Differential Concentrations of some Nutrient Element in Forage of Corn (Zea mays L.) as Affected by Organic Fertilizers and Soil Compaction

Subject Areas : Journal of Crop Ecophysiology

N.  Najafi ¹ (Associate Professor, Soil Science and Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran)
A.  Mohammadnejad ² (Former Graduate Student, Soil Science and Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran)

Received: 2014-07-26 Accepted : 2015-11-11 Published : 2015-12-22

Keywords: manure, corn, Soil compaction, Municipal solid waste compost, nutrients, Sewage sludge,

Abstract :

Soil compaction is one of the most important limiting factor for normal crop growth, because it reduces absorption by the plant. Application of organic fertilizers in agricultural soils can reduce the detrimental effects of soil compaction on plant growth and also supply some nutrients to plant. Thus, a factorial experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replications and 14 treatments to evaluate the effects of organic fertilizers in mitigating soil compaction. The first factor in this study was the source and amount of organic fertilizer at seven levels (control, farmyard manure, sewage sludge compost and municipal solid waste compost and each of organic fertilizers at two levels of 15 and 30 g/kg of soil). The second factor was soil compaction at two levels (bulk density of 1.2 and 1.7 g/cm3). To perform this experiment, 10 kg of dry soil was poured into special PVC pots and then seeds of single cross 704 corn were planted. At the end of the growth period, the corn shoot was harvested and concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were determined by dry ashing method. The results showed that concentrations of Cd and Pb in the shoot, related to the different treatments, were negligible. Concentrations of P, K, Fe, Mn and Zn in the corn shoot were increased significantly by application of farmyard manure, sewage sludge compost and municipal solid waste compost at both levels of soil compaction. However, Na concentration of shoot did not change significantly. Soil compaction significantly reduced P, Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations of corn shoot, but it affected concentrations of Na and K significantly. Application of organic fertilizers and increasing their levels reduced the negative effects of soil compaction on nutrients uptake by corn plant. This study showed that to improve forage corn nutrition, application of 15 or 30 g of farmyard manure or sewage sludge compost or municipal solid waste compost per kg of soil can be recommended to similar compacted and non-compacted conditions.

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