Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

RESPONSE OF SWEET CORN (ZEA MAYS VAR. SACCHARATA) CV. SUGAR 75 TO DIFFERENT ORGANIC SOURCES

V.R. Pawar, A.D. Tambe, S. P. Patil and D.G. Kadam

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2008 at PGI research farm of Department of Agronomy, MPKV, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (MS) to find the effect of different organic sources on growth attributes, yield attributes, yield, quality and nutrient uptake of sweet corn cv. Sugar-75. The soil of the experimental field was medium black and fairly drained clayey soil. The soil was alkaline in reaction (8.15 pH). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with four replications consisting of organic levels alone and in combination with the different organic inputs used viz., T1 : Control, T2 : Farmyard manure 10 t ha-1 , T3 : Vermicompost 5 t ha-1 , T4 : Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 , T5 : Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T6 : Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T7 :Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS), T8 : Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS). The results indicated that, application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha- 1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) to kharif sweet corn recorded significantly higher values for growth attributes, yield attributes, sweet corn yield and quality parameters viz. protein, starch and sucrose content in grain and brix reading in sweet corn grain than rest of the organic inputs used alone or in combination with each other. The total uptake of NPK by sweet corn was significantly higher due to application of Farmyard manure 5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost 2.5 t ha-1 + Jeevamrut 2 times (30 and 45 DAS) to sweet corn crop during kharif season.