 mm and 50-60 mm beside the seeds. Each variant included 60 plants. In the early growth stages, local applications of both doses of fertilizers had a highly positive effect on N and P concentration in the plants, when compared to the broadcast application. There were no significant differences in the contents of N and P in the biomass between the doses of 70 and 140 kg ha^-1 of fertilizer applied locally. The yields of total above-ground dry biomass were dependent on the weather (namely on the amount and distribution of temperature and precipitation) and fluctuated in September 2002, August 2003 and September 2004 with ranges of 18.56-20, 14.85-15.97 and 14.06-15.27 t ha^-1, respectively. Neither the dose of fertilizer nor the method of application had a significant effect on the silage yield of maize, except in 2002, when broadcasting 140 kg ha^-1 fertilizer gave a significantly lower yield than the others.